Drawing Comics Lab: 52 Exercises on Characters, Panels, Storytelling, Publishing, & Professional Practices

by Robyn Chapman

Overview

Do you dream of becoming a comic artist? Drawing Comics Lab covers all of the basic steps necessary to produce a comic, from the first doodle to the finished publication.

This easy-to-follow book is designed for the beginning or aspiring cartoonist; both children and adults will find the techniques to be engaging and highly accessible. Featured artists include:

• James Sturm
• Tom Hart
• Jessica Abel
• Matt Madden
• Eddie Campbell
• And many others

Featuring 52 exercises meant to jump-start your creativity, this book will guide you toward effective ways to tell stories visually. It offers tips for creating and building characters, creating panels, storytelling, publishing and establishing good professional practices. Start your comic adventures today with Drawing Comics Lab!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781610586290
Publisher:	Quarto Publishing Group USA
Publication date:	08/17/2023
Series:	Lab
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	136
File size:	13 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Robyn Chapman has studied cartooning at two of the medium’s finest institutions, receiving her BFA from the Savannah College of Art and Design and her MFA from The Center for Cartoon Studies. In 2005 she became The Center for Cartoon Studies’ first fellow, and spent the next five years as their program coordinator and a faculty member. She has built and managed the curriculum for their successful Create Comics and Cartooning Studio workshops. Her cartooning courses, workshops, and lectures have brought her to classrooms at The New School, Wellesley College, The University of Iowa, and the 92nd Street Y. She lives in New York City. Visit her online at http://www.un-pop.com.

Robyn Chapman has studied cartooning at two of the medium’s finest institutions, receiving her BFA from the Savannah College of Art and Design and her MFA from The Center for Cartoon Studies. In 2005 she became The Center for Cartoon Studies’ first fellow, and spent the next five years as their program coordinator and a faculty member. She has built and managed the curriculum for their successful Create Comics and Cartooning Studio workshops. Her cartooning courses, workshops, and lectures have brought her to classrooms at The New School, Wellesley College, The University of Iowa, and the 92nd Street Y. She lives in New York City. Visit her online at http://www.un-pop.com.

Read an Excerpt

Lab 18: Drawing Without Stopping
Materials
- notebook paper
- kitchen timer- pencil- ruler- pen- bristol board

1. Pick a time of day when your mind will be fresh, your body rested, and you won’t be distracted. For me, this is in the morning, before going to work.2. Grab your notebook paper and set your timer for 5 minutes. Write “I’m afraid of...” at the top of your paper. Underneath, make a list of things that scare you. Keep writing for 5 minutes, without stopping. If you can’t think of anything, write the word fear until you have something, or doodle little shapes in the margins. The important thing is to keep your pencil moving.3. Look at your list. Did anything surprise you? Pick a fear that you would feel comfortable exploring in words and pictures.4. Create a nine-panel grid.5. In your first panel, draw a moment when you might begin to feel the fear you picked. Start by drawing yourself, then fill i n the blanks around you. Draw without stopping—always keep your pencil moving. Keep your drawings loose and sketchy. Don’t erase. If you can’t think of anything to draw next, trace some lines you’ve already made.6. After that first panel, your story can move in any direction: reality, fantasy, or something in between. Keep drawing without stopping until you’ve filled your nine panels. Don’t plan or think ahead, except for this: as you reach your ninth panel, try to give your page an ending that feels complete.7. Put your comic away for a week, and don’t look at it or read it. After a week, take a look. What do you think of the story you made?

Table of Contents

About This Book
What We Mean When We Say “Comics”
Basic Supplies
Drawing Comics Is Hard
Unit 1: You’ve Got Character
1.      Building Characters
2.      Model Sheets
3.      Animals, Occupations, Emotions
4.      Character Creation Intensive
5.      Ten Cats
6.      Life Drawing Comics
7.      Copycat
8.      The One-Panel Gags

Unit 2: Page Building
9.      Page-Building Basics
10. Page Size and Reduction
11. Stick Figure Strips
12. Repetition, Repetition, Repetition
13. Calling the Shots
14. Panels and Pacing
15. The Tier
16. Cartoonists without Borders
17. Turn the Page

Unit 3: Storytelling
18. Drawing without Stopping
19. Show OR Tell
20. Panel per Day
21. Jam Comics
22. Suspect Device
23. On Location Comics
24. Dream Diary
25. Interview Comics
26. Make a Map
27. Talking Heads
28. No People
29. Found Text
30. The 24-Hour Comic
Unit 4: Materials and Techniques
31. Comics Morgue
32. Picking Your Paper
33. Penciling
34. Lettering
35. Pen Power
36. Inking with a Nib
37. Inking with a Brush
38. Mixed-Media Inking
39. 50 Percent Black
40. Playing with Tone
41. Playing with Color

Unit 5: Publishing
42. Make a Dummy
43. Make a Mini
44. Design as Content
45. The Foldy
46. The One-Sheet
47. ABC Zine
48. Creative Printing
49. Creative Binding

Unit 6: Living the Dream
50. Go to a Comics Convention
51. Write a Script
52. Write a Proposal