How To MAKE Comics - The Essential Guide from Udemy

What's inside

Learning objectives

Making comics start to finish
Story boarding
Modern marketing - facebook and email lists
The fundamentals of story creation
Creating character concepts

Understand world building
Avoiding common mistakes in comic book creation
Learning from others
Understanding lettering in comics
Understanding page and panel flow in comics

Making comics start to finish
Story boarding
Modern marketing - facebook and email lists
The fundamentals of story creation
Creating character concepts
Understand world building
Avoiding common mistakes in comic book creation
Learning from others
Understanding lettering in comics
Understanding page and panel flow in comics

Syllabus

Where you have to start off when beginning your journey in creating comics.

Introduction

To be clear, this is not a drawing course. There are elements of drawing and design in this course, but it's not primarily a drawing course. This course focuses on the MAKING of comics books.

I want you to succeed in this course. Really. It's important to me. So, take a quick watch of this video, and be sure to follow my advice as you go forward.

Understanding how wide of a category comics really are. And that, most likely, there's room for both your ideas and styles!

Concepts and Ideas

Character concepts with Clayton Barton

Character sheets with Mike Van Orden

World Building - 5Ws

World Building - Architecture

Script types

Scripts with Steve Colle

You will be able to put together a well constructed comic page, story, and whatever else you like.

Types of Shots

Composition

Composition movie exercise

Panel Types

This is one of the most strategic advantages professional comic book artists have. Don't overlook this when planning out your comic book page.

Tangents

Dynamic vs Static with Chris Graves

Storyline and Tempo

Every story has a beat... make sure yours is intentional.

Just like your time, the page real estate is a valuable commodity. Make sure you have a plan when plotting out how you 'spend it'.

Thumbnailing Basics

Storyboarding thumbs with Jean-Claude De La Ronde

Color Theory

Lettering - Dialogue and Fonts

Let's see some of the comic Titles you've put together! Send them to me, I'd love to see what you come up with.

Lettering - Effects

Typography with Todd Cowden

Putting your project all together

Cover choices

Printing with Barry Gregory

Wrap up

Once you have your comic, you have to sell it! Join us in helping you learn to promote your work!

Teambuilding with Rob Arnold

Marketing with Rob Arnold

Webcomics with Walter Ostlie

Taking Smaller Bites

Branding with Christie Shinn

In this section I give feedback on art submitted. It is extremely valuable to watch these videos and learn from the "mistakes" of fellow students. All skill levels are shown, and everyone can learn

A review video for a contest I held for my students and friends. You'll see tons of great feedback and insights in them.

The reviews from our Hulk VS contest!! Tons of amazing entries here! Be sure to join in on the next challenge.

Sequential Reviews - Deadpool vs Wolverine

If you're looking for your next course fro me, shoot me a msg. You can save on $$, and I benefit too!!

Bonus - Livestreams

Good to know

Know what's good

, what to watch for

, and possible dealbreakers

Covers modern marketing techniques like Facebook and email lists, which are essential for independent creators to reach their audience and build a fanbase

Explores world-building, character development, and scriptwriting, which are fundamental skills for crafting compelling narratives and engaging readers

Includes insights from guest expert instructors, offering diverse perspectives and real-world advice on various aspects of comic creation and the industry

Examines lettering and typography, which are crucial visual elements that contribute to the overall aesthetic and readability of comics

Requires learners to understand that the course is not primarily a drawing course, but rather focuses on the making of comic books

Features feedback on student art submissions, which provides valuable learning opportunities from the successes and mistakes of others

Activities

Be better prepared before your course. Deepen your understanding during and after it. Supplement your coursework and achieve mastery of the topics covered in How To MAKE Comics - The Essential Guide with these activities:

Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art

Show steps

Provide a foundational understanding of comic book structure and visual storytelling techniques.

View The Cartoonists Club: a Graphic Novel on Amazon

Show steps

Obtain a copy of 'Understanding Comics'.
Read the book, paying attention to key concepts.
Take notes on important ideas and examples.

Practice Basic Figure Drawing

Show steps

Improve your ability to draw characters, which is essential for creating compelling comic book art.

Browse courses on Figure Drawing

Show steps

Gather drawing materials (paper, pencils, etc.).
Practice drawing basic shapes and forms.
Sketch figures in various poses.

Create a One-Page Comic

Show steps

Apply the concepts learned in the course by creating a short comic, focusing on panel layout, character design, and storytelling.

Show steps

Develop a short story idea.
Create character designs and a basic script.
Sketch out the panel layout for the page.
Draw and ink the comic page.
Add lettering and any necessary effects.

Four other activities

Expand to see all activities and additional details

Show all seven activities

Analyze Comic Book Page Layouts

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Deepen your understanding of page and panel flow by analyzing the layouts of existing comic book pages.

Show steps

Select several comic book pages with diverse layouts.
Analyze the panel arrangement and flow.
Write a short analysis of each page's effectiveness.

Making Comics

Show steps

Provide a practical guide to the art of making comics, covering topics such as storytelling, character design, and page layout.

View The Cartoonists Club: a Graphic Novel on Amazon

Show steps

Obtain a copy of 'Making Comics'.
Read the book, focusing on practical techniques.
Experiment with the techniques described in the book.

Develop a Comic Book Pitch Package

Show steps

Prepare a professional pitch package for a comic book project, including a synopsis, character designs, and sample pages.

Show steps

Develop a detailed story synopsis.
Create character designs and world-building concepts.
Draw sample pages showcasing your art style.
Compile all materials into a professional pitch package.

Attend a Comic Convention

Show steps

Connect with other comic creators, artists, and industry professionals to learn about the latest trends and opportunities.

Show steps

Research upcoming comic conventions in your area.
Purchase a ticket and plan your visit.
Attend panels, workshops, and artist alley.
Network with other attendees and professionals.

Career center

Learners who complete How To MAKE Comics - The Essential Guide will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:

Comic Book Artist

A Comic Book Artist is responsible for creating the visual aspects of a comic, bringing stories to life through illustration, layouts, and character design. This course is directly applicable because it focuses on the making of comics, and not solely the drawing component. As a future Comic Book Artist, you'll learn about world building, character concepts, shot composition, panel flow, and page layout techniques. In addition, this course will teach you how to put together a well constructed comic page, story and how to think strategically about page real estate. This course also delves into essential aspects of comic creation, such as lettering, typography, and even marketing, which are all crucial for a successful Comic Book Artist.

See salaries and explore the career path for Comic Book Artist

Comic Book Writer

A Comic Book Writer crafts the narratives, dialogues, and overall story for comics, working closely with artists to translate scripts and ideas into visual stories. This course helps a prospective Comic Book Writer because it covers essential aspects of story creation and script writing, including script types and storyline tempo. You'll learn to develop story concepts, create memorable characters, and build immersive worlds. The course also offers insights into the technical aspects of comics, like page flow and panel flow, which a Comic Book Writer should consider when planning how to tell the story. The material on pacing and tempo of a comic will be particularly helpful.

See salaries and explore the career path for Comic Book Writer

Sequential Artist

A Sequential Artist specializes in creating images that tell a story through a series of panels or frames, such as in comics and graphic novels. This course offers direct instruction on the foundations of sequential art, covering panel types, page flow, and storyline pacing, which is critical to all Sequential Artists. The course also goes over the strategic advantages of page design, and how you can optimize it. Also, sequential artists should be aware of lettering and typography, which are also featured in this course. Overall, this course offers a strong foundation for an aspiring Sequential Artist.

See salaries and explore the career path for Sequential Artist

Layout Artist

A Layout Artist plans the arrangement of visual elements on a page, such as in comics. This course is directly relevant to a Layout Artist, as it covers page composition, panel types, and page flow. An aspiring Layout Artist will also find the discussion of story boarding helpful, in thinking about how to arrange a series of images into a coherent whole. This course will teach Layout Artists how to think strategically about a page and how to use it effectively. The instruction on shot composition will also be useful to someone wishing to be a Layout Artist.

See salaries and explore the career path for Layout Artist

Storyboard Artist

A Storyboard Artist creates visual representations of a story's scenes, which are often used in the planning stages of film and animation projects. This course is helpful because it covers storyboarding basics, and has a dedicated storyboarding exercise. The material on shot types and composition help to make you a better Storyboard Artist. This course gives you the tools to understand page flow and tempo which helps in effective storytelling. A future Storyboard Artist may also benefit from coursework on character concepts, since storyboard artists often also create character designs.

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Character Designer

A Character Designer is responsible for developing the visual appearance and personality of characters. This course can be useful for those looking to become a Character Designer, as it directly provides learning on character concepts and character sheets. The course also teaches world building, which a Character Designer should use to contextualize a character in a particular setting. The course's instruction on drawing and design elements can be an advantageous start for someone looking to dive into character design. The understanding of composition and shot types gained in this course also gives the Character Designer insight into how their characters will appear in different visual layouts.

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Comic Book Colorist

A Comic Book Colorist adds color to the artwork, enhancing the mood and storytelling of comics. This course may be especially useful for a Comic Book Colorist, as it dedicates time to color theory. The course helps Colorists understand the purpose of color in sequential storytelling. It is useful for Comic Book Colorists to also understand shot composition, panel flow, page flow and the importance of lettering which are all covered in the course. The emphasis on the overall making of comics means that a successful Comic Book Colorist will be able to place their own contributions within the context of a larger project.

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Letterer

A Letterer is responsible for adding text to comic panels which includes dialogue, sound effects, and titles. This course may be helpful to a Letterer, because it covers lettering, dialogue, fonts, and typography. The course goes over the use of lettering for sound effects. The skills gained in this course can help a future letterer understand how to enhance storytelling through text. As the course also covers page flow, pacing, panel types, a letterer will also understand the context within which the lettering appears on the page. The course's treatment of lettering as a fundamental part of a comic book will be useful to the aspiring Letterer.

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Concept Artist

A Concept Artist creates visual representations of ideas for various projects. This course can be useful for future concept artists, given its focus on character concepts and world building. The lessons on composition will also be useful to someone hoping to become a Concept Artist. The course teaches how to create memorable characters and build immersive worlds. The course provides a good start to someone who wants to become a Concept Artist because of its emphasis on turning ideas into reality.

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Freelance Artist

A Freelance Artist works on a variety of projects on a contract basis, bringing creative ideas to life for commercial and private clients. This course may be useful to a Freelance Artist as it directly addresses the act of creating comics. While this course does not focus on the drawing elements, it covers all of the skills needed to produce a comic. In addition, a freelance artist must market their work, and this course covers that element. The course also emphasizes learning from the work of others, and improving from feedback, which are necessary skills for a Freelance Artist.

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Illustrator

An Illustrator creates drawings or images for various media such as books, magazines, or online content. This course may be useful for an Illustrator, as it provides instruction on character concepts, and even how to think about world-building if the illustrator works on projects that require it. The course also provides insight into shot types and composition which help illustrators think strategically about how their work appears to the reader. An understanding of page flow and panel types may further help an Illustrator to think about how their art might work in the context of a larger whole.

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Graphic designer

A Graphic Designer creates visual concepts, using computer software or by hand, to communicate ideas that inspire or inform. This course may be useful for a Graphic Designer, due to its detailed instruction on lettering and typography. The course also gives the Graphic Designer an understanding of composition and layout. The course's focus on page flow and panel types may give Graphic Designers an alternate way of thinking about how to direct a reader's attention using visual design. The course's marketing section may also help a Graphic Designer who chooses to market their own work.

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Art Director

An Art Director oversees the visual style and images for a publication or project to ensure that the art is of high quality and that it achieves its intended purpose. This course may be useful for prospective Art Directors as it teaches the fundamentals of comics. The course covers many of the roles that go into making a comic, such as character design, layout, lettering, and coloring. By understanding the individual facets of comic creation, a prospective Art Director will be able to make more considered and informed critiques of the work. This course will help an Art Director understand comic book marketing as well.

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Marketing Coordinator

A Marketing Coordinator supports the development and execution of marketing campaigns. This course may be useful to a Marketing Coordinator, as it includes material on modern marketing, branding, and ways to sell a finished comic book. The course provides insight into team building, which may be useful to a marketing coordinator. The course's material on Facebook and email lists may be particularly beneficial. A Marketing Coordinator who is also a comic book creator can make use of experience and knowledge of the creative process to understand target audiences and develop effective marketing strategies.

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Project Manager

A project manager is responsible for planning and overseeing the progress of projects from start to finish. This course may be useful to a Project Manager because it goes through the steps of comic book creation from start to finish. The course offers practical knowledge of team building, and how to coordinate the efforts of people working on a single project. Furthermore, the course's instruction on breaking down large projects into smaller tasks may be useful to a Project Manager. As Project Manager, an understanding of marketing, webcomics, and branding will also be advantageous.

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How To MAKE Comics - The Essential Guide

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Syllabus

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Activities

Career center

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