Art of the Comic Book
Summer 2009
- Mondays + Wednesdays
- June 1 - July 15 | 6:00 pm - 9:30 pm
- Massachusetts College of Art and Design
- Class CDIL2X6-1, Tower 555B
- 621 Huntington Avenue, Boston MA 02115
- Directions | Official Course Listing
- David Marshall, Instructor | dsm@illdave.com
Schedule
Week 01: Orientation | My Day - Part 1 of 2 | Storytelling, Lettering [Back to top]
Class Time
- Attendance
- Orientation
-
Demos
- Tools: Pens, brushes
- Technique: Straight lines, thumbnails
- Pencilling: Measure off 10" x 15" live area
- Orientation
-
Studio
- Work with this week's Tools: Pens, brushes, freehand and straight lines
- Life drawing: draw someone in class
- Start thumbnails for "My Day"
-
Lecture
- History: Windsor McCay, George Herriman, Hal Foster
- Technology Triangle
- Essential Elements: Title, credits & page numbers
Homework
- Email to Instructor
- 3 Life Drawings in Sketchbook
- 3 hours practice with ink
- Straight lines with pen and brush
- Measure off 3 blank 10" x 15" pages on bristol board for "My Day"
- Finish thumbnails for "My Day"
Due Today
- 3 Life Drawings in Sketchbook
- 3 hours practice with ink
- Straight lines with pen and brush
- Measured off 3 blank 10" x 15" pages on bristol board
- Finished thumbnails for "My Day"
Class Time
- Attendance
- Last week's homework
-
Demos
- Lettering: Ames Lettering Guide
-
Studio
- Start pencilling for "My Day"
-
Lecture
- Storytelling: Staging, camera angles, page design, copy placement
- Thumbnailing: Many Processes
- History: Walt Kelly, Roy Crane, Will Eisner
Homework
- 3 Life Drawings in Sketchbook
- Finish pencil art of "My Day"
Week 02: My Day - Part 2 of 2 | Storytelling, Lettering Revisited, Bordering, Inking [Back to top]
Due Today
- 3 Life Drawings in Sketchbook
- Finished pencil art of "My Day"
Class Time
- Attendance
- Last week's homework
-
Demos
- Lettering: Level 2
- Pencilling: Loose and Tight
-
Studio
- Practice bordering and lettering
- Letter "My Day"
-
Lecture
- Elements: Story title, credits and page numbers
- Splash page
- History: Tom Orzechowski, John Workman, Will Eisner
Homework
- 3 Life Drawings in Sketchbook
- Finish bordering and lettering "My Day"
Due Today
- 3 Life Drawings in Sketchbook
- Finished bordering and lettering "My Day"
Class Time
- Attendance
- Last week's homework
-
Demos
- Ink techniques with brush and pen
- Perspective 1 (1-point perspective)
-
Studio
- Practice techniques with brush and pen
- Inking "My Day"
-
Lecture
- Importance of solid-black inking
- History: R. Crumb, Jason (Iron Wagon), Jaime Hernandez
Homework
- 3 Life Drawings in Sketchbook
- Finish inking "My Day"
- Measure off 3 blank 10" x 15" pages on bristol board for "Zip's Last Day"
Week 03: Zip's Last Day - Part 1 of 2 | Working with a Full Script [Back to top]
Due Today
- 3 Life Drawings in Sketchbook
- Finished inking of "My Day"
- Measured off 3 blank 10" x 15" pages on bristol board for "Zip's Last Day"
Class Time
- Attendance
- Last week's homework
-
Demos
- Microsoft Word: Using styles for comic book scripts
- Character Design
- Perspective 2 (2-point perspective)
- Word balloon placement
- Digital Production 1: Scan + Retouch
-
Studio
- Thumbnails + pencils for "Zip's Last Day"
- Character Design for "Zip's Last Day"
- Lecture
Homework
- Scan + Retouch your pages for "My Day"
- 3 Life Drawings in Sketchbook
- Loose pencil art for "Zip's Last Day"
Due Today
- Scan + Retouch your pages for "My Day"
- 3 Life Drawings in Sketchbook
- Loose pencil art for "Zip's Last Day"
Class Time
- Attendance
- Last week's homework
-
Demos
- Discuss Scan + Retouch for "My Day"
- Pencilling cleanliness: Eraser shield, smudge prevention
- Perspective 3 (3-point perspective)
-
Studio
- Tight pencil art for "Zip's Last Day"
- Lecture
Homework
- 3 Life Drawings in Sketchbook
- Tight pencil art for "Zip's Last Day"
Week 04: Zip's Last Day - Part 2 of 2 [Back to top]
Due Today
- 3 Life Drawings in Sketchbook
- Tight pencil art for "Zip's Last Day"
Class Time
- Attendance
- Last week's homework
-
Demos
- Perspective 4 (Moving objects for scale)
-
Studio
- Lettering for "Zip's Last Day"
- Lecture
Homework
- 3 Life Drawings in Sketchbook
- Finish lettering for "Zip's Last Day"
Due Today
- 3 Life Drawings in Sketchbook
- Finished lettering for "Zip's Last Day"
Class Time
- Attendance
- Last week's homework
-
Demos
- Perspective 5 (Tiles, round objects)
-
Studio
- Inking for "Zip's Last Day"
-
Lecture
- History: Wally Wood, Mike Mignola, John Paul Leon
Homework
- 3 Life Drawings in Sketchbook
- Finished inking for "Zip's Last Day"
- Measure off 3 blank 10" x 15" pages on bristol board for "Marvel Method"
Week 05: The Marvel Method - Part 1 of 3 | Collaboration, Plot Synopsis [Back to top]
Due Today
- 3 Life Drawings in Sketchbook
- Finished inking for "Zip's Last Day"
- Measured off 3 blank 10" x 15" pages on bristol board for "Marvel Method"
Class Time
- Attendance
- Last week's homework
- Demos
-
Studio
- Begin working on Marvel Method:
- Team A Session: Divide into Artist/Writer teams. In 30 minutes, plot + thumbnail a 3-page story using the Marvel Method.
- Team B Session: Like the previous session, split into two different teams. Repeat.
- Each student should now be responsible for the Art of one team and the Story of another.
- Character Design + loose pencil art for all 3 pages of "Marvel Method"
- Lecture
Homework
- 3 Life Drawings in Sketchbook
- "Tighter" pencil art for all 3 pages of "Marvel Method"
Due Today
- 3 Life Drawings in Sketchbook
- "Tighter" pencil art for all 3 pages of "Marvel Method"
Class Time
- Attendance
- Last week's homework
-
Studio: 30-Minute Copy Session (Marvel Method - Phase 2)
- Writers get pages from Artists
- On separate sheet of paper, write dialog, captions and sound effects. Label each element with a CAPITAL LETTER (example: A, B, C, etc.)
- Directly on the pencil art, draw indications of where the lettering should go, using the CAPITAL LETTER as a guide for the letterer.
- Return pencilled pages + script to the Artist for lettering.
-
Studio: Lettering + Finished Pencils
- Letter the pages
- Tighten the pencils, based on seeing the script in context for the first time
- Lecture
Homework
- 3 Life Drawings in Sketchbook
- Finished pencils for all 3 pages of "Marvel Method
Week 06: The Marvel Method - Part 2 of 3 [Back to top]
Due Today
- 3 Life Drawings in Sketchbook
- Finished pencils for all 3 pages of "Marvel Method
Class Time
- Attendance
- Last week's homework
-
Demos
- By request
-
Studio
- Start inking "Marvel Method
-
Lecture
- History: Stan Lee, Chris Samnee (Page Process), Chris Sprouse
Homework
- 3 Life Drawings in Sketchbook
- Continue inking "Marvel Method
Due Today
- 3 Life Drawings in Sketchbook
- Continued inking "Marvel Method
Class Time
- Attendance
- Last week's homework
-
Demos
- By request
-
Studio
- Continue inking "Marvel Method
-
Lecture
- History: Chris Ware, Charles Burns, Guy Davis
Homework
- 3 Life Drawings in Sketchbook
- Finish inking "Marvel Method
Week 07: The Marvel Method - Part 3 of 3 | Digital Production | Wrapup [Back to top]
Due Today
- 3 Life Drawings in Sketchbook
- Finish inking "Marvel Method
Class Time
- Attendance
- Last week's homework
- Demos
-
Studio
- Finish inking "Marvel Method
- Scan Your Work
-
Lecture
- History: Kyle Baker, Dylan Horrocks, Dori Seda
Homework
- 3 Life Drawings in Sketchbook
- Finish inking "Marvel Method
- Scan + Format your comics:
Due Today
- 3 Life Drawings in Sketchbook
- Finish inking "Marvel Method
- Scan + Format your comics:
Class Time
- Attendance
-
Sign off on all assignments:
- Three 3-page stories
- 42 life drawings
-
Studio
- Catch up on old work
- Final Grades
Syllabus
Course Description
Fundamentals of sequential art (comic books, newspaper strips, graphic novels). Primary focus is storytelling, using ink-on-paper media. We explore narrative techniques to create a variety of moods, rhythms and passages of time. Exercises are designed to build confidence with both the tools and metaphysics of this medium. Students work on individual and collaborative projects. As the course progresses, mastery of the technical fundamentals leads to personal expression. While this is primarily a studio class, we also cover history of comics' development, industry-standard production methods and the current business environment.
Course Outcomes Assessment
When you have completed this course you should be able to do the following things:
- Gain history of how current devices of comics were created and have developed
- Understand of how these devices should be used to build solid storytelling skills
- Use basic media techniques and materials
- Understand the fundamentals of sequential storytelling
- Apply anatomy, drafting, perspective, page layout, composition, panel arrangement
- Tell a variety of stories in a clear and interesting manner
- Use mastery of technical fundamentals to make personal expressions
- Work in solo and collaborative projects
- Develop creative solutions to unanticipated problems
- Draw on solutions by historical and contemporary artists
- Objectively critique your work, as well as the work of others
- Use currrent digital and traditional production techniques
- Be aware of professional opportunities and presenting your work
Required Materials
- Waterproof India Ink (Pick One)
- Brushes | Short-handle round 2, 3 and 5
- Pen Nibs
- Ruling Pen
- Pencils (Soft and hard)
- Erasers (Gum, Kneaded, Pink Pearl)
- Brush Basin
- Rags
- Bristol Board | Strathmore Series 500 Bristol Pad - Plate | 14 x 17
- Sketchbook (9 x 12)
- Tracing Paper (9 x 12)
- Letter Size Paper (8.5 x 11)
- Portable Drawing Board (23 x 26)
- X-Acto Knife
- T-Square 24"
- Triangles (45/90-degree and 30/60-degree)
- Ames Lettering Guide
- Masking Tape
- Glue Stick
- Access to Tabloid Scanner
- Adobe Photoshop or similar (Scan Editing)
- Microsoft Word or similar (Script Writing)
- Adobe Acrobat Pro or similar (Making PDFs)
- Compass
- Eraser Shield
- Adjustable Triangle
- Flexible Curve
- Itoya Art Portfolio | 8.5 x 11 | 24 Pages
Recommended Reading
- Making Comics by Scott McCloud (Harper)
- Drawing Words & Writing Pictures by Jessica Abel + Matt Madden (First Second Books)
- The Comics Before 1945 by Brian Walker (Abrams Books)
- Will Eisner's Shop Talk by Will Eisner (Dark Horse)
- Writers on Comics Scriptwriting, Vol. 1 by Mark Salisbury (Titan Books)
Grading Policy
Individual homework assignments are graded in three categories: Technical Mastery, Artistic Merit and Meeting the Deadline. Final grades are compiled from homework assignments, classroom participation and attendance. All final grades will be given at the semester's end; there are no in-completes.
Grade | Range | Grade Description |
---|---|---|
|
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Excellent to Very Good; comprehensive knowledge and understanding of subject matter; marked perception and/or originality |
|
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Good; moderately broad knowledge and understanding of subject matter; noticeable perception and/or originality |
|
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Satisfactory; reasonable knowledge and understanding of subject matter; some perception and/or originality |
|
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Marginal; minimum of knowledge and understanding of subject matter; limited perception and/or originality |
|
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Failing; unacceptable low level of knowledge and understanding of subject matter; severely limited perception and/or originality; absences in excess of allowable limit |
Late Assignments
All assignments are due at the beginning of class on the designated date, unless otherwise noted. Late assignments and make-up tests will be accepted up to 1 week after the due date for half credit. Assignments may not be submitted electronically, except by prior arrangement with the instructor. All writing assignments must be typed.
Academic Integrity
College guidelines for academic integrity are strictly enforced. Using the words, ideas, or audio/video/graphics files of others, without attributing proper credit to the author, constitutes plagiarism, which will result in failure of the project, and possible failure of the class and expulsion from the college. Students must document the original sources of all material that is not his/her own.
Attendance
Course work is very hands-on and students are expected to attend class on a regular basis. Poor attendance will affect a student’s final grade in a class as follows:
- Our college-wide standard is, that a student with more than 3 absences (2 during Summer Semester) will have their earned academic grade lowered one letter grade (ex: B+ to C+). More than 4 absences (3 during Summer Semester) will lower their grade to D.
- Students are responsible for making up assignments and communicating with their instructors regarding missing classes. All faculty members have school voice mail and email to help students contact them.
- The college does not distinguish between excused or unexcused absences.
- A student who misses all of his or her classes for two consecutive weeks will be withdrawn from the college.
Tardiness
- If a student arrives late or leaves early from class, it is noted in the attendance roster.
- 4 late arrivals/early departures = 1 absence
- Further, if a student misses more then 30 minutes of class, he/she will be marked with a one-half absence for that class.
- 2 half absences = 1 absence
Other Class Policies
Students must adhere to all lab rules during class. Food and beverages are not permitted in the computer labs. Respect for self, instructor, and classmates is required at all times. Students must turn off cell phones, beepers, and portable audio devices during class. You may be asked to leave the class for any of the events listed below. If you are asked to leave, you will not be allowed to return for the duration of the class and you will be marked absent for the entire class. If the problem occurs again during the semester you will be removed from the course and your tuition will not be refunded. You will be asked to leave the class if:
- You place or answer a phone call during class
- You use chat/IM or email software during a lecture or an in class assignment
- You are listening to a personal audio device during class
- You disrupt the lecture
Because of the studio nature of this class — as well as student's varying levels of experience — this syllabus is subject to change without notice.
Assignments
Email To Instructor
This is your first assignment, due within 48 hours of our first session:
- Send from an account you check frequently
- Send to dsm@illdave.com
- Subject line:
Art of the Comic Book - Summer 2009 | YourName - Write a paragraph or two about yourself. Some things you can include:
- Your experience with comic books
- Your major and career goals
- Your interests and hobbies
- Your favorite comic book artists and/or titles
- Comics you've done or groups you're involved with
- Anything else about yourself that you want
My Day
3 Pages of Plot + Art. Write and draw a story of your day (morning, noon, and/or night.) Focus on personal details unique to you.
- Phase 1: Thumbnail + Research
- Phase 2: Pencil + Lettering (Ames 3.5)
- Phase 3: Inking
- Phase 4: Sign-off
Folk Tale (Part One of Two): Script
Write a detailed Full Script, in Microsoft Word, for 3 pages of story. Do whatever it takes to make it your own (alternative time periods, personal details, experimental techniques, a "lost ending" approach, etc.) Provide research, setting + character notes.
- Phase 1: Research
- Phase 2: First Draft
- Phase 3: Sign-off
Folk Tale (Part Two of Two): Art
3 pages from a Full Script. Follow the script as tightly — yet creatively — as possible.
- Phase 1: Thumbnail + Research
- Phase 2: Pencilling + Lettering (Ames 3.5)
- Phase 3: Inking
- Phase 4: Sign-off
Zip's Last Day
3 pages from a Full Script. Follow the script as tightly — yet creatively — as possible.
- Phase 1: Thumbnail + Research
- Phase 2: Pencil + Lettering (Ames 3.5)
- Phase 3: Inking
- Phase 4: Sign-off
Marvel Method (Part One of Three): Plot
3 pages of Story. Writers and Artists team up to plot a new story. No editorial parameters.
- Phase 1: Team A Brainstorm
- Phase 2: Team B Brainstorm
- Phase 3: Homework - Everyone pencils all three pages loosely
Marvel Method (Part Two of Three): Pencil
3 pages (Continued).
- Phase 1: Writers put in copy "Marvel Style"
- Phase 2: Finish pencilling the story
- Phase 3: Homework - Finish pencilling all 3 pages
Marvel Method (Part Three of Three): Ink
3 pages (Continued).
- Phase 1: Letter (Ames 4.5)
- Phase 2: Inking
- Phase 3: Homework - Finish inking all 3 pages
Media Exercises
Thumbnail Processes
Page Builder
- Artist writes and draws directly on the Page
- No Script, Layout or concern for Page Count
Panel Builder
- Artist decides what each Panel should look like independently (accounting for Copy and Art), with no regard for Page Design
- Artist puts planned Panels on a Thumbnail page (adjusting the Copy placement), deciding Page Design as you go along
- Artist applies this Process one page at a time, with no regard for Page Count or Pacing
Full Script
- Writer creates a Full Script, with Page/Panel descriptions, keeping track of Page Count and Pacing
- Artist thumbnails entire story, accounting for Copy and Art
Marvel Method
- Writer creates a Plot Synopsis
- Artist thumbnails entire story, indicating preferred placement of Copy
- Writer adds Copy to the finished Pencil art
Design Method
- Artist or Writer makes a Page Layout
- Artist fits the story into this Page Layout, accounting for Copy and Art
Kurtzman Method
- Writer creates Thumbnails with final Copy
- Artist follows the Thumbnails
EC Method
- Writer writes a tight Plot
- Artist breaks plot down into Pages/Panels
- Writer writes Copy
- Letterer letters and borders the Pages
- Artist draws on the pre-formatted Pages
Digital Production
Make Raw Scans
To get each page done in one pass, you'll need a tabloid flatbed scanner. Resolution paramaters:
- 400 ppi
- 100%
- Grayscale
Save each page as a TIF with the naming convention of YOURNAME-STORYNAME-PAGENUMBER (example "davidmarshall-zipslastday-01.tif")
Budget approximately 5 minutes to scan each page. For instance, scanning 20 pages took me 90 minutes.
The files will most likely be too large for email. Therefore, a long-term cost-savings tool is a portable USB hard drive. This one, for instance, holds 320 Gigabytes for $110.00.
Photoshop: Retouch
- Make duplicates of raw scans
- Scale to 60% at 400 ppi
- Trim and rotate
- Retouch up with "Image/Adjustments/Levels"
- Save each page as YOURNAME-STORYNAME-PAGENUMBER
- Print, compare to original. Adjust if necessary.
Photoshop: Format
- Copy scaled art, paste into "page-400ppi.psd"
- Convert from RGB to Grayscale
- Hide all other layers, Flatten image
- Save each page as YOURNAME-STORYNAME-PAGENUMBER
MassArt's Tabloid Scanner
Location: Tower T308 | Make/Model: Microtek ScanMaker 9800XL
Research Methods
As we learned from Alex Toth Critiques Steve Rude, the primary element of storytelling is credibility. Gaining trust from an audience is more important than anatomy, drafting or flashy layouts. Especially in the Google Image area, there's simply no excuse for not knowing what something looks like. While drawing "out of your head" sounds like fun, it's a lazy habit that will hurt you in the long run. Here's a checklist of methods readily available to you and your craft:
- Newspapers, Books and Magazines
- Google (Image + Web)
- Libraries
- Personal Journals
- Anecdotes of Family and Friends
- Take Photographs
- Interview People
About Your Instructor
As a student, David Marshall worked on the first MassArt Comic Book. His Senior Degree Project was the historical development of comics art, theory, commerce and technology of American comics in the 20th century. Years later, he taught intro computer arts for the Design department.
Marshall is a working author, having been published by Fantagraphics Books, SpiderBaby Graphix and FantaCo Enterprises. He is also a three-time participant of 24-Hour Comics Day. Please refer to his comic book portfolio for details.
When not doing comics, David runs his one-man creative services company Marshall Art Studio. He has over 20 years of experience in web design + development, print design, illustration and overall content beautification.