COMIC BOOK ARTIST COURSE

Kick off your creative journey by meeting your instructor, getting the lowdown on class and assignments, and diving into the portfolio project that’ll showcase your skills by the end of the course. 

• Instructor intro
• Agenda
• Housekeeping rules
• Portfolio project intro

Recommended Weekly Assignment: Submit weekly sketchbook pages with 2 pages of hand drawings, 2 pages of head drawings, and 2 pages of full figure drawings.

By the end of Class 1, you’ll be equipped with the essentials of comic book art — recognizing genres, sketching layouts, and nailing down perspective and anatomy. You’ll also recap basic drawing skills, dive into thumbnailing, and explore sketching techniques to bring your ideas to life. Plus, you'll start carving out your own artistic style. 

• Walkthrough of instructor’s project
• Exploring different genres & understanding art styles
• Developing your personal style
• Basic drawing skills recap
• Thumbnailing & sketching

Assignment #1: Draw a 5-panel page featuring a man and woman conversing in a room.

In this session, you'll learn how to make each panel flow, create dynamic scenes with perspective, and capture every emotion with expressive drawings. Get valuable feedback on your own comic concept from fellow creators in a group workshop to sharpen your storytelling skills.

• Panel transitions & sequencing
• Camera angles & perspective
• Character acting & expression
• Workshop: Students share their comic book ideas in groups for feedback

By the end of Class 3, you’ll be sketching stories like a pro — visualizing dialogue, action, and timing in each panel. Get insider tips on collaborating with writers, fine-tune your assignments, and learn from a professional writer for comics, animation, and live action. 

• Visualizing dialogue & action
• Pacing & timing
• Collaboration with writers
• Assignment check in

Assignment #2: Adapt a short script into a comic book page, demonstrating your storytelling skills.

Experiment with crafting your own layouts, bringing stories to life panel by panel, and refining your visual storytelling skills with hands-on practice and feedback from both your peers and the instructor. Let’s get those creative juices flowing!

• Brainstorming layouts for the script
• Sharing the progress, ideas, and feedback in groups

Start sketching figures with confidence — bringing them to life with form, flow, and dynamism. Explore the human form in all its depth — break down its 3D structure, play with light and shadow to add volume, and use anatomy to bring your figures to life with energy and accuracy.

• Form & volume
• Dynamism 
• Anatomy 

Assignment #3: Create 5 action pose drawings from life. 

Get fully equipped to bring your comic book ideas to life digitally. From perfecting your lettering and typography to mastering the tools for clean lines, coloring, and adding those cool digital effects — it's all about creating quality work and managing your workflow with ease.

• Lettering & typography 
• Drawing & inking software
• Coloring & lettering tools
• Digital workflow & file management
• Digital effects & enhancements

Get hands-on practice with figure drawing, improving your observational skills by sketching dynamic poses. You’ll also start brainstorming layout ideas for your upcoming pinup project, setting the stage for creating something visually striking.

• Sketching live models
• Creating a pinup & brainstorming ideas for a layout

Assignment #4: Revise your pinup page layout based on workshop feedback.

Receive the essential tools to bring your characters to life — making them not just look great but feel real. Dive into character design by creating personalities, crafting unique backstories, and designing eye-catching costumes and props. Learn how to express emotions and tell stories through dynamic poses, expressive faces, and consistent model sheets. 

• Creating memorable characters & creatures 
• Costume & prop design
• Character model sheets & maintaining consistency
• Expressions & body language

Assignment #5: Design a character pinup for a specific story concept (to be colored at a later stage).

Learn how to design backgrounds that do more than just fill space — they’ll help tell the story. You’ll explore techniques like perspective, environmental design, and the perfect balance between setting the scene and keeping the focus on your characters. From props and objects to vehicles, you’ll discover how every detail can bring depth to your scenes.

• Perspective
• Importance of background in storytelling
• Setting a scene & relation to the story
• Believable world 
• Props, objects, vehicles

Assignment #6: Create 5 rough background concepts for your character, then refine and add one to your pinup from Assignment #5.

Fall in love with the inking process! Whether it’s with a pen, brush, or digital tools, we’ll teach you techniques to add depth, texture, and atmosphere to your comic book art with smooth, confident lines. Plus, you’ll pick up tips on fixing mistakes and refining your hatching & cross-hatching — great art doesn't happen by accident.

• Tools & techniques
• Line weight & variation
• Hatching & cross-hatching
• Mastering line quality

Assignment #7: Practice brush and pen inking with hatching techniques.

By the end of this class, you’ll have an understanding of how to use color — setting moods, guiding the reader’s eye, and creating the perfect atmosphere. Understand color theory, explore different coloring techniques, and pick up the skills to build palettes that enhance your story and characters. 

• Creating mood & atmosphere with color
• Coloring techniques
• Color palettes & color schemes

Assignment #8: Add color to the character design from Assignment #5.

Learn how to craft a standout portfolio that highlights your comic art versatility and skillset. Curate your best work, write a compelling artist’s statement, and get ready to impress in interviews with top-notch networking strategies. It’s time to turn your passion into a professional edge.

• Showcasing skills & versatility
• Curating a professional portfolio
• Writing an artist’s statement
• Preparing for job interviews

Confidently present your comic book art portfolios, share your creative journey, and engage in insightful peer feedback. Get ready to fine-tune your work, see fresh perspectives, gain insights into industry standards, emerging trends, and potential areas for improvement.

• Presenting the portfolio for feedback 
• Presentation of final portfolio project

Final Portfolio Project: Choose your best pieces from the course (and your existing portfolio) and apply course feedback to refine and elevate your portfolio.

By the end of this class — and this course — you'll have a solid grasp of the comic book industry's ins and outs: trends, key players, and emerging markets. You'll also pick up practical skills in self-publishing, crowdfunding, and networking with the pros. Get a sneak peek into the future of comics, from digital tech to AI-driven storytelling.

• Comic book industry landscape
• Self-publishing & crowdfunding
• Networking & building connections
• The future of comic books