COMIC BOOK ARTIST COURSE

Your first brushstroke into the world of comic art! In this kick-off session, you’ll meet your instructor, walk through the course roadmap, and set the stage for the creative journey ahead.

• Meet your instructor
• Syllabus overview 
• Homework assignments

Every epic starts with page one. This class lays the foundation of sequential storytelling, showing you how comic art is its own visual language. From breaking the world into simple shapes to understanding the many hands that shape a comic, you’ll learn where you fit in the pipeline, and how to make your mark.

• Traditional art vs. comic book art
• Collaboration
• Roles within a page
• Personal approach to writing & drawing
• Workshop #1: Focusing on the eyes, nose, and mouth, you will loosen up, break habits, and try some fun expression variants

Assignment #1: Select an original or existing character. Draw a simple character expression sheet including 5 different expressions. 

Time to swap pencils for pixels. This hands-on session gets you comfortable with ClipStudio – the industry’s go-to tool for comic creators. You’ll discover shortcuts, master brushes, and see how digital tools can make your workflow smoother, sharper, and more dynamic.

• Tips & tricks 
• Brushes & installing
• Tone & layers
• Perspective & symmetry rulers
• Speech bubbles

Superheroes, villains, and sidekicks alike, every character starts with anatomy. This class takes you back to the drawing board, focusing on form, flow, and the energy that brings figures to life. You’ll learn how to balance structure with dynamism, and capture that all-important sense of movement.

• Drawing the figure
• Form & volume
• Conveying action, weight, & movement 
• Dynamic posing & foreshortening
• Gesture lines

(Optional) Recommended Weekly Assignment: Draw 3 pages of anatomy, figures, and gestures, or expressions. Try to draw from life as far as possible. 

Perspective is more than grids and vanishing points, it’s how you pull readers into your world. In this class, you’ll master the rules of depth and space, then learn when to bend them for drama. From cityscapes to dynamic figure placement, you’ll discover how to stage your panels with cinematic flair.

• Linear perspective principles
• Using perspective grids
• 1-, 2-, and 3-point perspectives
• Dynamic compositions 
• Digital on-paper techniques

This lesson dives into the hidden rules (and delicious rule-breaking) that make comic storytelling sing. You’ll see how panel shapes, sizes, and gutters can completely shift the pace, tension, and emotion of a scene.

• Basic rules & when to break them
• Smaller space 
• Demo: Taking an example script and demonstrating how varying panels and gutter choices across four panels can change the feel of a story

Assignment #2: Take the provided script and create 3 thumbnail pages (4 panels each), experimenting with panel shapes and gutter choices to alter the storytelling flow.

(Optional) Recommended Weekly Assignment: Draw 3 pages of anatomy, figures, and gestures, or expressions. Try to draw from life as far as possible. 

Every great comic page has a “why” behind the design. This lesson explores the deeper thinking behind choices – why you draw characters a certain way, why you lean into specific styles, and why palette and design must work as one. It’s about intention shaping invention.

• Why the “why” matters 
• Character aesthetics & storytelling
• Anthropology & extrapolation 
• Unity across design and palette
• Choosing the right style 
• Workshop #2: Divide into groups and draw randomised characters in two different approaches (genre/demographic/vibe)

A raised brow. A clenched fist. A slouch in the shoulders. Emotion in comics is more than a grin or frown; it’s posture, gesture, and the energy of your line. This class revisits figure basics and pushes them further, teaching you to capture mood with subtlety and impact.

• Back to basics
• Taking posture further
• Gesture work & speed lines
• Building up & fleshing out sketches
• Workshop #3: With a set time, draw a fleshed-out version of a contrary emotion before dividing into groups and sharing your work

Assignment #3: Return to the character you drew in your first assignment. Try the gesture/expression exercise taught in class with your chosen character. 

(Optional) Recommended Weekly Assignment: Draw 3 pages of anatomy, figures, and gestures, or expressions. Try to draw from life as far as possible. 

A breather and a booster. This recap session ties together the core skills you’ve built so far – anatomy, perspective, expression, and panel design – while answering questions and solidifying your workflow.

• Recap on core course concepts

Welcome to the big picture. Here, you’ll step into the director’s chair, orchestrating panels, pacing, and composition like shots in a film. Learn how to make readers linger, race, or gasp, all through how you stage your page.

• Building character-driven pages
• Storytelling techniques
• Becoming a director
• Panels, gutters, design, & flow

Assignment #4: Compose a comic page where two characters meet in a cafe.

(Optional) Recommended Weekly Assignment: Draw 3 pages of anatomy, figures, and gestures, or expressions. Try to draw from life as far as possible. 

From tiny thumbnails to polished pages, this class breaks down the whole comic-making pipeline. You’ll learn how to move fluidly between stages, when to lock things down, and when to mix it up for creative effect.

• Thumbs, pencils, inks, tones, colour, letters
• Changing things up & determining necessity
• Workshop #4: Divide into groups and explore ideas for your fourth assignment, based on a comic page where two characters meet in a cafe

Assignment #5: Select a script from the example script and start thumbnailing. 

Covers aren’t just pretty pictures, they’re your sales pitch. This guest-led session reveals the secrets behind unforgettable comic covers: the balance of design, drama, and intrigue that makes readers have to open the book.

• Understanding cover theory
• Principles of effective design
• Mastering layout for impact 

Assignment #6: Proceed to work on the pencils for your thumbnails from assignment #5.

(Optional) Recommended Weekly Assignment: Draw 3 pages of anatomy, figures, and gestures, or expressions. Try to draw from life as far as possible. 

Time to turn your work into your calling card. This final session focuses on building a professional portfolio that speaks to editors, publishers, and potential collaborators. You’ll also get practical advice on industry etiquette: how to talk to editors, present your work, and look like the pro you’ve become.

• Showcasing skills and versatility
• Curating a professional portfolio
• Preparing for job interviews
• Talking to editors
• Looking and acting like a pro

Final Assignment: Ink and colour your pencils from assignment #6, creating a short comic that can be added to your portfolio.