COMIC BOOK ARTIST COURSE

Meet your instructor, connect with fellow artists, and get a clear roadmap for the course ahead. Kick things off with a collaborative sketch challenge while learning how your final three-page portfolio project will develop across the programme.

• Meet your instructor
• Syllabus & assignment breakdown
• Ice breaker exercise

Final Project:
Produce 3 pages of sequential art for your portfolio. These can be either finished pencils or inks.

Learn the core principles every comic artist needs, from sketch confidence to strong construction. Build figures from simple shapes and use perspective tools to turn the page into a believable world.

• Exploring sketching
• Roughing out shapes & doing warm-ups
• Breaking down anatomy into shapes
• Perspective basics & eye line structure
• Perspective grids & how to use them

Explore how different comic styles shape tone, audience, and storytelling impact. Begin defining your own creative voice by studying influences and mapping the artists, genres, and ideas that inspire you.

• Different styles & storytelling
• How styles reflect subject matter & audience
• Crossover styles
• Developing your personal style
• Workshop: Share your influence map and discuss the inspirations behind your style

Assignment #1 (Choose One):
Option 1: Practice basic anatomy & putting figures into perspective.
Option 2: Learn by experimenting with a figure/character in a different style.

Discover how to guide the reader through the page using pacing, composition, and dynamic layouts. Learn how panel choices, angles, and body language create emotion, clarity, and momentum.

• Layout & its effect on storytelling
• Pacing, perspective, dynamic angles
• Panel layout, silhouettes, and composition
• Character acting & body language

Refine your storytelling skills through professional critique and revision. Submit your work, identify weak points in the narrative, and learn how to strengthen clarity, pacing, and visual impact.

Assignment #2 (Choose One):
Option 1: Produce a page of layouts to demonstrate storytelling, with consideration for pacing and character interaction.
Option 2: Refine the work you submitted for critique, focusing on addressing suggestions made.

Learn how to translate scripts into compelling visuals while working effectively with writers. Break down scenes, stage action clearly, and use text elements to support storytelling.

• Breaking down script & scene blocking
• Examples of working with scripts
• Collaborating with writers
• Speech bubbles and action text
• Text types as a storytelling tool

Create characters that feel alive, memorable, and consistent on the page. Explore silhouette, costume, personality, and turnarounds to build designs with depth and purpose.

• Capturing the essence of character and motivation
• Exploring costume & clothing choices
• Utilising silhouettes of characters
• Investigation of examples of turnaround

Assignment #3 (Choose One):
Option 1: Break down a sample script to a rough stage.
Option 2: Practice different body shapes & motivation of character/personality.

Master the craft of polished line work using professional inking techniques. Use line weight, texture, and shadow to add depth, focus, and atmosphere to your pages.

• Inking techniques & examples
• Linework, line weight, and lighting
• Cross hatching and washes for depth and lighting
• Halftone application

Build worlds that make your stories feel real, immersive, and cinematic. Use perspective, texture, and atmosphere to create settings that support mood and narrative.

• Backgrounds in grounding & believability
• Perspective & backgrounds as storytelling techniques
• Workshop: Sketch an environment inspired by sound using texture and atmosphere

Assignment #4 (Choose One):
Option 1: Break down a sample script to a rough stage.
Option 2: Practice drawing a selection of backgrounds (e.g., futuristic, modern day, fantasy).

Use colour as a storytelling weapon to shape emotion, drama, and time. Explore classic and modern colouring approaches while learning how palette choices influence the reader.

• Colour application
• Different colouring techniques

Streamline your workflow with industry-standard digital tools. Learn how to build pages efficiently in Clip Studio Paint, from layouts and brushes to lettering and final polish.

• Setting up a page in Clip Studio
• Brushes & examples
• Lettering & colouring
• From sketch, to pencils, to ink
• Panel layouts & effects

Assignment #5 (Choose One):
Option 1: Practice different techniques on the same panel to explore different results.
Option 2: Practice setting up a page with a panel layout and rough out page.

Explore the creative demands of longer-form storytelling and how they differ from shorter comic formats. Learn to structure arcs, manage pacing, and sustain reader interest across larger page counts.

• Storytelling methods
• Pros & cons of different methods
• Weekly, monthly, and novel storytelling
• Character-based and cliffhanger storytelling
• Page count & story structure for graphic novels

Prepare for the business side of comics by learning how to position your work professionally. Understand publishers, self-publishing routes, pitches, and how to present your portfolio with confidence.

• The business side of comics
• Target audiences
• Submitting examples & pitches to publishers
• The self-publishing route
• Research & relationships

Assignment #6 (Choose One):
Option 1: Show your format of preference, providing examples to explain your choice.
Option 2: Define your ideal target audience and explain why.

Polish your final portfolio project through focused peer review and expert feedback. Strengthen presentation, storytelling, and technical quality before submission.

Assignment #7:
Based on the feedback you received in the workshop, focus on amending your pages.

Gain an insider view of today’s comic industry, from publishing realities to future opportunities. Explore networking, emerging markets, and how new technology is reshaping the field.

• Risks & rewards of Marvel/DC & self-publishing
• Networking
• The future of comics/graphic novels
• Exploration of side industries
• Impact of AI on the industry

Final Project:
Produce 3 pages of sequential art for your portfolio. These can be either finished pencils or inks.