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Congratulations, you’ve just started the How To Make A Comic Book online course and are now taking your first steps towards making a 4 page comic book!

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Welcome to the How to Make a Comic Book Course!

Congratulations, you’ve just started the How To Make A Comic Book online course and are now taking your first steps towards making a 4 page comic book!

WOOT! 

Take a deep breath and get ready to make some art. This email-based course will take place over 8 emails (this is the first of 8). The main goals we have are for you to make art and to understand the basics of comic vocabulary and the process professional comic book creators use to create comic books. By the end of this course you’ll have created a full, 4-page comic book of your own! 

Let’s get started. 

Course Introduction & Materials Overview

Your first task in the course is to watch the video below that has a great introduction by Patrick Yurick, course instructor, and do a review of the materials needed to get going. 
Click this link to go directly to a transcription for this video

Materials Needed

Throughout the course, you will need certain materials in order to properly create your comic. They are:
  • Scanner (Or us the phone app “Adobe Scan”)
  • 2HB Pencil or #2 Pencil
  • Zebra Brush Pen or Sharpie Fine point
  • Copy Paper 
  • Printer
  • Eraser
  • Ruler
  • Stapler (adjustable binding stapler, for books longer than 4 pages)
  • A Bone Folder (You can use a common kitchen rolling pin as a substitute)

COURSE FORMAT FAQ

You’ve started the course. How do we know? You’re reading this! We bet you have some questions.

How long is this course?

This course is designed to be done at your own pace. The course has a suggested amount of time listed on its course landing pages under the “Course Stats” heading. We feel that you should set aside the suggested time in order to complete the course. These hours take into account things like facilitating classroom discussions, teaching basic concepts needed to complete each assignment, and making time to continually discuss your work with colleagues and friends.

Do I have to complete coursework?

That’s completely up to you! This free version of the course is being completed by you through email. Because this version is set up in this manner we have no way to follow-up to make sure you actually do each assignment.

How do I get the next email?

We’ve already started sending it to you! Whenever you get an email and open it we will send you the next email in the series so that you have it as soon as you finish your work. If you just want to get all the emails before starting any of the work just open all the emails as they come and the subsequent emails will be sent. Please note there may be a 10-20 minute delay between emails sent after an email has been opened.

How can I get feedback on my work?

You can always receive feedback from friends or relatives (perhaps one might be the intended audience for your finished comic). And, you may submit assignments to the “How to Make a Comic Subreddit” at: https://www.reddit.com/r/MakeComicsMOOC/ We launched this for those who are taking the course and would like to connect with other participants. Please note: this subreddit is not monitored by HTH, nor the course creators, so neither the comments and feedback, nor the quality thereof, can be guaranteed.

Can I hire High Tech High to facilitate a course experience for me and/or a group (students, staff, friends)?

We are launching this service in the near future. If you are interested in receiving news about this option please fill out this form.

My question isn’t answered here - what do I do?

These questions, and other questions like them, are answered extensively in the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) section of hthgse.online. If you run into issues that are not covered in the FAQ section of our website please email us for help by visiting our Contact page.

Emails Overview
 
 
 

1. Introduction

 

2. Brainstorming

 

3. Materials

 

4. Thumbnails
This email!   Learn about how to brainstorm ideas as you prepare to find your own.   The basics of scripting are laid out for you. You will be given the tools needed to write your first draft.   Begin to roughly lay out what your art will look like for your comic book.
 
 
 

5. Penciling & Lettering

 

6. Inking

 

7. Assembly

 

8. Conclusion
Prepare your art for your comic based on your script, and learn how to properly input the dialogue.   Learn the importance of inking, and the depth that it can add to your art and final comic.   Take all the work that you’ve done and assemble it to create your comic!   A quick review of the course and the steps for you moving forward.

Resources

Below is a preview of some of the additional readings, videos, comics, and other resources to enhance your learning regarding this email’s topic. You can review these materials in full by going to the course landing page.
 
 

Model Finished Comic
An example of a four page mini-comic like you will be creating through the course. It serves as a model of what you’ll be creating.

  

Glossary of Comic Terms
This document contains a list of various terms that may be unfamiliar to you that are standard in the comics industry. Keep it handy as you navigate the course.
 
 

Using MakingComics.com
The original creator of this course created a website that serves as a large reference guide to the world of creating comics. Watch this video to learn more about it.

  

 

INTRO 2 COURSE WARM-UP

5 Minute Sketch
 

Instructions

Draw something in five minutes (don't go over five minutes). It can be anything. Make sure to time yourself. You can use this online egg timer: http://e.ggtimer.com/ See if you can find a peer to complete the activity with you, and then practice giving only positive feedback to each other about them.

Feedback (Optional)

Ask a friend or family member for feedback. Concentrate feedback on what you or your peer like about the image you drew. Notice the lines, the shapes, the ideas. Try and use the following sentence for feedback: "What I like about this piece of artwork is [insert what you like] because [explain why!]"
 

Activity Models



Student Models
This document contains several pieces of course participant work and the feedback given.

In Conclusion…


You’ve just embarked on your own journey, one that will expand your knowledge into the world of comics. The process is so fun, creative, and exciting that you’re sure to have a great time. Be sure to be on the lookout for the first lesson email in your inbox!


TEACHER’S CORNER



For those of you who are teachers taking the course—welcome! We are very excited to have you. This course was originally modeled after the “Comic Relief Project” which was designed specifically for classroom instruction.   
 

Can I use this course with my students?

Yes! We are very excited to have built a High Tech High project based learning experience online that can be completed by individuals or groups such as K–12 teachers.
 

Middle school students in Columbia taking the
How To Make A Comic Book course


How do I adapt these emails from the course for my students?

We have suggestions for you on how you can do that in each of the emails at the very end in a section like this one called “Teacher’s Corner.” In it we will have tips and tricks for how to adapt this course for your students. 


Above you mentioned a subreddit, should I have my students post work there?

In short, no. 

Reddit’s minimum age requirements are 13+ as indicated by the Reddit User Agreement. If your students are 13+, we still do not recommend your students sign-up for reddit for this course as the social network may not be suitable for minors. If you are thinking about having them sign up anyway, know that laws regarding schools allowing students to register state to state (in California having students on social media is restricted for schools). Long story short, we do not recommend teachers using reddit with their students.


So what should I use to help students facilitate feedback?

There are a lot of options for doing this. One of the easier ways to do this is to connect students together through email to have them respond to each other’s work. A slightly more advanced method might be to use Slack (free) to connect your students online. And, your district may already use a Learning Management System like Google Classroom. We cover a great deal of strategies for how to do this in our course “How To PBL Online”.


I’m not sure what to do...

No problem! Another option for getting help to modify this course is to contact us and set up some coaching one-on-one or even getting our help to facilitate a unique version of this course just for you and your students. You can inquire about these options by filling out this form.


Anything else?

To see more suggestions related to each course email and assignment you can visit our teacher’s guide for this course:
 
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