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Coursera

How to Make a Comic Book (Project-Centered Course)

High Tech High via Coursera

Overview

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What you’ll achieve:
In this project-centered course*, you will create an original four page minicomic designed around a short story of your choosing.

What you’ll need to get started:
This project-centered course is designed for all-age learners (high school age and above, at least 13 years of age) who are interested in learning how to make a comic book, but have never completed one before.

While comic books can be created with any kinds of materials, we recommend that learners have the following materials available to complete the project: at least one ream of 8.5x11 copy paper, #2 pencils and eraser, Sharpie-type fine point pens, ruler with inch measurements, and adjustable binding stapler. Learners should also have access to a printer and scanner (to facilitate digitizing work to be shared with peers on Coursera).

*About Project-Centered Courses:
Project-Centered Courses are designed to help you complete a personally meaningful real-world project, with your instructor and a community of learners with similar goals providing guidance and suggestions along the way. By actively applying new concepts as you learn, you’ll master the course content more efficiently; you’ll also get a head start on using the skills you gain to make positive changes in your life and career. When you complete the course, you’ll have a finished project that you’ll be proud to use and share.

Syllabus

  • Part 1 - Course Overview & Finding Your Great Idea
    • For the first week we will get you everything you need to know before starting to create your comic book. Then we will focus on idea creation for your comic story.
  • Part 2: Writing Your Comic Script
    • In part 2 we will be looking specifically at how to script your comic for publication
  • Part 3: Thumbnails
    • Part 3 will have us constructing thumbnail (aka small sketches) to plot out the look of our final comic book.
  • Part 4: Penciling & Lettering
    • Part 4 will have us concentrate on producing the actual pages of art for our comic by penciling and lettering our pages.
  • Part 5: Inking
    • Part 5 will have us creating the inks (aka the dark lines that will appear when copied) for our comic.
  • Part 6: Putting Your Comic Together & Course Wrap-up
    • Get ready to hit the comic conventions with your finished comic book copies!

Taught by

Patrick Yurick

Reviews

4.0 rating, based on 5 Class Central reviews

4.6 rating at Coursera based on 264 ratings

Start your review of How to Make a Comic Book (Project-Centered Course)

  • Erik
    I have to say this course can be a lot of fun when you commit the time to checking out the resources, and brainstorming ideas for a comic. The MOOC might feel like it starts out a little slow at first, but I really like it.
  • Cyn Gar
    Consider this "Comics Creation 101". It's a good intro for people who are interested in getting into making comics, even if only interested in writing or just drawing. It's an overview of the entire process from concept to execution (there is a practical project).

    If you just want to write and can't draw to save your life, audit the class to get an idea of what your collaborators' jobs are and how to make it easier for them.
  • Profile image for Sa Vf
    Sa Vf
    I don't like the control that You must put your own work. how actually do I know that they were not going to steal it? Not just about to steal it, just about to say showing the idea of it for everyone else. So there is a problem and you can't actually continue the course until you Publish your work. inside of this website or inside of course itself
  • Profile image for Moroyoqui Designs
    Moroyoqui Designs
    This course is great for beginners! It's more of a crash course than a "hand hold" class, but it is very informative and the teacher is obviously passionate and wants the students to succeed and not give up. The end product is a short and sweet comic that has a lot of thought put into it. Like I said, this is a super great course if you are starting out, so I do not recommend taking it if you have experience designing comics - however with the teacher, interviews, and resources - you should at least give it a shot :)
  • Profile image for Bert Imeri
    Bert Imeri
    My comment is that comic books are very fans, especially those that have a lot of writing and illustrations which are made only by hand

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