The Art of Visual Memory

To-Do Before Class

• Final Project Work in Progress
• READ: All American Girl – Robin Ha

Topic: Final Project Work in Progress

Objectives

• To review Project Progress
• To support artists

Activities

CRITIQUE: Work in Progress on FINAL PROJECT

7:30 PM Almost American Girl – Robin Ha (GUEST SPEAKER!)



Due Next Week

1. FINAL ART – *see schedule*
   • POST your work in progress to DISCORD
2. REVIEW: Lettering Resources Page
3. Continue Diary IF IT IS HELPFUL

To-Do Before Class

• Final Project Work in Progress

Topic: Final Project Work in Progress

Objectives

• To review Project Progress
• To support artists

Activities

Warm Up!

Reading Discussion: Magic Fish & Shawn Tan

Upcoming Reading:

12/05: Almost American Girl – Robin Ha (GUEST SPEAKER!)

DEMO: Sandy’s Lettering Hack

CRITIQUE: Work in Progress on FINAL PROJECT

Review Assignments and Expectations for Next Week’s Class



Due Next Week

1. FINAL ART – *see schedule*
   • POST your work in progress to DISCORD
2. REVIEW: Lettering Resources Page
3. Continue Diary IF IT IS HELPFUL

To-Do Before Class

• READ: The Arrival

• READ: The Magic Fish

Topic: Final Project & Magic and Metaphor

Objectives

• To continue exploring page-building & layout techniques
• To share working methods
• To review individual Project Progress

Activities

Warm Up!

Reading Discussion: Stitches

Upcoming Reading:

11/28: American-Born Chinese – Gene Luen Yang, First Second Books

12/05: Almost American Girl – Robin Ha

DEMO: Sandy’s Lettering Hack

Myth, Magic, and Metaphor

• The Arrival

Here is an in-depth analysis of The Arrival and how it uses comics language to create this wordless epic, and another about Shawn Tans’ surrealist work in general.

The Magic Fish

Here are some of Trung Nguyễn ‘s processwork and style sheets.

Activity: Using Shawn Tan’s The Arrival, David Small’s Stitches, and Katie Green’s Lighter than My Shadow as examples, draw your main character’s inner world.

Stuck for where to begin? Check out Sterling Hundley on IDEATION

CRITIQUE: Work in Progress on FINAL PROJECT

Review Assignments and Expectations for Next Week’s Class



Due Next Week

1. FINAL ART – *see schedule*
   • POST your work in progress to DISCORD
2. REVIEW: Lettering Resources Page
3. Continue Diary IF IT IS HELPFUL

To-Do Before Class

• UPLOAD FINAL PROJECT DRAFT TO DROPBOX
• READ: Stitches

Topic: Final Project & Working with Multiple Pages

Objectives

• To continue exploring page-building & layout techniques
• To share working methods
• To review individual Project Progress

Activities

Warm Up!

Reading Discussion: Stitches

REVIEW: Reading List **Guest Speaker Next Week**

WORKING WITH MULTIPLE PAGES

Activity: 8 page Mini Comic!

PRINTABLE GUIDE!

CRITIQUE: Work in Progress on FINAL PROJECT

DEMO: Sandy’s Lettering Hack

Review Assignments and Expectations for Next Week’s Class



Due Next Week

1. IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY DONE SO UPLOAD COMPLETED PDF DRAFT for FINAL PROJECT
2. BEGIN FINAL ART – *see schedule*
   • POST your work in progress to DISCORD
3. Reading: Stitches – Blam! Black Lives Always Mattered!: Hidden African American Philadelphia of the Twentieth Century – Produced by the Charles L. Blockson Afro-American Collection with the support of the Pew Center for Arts & Heritage. 
4. Prepare Questions in advance for our Guest
5. REVIEW: Lettering Resources Page
6. Continue Diary IF IT IS HELPFUL

To-Do Before Class

• Continue working on FINAL PROJECT
• READ: Hey Kiddo

Topic: Final Project Check-in

Objectives

• To continue exploring page-building & layout techniques
• To share working methods
• To review individual Project Progress

Activities

Warm Up!

Reading Discussion: Hey Kiddo

REVIEW: Reading List

CRITIQUE: Work in Progress on FINAL PROJECT

DEMO: Inking techniques

DISCUSS: Lettering

Review Assignments and Expectations for Next Week’s Class



Due Next Week

1. UPLOAD COMPLETED PDF DRAFT for FINAL PROJECT – *see schedule*
   • POST your work in progress to DISCORD
2. Reading: Stitches – David Small, W. W. Norton & Company
3. REVIEW: Lettering Resources Page
4. Continue Diary IF IT IS HELPFUL

To-Do Before Class

• Continue working on FINAL PROJECT
• READ: A Child’s Life and Other Stories – Phoebe Gloeckner, Frog Books

Topic: Final Project Check-in

Objectives

• To continue exploring page-building & layout techniques
• To share working methods
• To review individual Project Progress

Activities

Warm Up!

Reading Discussion: A Child’s Life and Other Stories – Phoebe Gloeckner

Review Homework: Author Chris Tebbett’s analysis of the Matrix

DEMO: Light Box Transfer and Inking techniques

CRITIQUE: Work in Progress on FINAL PROJECT

Review Assignments and Expectations for Next Week’s Class



Due Next Week

1. FINISH LAYOUT FOR YOUR FINAL PROJECT – *see schedule*
   • POST your work in progress to DISCORD
2. Reading: Hey Kiddo
3. Continue Diary IF IT IS HELPFUL

To-Do Before Class

• Continue working on FINAL PROJECT
• READ: Cece Bell – El Deafo
• READ: Robyn Chapman – Chapters 1-3

Topic: Point of View

Objectives

• To continue exploring page-building & layout techniques
• To share worknig methods
• To introduce the concept of Point Of View in illustration

Activities

Warm Up!

Reading Discussion: NONE

Share: FIBDA 2023

DISCUSS: Class Catch-Up

LECTURE: Page Layout Part 2

**TEMPLATES**

LECTURE: INTRODUCE Point of View as a Storytelling Technique

WATCH: Author Chris Tebbett’s analysis of the Matrix

INTRODUCE WEEK 7 HOMEWORK

IN-CLASS EXERCISE: THR WRONG PLANET – borrowed from Jessica Abel

CRITIQUE: Work in Progress on FINAL PROJECT

Review Assignments and Expectations for Next Week’s Class



Due Next Week

1. WEEK 7 HOMNEOWRK on POINT OF VIEW:
   • Choose short scene from any film in which you admire the storytelling. Using Chris Tebbetts Matrix analysis as a model, please label / list the director’s choice of shots. You can choose to complete this exercise in a variety ofways: You can label video clip as Tebbets did, you can screen shot and label, you can do simplified sketches using the Brunetti method, OR you can even just watch and list them in written form. The point of this exercise is to pay careful attention and consider WHY the director chose the POINT OF VIEW used in each shot.
   • POST this exercise when complete to DISCORD for discussion.
2. CONTINUE LAYOUT FOR YOUR FINAL PROJECT – *see schedule*
   • POST your work in progress to DISCORD
3. Reading: REVIEW Art of the Storyboard by DON BLUTH
4. Reading: A Child’s Life and Other Stories – Phoebe Gloeckner, Frog Books
5. Continue Diary IF IT IS HELPFUL

To-Do Before Class

• Homework 3 – 4 panel comic DUE for critique. 
• READ: Smile by Reina Telgemeier

Topic: Page Building & Layout

Objectives

• To introduce page-building & layout techniques
• To introduce a variety of comic writing techniques
• To explore comics mediums and processes.

Activities

Warm Up!

Reading Discussion: SMILE by Reina Telgemeier – Karen

CRITIQUE: Finished 4-panel Comic

CRITIQUE GUIDE:

• Clarity
• Story Structure
• Reading Order
• Rhythm
• Writing
• Uniqueness
• Craft

DISCUSS: Class Roles

DISCUSS: PROJECT PROPOSAL Q&A

LECTURE: PANEL AND PAGES

Key Concept Reminder:

• Closure
• Panel
• Gutter
• Tier
• Reading Order
• Z Formation
• Script
• Thumbnail
• Page Layout
• Caption
• Dialogue
• FX

DEMO SARA LAYOUT PROCESS

STUDIO TIME: Begin to layout your final project

Review Assignments and Expectations for Next Week’s Class



Due Next Week

1. PROPOSAL for FINAL PROJECT (5 -7 minutes plus Q & A – 10 minutes each)
2. BEGIN LAYOUT – *see schedule*
3. Reading: Drawing Words and Writing Pictures by Robyn Chapman , UNIT 2 Page Building
4. Reading: Cece Bell – ElDeafo
5. Continue Diary IF IT IS HELPFUL

Topic

Intro to Ink

Activities

DISCUSSION: Lighter than My Shadow by Katie Green – Sandy & Morgan

DISCUSSION: Final Project Work in Progress Check-in

Lecture: “The Perfect Pen” Materials Introduction

DEMO: Introduction in Ink & Materials- Sandy



Due Next Week

• READ: Smile by Reina Telgemeier.  

YES, this is a kid’s book. ENJOY! 🙂 

Reina Telgemeier has won 3 Eisner Awards for her auto-biographical works SMILE, GUTS, and SISTERS and her books hang out regularly on the NYT bestseller list and are gobbled up by kids of all ages and genders.  What’s the appeal?   

We are looking for a class reading discussion leader for next week. 

• Homework 3: Finished 4 Panel Comic Due. 

Continue to post your progress on Discord.  But please be sure to bring your final work to class so that we can hang them up for discussion.  

• Please be prepared with your supplies for a group work session next week.  We will continue to explore materials and working processes in class. 

• Feel free to continue your diary – But remember it’s a tool to help you, so please also, take a break from it or reinterpret the assignment to suit your needs.  It’s not your main priority. NO STRESS.
• Be sure to meet with me, your Prof. one-on-one regarding the final.
  • BOOK ME here.

Topic: The Comic Strip: Multi-Panel Storytelling

Objectives

• To understand the concept of multi-panel storytelling.
• To consider the concepts of time and action in sequential art.
• To consider the ways words and images interact in comics.
• To familiarize students with the typical workflow of working professional comic-book artists.
• To familiarize students with materials and to introduce inking techniques.

Activities

Warm Up Drawing SELF PORTRAIT 4min

Adrian Tomine cartoonist profile

Student Lead Reading Response 20 min

CRITIQUE: 1-panel comic

LECTURE: Visual Metaphor

DISCUSSION: Chapters 3 & 4 of Understanding Comics

LECTURE: TIME as it relates to comics:

• Gutter, Sequence, and & Closure

• Multi Panel Storytelling
• “Sunday Funny Pages“

DRAWING ACTIVITY: Action in Comcis & TIME LORD!

LECTURE: Traditional Comics Workflow

LECTURE & DEMO: Supplies & Processes

CRITIQUE: Workshop final project ideas

Review Assignments and Expectations for Next Week’s Class



Due Next Week

• In Sketchbook (aim for 5) DAILY DIARY PAGES
• Begin Homework 2 4-Panel Comics (aim for 2-3 ideas)
  • FULL DESCRIPTION BELOW
  • INSPIRATION: Carousel Magazine
  • INSPIRATION: Calvin & Hobbes

• FINAL PROJECT: CHOOSE 1 scene from your final project outline. By next week’s class, break this scene down to its individual beats.
• List or sketch these beats. Don’t worry about layout, quality of drawing, or style.

READ: Jessica Abel Chapters 1, 2 & 3 Drawing Words and Writing Pictures

*READ: Lighter than my Shadow – Katie Green, ONI press*

*Please note the order on the reading list has changed, with the purpose of inspiring students who are working with abstract concepts in their narratives.