Comics Workshop

Program Audience
Adults
All ages
Children
School Age Children
Teens
Tweens

Program Type
Instructional
Makers/Crafts
Online Tutorials
Passive

Brief description:
Learn to create basic comic stories and characters, the various parts of a comic, and drawing tips for beginners. Customizable for different age groups and program presentation types.

How-to for this program:

Materials Needed 

  • Paper 

  • Pencils 

Technology Needed 

  • For Live Presentations: Zoom account, PowerPoint or Google Slides

  • For Prerecorded Presentations: PowerPoint or Google Slides, Recording device (tablet, smartphone, camera), Video editing program, YouTube account 

  • Canva (for handouts and linking resources)

  • (optional) Photopea - A free browser-based image editing/drawing software similar to Photoshop; you can use this to create digital comics, edit images, and convert image files. 

Supplies Needed from Patrons (If Not Provided) 

  • Paper 

  • Pencils 

  • (optional) Pens, markers, ink, paint, brushes, etc. 

Time Required 

  • For Live Presentations (Suggested): 1 hour for live Zoom presentation (with additional setup time) OR 4 hours for a four-part live Zoom series (with additional setup time) 

  • For Prerecorded Presentations: Up to several hours to record, edit, and upload prerecorded videos (depending on format/length/effects) 

Tips/Tricks 

  • This program can be customized to an age group or presentation type (live or prerecorded). The program is divided into four parts, so I suggest condensing them into a shorter presentation or create four separate programs to go more in-depth. Another option is creating short-form video challenges related to specific topics as a weekly series.  

  • You can also focus on a particular type of comic or genre, like manga or 24-Hour Comics. 

  • Add in small comic exercises or time to fill in the outlines to transition out of any informational segments. 

  • To see a four-part example of this program for teens, search “Teens Comics Workshop” on the Lorain Public Library System’s YouTube channel. The PowerPoint presentations used for this prerecorded version and a shorter live version are also to this entry. 

Creating the Prerecorded Program 

  1. To create the prerecorded version, I had used a DSLR camera, Adobe Video Encoder for converting video files, Procreate and Photopea for illustrations, PowerPoint for the slides, and iMovie to put it all together. 

  1. My recorded footage had to be converted on my PC to be used in iMovie, in which I had used Adobe Video Encoder. This is free to download from Adobe’s website.  

  1. In PowerPoint, I had changed the aspect ratio of the presentation to match my recorded footage from my DSLR. PowerPoint presentations are not widescreen by default. 

  1. I added any information, illustrations, and artwork to my presentations. 

  1. When my presentations were finished, I exported the slides as image files. This either creates a folder with images or a .zip file (which would need extracted).  

  1. I used Google Drive to transfer all my files over to my iPad (as I do not have another Apple device, otherwise I would use USB transfer or AirDrop). 

  1. I added all my footage, images, and music into iMovie and recorded a voice over for the presentation. I then exported the videos using the highest resolution possible. 

Included Resources 

  • Several of the resources provided have versions for youth and teen/adult age groups. 

  • In addition to comics resources, there are blank comic panel pages, basic story and character outlines, and an example comic process provided. Also included are some basic exercises which you can add to your presentation. 

Passive Project: Community Digital Zine 

  • To make the program have a passive component, you can collect comics submissions for a digital zine project. Ask patrons to email their comics (or scan them in the library) to be published on one of your online platforms.  

  • Convert any image files you receive to PDFs and then combine them together into a single digital zine. You can do this with Photopea, Adobe DC Pro, or one of many free online PDF editing tools.  

  • If there are enough submissions, or you would like to repeat this program, you could post monthly or quarterly editions. 

Suggested Reading & Resources for Presenters:  

  • Understanding Comics and Making Comics by Scott McCloud 

  • Making Comics by Lynda Barry 

  • Comics! Easy as ABC! by Ivan Brunetti

  • Teaching Comics Resources - Center for Cartoon Studies Website 

  • Teaching Comic Books - Big Red Hair Website 

Credits Notes: 

  • All the comic art, clip art, logos, and photos used in the presentations are either public domain or attributed to the original artists (wherever possible). 

  • All the other illustrations, character designs, composition examples, and drawing exercises were created by myself, including the example comic A Wizard's Warm Window. Feel free to use any of my art assets from this program—my only request is that you attribute my illustrations, comics, and drawings wherever they are used. For these illustrations, I used Procreate and Photopea. 

Contact person:
Rachael Kowalski
rkowalski@lpls.info
Lorain Public Library System