Crafting a Comic Romance
Online course for adults
30 April – 21 May 2024
Tuesdays, 18:00 – 20:30 BST
Ever wondered what the formula is for creating engaging human-interest comics? Join this exciting four-week comics adaptation course to find out!
Guided by award-winning cartoonist Rachael Ball, you’ll learn to create well thought out comic pages, with a compelling story and engaging characters.
Drawing inspiration from a range of artists, you will be set a brief to adapt a script into a comic strip that features well realised characters and believable relationships.
Rachael will teach you the essentials of character design for comics through real-time exercises, tutorials, demonstrations, group discussion and feedback.
You will try using different materials, and experiment with different poses, angles and expressions to create characters packed with personality.
Using an excerpt of text to get you started, you will learn how to use pace and composition to create suspense and visual impact.
Plus special guest illustrators will teach you techniques and tips from their own comics practice.
Week one, Rachael will be joined by Jillian Tamaki, a cartoonist, illustrator, and teacher living in Toronto in Canada. Jillian will open up about her illustration process and then stay for the session to answer questions and share feedback with participants.
Our small class size of no more than 16 students will ensure you receive weekly personalised feedback from Rachael and the group, helping your work to progress in a relaxed and friendly environment.
About Rachael
Rachael Ball is an acclaimed cartoonist with 16 years of teaching experience. She started cartooning for cult comic Deadline in 1988. Rachael's first graphic novel, The Inflatable Woman (Bloomsbury), was a Guardian Best Graphic Novel 2015 and her second, Wolf (SelfMadeHero), has been called “a timeless classic”. Rachael is a graphic novel mentor for LDComics and was a co-coordinator for LDC for 8 years.
What people say about Rachael
“This course was brilliant! It exceeded my expectations in giving me the confidence and skills to tell my story.”
“I particularly enjoyed the way that the tutor gives very personalised feedback.”
“The tutor is wonderful, really approachable, knowledgeable and encouraging.”