MIDDLE SCHOOL COMICS WORKSHOPS

In March I spent three days with middle school students in the Parkway School District of suburban St. Louis. Here is a list of the learnings they gleaned from a “Composing Comics” workshop I offered in three of the middle schools, and the answers to a wonderful list of questions they asked.

PARKWAY MIDDLE SCHOOLS COMICS WORKSHOP

LEARNINGS

- You can tell a really neat story by using comics.
- Draw from different angles and zoom in (use the frame like a camera).
- Different comic book techniques include angles, slants, circles for different moods.
- Photocopy your comic (the lines) before you do the color.
- The frame is the primary tool.
- Diagonal lines show motion, create excitement.
- Angle can make a HUGE difference in a comic, make things more interesting.
- Pull them (your readers) into the story; don’t tell them everything at once, or in other words, to draw attention, don’t let it all out in one moment.
- How to make a quick sketch: keep it loose and scribbly.

QUESTIONS:

1. What different coloring techniques do you use? For The Legend of Hong Kil Dong, I used watercolor wash for the color, painting on watercolor paper with the black lines photocopied on the paper. That’s the only technique I’ve used for comics, but other artists use many different ones: markers, digital-rendering, other kinds of paint, inks, etc.

2. How do you make it interesting? One of the best ways is to make sure that you use different framing for different scenes, so that you surprise the reader and keep them intrigued.

3. Are comics and manga the same? Comics is the big term that covers all “sequential art” – stories told in pictures. Manga is Japanese comics, which is one style. Graphic novels are book-length comics. Manga, graphic novels, and Sunday comics are some types of Comics.

4. Can you give me some advice for making a manga book? As you can see from my sketches and my work, I don’t work in manga style. But the ideas I shared with you work for all comics, and if you experiment with framing, it will strengthen your comics in any style. I would study your favorite manga and try to learn how those artists use the page, frame the scenes, etc. There are also good books that tell how to draw in the manga style.

5. How long did it take you to complete the book and get it published? Once I decided to doThe Legend of Hong Kil Dong as a comic, it took me about eight months to do the rough sketches and drawings. Then the book was “in production” (being printed and bound into books) for nearly a year before it came out.

6. How long have you been drawing? I started scribbling, just like you, when I was one or two years old. So I’ve been drawing for 53-54 years!

7. How did you learn how to draw? By practicing for years and years. I loved to draw so much that I just kept at it, and I kept finding new approaches and tricks to help my drawings get better. I didn’t have many art classes in middle or high school, but my parents got art lessons for me. When I got to college, I majored in art, which means that I took more classes about art than other subjects. My drawing got dramatically better because I was learning so much.

8. How can you draw so perfect? My drawings aren’t “perfect,” but I do have a lot of skill at drawing. See answers to #7 and #8. Also, I do my drawings over and over and over again.

9. Did you have any characters that you drew constantly as a kid? No, I never really focused on particular characters, possibly because I drew realistically, not cartoon style.

10. Did you draw graphic novels when you were a teenager? Graphic novels didn’t even exist when I was a teenager. I did read a lot of my brother’s comics, like Archie, Richie Rich, Superman, etc. But I never thought of drawing them, because my style was to draw lifelike people, not cartoons.

11. Did you ever have a time when you were bad at spelling? Actually, I was always pretty good at spelling. My daughter, however, has a lot of trouble with spelling. She always uses spellchecking. I have read that the ability to spell is something you are born with. I know that it is no measure of intelligence. Some very smart people are not good at spelling.

12. How did you become an author? I showed my pictures in a portfolio to publishers for seven years before I finally got a chance to illustrate my first book in 1984. My first books were a set of board books for very young children that were published in 1985.

13. How do you make the characters always look the same? This is really important in comics, and takes a lot of practice. For my comics characters, I make sketches that I can refer to throughout making the book. I think of their faces as made up of shapes, and try to make the shapes the same each time.

14. Where can I find your story? Ask your teacher, school librarian, or public librarian if there are any copies of The Legend of Hong Kil Dong in the library. You can order the book at any bookstore, in hardcover or paperback. And you can click on the link to the book's own website at http://koreanrobinhood.com/

15. Are all your books on Korean characters? No, I’ve done many different kinds of books. You can see them here http://annesibleyobrien.com/index.php/site/info/booklist/

16. Do you have a weakness? I love this question! Like everyone, I have lots of weaknesses. Some of my weaknesses in writing and illustrating are: 1. I am not good at drawing animals or machines (I have to look at photographs). 2. I like things to be nice for my characters, so it’s hard for me to make a story with lots of tension. 3. When I draw my final pictures, they are always more stiff and tight and never has as much energy as my rough sketches.

17. Do you plan on writing/illustrating all your life? Absolutely. It’s a job I love, and one I never have to retire from. Many writers and illustrators keep creating in their 80’s and 90’s, and I hope to do that myself.

Don’t forget these fabulous books by Scott McCloud:
Understanding Comics (about comics and how they work)
Making Comics (how to create them)