Creation of Autobiographical Graphic Novels

Creation of Autobiographical Graphic Novels

“We have reached the end of the course and I hope it has met your expectations, that it encourages you to give time and creativity to this new artistic expression that is the comic. Do not stop reviewing the work of Chilean and international authors. I learned by looking at the comics that I liked and daring to make my own. Do them, get wrong, be surprised by your achievements, experiment and above all, have a good time. Find your own voice to make your autobiographical comic! I left you many links to interviews with other autobiographical comic authors so you can see and hear what they can teach you. And I also recommended books for you to continue learning to draw comics with lessons from authors who are also teachers. Now it's your turn to get down to work with your final project. In the course, I shared with you my system to rescue stories from our memories, to categorize them by emotions and to choose one to transform it into a rundown that will serve as a guide for the story of the comic. Remember that emotions are transversal to all cultures, ages and genders, so it will always be a good idea to base your story on them. Once you are clear about the story you want to tell, start working on the storyboard, a stage in which I suggest you not do too many details. Use simple and schematic characters, since it serves mainly to organize the design of each scene. In text work, I advise you that if you work with a more poetic image, the texts are descriptive, or vice versa. The important thing is that both must complement each other and narrate together, so that the text does not repeat what the drawing says. When you have the storyboard assembled, it is time to draw the original in graphite.

In the inking process, start with the texts, using a pen; then ink the balloons using the brush. Always remember to do the texts first, as their sizes may need to be adjusted and consequently the size of the balloons and the layout of the vignette. Then we go on to inking the drawings, a stage in which we can always make changes in case something done in graphite we did not like. Then I showed you how to work the black with the brush, always keeping in mind that the decision to apply it will depend on the contrasts that your comic requires. Remember that at this stage you can try glow effects to create the illusion of volume. The last step of the inking was to work the hatches, which allowed us to give depth and texture to the drawing. Finally, I showed you a basic digital retouching process that I recommend you to correct imperfections that you cannot do manually; thus obtaining a comic that is publishable. Never forget that you don't have to be a professional screenwriter or writer to tell a story. We all have our own library of stories that we can freely access all the time. Also, you don't have to draw "right" to draw a comic. Most of my students are not from the artistic field, and they draw in their own styles and forms. Drawing is a language that can evolve as you practice it, so there is no such thing as “drawing well or badly”, you just have to feel like drawing. On the other hand, if you still do not have a circle of cartoonists, cartoonists or illustrators, it is very good to attend illustration and comic fairs, take workshops, talk with the authors and attend talks and book presentations, you will be able to meet people who are starting or at various levels of professionalism; you can show your drawings, see the originals of other authors, etc. The world of illustration and comics is no longer a masculine world; now it is feminine, mixed and powerful. I wish you the best of luck when it comes to carrying out your project! The most important thing is that you dare to transform a personal story into a comic, using this language as a diary, as a shortcut to our memory, or a form of therapy. What helps the most when you are starting out on this adventure is asking for the opinion of others, not just the teacher; so upload your progress to the forum so that we all have the opportunity to give you our opinions. Many brains think more than one. It helps to learn from the comics of professionals, but it helps more to learn from people who are on the same level as you. Collaboration is key! If you have doubts or questions, leave them in the forum and I will answer them as soon as possible. I wish you good luck, see you on the forum! ”

Partial transcription of the video

“Final project We have reached the end of the course and I hope I have met your expectations, that encourages you to give it time and creativity to this new artistic expression that is the comic. Do not stop reviewing the work Chilean and international authors. I learned by looking at the comics that I liked and daring to make my own. Do them, be wrong, be amazed by your achievements and experiment. Remember to have a good time and find your own voice to make an autobiographical comic. In the course I shared my system to rescue stories from our memories, to categorize them by emotions and to...”

This transcript is automatically generated, so it may contain mistakes.

Course summary for: Creation of Autobiographical Graphic Novels

• Level: Beginner
• 99% positive reviews (96)
• 2189 students
• 4 units
• 18 lessons (4h 42m)
• 7 downloads

• Category

  Illustration

• Software

  Adobe Photoshop

• Areas

  Comic, Drawing, Ink Illustration, Narrative, Non-Fiction Writing, Storyboard, Traditional illustration, Writing