Visual Narrative for Comic Books: Illustrate Your Own Universe
A course by Sam Hart, Comic Book and Storyboard Artist
Learn to create your own fictional world through visual storytelling
Engage in a new form of storytelling and turn a well-known story into a creative cartoon. Comic book artist Sam Hart has been creating comics his whole life. His passion for creating alternative universes has seen him draw iconic characters including Robin Hood, King Arthur, and Judge Dred and go on to work for Africa, one for the largest advertising agencies in Latin America.
In this course, he shares his expertise in combining the visual with the textual to craft compelling stories filled with emotion. Learn the essentials of comic book creation, from writing an impactful script to bringing the words on the page to life.
What will you learn in this online course?
13 lessons & 21 downloads
What's included in this course?
Begin with an insight into Sam’s career in comics and how the countries he has lived in have influenced it. Find out why he chose to specialize in comic books and what he’s learned along the way.
Familiarize yourself with the materials used in this course and the different finishes they create. Then take a look at the elements which make up a comic book page and how they guide a reader seamlessly through it. Set the story by understanding the underlying themes and key moments to include in a comic book script.
Start sketching your script. Experiment with size and scale before settling on a final layout for your comic. Learn about the importance of background elements, including panel-to-panel clarity and speech bubble narrative and finalize your pencil artwork. Sam then guides you through putting the finishing touches to your drawings using ink. Incorporate contrast, light direction, and texture for a professional end result.
Finally, delve into Sam’s top narrative tips to finish the course, from overcoming creative block to drawing with a mirror. Find out how to letter your project and where to share it to find your audience.
- 98% positive reviews (167)
- 5,425 students
- 13 lessons (1h 59m)
- 21 additional resources (8 files)
- Online and at your own pace
- Available on the app
- Audio: English, Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese, Turkish
- English · Spanish · Portuguese · German · French · Italian · Polish · Dutch · Turkish
- Level: Beginner
- Unlimited access forever
Recommended software & tools for this course
Adobe PhotoshopWhat is this course's project?
Transform a classic myth or story into three pages of creative comic book art.
Projects by course students
Who is this online course for?
This course is for anyone with an interest in comic books and how to tell a compelling story.
Requirements and materials
Basic drawing skills are helpful but not essential to take this course.
You will need paper, a pencil, an eraser, a ruler, and brushes.
Reviews
Sam Hart
A course by Sam Hart
Sam Hart is an Anglo-Brazilian comic book artist based in São Paulo. He fell in love with comic books at a young age and has been reading, drawing, and writing them ever since. He has drawn stories featuring characters such as Robin Hood and The Power Rangers and had one of the graphics novels he illustrated adapted into a film starring Oscar-winning actress Charlize Theron.
Aside from creating comic books of his own, Sam regularly teaches illustration and comic book art and is passionate about helping others create their own realities through visual narratives.
Content
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U1
Introduction
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About Me
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Influences
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U2
Words
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Materials
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Elements of a Comic Book Page
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Sequential Narrative
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Setting the Story
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U3
Images
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Layout
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First Drawings
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The Big Picture
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Real Estate of the Page
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Inking
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U4
Presentation
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Final Tips
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Sharing and Publishing
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FP
Final project
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Visual Narrative for Comic Books: Illustrate Your Own Universe
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What to expect from a Domestika course
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Learn at your own pace
Enjoy learning from home without a set schedule and with an easy-to-follow method. You set your own pace.
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Learn from the best professionals
Learn valuable methods and techniques explained by top experts in the creative sector.
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Meet expert teachers
Each expert teaches what they do best, with clear guidelines, true passion, and professional insight in every lesson.
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Certificates
PlusIf you're a Plus member, get a custom certificate signed by your teacher for every course. Share it on your portfolio, social media, or wherever you like.
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Get front-row seats
Videos of the highest quality, so you don't miss a single detail. With unlimited access, you can watch them as many times as you need to perfect your technique.
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Share knowledge and ideas
Ask questions, request feedback, or offer solutions. Share your learning experience with other students in the community who are as passionate about creativity as you are.
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Connect with a global creative community
The community is home to millions of people from around the world who are curious and passionate about exploring and expressing their creativity.
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Watch professionally produced courses
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FAQs
Yes, this course is designed for intermediate artists who have basic drawing skills and want to deepen their understanding of comic book storytelling, panel layout, and inking techniques.
You'll need pencils (hard and medium), Bristol board, erasers, rulers, ink, various brushes, and access to digital tools if preferred. Templates for page layouts and speech bubbles are also provided for download.
You'll learn to adapt existing stories or myths into comic scripts, redesign characters and settings, and break down narratives into sequential art using modern visual storytelling techniques.
Basic understanding of drawing is helpful, but the course covers inking, brushstrokes, hatching, and shadowing techniques from the ground up, making it accessible for those new to these skills.
The course provides step-by-step guidance on page layout, panel arrangement, creating splash pages, double-page spreads, and effective use of gutters to guide reader flow and narrative pacing.
Yes, you'll practice drawing anatomically correct characters, expressive faces, and dynamic movement to enhance storytelling and bring your comics to life.
Absolutely. You'll explore script adaptation, three-act structure, visual script breakdowns, and create storyboards and thumbnails to plan out your comic pages.
Adobe Photoshop
It's fantastic! I've been reading comics all my life and this helped me to understand the bones of it
Ho trovato questo corso molto interessante ma i suoi consigli presuppongono che tu abbia già delle basi!
Excelente curso e professor! O conteúdo é claro e as dicas abriram muito a minha mente sobre narrativa visual e instigou minha vontade de criar o meu primeiro quadrinho. Recomendo o curso!
Excelente curso!
This course was amazing. This course not only taught practical skills but also helped develop a creative voice. Thank you...