Introduction to Autobiographical Comics
A course by Mariano Diaz PrietoCartoonist and Illustrator
A course by Mariano Diaz Prieto, Cartoonist and Illustrator
Learn to turn your own experiences into short comics
What does it take to narrate your own life? The desire to tell a story? Interesting anecdotes? A great sense of humor? Illustrator and cartoonist Mariano Díaz, also known as Marianoenelmundo, combines all these to create his autobiographical comics and is ready to show you how to do the same.
In this online course, learn to make brief, four-panel vignettes based on your own life that just might make someone else laugh.
What will you learn in this online course?
12 lessons & 21 downloads
What is an autobiographical comic?
12 minutes, 2 seconds
Why make comics about our life?
10 minutes, 59 seconds
Everyday life in the notebook
12 minutes, 1 second
The simple drawing as a tool
6 minutes, 6 seconds
I, the character
7 minutes, 42 seconds
The character in space
6 minutes, 55 seconds
What's included in this course?
Get started by learning about Mariano Díaz's career and his greatest influences before discovering what an autobiographical comic is and how you can use this format to portray your own experiences.
Mariano then shows you how to keep a journal to write down the most relevant anecdotes from your day-to-day and transform them into comics. After that, gain a better understanding of the basic characteristics of a cartoon and learn to compose a background and a moving character according to your graphic capabilities.
Next, Mariano offers professional tips for adding text to your cartoons and using the right words to maintain spontaneity. Hear more about the sequential language of comics, including how to order cartoons to maximize results and how to adapt a single story so it provokes completely different feelings.
Wrap up the course by applying color to your panels. Spoiler alert: watercolors are Mariano's favorite for this!
What is this course's project?
Over the course of a week, prepare a journal about your life to develop a source of ideas—highlighting anecdotes from your day-to-day that are worth sharing—and transform them into short, four-frame stories.
Projects by course students
Who is this online course for?
Illustrators, drawing artists, cartoonists, and anyone interested in building up or perfecting their technique to turn their own experiences into graphic narratives and comics.
Requirements and materials
You don't need to be a drawing professional. Mariano guides you through the ins and outs of taking advantage of everyday anecdotes using your own style.
In terms of materials, you need a notebook, drawing material, ruler, scissors, and markers. You can also use watercolors or any other technique you feel comfortable with to add color to your comics.
Reviews
- 9 months ago
muy buen curso
- 10 months ago
Me encanta el trabajo de Mariano y su labor como docente
- 1 year ago
El curso es muy ameno y práctico, me gustó mucho.
- 1 year ago
ths course is amazing. Learned a lot to put in practice. I came back here everytime I need.
- 1 year ago
I like how he simplifies everything and makes it doable to actually draw a comic for something that’s happened. I think the intro several lessons talking about the why and about influences go on too much, and are especially hard to follow while reading subtitles as I can’t really look at the comic pages he’s showing and read subtitles with the fast talking. But I do recommend this course for people who want to draw autobiographical comics, and I’m very glad to have found it, thank you!
In addition to the series of short cartoons he posts online, he has published two silent books, Mondo babosa and Doña Elba, that tell fantasy stories.
Content
- U1
Introduction
- Presentation
- Influences
- U2
A comic that tells first-person experiences
- What is an autobiographical comic?
- Why make comics about our life?
- U3
From an annotation in the notebook to draw in instants of time
- Everyday life in the notebook
- The simple drawing as a tool
- I, the character
- The character in space
- U4
My memory comes to life in four paintings
- How are text and image related?
- The sequence of four paintings
- Different ways of telling the same thing
- The finished process
- FP
Final project
- Final project
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FAQs
An autobiographical comic is a graphic story that shares the author’s personal experiences, offering a way to reflect on everyday life, family memories, or travels through panels, text, and images. It’s a creative tool for self-expression and visually documenting your experiences.
This course is aimed at people with intermediate drawing or graphic storytelling skills. You don’t need to be an expert, but having some basic drawing experience will help you get the most out of the exercises.
You’ll need a sketchbook or journal, pencils, an eraser, art paper, watercolors, and brushes. You can also use digital tools if you prefer, but the focus is mainly on traditional techniques and watercolor.
You’ll learn how to analyze references, build characters, distill experiences into panels, blend text and images, experiment with graphic and narrative techniques, and create your own autobiographical comic ready to share on social media.
The course guides you to pick meaningful moments, visually condense them, and tell your story through comic panels. You’ll learn how to structure personal stories into accessible and moving graphic sequences.
Yes, the course includes techniques for adding color with watercolors—from choosing your palette to transferring sketches and finishing your work on art paper.
Yes, you’ll learn formats and tips for adapting and sharing your autobiographical comics on social media, optimizing your visual storytelling for digital platforms.