Autobiographical Comic Book: Illustrate Your Experiences
A course by Alec Longstreth
, Cartoonist
Learn how to write, pencil, and ink a comic based on your personal experiences, from the initial idea to the finished page
- 100% positive reviews (48)
- 1637 students
- Audio: English
- English, Spanish, Portuguese, German, French, Italian, Polish, Dutch
Learn how to write, pencil, and ink a comic based on your personal experiences, from the initial idea to the finished page
- 100% positive reviews (48)
- 1637 students
- 14 lessons (3h 10m)
- 24 additional resources (8 files)
- Online and at your own pace
- Available on the app
- Audio: English
- English, Spanish, Portuguese, German, French, Italian, Polish, Dutch
- Level: Beginner
- Unlimited access forever
“Comics appeal to me because the combination of words and pictures take the reader into an immersive story.”
Cartoonist Alec Longstreth creates comic book art on a daily basis as part of his creative practice. As well as self-publishing his own award-winning comics, he has illustrated for National Geographic Kids, Nickelodeon, and more.
In this online course, Alec shares his process for coming up with engaging comics, from brainstorming to the finished page. Learn how to write, pencil, and ink a one-page autobiographical comic that captivates readers. Find your creative routine and turn your personal experience into comic books.
What will you learn in this online course?
Course table of contents
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U1U1. Introduction
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U2U2. Brainstorming Ideas
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U3U3. Making Comics: The Creative Process
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U4U4. Onwards!
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FPFP Final project
Begin the course by getting to know cartoonist, freelance illustrator, and teacher Alec Longstreth. Discover how he turned his childhood love for comics into a career, along with the influences that inspire him and the work he creates.
Take a look at what you can expect from the course. Then get an overview of comics as a form of storytelling and begin brainstorming ideas for your own using the techniques Alec recommends.
Time to create your comic! Draw a series of thumbnail sketches and lay them out on paper to decide on your final composition. Then learn how to create legible hand lettering, and pencil and ink your page with Alec as your guide.
Discover Alec’s tips for staying productive during the creative process. Then clean up your comic using either digital or analog materials. To wrap up the course, see how to share your work on social media and gather feedback for future projects.
What is this course's project?
Create a one-page autobiographical comic book from the initial idea to the final artwork.
Projects by course students
Who is this online course for?
This course is for anyone interested in using their own experiences to create comic book art from start to finish.
Requirements and materials
No previous experience is necessary.
In terms of materials, you will need drawing materials including printer paper, pencils, and a Sharpie, or a design program like Procreate or Photoshop if you prefer to work digitally.
Reviews
A course by Alec Longstreth
Alec Longstreth is a cartoonist, freelance illustrator, and teacher living in Santa Fe, New Mexico. He first fell in love with comics thanks to his grandfather who would read them in the newspaper, and soon began exploring iconic titles at his local comic shop and public library. Alec quickly fell in love with Disney comics in particular, and drew a six-page comic at just 12 years old that won a prize at a local art competition.
He started drawing comics seriously while studying technical theater at Oberlin College. Alec’s comics were featured in the student newspaper, and after graduating, he began self-publishing them. Since then, he has released 24 issues of his minicomic Phase 7, and won awards for both his first and second comic project, Isle of Elsi. He later moved to New York City to study illustration at Pratt Institute and launched his freelance illustration career, working with Highlights Magazine, National Geographic Kids, and Nickelodeon. Alongside creating art, Alec teaches workshops to students as the Director of Academic Outreach at The Center for Cartoon Studies.
Content
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U1
Introduction
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About Me
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Influences
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U2
Brainstorming Ideas
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Introducing the Project
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An Overview of Comics
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Generating Ideas!
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U3
Making Comics: The Creative Process
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Sketching Thumbnails
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The Page Layout 1
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The Page Layout 2
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Lettering
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Penciling and Inking 1
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Penciling and Inking 2
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U4
Onwards!
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Productivity Tips
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Cleaning up the Comic
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Sharing the Comic
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FP
Final project
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Autobiographical Comic Book: Illustrate Your Experiences
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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
Domestika curates its teacher roster and produces every course in-house to ensure a high-quality online learning experience.
FAQs
Domestika's courses are online classes that provide you with the tools and skills you need to complete a specific project. Every step of the project combines video lessons with complementary instructional material, so you can learn by doing. Domestika's courses also allow you to share your own projects with the teacher and with other students, creating a dynamic course community.
All courses are 100% online, so once they're published, courses start and finish whenever you want. You set the pace of the class. You can go back to review what interests you most and skip what you already know, ask questions, answer questions, share your projects, and more.
The courses are divided into different units. Each one includes lessons, informational text, tasks, and practice exercises to help you carry out your project step by step, with additional complementary resources and downloads. You'll also have access to an exclusive forum where you can interact with the teacher and with other students, as well as share your work and your course project, creating a community around the course.
You can redeem the course you received by accessing the redeeming page and entering your gift code.
iviusdesign
Me encanta la forma tan sencilla y orgánica de trabajar de Alec. Creo que es toda una inspiración.
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cofinho
Genial
skomojo
I've been drawing comics since I was a kid. It's always exciting to learn new things, and that's exactly what's happened with this course. I'm really enjoying this course.
teodoro_rodrigo01
O curso tem me ajudado muito no processo de como construir minhas historias em quadrinhos. Depois de fazer e refazer as aulas prestando atenção em todas as dicas eu sinto que evolui bastante no resultado final de minhas histórias. Recomendo muito o curso pra quem esta precisando desenvolver seu processo de criação de historias em quadrinhos.
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timothy68
Love it, will get started soon.....