Creating Comics with Compelling Visual Narratives
A course by Reilly BrownComic Book Artist
A course by Reilly Brown, Comic Book Artist
Transform your written narratives into comics using the art of visual storytelling and character-building techniques.
¨Getting a full range of emotion is something that really makes a story feel real, and really engages the reader and gets them invested in the characters.¨
Ever since Reilly Brown laid eyes on Spider-Man as a young boy, he knew he wanted to become a comic book artist. He’s been creating magnetic but relatable characters and exciting narratives ever since. It is important to him to bring characters to life with a full range of emotions. Personalities that can be completely ridiculous in one instance, but have the ability to be serious and thoughtful as well. Reilly has worked with a long list of beloved publishers, including DC Comics, Marvel, and Dark Horse, on publications such as Deadpool, Amazing Spider-Man, and Batman.
In this online course, weave engaging stories into comics through exciting character design and the art of visual storytelling. Reilly teaches you to piece together a plot that keeps readers hooked and design dynamic characters that translate their inner identity onto their outward appearance. Learn how to plot your page layout, draw your protagonist and add the lighting, texture, and ink that makes it pop.
What will you learn in this online course?
16 lessons & 24 downloads
Materials and Tools
4 minutes, 17 seconds
Character Design
7 minutes, 19 seconds
Plotting Out the Story
3 minutes, 37 seconds
Visual Approaches to the Layout
6 minutes, 11 seconds
Shading for Dramatic Effect
6 minutes, 31 seconds
Inking
20 minutes, 57 seconds
What's included in this course?
Start the course by getting to know your teacher, comic book artist Reilly Brown. He’ll take you through his journey from fan to creator and who has influenced him along the way.
Get familiarized with the tools and materials. Then, Reilly explains how to tackle the challenge of getting as much story out of a page as possible and how to develop a character. Explore narratives, and decide what your comics is be about. Figure out who they are on the inside and how that can be reflected on the outside.
Next, tackle the page layouts using your tablets. Then come up with a story, and look through different approaches to tell the same narrative. Once your paper is prepared, draw your heroes and their environment. Add lighting and texture and ink your work to make it eye-catching. Lastly, scan and clean up your spreads with Photoshop, and learn tips on building and sharing your portfolio.
By the end of this course, you’ll know how to put your protagonists in action-packed situations that show off their personalities!
What is this course's project?
Create your own sequence of drawings to depict an action scene on a double-page spread.
Who is this online course for?
Anyone who wants to learn how to draw comics.
Requirements and materials
Students need drawing material, white paint for corrections, a lightbox or tracing paper, and any basic editing program.
Reviews
- 9 months ago
Otimo curso para quem deseja começar nos quadrinhos
- 2 years ago
Increíble aporte por parte de un maestro de la ilustración gráfica
- 2 years ago
Whilst I'm not drawing an action scene, but a dialogue scene based web comic, this course was very informative and gave me ideas for what to do next. Length of the course is an issue, but I have other Domestika comics courses to add on to this.
- 2 years ago
I truly enjoyed the pace of each of the segments. I was hoping for more in depth teaching on the software, so perhaps you could do a course regarding the software usage.
- iviusdesignPLUS2 years ago
Agradezco mucho a Reilly este excelente curso.
Content
- U1
Introduction
- About Me
- Influences
- U2
Elements of Creating a Comic
- Materials and Tools
- Introduction to Storytelling in Comics: Fitting a Big Idea onto a Small Page
- Character Design
- Plotting Out the Story
- U3
The Layout: Writing with Pictures
- Brainstorming and Thumbnails
- Visual Approaches to the Layout
- Transferring to the Final Paper
- U4
Drawing and Inking
- Anatomy and Figure Drawing
- Shading for Dramatic Effect
- Perspective and Environments
- Inking
- U5
Final Touches
- Scanning and Cleaning Up Photos 1
- Scanning and Cleaning Up Photos 2
- Building a Portfolio
- FP
Final project
- Creating Comics with Compelling Visual Narratives
What to expect from a Domestika course
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.
Learn from the best professionals
Learn valuable methods and techniques explained by top experts in the creative sector.
Meet expert teachers
Each expert teaches what they do best, with clear guidelines, true passion, and professional insight in every lesson.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Watch professionally produced courses
Domestika curates its teacher roster and produces every course in-house to ensure a high-quality online learning experience.
FAQs
This course is designed for intermediate artists with some prior drawing experience. It covers advanced comic storytelling, character design, and both digital and traditional comic creation techniques.
You'll need basic drawing supplies like pencils, Micron pens, Bristol board, Pentel Pocket Brush Pen, white gouache, and a light board. For digital work, Procreate and Photoshop are recommended, along with an iPhone for mobile comic creation.
You'll learn to create dynamic comic layouts, design compelling characters, master inking techniques, build action scenes, and integrate digital tools for storytelling and publishing. The course also covers portfolio development and webcomic publishing.
Yes, the course includes workflows for digital publishing on platforms like Webtoon and ComiXology, covering digital page layout, pacing, and optimizing your comics for web and mobile readers.
Basic familiarity with Procreate or Photoshop is helpful but not required. The course provides step-by-step instruction for using these digital tools in comic creation and editing.
The course covers crosshatching for depth, brush pen and Micron pen inking, correcting ink with white gouache, and scanning and editing artwork digitally for professional-quality comic pages.
Yes, you'll learn to create imaginative characters using silhouette, color palette, contrast, and personality, and how to iterate and simplify designs for clarity and appeal.