From Idea to Vignette Step by Step
A course by Alejandra LunikGraphic Humorist and Illustrator
A course by Alejandra Lunik, Graphic Humorist and Illustrator
Learn the process for creating a single-panel comic
Telling witty stories in cartoon format is an art form that illustrator and comic artist Alejandra Lunik has mastered down to a T. With a career spanning more than two decades and work featured in books, magazines, newspapers, and online media, she has become a well-known figure in the world of graphic humor, a field that gives her the ability to laugh at life's oddities and annoyances through illustration.
In this course, Alejandra teaches you how to transform your ideas and experiences into amusing anecdotes and relay them as a comic. Learn about different types of humor, as well as the formats and techniques you can use to turn your stories into comical illustrations.
What will you learn in this online course?
13 lessons & 20 downloads
The types of humor
5 minutes, 33 seconds
Fish and cook the idea
4 minutes, 46 seconds
Format and reading direction
2 minutes, 51 seconds
Character
5 minutes, 7 seconds
Materials for the sketch
2 minutes, 53 seconds
Sketching in pencil
5 minutes, 5 seconds
What's included in this course?
Meet your teacher for the course, Alejandra Lunik. She tells you about her work, her influences, and other graphic humorists that inspire her to keep creating.
Learn about different types of humor and get some tips on where to find ideas for your comics, as well as how to put them down on paper.
Next, Alejandra shows you the most common formats for comics and shares her secrets to composition and character creation to help you build better stories.
Look at the tools and materials your teacher uses to bring her comics to life, then grab your own and get sketching. Scan it into Photoshop to do some retouching before moving on to the inking phase.
Now go back over your work in ink, add dialogue and color, and put the finishing touches on your drawing. As a last step, digitize your final art to share with the world.
What is this course's project?
Create a humorous single-panel comic from start to finish that's based on a funny idea or story you came up with.
Projects by course students
Who is this online course for?
Artists, illustrators, designers, creatives, and anyone who wants to learn how to transform their ideas, experiences, and stories into witty comics.
Requirements and materials
Basic drawing skills are recommended for this course.
In terms of materials, you need drawing supplies, pens with a variety of different tips, quality paper for your final art, a computer, and a scanner or a camera.
Reviews
- 10 months ago
Excelente, muy claro el planteo de cada detalle compartido. Es hermoso escuchar a una dibujante posicionarse con tanta claridad en un mundo donde todavía hoy se invisibiliza a las mujeres. ¡Gracias Alejandra por tu generosidad! Que tu pasión contagie a muches ;)
- 1 year ago
Un curso bonito en el que, en general, se explica el paso a paso, pero creo que le falta en explicar mejor cómo desarrollar la idea. Lo que se explica sobre esto fue sobre una idea que no funcionó y, aún esta explicación, se hace de manera superficial.
Aún así, lo recomiendo como una guía inicial
- 2 years ago
I wish that when notes and information is downloaded, it can also be available in English. The computer will not translate resources that are in .pdf in another language. Otherwise, I liked her course.
- 2 years ago
Cours inspirant pour passer à l'action !
- 3 years ago
EXCELENTE CURSO! ME DIVERTI TOMANDOLO Y SIGO AUN TODAVIA!
As a comic artist, her illustrations have been featured in a variety of magazines, including Fierro and Sex Humor. She also spent five years working as a graphic humorist at OHLALÁ magazine. Two of her most distinguished projects are Lola, a humorous comic that ended up being published as a book, and Hormona Asesina. She currently publishes daily comics titled Andá a lavar los platos for the newspaper La Nación.
Content
- U1
Introduction
- Presentation
- Influences
- U2
Humor, creativity and ideas
- The types of humor
- Fish and cook the idea
- U3
Format, address and characters
- Format and reading direction
- Character
- U4
The sketch
- Materials for the sketch
- Sketching in pencil
- Digital sketch retouch
- U5
The inking
- Materials for inking
- The past in ink
- Retouching, lettering and color
- Some professional advice
- FP
Final project
- Anatomy of the humorous vignette: from idea to execution
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
The course is aimed at students with basic drawing skills but is accessible to anyone wanting to start creating cartoon strips and improve their technique.
You’ll just need pencils, paper, an eraser, blue pencils, markers, and access to a scanner or camera. Having Photoshop or another editor is recommended for the digital parts.
You’ll learn how to sketch, create characters, structure visual jokes, choose formats, ink, color, and digitize cartoons, as well as develop your own style and humorous voice.
The course covers the entire creative process of cartoon strips: from the initial idea and sketch to composition, inking, coloring, and publishing, including both manual and digital techniques.
It explores classic humor, dark humor, political satire, silent comics, clear line style, and graphic synthesis, adapting the message and format to the audience and context.
Yes, the course teaches how to choose formats and adapt cartoons for different platforms, including social media, blogs, and print publications.
It’s not mandatory, but having basic digital editing skills is recommended to get the most out of the scanning and cartoon retouching modules.