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Be Creative with Activities While Including Comics

May 6, 2023

by Caitlyn with No Comment Comics

Comics can be used in various creative activities to help students build the 4 Cs (critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and creativity). In addition to helping students learn and practice critical thinking skills, comics can also promote literacy and foster a positive reading attitude.

Create Personal Stories

Telling personal stories can be fun to share your experience with others and connect with readers. You can start with a simple story about an important event or family history and tell stories about everyday events and experiences.

Make a Cell Phone Case with Comics

Creating a cute and unique cell phone case using comics is an easy project that can be completed in a short amount of time. You can find templates in Canva that will guide you through the process and allow you to customize your design for a perfect fit easily.

Add Sound Effects to Your Comics

One of the best ways to enhance a comic with a sense of humor is to include sound effects in the drawings. Whether a rocket launching or a pack of wolves howling at the moon, adding a sound to your comic can create an even more exciting and engaging story.

Layout Your Comics correctly

To create a strong and effective comic, it’s essential to make sure that your drawing is in a clean and organized format. A clean and simple layout will encourage readers to pay attention to the details in your comic, and a simple design will also make it easier to follow the story you’re telling.

Draw and Edit Your Comics

You’ll want to ensure your comics are well-illustrated before printing them out. This can be done by adding details to your images, such as shadows and other elements that add depth and visual interest to your comics.

This will help readers feel that your comic is a complete and meaningful story. If you’re new to the comics making process, consider creating a few practice strips before you begin illustrating your final comic.

You can upload your comics to a website or social media page to share with friends when you’re done. A digital comic strip can also help a business or brand convey its personality and values, forming a unique communication strategy.

Use Your Comics to Support Client Work

Creating a comic strip can be a great way to work with clients to improve their relationships, overcome trauma and challenges, or find a more positive balance in their lives. As with other non-directive art techniques, you can steer this activity in a direction that works best for your client, such as using multi-panel drawings to communicate the experience of a difficult situation or working on metaphors to help a client better understand their emotions and behaviors.

Conclusion

Like all art materials, comics should be handled with care to prevent them from being damaged or destroyed by handling. Ensure that the paper you use is nitrile. This will prevent oils and other materials from transferring to your comics from your hands, which can cause deterioration.

A Guide to Storyboard a Comic Book

April 8, 2023

by Caitlyn with No Comment Comic Book

Whether you’re a professional or a beginner, it’s vital that you understand how to storyboard your comic book. This process will save you a lot of time and stress when it comes to creating the artwork and lettering for your book.

Plan your story

The first thing you need to do is make a plan for your story! This is important because it will help you ensure your book has a clear flow, so your readers can easily follow along.

Break up your story into acts!

Like movies, comic books have a structure that allows them to flow from one scene to the next. This is called an “arc.” Map out each act and write the details to ensure you’ve covered everything.

Identify the main character and their motivations

When you’re writing a comic book, the first thing you need to do is create your main protagonist. Their personality and traits are essential to helping your readers relate to them and root for them in their journey.

Set the action of each scene so that it makes sense for the reader.

Ideally, you want to give your readers a visual representation of what’s happening in each scene. This can be done by using color and setting up scenes in a way that helps the reader separate them in their mind, so they can tell where they are in time.

Sketch out the scenes

During the storyboarding process, you’ll want to sketch out each scene to get a feel for how it will look on the page. This will also help you identify any problems with your layouts so that you can fix them before you start drawing.

Use a template for your storyboard

Regardless of your skill level or experience, plenty of storyboard templates are out there for you to download and use. This will allow you to make sure your artwork is consistent and readable and give you the freedom to change your ideas without having to redo a whole section of work.

Use colors to convey mood and atmosphere!

In comics, it’s often the colors that help the reader picture the world around them. Choosing a color scheme that works well for your scene is crucial, as it will keep the reader’s attention and help them understand what’s happening.

Make use of speech and thought bubbles!

The speech and thought bubbles of a comic are an essential part of the style and give the reader a great way to enter the characters’ minds. There are many different options, from simple stick figures to symbols and images, so be sure to choose the best one for your story.

Consider the reader’s perspective when making your storyboard.

Unlike novels and other narrative literature, comic books don’t follow strict conventions. They might have full-page horizontal landscape panels, partially overlapping panels, or overlays that show fast-moving series of connected actions. These styles can all be used effectively if you’re not trying to force your story into a cliche or overly complex format.

Ways to Make a Comic Strip

March 7, 2023

by Caitlyn with No Comment Comic Strip

Comics are fun and rejuvenating concepts that are not only meant for children but are also equally enjoyed by adults in today’s world. They are one of the most fun ways to learn and tell stories with a combination of texts and images. Whether you’re an inspiring cartoonist or you’re making comic strips as a hobby, you will want to get it right, lest the meaning and the essence of a comic strip are lost.

If you are looking for ways to get started and start making a comic strip, here is a guide to get you started.

Developing your idea

Before you begin making the best comic strip of your life, you need to develop ideas and concepts for your comic story. It can be anything from a simple gag to a complex narrative, but the story should be formed in such a way that it portrays your excitement and passion for storytelling. Then, in order to deliver the best story, you can consider it from the readers’ point of view.

Creating characters

Once the plot and story are written, you must consider your characters. Start with one or two characters and imagine their appearance. You can also give them unique personalities and traits to help them stand out. Next, you need to experiment with different looks until you fix one.

Planning your panels

The entire layout of the comic strip should be planned, which decides where each panel is placed. Since each panel will convey a message or tell a story, it should be placed sequentially. Creating a rough sketch can also help in figuring out the story’s layout and flow of the entire story.

Writing the script

Once everything is decided, the script or the story is written, which involves dialogues, narration, captions, and other texts which will accompany the images. The script should be focused and concise to fit the panel constraints. Since comic strips are visual media to tell a story, they should be able to convey as much message as possible through images.

Sketching the comic strip

Once the layout and the script are in hand, it is important to sketch the comic strip. It is best to make use of a pencil to chalk out the panel and testify about the mistakes, if any. After the sketching is finalized, ink can be added to the images, but it is essential to be careful regarding lines and margins. Once the ink is added, you can also color the strip and refine it in case there are any mistakes in the drawings.

Adding text

Once the sketch is colored and refined, it is essential to add the written scripts and dialogs, narrations, and captions in each of the panels. Again, the placement and size of the text are important to consider, drastically impacting how the comic strip is read.

Unique Comic Strip Ideas

February 4, 2023

by Caitlyn with No Comment Comic Strip

Comics are fun, funny, and creative ways to express yourself. They are a popular form of storytelling that entertains and educates by providing a visual medium for retelling stories and complex ideas through images and dialogue.

1. Create a topic you’re passionate about

It is important to choose a theme to get started on your comic strip. You should choose a theme you are passionate about and can illustrate easily. Some ideas for a topic might include: “A story about you and your best friend,” “Your sibling,” “An interesting subject in your community”.

2. Be creative

Before drawing your comic, think about what you want to draw and make sure that it is relevant to the theme. This will help you avoid the temptation to draw things that aren’t related to your subject and can also make it easier for you to come up with a good storyline and characters.

3. Think about your audience

Before you start your comic, decide who will read it and what age group the reader is, whether you are writing for children, teenagers, or adults. This will help you write jokes that are appropriate and don’t over-explain the story.

4. Identify the main character and sketch them

The main character of your comic is the main point of interest, they are the focus of the story, and therefore, you would want to give them a strong personality and traits. The character should be able to tell the reader what is happening in the comic, they should be realistic, and you should develop their character based on their actions.

5. Describe the background scenery

It’s also useful to have a setting for your comic, whether outdoor or indoor. The location will help you develop the characters and storyline, as it will be easier to draw things that are believable in your surroundings.

6. Use black lines

It is a good idea to draw your comic with black lines as it gives depth to the characters and helps them stand out on the page. You can also use darker shades to draw out the eyes, fur, or whiskers of your characters.

7. Use a range of fonts and sizes

When writing your comic, remember that lettering can be used to show how the characters are feeling. For example, small text may mean that they are whispering, while large text could be a shout.

8. Use speech bubbles

When creating your comic, be sure to include some speech or thought bubbles to help clarify what is being said. This can be a great way to get your readers to follow the story. The speech bubbles can have various shapes, like a cloud that conveys thinking or jagged edges that indicate volume and excitement.

9. Using your imagination

Letting your imagination run wild will allow you to come up with unique comic strip ideas. Developing a unique story line and original characters will help you to create a comic that is both funny and interesting. It will also allow you to be creative with your art style and design.

What Are The Elements Of Cartoon Strips?

January 9, 2023

by Caitlyn with No Comment Comic Strip

Since comics first appeared, the visual form has developed quickly as a result of artists’ and illustrators’ intense desire to depict superheroes on the page. One’s personal cartoons can be about anything, and there is a bewildering array of options on how to create them. Continue reading to discover more about what makes comics special.

Style

Any topic can be transformed by style. Consider the implications for your own comedy. A painful personal narrative might be made less challenging and potentially less distressing or impactful if it is illustrated in a cartoon style. Your audience will have a more intense emotional reaction to the same tale if you illustrate it in a realistic and thorough manner. Additionally, the effect could turn surreal, twisting the material to impact viewers in unanticipated ways, if the story is told in a precise but exaggerated manner.

Characters

In all forms of media, characters must be carefully constructed. Every character inside a story serves as a vehicle for the reader’s unique point of view. However, comic comics go a step further. You need to begin viewing characters as brands. That’s a component of how huge celebrities still dominate the whole entertainment sector today. When someone hears the name Spider-Man, images of Spidey’s many varied plots, foes, and even eyeglass sizes come to mind. Popular figures are easily recognizable but have nuanced narratives and themes. If it weren’t for their nuanced quirks and complicated past, they wouldn’t be able to survive in the spotlight for so long.

Dialogue

Another essential aspect that distinguishes comic comics is dialogue. It expresses the characters’ point of view on the world. Without any sort of visual help, you can tell when dialogue is good if you type it on a blank sheet and it still delights you, pulls you into the narrative, and provides accurate guidance about the storyline. Every word must have a purpose, whether it be exposition, emotional stimulation, or a resolution to a pre-existing setup. The goal of dialogue is growth. The dialogue is not kept separate from the other graphic elements. It constantly engages with the borders, speech balloons, sound effects, captions, and borders.

Combining words and images

Words, unlike other types of images, have meanings that are independent of their visual representation. Consider the relationship between a group of words and the picture they are adjacent to or part of. There are four fundamental relationships to think about: images and words

Complement

When words and images work together, each one brings something unique to the overall impression.

Contrast

Although each still contributes something unique when words and images contrast, the effects don’t merge as well.

Duplicate

When they are duplicated, the message sent by the surrounding words and images are essentially the same.

Diverge

Words and images might roam in different directions, parallel but unrelated directions.

Movies Based on Comic Strips

December 3, 2022

by Caitlyn with No Comment Comic Strip Movies

Garfield is an American comic strip featuring Garfield, an apt description of a typical cat with a creative, curious, naughty mind but lazy nature. He makes everyone’s day with relevant affiliations to his obsessive eating, coffee love, and lasagna. The comic found its success in the form of animated films, television series, theatrical films, and the well-known orange cat merchandise.

Peanuts are one of the classic comics that most literary enthusiasts enjoy. It is simple yet effective in bringing joy to all hearts. The comic strip includes a class of small kids who have distinct characters. The fun lies in choosing their favorite character, along with the naughty and imaginative Snoopy, the dog, and the yellow bird Woodstock ringing a tune to the ears as he speaks. The comic is endearing and continues to do so with succeeding movies.

The Simpsons is an American comic strip most famous for its animated sitcom. The comic is based on a family headed by Homer and focuses on him along with the city’s other family members and people. The dysfunctional family comedy with the clever plot is the successful formula of the comic to movie creation. In addition, it succeeded in adding Homer’s exclamatory “D’oh!” catchphrase into English.

Tarzan was one of the best-known children’s comics. The movie is an all-time success, including the charming TV cartoon. Tarzan is a wonder boy lost in the forest, growing up to be a man raised by apes. He performs many exciting adventures along with his female counterpart Jane. The comic, book and cartoon have interesting forest backdrops and feat to the eyes.

Wonder Woman is an ongoing American comic book that was first a comic strip. Wonder woman is the most famous female superhero on par or above superwoman. The movie of recent times found most success than many contemporary movies. The titular character is an Amazon blue blood, so the story includes different plots as a comic and is yet to explore the movie world.

Superman is still an ongoing comic representing DC Comics and has found massive success in movies and continues to do so. The comic character has inspired many characters worldwide, including a negatively shaded Star lander. He has a strong backstory from a different planet and strives to save Earth.

Batman is one of the creations of DC Comics which is very famous. Finding success in most countries worldwide, the comic owes its part of the success to the sidekick, Robin the Boy Wonder. More than the comics, the movies brought other fan following to the villain, the Joker. Spin-offs are celebrating the archenemy of Batman.

Spider-Man is a superhero from the Marvel Comic franchise. Spiderman is the most successful movie in history turned from a comic. This movie sports a teen who gets bit by a spider to develop “spider-sense.” His precognition ability, superhuman strength, speed, agility, and family drama, add the recipe for a perfect entertainer, both in the form of books and movies. The franchise expands into merchandise and other forms of business.

The Hulk is a superhero created in Marvel comics. The writer Stan Lee created the comic character based on Dr. Robert Bruce Banner physicist with a dissociative disorder with an alter geo Hulk. The person is portrayed as socially withdrawn and emotionally reserved but turns into a giant green humanoid due to accidental exposure to gamma rays. He turns to Hulk when he is emotionally stressed. Following a huge success, this comic took the form of movies and got a bigger hit to succeed in more movies and sell merchandise.

Other successful comic strips turned movies, such as Addams Family, Dennis the menace, Flash the superhero, and so on, add enjoyment to our lives.

Cartoonist vs. Comic Artist: What’s the Difference?

November 4, 2022

by Caitlyn with No Comment Comic Artist

Cartoonists create images that are frequently amusing and sometimes convey a message, usually in a single frame. Comic book, comic strip, and comic artists also create images, but they combine these images into many frames to construct a story. Cartoonists and Comic artists both represent two genres of art forms. While cartoonists make fun of a situation through their paintings or visual way. Whereas comic artist makes mockery through a particular way of humorous style.

Who are cartoonists?

Cartoonists are artists who mainly draw still or unmovable pictures to amuse, entertain or educate people. This type of illustration is mainly used in the marketing industry, advertisements, newspapers, comic books, novels, books, greeting cards and so on. Cartoon incorporates various subjects in an art form such as politics, drama, sports and so on through the cartoonists’ drawing skills. A cartoonist usually draws a more complicated thing in a humorous and simple way.

Who are Comic Artists?

A comic artist usually designs visual aspects of various types of comics, graphic novels, magazines and so on. They do not typically incorporate text into their comics rather they design the dialogue and story inside the comic strip. They create the illustration in such a way as to describe multiple comic ideas through that only.

Difference between Cartoonist and a Comic artist

Genre

The main difference between these two is the genre as these two art forms belong to completely different genres. The difference in the genre in art form also differentiates the pattern of work form, as well as the two products, will be different also. A comic strip is a single line or more that tells a concise story within two lines whereas a cartoon book consists of a large strip defining the story.

Storytelling

The way of storytelling is another common difference between the two forms. This mostly happens because a cartoonist mainly gives focuses on the piece he is working on or on that particular topic. He conveys specific ideas or thoughts through his works; moreover, cartoonists don’t need to have high storytelling power. Whereas for comic artists storytelling is a part and parcel of their job profile. Because often their aim is to convey a complex narrative through a simple way of storytelling art.

Typical employers

Both of them can also differ as far as types of places are concerned where they get employed. Because cartoonist is free to work in any type of industry like marketing, advertisement and they also can use any type of image, illustration for their professional purpose. Whereas comic artists have to work in only the comic industry where they can work as a freelancer or full-time.

Best Cartoons of the Early Internet

October 13, 2022

by Caitlyn with No Comment Best Cartoons

The early internet was a golden time dedicated to cartoons and books. It can be hard to recollect, but the early age of the internet also had memes and jokes shared via voice messages and images. Although it took producers weeks, if not months, to create cartoons and cartoon characters, they were still loved and appreciated by thousands worldwide.

Thanks to the invention of new technologies that have led to faster and more advanced characters in the animated world! Today, it takes a few minutes to design a character and build a story around the character. These new technologies have not changed the fact that early-internet cartoons were still the best and loved by people of all ages.

In this article, let’s walk through the best cartoons produced during the early internet era.

House of Cosbys

We are all aware of the famous series Rick and Morty that set the online world of cartoons aflame when it was released. The Creator of the series, Roiland, also introduced the House of Cosbys in 2005. In this series, a scientist creates a robot that clones Cosby and lives with his other attitudes like data analysis Cosby, curiosity Cosby, etc. Although this cartoon series had to be canceled due to legal complications, it remained in the hearts of many!

Badgers

We cannot possibly move ahead without including Badgers in the list. The series has 12 animated badgers that include characters like mushroom, a driving beat, a dancing snake, etc. The songs from this series were very addicting and were also at the tips of everyone’s tongues.

Ben 10

Ben 10 was a crowd favorite and was introduced to the public as one of the best-animated superhero characters and quickly became famous among kids too. With the catching theme song and versatile animations, it received lots of love from its release in 2005.

Homestart Runner

This animated series is considered the epitome of nostalgia. It was released in the right place, at the right time, and is still regarded as one of the best web cartoons of all time. This cartoon is enjoyed by kids and young adults due to the presence of quirky and tricky characters.

Adventures of Flapjack

This cartoon series strikes the perfect chord between the 2000s cartoons and the ones of this era. The main characters include a whale and two pirates. The catchy story of the three main characters and their adventures attracted young audiences and quickly became one of the beloved series of the era.

Samurai Jack

Once the field of cartoon and animation started catching on, Samurai Jack was considered one of the best American Tv or cartoon series. Although the plot and storyline were simple, the audience was attracted to the advanced animation, sound effects, and direction, which led to the cartoon series’ popularity.

Tips for Successful Comedy Writing

October 12, 2022

by Caitlyn with No Comment Comedy Writing

It is a no-brainer that today’s generation goes head over heels over sitcoms. One of the primary reasons for such genres’ popularity is the connection to the audience. The success of Netflix series like The Office, Friends, and many more is due to their humor and out-of-the-world script writing.

Comedy writing is one of the most challenging forms of script writing. This is because the type of comedy you write must affect the audience; if it isn’t funny enough, your script is a flop!

However, the good news is, like any other skill, comedy writing also follows specific techniques that can improve with practice. You can read further to learn the techniques!

What is comedy writing?

According to American stand-up comedian Jerry Seinfeld, comedy writing is a secret art that is not pursued by many. By definition, comedy writing is a genre of creative writing that is intended to be funny. Although there are a lot of other technicalities involved in comedy writing, the primary intent of this form of writing is to make the audience laugh!

You’re only as good as your last joke!

However, this genre of writing provides ample room for improvement. Hence, there are various ways by which you can improve your humor writing skills.

Build Comedy around characters

A rookie comedy writer may start writing with the premise in mind, which can ultimately backfire during showtime. Although making the audience laugh must be your primary priority, it is not everything! Building characters and emphasizing the stories behind these characters can go a long way in comedy writing.

Exaggrate about a situation

Once you build characters, create situations and build funny stories around the situation. You don’t have to be funny in life to make people laugh! It would be to find a balance between humor and the story in your script that is relatable to the audience.

Practice on others

Humor is a factor that connects the writer and the audience. If you’re writing for a crowd, test your writing on professionals instead of friends and family. You could start with your best joke or punch-line in the first minute when the audience is highly skeptical.

Don’t forget to have fun.

Before you make people laugh, you have to loosen up and stay in the zone. Comedy writing is a difficult genre, and it takes utter dedication and many years of hard work to reach an extent in the field. Hence, at every step, you have to have fun!

Things to avoid in comedy writing

Although no topic is considered off-limits, especially in comedy writing, it is recommended to follow specific unwritten rules to deliver a masterpiece. Some of them are listed below:

It is best to avoid matters of sensitivity.
“Read the room” before writing anything funny. You can create a persona for your audience and stick to it.
It is best to avoid zany and silly elements from your script, as it might create an awkward environment, let alone make people laugh.

Amazing Comic Strip Examples to Inspire Your Ideas

September 17, 2022

by Caitlyn with No Comment Comic Strip

Comic books were a part of everyone’s childhood. The visuals, small stories, and simple English used in the strips have a different fan base.

For those who aren’t aware, comic strips are stories depicted in the form of comics, with tons of visuals and dialogues that keep the readers hooked to their seats. Aside from being an entertainment factor, they’re also a great way to promote literacy. Today, comic strips are also used to discuss social and political issues.

If you’re a comic writer looking for comic strip ideas, you are at the right place. You should continue reading to find some of the best examples to ignite the comedian inside you!

Manga Comic by Akimaro

Akimaro, or Adriana De la Torre, is famous for creating some popular manga comics in recent times. With high-contrast images, dynamic characters, and movement, she has created a remarkable series of manga comics that has become a new teen addition. She mainly makes use of emotion-based illustrations to depict her stories visually.

Social media cartoon by Raul Salazar

Social media is a great platform to grasp ideas for comic strips. For instance, Raul Salazar gained inspiration from #WhatTheFluffChallange on social media for his comic. He aced graphic humor and is also a brand to promote comic strips on social media.

Use Mixed Media by Ariel Olivetti

The growth of comics has grown to such an extent that people are no longer confined to gadgets and pens for illustrations but are also inclined to use watercolors, acrylic colors, etc., to depict their messages. Ariel Olivetti has worked for over 25 years with DC Comics and Marvel to deliver iconic superhero comic strips. Mixed media techniques can help comic strip writers emphasize human figures and enhance their aesthetic appearance in general.

An abstract comic strip by Ana Galvan

Her comics are mainly filled with minimal colors yet are bright and wobbly. She primarily focuses on creating short comic strips that best fit publications and different studios.

Monochrome Visuals by Charles Glaubitz

Charles Glaubitz emphasizes monochromatic comic strips with shadow drawings that create a visual impact on the readers. His comic strips mainly introduce people to play with narration, which also helps keep every scene intact. His comic strips mainly consist of abstract and strange images.

Funny Comic by Liniers

Liniers composes short and funny comic strips mainly built around stories or punchlines. He plays with the readers’ minds by changing the initial assumptions of the story, which has gained immense popularity in illustrating daily cartoons.

Action Strips with Sam Hart

Sam Hart is one of the best in creating iconic comic characters like Robin Hood, Judge Dredd, and many more. He holds expertise in combining the essence of visuals and texts in his comic strips, which turn out to be emotion-filled masterpieces.