This course is an introduction to making comics as both a creative practice and a means of academic inquiry. Students will study comics, zines, and posters as cultural, political, and narrative forms while producing original work that explores how images and text construct meaning. Emphasis is placed on comics as reproducible, time-based, and materially specific objects rather than solely digital or illustrative outcomes. The course is rigorous and the workload substantial. Students will engage in daily drawing and frequent short assignments that build toward longer narrative and conceptual projects. Over the course of the semester, students will learn a wide range of approaches to visual storytelling, including sequential drawing, page composition, lettering, layout, pacing, and reproduction. Students will also gain hands-on technical experience with multiple production methods commonly used in comics, zines, and poster-making. Instruction will include introductory screen printing for poster and zine production; risograph printing workflows emphasizing color separation, layering, and reproducibility; and the use of industry-standard design software (Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign) for image preparation, layout, and print-ready file creation. Technical instruction is integrated with conceptual goals, enabling students to make informed decisions about process, format, and circulation. Materials and processes will vary and may include ink, collage, photocopying, hand-binding, screen printing, risograph printing, and hybrid digital–analog workflows. Zine-making and poster-making are central components of the course and are approached as both historical and contemporary modes of communication, research, and public engagement. The final project will be an original, reproducible, handmade book of at least 32 pages, developed from stories, comics, or characters created throughout the semester. Students will be responsible for both content and form, including sequencing, layout, reproduction, and binding. No previous drawing experience is required. Students must, however, be willing to draw seven days per week for the duration of the course and to engage critically with both their own work and the work of others through discussion, critique, and reading.

Units: 1

Max Enrollment: 15

Prerequisites: Any ARTS 100 level course.

Distribution Requirements: ARS - Visual Arts, Music, Theater, Film and Video

Typical Periods Offered: Every other year; Spring

Semesters Offered this Academic Year: Spring

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