Hurry Up and Wait

Create a sequence in which at least two characters are involved in the same course of action. Each should have a different subjective experience of that course of action: for one, time should move very quickly, but for the other, time should slow to a crawl. For an example, see the "gunfighter" sequence on the first page of the Will Eisner handout, "Timing." Consider the various techniques from both the Eisner handout and Scott McCloud's 4th chapter of Understanding Comics, and use them to push the pacing of your sequence as far as possible. The fast should be very fast, and the slow should be really, really slow.

Hurry Up and Wait is due 9/22 to be critiqued on 9/24.

Pacing! Crescendo and Decrescendo!

In music, a crescendo is a symbol that tells the musician to transition smoothly from quiet to loud over a certain amount of time. A decrescendo tells the musician to do the opposite. When these two are right next to each other it’s sometimes called a “swell.” We already know your comics are swell… 

Now can you make your art swell over the course of some panels?

Start “quiet” and “small” and build up your comic’s intensity over the course of one to three pages. Reach a big crescendo and then restore the quiet with the decrescendo. Try to incorporate the crescendo into as many elements of your comic as possible - the characters, their actions, the environments they occupy, and ultimately, the pacing. Do the sizes or shapes of your panels also change to reflect the swell? It’s up to you!

Pacing Comic is due 9/15 to be critiqued on 9/17.

4 Panels, 4 Scenes Expanded

You’ve created a narrative sequence in just 4 panels with a different scene in each panel. Now, it’s time to examine your sequence and determine how to best serve that sequence with an expanded edit. What scenes are needed to complete the actions of the story arc? Are new panels needed at the beginning, middle or end of the story? Think about the different types of panel-to-panel transitions. Scene-to-scene, aspect-to-aspect, and so on. What types of transitions do you already find in the comic? What types of transitions can be inserted or removed to help the story?

Using all four of your original panels, add as many new panels as you feel necessary to anywhere in the comic that you feel best serves the story. These new panels can be at the beginning, middle, end or all throughout the comic.

4 Panels, 4 Scenes Expanded is due 9/8 to be switched for critique on 9/10.

4 Panels, 4 Scenes Assignment

Create a narrative sequence in just 4 panels with a different scene in each panel. The actions, thoughts and emotions of your characters should be communicating clearly without using any words. Think about the different types of panel-to-panel transitions covered in chapter 3 and pay close attention to the type or types you choose for your sequence.

Read pages 70-72 of Chapter 3 for definitions of the different types of panel transitions. The definition for scene-to-scene is in there. It would be super-awesome, however, if you read Chapter 2 AND Chapter 3 since you have a long weekend.

4 Panels, 4 Scenes due 9/3 for critique on 9/8

4 Panels, 4 Scenes Critique

Name of the critter:

Name of the critiqued:

Does the sequence look finished?

Can you tell what is being shown? What is the subject of this sequence?

Can you follow the action?  What is the complete action or story arc?

Is the art clear? Can you easily discern foreground from background? Is the mark making descriptive? Is any of the imagery confusing?

Is the art compelling?  Be specific.

Does the work avoid using words?

Is there ever confusion as to what order in which to read the panels?

Is the page well-organized?  Does the layout of the panels add to the communication of the story or detract from it?

How is the “acting” in the strip?  Are character’s facial expressions and body language clear?

Is the strip interesting?  Would you want to read more?  Elaborate.

Comic Assignment Submission Guidelines

It is recommended that comics be created at 125 to 150% of their print size whether working digitally or traditionally, but it is a relatively free country and you may work at whatever size you prefer.

All printed comics submitted for critique must be printed on 8.5 x 11 paper. Print two copies for me, and one copy for each of the thirteen students in the class for a total of fifteen copies. Do not wait until the morning due date to print copies of your comic because there is no guarantee that the printers will be available or that you will have enough time.

Comics submitted digitally are to be emailed to the entire class by 9 am on the morning that they are due. Do not email PSD files. Send jpg files. You may also post the comic to a blog and email a link to the class. You are still required to submit two printed copies to the instructor by 9 am on the morning the comics are due.

Instructional Comic Critique

Instructional Comic Critique

Name of the critter:

Name of the critiqued:

Does the sequence look finished?

What is the subject of this sequence?  What is the author teaching us?

Is the art clear?  Can you tell what is going on at each stage?  Be specific:  what parts do you find to be clearly readable and what parts seem less so?

Does the work avoid using words?

Is a complete action, as described by Uri Shulevitz, depicted?

Can you follow the action?  Can you tell what is being shown?

Do you feel that you could follow these directions?

Are there enough panels or too many?

Is there ever confusion in which to read the panels?

What visual conceits does the work use to make complex actions clear?  Or, if the work is not clear, what sorts of conceits would help clarify it?

Is the art compelling?  Be specific.

Beyond clarity of instruction, is the sequence interesting?  Would you want to read a second strip similar to this one?  A collection of hundreds of similar strips?  Explain why and why not.

Instructional Comic

Comics 1

McDermott

Instructional Comic

Read through the handout from Uri Schulevitz’s Writing with Pictures. The notion of the “completed action” is very important for conveying coherent narrative information.

Research some instructional picture sequences. Find at least three examples, even if they are only two or three panels long. Examples might include airplane safety cards, instruction manuals, cook books and assembly diagrams. Include a copy of each of your examples in your sketchbook. Write briefly about your observations of these instructional comics. Do some strike you as more successful than others? If so, what qualities separate the good from the bad? In which ways are they similar? Which ones use words as well as images, and which rely on images alone? What can you learn from these examples to use in your own instructional comic? What could you use in more conventionally narrative comics? Bring the examples to class on 8/25

Now, teach us how to do something. You may use as many panels as you need to, but do not use words.  These actions may be simple or complex, but it should be easily understood and followed by someone who has never encountered this action before. The completed sequence is due in class on 8/25 and will be critiqued on 8/27.