Sequential Art – ARTS 502
CG • Section 8WK • 11/08/2019 to 04/16/2020 • Modified 02/01/2024
Course Description
This course covers the development and fundamentals of sequential art in its many forms: comics, comic books, and introduces the graphic novel design. The work may be in any style and genre preferred by the student, but a graduate student is expected to produce at a higher aesthetic level than undergraduates. At this advanced level the student is expected to be self-motivated in the pursuit of sequential art and working toward that end. Graduate students enrolled in the class will schedule meetings every two weeks with the professor to report on their progress and get any necessary assistance. Graduate students are also expected to research the work of other artists who work in a similar manner. May be taken twice.
For information regarding prerequisites for this course, please refer to the Academic Course Catalog.
Rationale
Sequential art has been around since the early cave paintings, and its many forms have had a strong effect on the development of man. Comic strips have been around since the mid-1800s, and Sunday comics and comic books have been wildly popular ever since. Today’s comic books are dominated by superheroes both good and evil, and graphic novels have become a dominant force both in print and electronically. There is great need for Christian voices in this market.
Course Assignment
Course Requirements Checklist
After reading the Course Syllabus and Student Expectations, the student will complete the related checklist found in the Course Overview.
Discussions (2)
Discussions are collaborative learning experiences. Therefore, the student is required to provide a thread in response to the provided prompt. Each thread must be at least 200 words, include 1 citation in current MLA format, and demonstrate course-related knowledge. In addition to the thread, the student is required to reply to 2 classmate’s threads. Each reply must be at least 100 words.
Comic Book Assignment
The student will create a comic book over the course of 8 separate steps.
Comic Book: Part 1 – Story Concept Assignment
The student will submit a 1-paragraph synopsis and 1-paragraph project detail of his/her comic book. The student will also create a character profile sheet for each character in his/her story.
Comic Book: Part 2 – Character Design Assignment
The student will create character sheets for each individual character in his/her comic book. An expressions page and a full-color turnaround must be created for each character.
Comic Book: Part 3 – Script and Thumbnails Assignment
The student will submit an 8–16-page script with page and panel thumbnail layouts for his/her comic book.
Comic Book: Part 4 – Pencil Sketches Assignment
The student will translate his/her script into rough page sketches that show the initial idea of the art style and panel layout.
Comic Book: Part 5 – Inks Lettering and Refining Assignment
The student will create refined inks of the thumbnails using Clip StudioPro Paint.
Comic Book: Part 6 – Coloring and Cover Concept Assignment
The student will add color to the completed inks, and will design sketches for his/her comic book cover.
Comic Book: Part 7 – Cover Assignment
The student will submit a refined and colored version of his/her comic book cover, including the front cover, front interior, back interior, and back cover.
Comic Book: Part 8 – Final Compilation Assignment
The student will submit the final version of his/her comic book.
Quiz
The quiz will cover the Learn material in Module 1: Week 1 – Module 7: Week 7. The quiz will be open-book/open-notes, contain 10 multiple choice and true/false questions, and have a 30-minute time limit.
