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Illustration and Comics
Be an artist, illustrator, designer


Learn from professionals

Our Illustration & Comics course is taught by Kent Archer. Kent has taught art courses at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, Sacred Heart High School in Kingston Massachusetts and numerous local art centers. He has worked in the field of comic books since 2005 when he co-launched the popular webcomic − Dr McNinja. His work has been published by Archie Comics, IDW Publishing, Dark Horse Comics, and Topps Trading Cards

Broaden your skills in the industry

Kent Archer has studied under some of comics’ biggest and most successful artists, and his work has been published by mainstream comic companies. You will learn the process behind making comics as well as learn the secrets to being successful in the comic book business. This course will help you prepare for portfolio reviews with editors as well as emphasize the importance of meeting deadlines once you’re given your first comic book gig!

Develop your skills in:

In this introductory course, students will develop skills across all phases of the comic book creation process. From writing to coloring, students will explore and experiment with the tools, formats, and mediums used by professionals.


Quick facts

Who is it for? The course is aimed at any student aged 14 to 17 years who is interested in Art & Design. Completion of the course can enable progression on to our two year High School Diploma Foundation (subject to meeting minimum entry requirements)
Age 14-17
Language level requirements TOEFL 50+ or equivalent
Maximum class size 16
Availability CATS Boston
Accommodation En-suite room
Catering Meals are included (breakfast, lunch and dinner)
Excursions Saturday excursions are included in the fees with pack lunch provided
Price $4,150 (includes airport transfers and registration fee)

Sample timetable

Week 1

Day Time Activity
Monday  8:30-12:00 Discussions on what makes good storytelling and scriptwriting
1:30-4:00 Writing your story and script
Tuesday 8:30-12:00 How to develop characters
Continue writing your script 
1:30-4:00 Comic vocabulary
Page layout and page composition
Thumbnail sketching
Wednesday 8:30-12:00 Figure Drawing
1:30-4:00 Rules of Comics (Panels, Gutters, Angles, Views)
Drawing your comic
Thursday 8:30-10:00 Continue drawing your comic
10:15 Board bus for Harvard Square
11:00-4:00 Drawing at Harvard Museum of Natural History and comic shops in Harvard Square
Friday 8:30-12:00 Continue drawing your comic
1:30 - 4:00 Learning perspective for panel backgrounds
Saturday Full day of trips and excursions
Sunday Full day of trips and excursions

 

Week 2

Day Time Activity
Monday  8:30-12:00 History and influence of comics
1:30-4:00 Studio time to draw your comic
Tuesday 8:30-12:00 Introduction to the art of inking
2:00-4:00 Movie trip
Wednesday 8:30-12:00 The business of comics and how to break into the industry
Self-publishing and webcomics
Studio time to draw or ink your comic
1:30-4:00 Figure drawing
Thursday 8:30-10:30 Studio time to draw or ink your comic
10:45 Board bus for Boston Comic Con trip
12:00-4:00 Boston Comic Con
Friday 8:30-12:00 Studio time to draw or ink your comic
1:30-4:00 Present finished comics to rest of class
Saturday Full day of trips and excursions
Sunday Full day of trips and excursions

 

*Timetables are subject to change. We reserve the right to change these schedules with out prior notice.

Subjects

Subjects

History and influence of comic art

Students will learn the origins of comic strips and comic books as well as some of the most iconic characters and significant storylines. The influence these have had on popular culture today will be explored.

Scriptwriting

In the business of comics, it is often the case where one person writes the story and another draws the comic. Students will learn how to put their vision into words and write a detailed, professionally formatted script.

Developing characters

What makes a character relatable and believable? Why do we care about characters and how do they affect our emotions? We will discuss these ideas and learn how to write multidimensional characters.

Comic vocabulary

What is a panel? What are closure and juxtaposition? We will discuss the terminology in the universal language of comics.

Digital coloring

Capture the eye of the reader with brilliant colors using Adobe Photoshop. We will learn the importance of a limited color palette and how to effectively create mood and contrast.

Page layout and composition

Comics are a visual medium first and foremost. A visually enticing comic page can help effectively tell the story. The job of the artist is to create illustrations that capture the reader, tell the story, and simply put, look cool!

Perspective

The ability to draw characters and environments in perspective is essential in creating the illusion of depth. This illusion helps create a believable three dimensional world on the comic page.

The business of comics/ self-publishing and web comics

So, now you want to make comics for a living. We will discuss how to break into the mainstream business and work for the largest publishers as well as self-publishing your work in print or on the web.

Kent Archer
Department Chair/Visual Arts
karcher@catsboston.com
Read bio

Kent Archer

Department Chair/Visual Arts
karcher@catsboston.com

BFA, School of Visual Arts, New York

Kent Archer brings to CATS his experience as a working arts professional alongside his passion for teaching. He teaches the fundamentals of art and helps students build portfolios for college admission. Kent has taught art courses at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, Sacred Heart High School in Kingston Massachusetts and numerous local art centers. Kent has worked professionally in the field of comic books since 2005 when he co-launched the popular webcomic − Dr McNinja. His work has been published by Archie Comics, IDW Publishing, Dark Horse Comics, and Topps Trading Cards. Kent attended the received his BFA in Cartooning from the School of Visual Arts. For more info on Kent go to: kentarcher.com

CATS Academy Boston, 2001 Washington Street, Braintree, Massachusetts, USA | +1 857 400 9700

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