How to Teach Comic Art | Fredric Gunve

HOW TO TEACH COMIC-ART

How to teach through alternative comic-art. (2023)
Brush pen and digital.

Manifesto

Comic example

HOW TO TEACH (COMIC)ART MANIFESTO

How to get better at drawing:
Respect and value every line you draw. Some of them might not turn out as you imagined, but they are opportunities and not mistakes. If you don’t cherish, love and respect your own creation, how can you expect anyone else to?
Practice is important:
To repeat and start over is to gain experience and get better at your skills. Never forget to respect the one you were before.
Empathy:
Feel for your creation. Like with any relationship, it takes work. When you have empathy with the picture in front of you the picture will show empathy for you. The two of you have a lot in common, never forget that.
Be the example:
Show your finished drawings and comics. Show your sketches, good and bad. Show your artistic process. Be generous with your own experiences. Share how, and what you have learned on the way that led to where you are now. Sharing experiences is the best way to learn. Always be generous.
Show and tell:
Show others art, talk about what inspires you with their work. There is much to be learnt from talking together with a group of people about what they see in the art being presented. Don’t forget to listen. Everyone has something important to share, it’s up to you to figure out what.
Make art together:
Drawing together is a great way to develop your skills, and ideas. Open yourself to be inspired.
Don’t fear to draw complex compositions and timelines:
Remember there is much to learn from chaos. Look at a picture for a long time to learn how it’s composed.
Cut up to learn and experience composition:
Make a grid of frames. Draw a story in the frames. Cut out your frames. Throw them into the air and put them together as they have fallen. See what kind of new story you have. Add speech bubbles and text.
Not knowing what to say?
Start from an a4 paper (standard office size). Draw speech- and other forms of bubbles randomly on the paper. Add characters and backgrounds to your picture. Let it rest for a day or more. When you get back to the comic, fill the bubbles with text. If you want to, leave some bubbles empty. Silence speaks volumes. Let the viewers be part of the creative process, it’s their story to.