Indie Comics: From Start to Finish is a hands-on, beginner-friendly workshop at The Art Club designed to help turn your ideas into finished comic pages. Taking an idea you've been sitting on for years, this course walks you through the creative process of making your own comic or graphic novel from a blank page to a finished comic page. Students will explore comic storytelling fundamentals, page composition, panel design, staging, penciling, inking, and preparing artwork for lettering, coloring, and print. Along the way, you'll gain insight into the independent comics industry, professional workflows, and practical tips to help bring your own original stories to life.
During the workshop, you will learn to:
Understand the fundamentals of comic and graphic novel storytelling
Create effective page layouts, panel compositions, and staging
Pencil and ink comic pages using traditional or digital tools
Prepare artwork for lettering, coloring, and printing
Build a roadmap for continuing your first comic or graphic novel beyond the workshop
What You'll Make: Story development exercises, comic page layouts, penciled and inked comic panels, and a finished comic page ready for lettering, coloring, or print.
INDIE COMICS: FROM START TO FINISH
Indie Comics: From Start to Finish is a hands-on, beginner-friendly workshop at The Art Club designed to help turn your ideas into finished comic pages. Taking an idea you've been sitting on for years, this course walks you through the creative process of making your own comic or graphic novel from a blank page to a finished comic page. Students will explore comic storytelling fundamentals, page composition, panel design, staging, penciling, inking, and preparing artwork for lettering, coloring, and print. Along the way, you'll gain insight into the independent comics industry, professional workflows, and practical tips to help bring your own original stories to life.
During the workshop, you will learn to:
Understand the fundamentals of comic and graphic novel storytelling
Create effective page layouts, panel compositions, and staging
Pencil and ink comic pages using traditional or digital tools
Prepare artwork for lettering, coloring, and printing
Build a roadmap for continuing your first comic or graphic novel beyond the workshop
What You'll Make: Story development exercises, comic page layouts, penciled and inked comic panels, and a finished comic page ready for lettering, coloring, or print.
Dates
Thursday - August 20
Time
6:00 - 9:00pm PST
Location
The Art Club - Discord: <https://discord.gg/TZb8wK292j> Green Classroom
FORMAT
Class meets on Discord
The class enrollment is limited to a maximum of 100 seats.
Students will be able to participate via text chat, voice chat, and ask questions directly to the instructor.
THE FACULTY
Paul Angeli is a freelance storyboard artist, comic creator, and educator with nearly 30 years of experience in both live-action and animation. He has worked with clients including Blizzard Entertainment, Animal Planet, Discovery Communications, E! Entertainment, The Weather Channel, and CNN, helping bring stories to life through strong cinematic storytelling.
His recent work includes Blizzard Entertainment's World of Warcraft: Midnight, Arator: Son of Two Worlds. Outside of client work, Paul is the creator of the independent graphic novel El Vaquero, where he combines his passion for filmmaking and comics to tell original stories.
Paul also loves teaching and has shared his experience with students at California State University East Bay, Pennsylvania State University, Pratt Institute, and StoryboardArt.org. Whether he's storyboarding for film or creating his own comics, Paul's goal is always the same: to tell engaging stories and help others do the same.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mr.paul.angeli/
Shop: https://paul-angeli-shop.fourthwall.com/
Prerequisites
This is an all-level class. In order to have a productive learning experience for all, prospective students need to fulfill the following requirements:
Drawing/Painting software
Computer with microphone
Access to Google Drive
Access to Discord
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Introduction: Why does creating your own comic or graphic novel matter in today's industry? Paul will talk about the rise of independent creators, how to turn a blank page into a story, and the mindset and professional workflow behind creating your own original IP.
Section 1: Comic Fundamentals
Learn the building blocks of comics and graphic novels. Paul will explore how comics tell stories, what makes a page engaging, and how to communicate ideas through sequential art.Section 2: Laying Out Your Story
Grab your stylus or pencil! It's time to start drawing! You'll learn how to lay out a comic page using composition, panel design, staging, and visual storytelling techniques.Section 3: Inking & Preparing Your Pages
Tighten up your artwork by inking your comic using traditional or digital tools. Then, we'll cover how to prepare your pages for lettering, coloring, and printing.Conclusion: What's Next?
Now that you've created the foundation of your comic, we'll discuss the next steps for continuing your project and turning your first comic or graphic novel into a finished piece.
Who is this Workshop for?
The Indie Comics: From Start to Finish workshop at The Art Club is designed for artists who have a story they want to tell and are ready to take the first steps toward creating their own comic or graphic novel. Whether you're starting with a simple idea, a few character sketches, or a blank page, this class will guide you through a clear, step-by-step process for developing your own original IP. If you've ever wanted to create something that's uniquely yours while learning a professional comic production workflow, this class is for you.
Outcomes
By the end of this workshop, students will be able to:
Understand the fundamentals of comic storytelling
Develop an original comic idea
Create clear, engaging comic page layouts
Pencil and ink a comic page using a professional workflow
Prepare artwork for lettering, coloring, and print
What You’ll Make: Story development exercises, comic page layouts, penciled and inked comic panels, and a finished comic page ready for lettering, coloring, or print.
Indie Comics: From Start to Finish is a hands-on, beginner-friendly workshop at The Art Club designed to help turn your ideas into finished comic pages. Taking an idea you've been sitting on for years, this course walks you through the creative process of making your own comic or graphic novel from a blank page to a finished comic page. Students will explore comic storytelling fundamentals, page composition, panel design, staging, penciling, inking, and preparing artwork for lettering, coloring, and print. Along the way, you'll gain insight into the independent comics industry, professional workflows, and practical tips to help bring your own original stories to life.
During the workshop, you will learn to:
Understand the fundamentals of comic and graphic novel storytelling
Create effective page layouts, panel compositions, and staging
Pencil and ink comic pages using traditional or digital tools
Prepare artwork for lettering, coloring, and printing
Build a roadmap for continuing your first comic or graphic novel beyond the workshop
What You'll Make: Story development exercises, comic page layouts, penciled and inked comic panels, and a finished comic page ready for lettering, coloring, or print.
