SPX: Center for Cartoon Studies Panel
The Center for Cartoon Studies: Presentation and Workshop was led by Robyn Chapman who goes to the CCS in Vermont. From the description of the panel I thought it was going to be about how to cartoon, but it was really one long pitch about the school. Even so it was a lot of fun.
Robyn started by asking any questions and talking about the school. The school is in its second year and each class only has 18 students. The program focuses not on drawing but visual story telling. The cost is $14,500, but Robyn said Diamond was offering a full scholarship to the school.
After speaking for a good ten minutes Robyn and her crew moved us from the smaller panel rooms into the conventions main auditorium that had UN style seating. They immediately passed out pencils and paper and we did a “Jam Session.”
“I want everyone of you to do is fold your paper into 4 sections,” Robyn said. “The idea is that you have three minutes to draw a panel and then you pass the comic to your right. Basically this isn’t about art or form, its about working with what you were given and connecting the dots visually.”
For my first panel I drew a human-pumpkin. I have no idea why I drew this. I basically started drawing a girl, but then didn’t feel like drawing a body so I turned her into a pumpkin. Then I added the dialogue so that anyone who followed after me would have an idea of where to take the story. ….needless to say it was interesting to read the final version of the comic.
So we each did a panel on four jam session comics and then Robyn talked a little more, “What did you all think of the jam comic? It’s an exercise we do when hanging out or have nothing else to do.”
From there she passed out more paper. This time it had six square panels on it. She then told us that each of us would be given two cards. Each card had a phrase. We then had to pick one of the cards and use the phrase on it as the first thing in the first panel of a comic. Then the second phrase had to be used as the last thing said in the last panel ((we were allowed to use the phrase as dialogue, thought balloon, or narration box)).
Robyn explained that this exercise was once again about visual storytelling. She said it was a creative exercise to make us think about how to visually link the two phrases in some sort of narrative structure.
My two phrases were “I can fit 13 cherry tomatoes in my mouth.” and “Where is the can opener?” This is what I came up with:
Here is another one of these comics that someone else did:
After speaking for a good ten minutes Robyn and her crew moved us from the smaller panel rooms into the conventions main auditorium that had UN style seating. They immediately passed out pencils and paper and we did a “Jam Session.”
“I want everyone of you to do is fold your paper into 4 sections,” Robyn said. “The idea is that you have three minutes to draw a panel and then you pass the comic to your right. Basically this isn’t about art or form, its about working with what you were given and connecting the dots visually.”
For my first panel I drew a human-pumpkin. I have no idea why I drew this. I basically started drawing a girl, but then didn’t feel like drawing a body so I turned her into a pumpkin. Then I added the dialogue so that anyone who followed after me would have an idea of where to take the story. ….needless to say it was interesting to read the final version of the comic.
So we each did a panel on four jam session comics and then Robyn talked a little more, “What did you all think of the jam comic? It’s an exercise we do when hanging out or have nothing else to do.”
From there she passed out more paper. This time it had six square panels on it. She then told us that each of us would be given two cards. Each card had a phrase. We then had to pick one of the cards and use the phrase on it as the first thing in the first panel of a comic. Then the second phrase had to be used as the last thing said in the last panel ((we were allowed to use the phrase as dialogue, thought balloon, or narration box)).
Robyn explained that this exercise was once again about visual storytelling. She said it was a creative exercise to make us think about how to visually link the two phrases in some sort of narrative structure.
My two phrases were “I can fit 13 cherry tomatoes in my mouth.” and “Where is the can opener?” This is what I came up with:
Here is another one of these comics that someone else did: