I was up 5am this morning to head out into the frost and make my way to Blackheath. A chai latte and pecan muffin woke me up in Greenwich and I was ready to roll, running two comic workshops at Blackheath Bluecoat Secondary School.
I was met by the school’s fantastic librarian Caroline Fielding who helped me guide the school’s Year 9 through a speedy two hour workshop on making comics.
We looked at…
- Idea development
- How even the simplest drawings can communicate ideas
- How placing an image in a different context can change its meaning
- Editing stories and picking key moments to depict in comic panels
- Creating characters based on ourselves, but not necessarily looking like us
Despite some of the kids’ insistence that they couldn’t draw, everyone did some wonderful comic work…
After group-developing some Christmas themed ideas, each participant drew their own series of images, creating a fabulous Christmas atmosphere on the page…
For the record, the image above does not show Lucy the Octopus but instead shows a derpy squid.
Next up, the talented Year Niners developed their own narratives based on what they think they might be doing on Christmas morning.
Some great work here. You can tell which kids have a Manga influence…
It was a fascinating insight into the psychology of each of the students, seeing how they chose to depict themselves, from stick people to animals to floating eyeballs with tentacles and a bow!
After the workshop, Caroline created a fantastic display of some of the amazing work done…
Thanks very much Blackheath Bluecoat Secondary School – you did some excellent comics!
