Recent Noteworthy Experience:
• Created flash graphics for St. Joe's online courses (February'08-June'11)
• Teaching Comics at an Elementary After-School program (June'11)
- For the interview, I sketched a comic:
The children were learning about gardening, so I used that as the theme.
- 1st day of the class, I introduced them to comics:
I used Bill Watterson's Calvin&Hobbes to define panels, characters, etc.
- I started them on the computers so they could see how easy it was to create their own:
We used ComicLife and Doozla on Macbooks.
And the kids were happy.
- 2nd day of the class, I went over the terms I introduced, then had them abandon the computers for pencil and paper:
First, I asked them all to write down an Idea,
which answered the Theme: A perfect day in the garden would be...
Then I had them design a character,
and after that draw it in 3 different poses.
Once they all accomplished the planning stages,
I allowed them to start drawing their comics in the panels.
- 3rd day of the class, I went over what we learned the previous day, then they continued producing their comics:
The children added color. Many of them impressed me with their drawing ability.
They also showed they could use their creativity and embraced the comic form.
- 4th and final day of the class, they finished producing their comics and shared them in front of their peers:
The student's dedication to their work was a worthwhile thing to be a part of.
- For the first time teaching, I felt it was a great success, as did those who lead the program. The students seemed to grasp every theory I introduced. They made powerful pieces of art, and were thrilled to do it each day. Some even read and drew their own comics outside of the class, and a few stayed late on the last day to add finishing touches! A fulfilling experience which I look forward to sharing again.
