The objective of our master classes is to give students of all ages and skill levels deep creative experiences. From art students, to working professionals, writers, teachers, and family groups, our classes are full of tools for your artistic journey.
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Instructor: Jen Wang
Max: 20 Students
September 19th, 2026 / 1:30-5:30pm (including a 15 min. break)
(Please arrive 20 minutes early. Parking is ample and easy. )
Do you enjoy comics, manga, and graphic novels, and are interested in making one of your own?
Join author/illustrator Jen Wang in an intensive course covering all the basics of graphic novel creation. The first half of the class will go over how to craft a narrative and effectively communicate your story using simple writing techniques. The second half will focus on artistic techniques to enhance your story in the areas of character design, color, composition, and drawing environments. Students will participate in writing and drawing exercises that will allow them to practice and utilize techniques taught in class.
No experience necessary. All levels welcome!
Jen Wang is the award-winning cartoonist of several graphic novels for young readers including Ash’s Cabin, Stargazing, and The Princess And The Dressmaker.
THE WORKSHOP WILL INCLUDE:
INTRODUCTION (30 min)
Instructor and class introductions as well as a short comic drawing exercise to warm up.
DEMO OF JEN’S PROCESS (30 min)
Presentation of Jen’s personal process of creating a graphic novel from start to finish.We cover the writing process, thumbnailing, art tools, and publishing.
PART ONE: HOW TO TELL A STORY (45 min)
A simple way of looking at storytelling and writing a narrative based on cause and effect that anyone, regardless of writing experience, can do. The class will collaborate on a short story together based on this technique.
—- BREAK —- (15 min)
PART TWO: CHARACTER CREATION (20 min)
We go over different ways to convey storytelling in a character design. Class will participate in a character design exercise.
PART THREE: APPLYING ART TO NARRATIVE (45 min)
How do you use art to enhance your story? We cover different art techniques that help guide readers to more effectively understand the story you’re trying to communicate. We discuss panel character creation, composition, color, pacing, and drawing environments.
PART FOUR: CLASS EXERCISE (45+ min)
The class will write a short paragraph based on a prompt and thumbnail a short comic based on the writing and art techniques learned in the class today. Optional show and tell afterwards.
Q&A (10 min)
Students are welcome to ask questions based on what we covered in class today or specific to their own personal projects.
RECOMMENDED MATERIALS
Any drawing materials will do but pencil, pen, and paper are highly recommended.
CANCELLATION POLICY:
If you need to cancel, please do so at least 3 days before the workshop. No refunds shorter than 3 days before class. If you cancel within a week, you are entitled to a full refund minus $25.
Instructor: Anatola Howard
Max: 25 Students
September 12th, 2026 / 1:30-5:30pm (including a 15 min. break)
(Please arrive 20 minutes early. Parking is ample and easy.)
Join illustrator/animator Anatola Howard in a guided comic creation exercise aimed at expanding and freeing up your story telling abilities. This workshop is excellent for anyone who wants to refresh their approach to narrative or has trouble getting started with stories at all.
No experience necessary. All levels welcome!
Anatola is a broadly experienced animator, having worked for Jibjab, Cartoon Network, and Netflix Feature Animation.
His comic work has been published by Boom!, Shortbox, Frontier, and Best American Comics (2019).
THE WORKSHOP WILL INCLUDE:
INTRODUCTION (20 min)
Anatola will introduce his and others’ work as he highlights the role of the imagination in creating comic panel sequences.
WORKSHEET (10 min)
Students will fill out a worksheet where their answers are collected and placed into different boxes. Some box label examples: “Emotion” / “Character” / “Object”.
INSTRUCTOR DEMO (30 min)
Anatola will pull words from the boxes and creates a story outline and character designs based off of the keywords while discussing their thought process and asking for student feedback (Ex: “What is your impression of this character I’m drawing?”).
STUDENT SKETCHING (45 min)
Students pull their own words from the boxes and then create a general outline and sketch character designs based on their words.
—- BREAK —- (15 min)
Q & A (15 min)
Students have the chance to ask the teacher and the entire class questions regarding their own comics.
CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT DEMO (30 min)
Instructor sketches a composition of panels and draws lineart on a single panel that features an expression to demonstrate character acting.
COMIC & CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT (50 min)
Students will continue to develop their characters, paying close attention to the development of individual characters and their relationships.
OPTIONAL SHOW & TELL (20 min)
Students will be able to participate in an optional show and tell to garner additional feedback and ideas.
RECOMMENDED MATERIALS
Any drawing materials will do but pencil, pen, and paper are highly recommended.
CANCELLATION POLICY:
If you need to cancel, please do so at least 3 days before the workshop. No refunds shorter than 3 days before class. If you cancel within a week, you are entitled to a full refund minus $25.