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Whether you're a beginner hoping to turn your love of comics into a career, or a pro looking for fresh inspiration, this informative and entertaining evening course will fire up your imagination and focus your ambition. Acclaimed graphic novelist Karrie Fransman will demonstrate ways to devise and realise ideas for exciting projects, and share professional tips on how to pitch to UK publishers and editors.
Through a mix of talks, games and practical exercises, you'll gain fresh insight into the potential of the comics medium, and learn how to harness its powers to produce attention-grabbing work. In addition to exploring the creative elements of devising a graphic novel, this course covers the technical aspects of planning and producing it, as well as the business of getting your work into print. Using examples from Karrie's own career to bring the process to life, you'll learn how create a brief for your project, how to pitch it to industry professionals and how to ensure your story connects with an audience.
This course is for you if...
- You're an aspiring graphic novelist who wants to learn how to plan and complete a project, how the comic industry works and what it's looking for
- You're an experienced comics artist looking for new ways to devise and finesse original ideas
- You're an amateur comics artist who wants to know more about turning your hobby into a completed project, or a career
Course description
This large-scale event features a mix of talks and interactive exercises to introduce attendees to the creative, technical and business elements of creating and publishing graphic novels and comics. Topics covered on the evening include:
- The process of creating a graphic novel – from concept to pitch, synopsis, scamps, sketches, inks and final artwork
- Exploring the definition of comics and what they can do – from Will Eisner to Scott McCloud
- Beyond simply 'words' and 'pictures': the tools used in creating sequential art
- Creating a comic in 15 minutes
- Examining your USP
- Choosing your target audience
- The medium and the message – and how to attract the attention of audiences and publishers
- Selling your work and yourself: how to engage with industry, and how to establish goals for your career and comics
- Dissecting the real-life pitches behind two published graphic novels, and how artist Karrie Fransman sold them to publishers
- Ten tips for turning professional
Tutor profile
Karrie Fransman has created comics for the Guardian, The Times, The Telegraph, New Statesman, Time Out and Psychologies Magazine. Her acclaimed graphic novel, The House That Groaned, is published by Random House's Square Peg imprint. She led the London Print Studio's excellent graphic novel course in 2011 and 2012.
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Details
Date: Tuesday 17 March 2015
Times: 6.30pm-9.30pm. Check-in begins 30 minutes before the start time.
Location: The Guardian, Kings Place, 90 York Way, London N1 9GU
Price: £49 (includes VAT, booking fee and drinks)
Event capacity: 100
To contact us, click here. Terms and conditions can be found here.
Returns policy
Tickets may be refunded if you contact us at least 14 days before the course start date. Please see our terms and conditions for more information on our refund policy.
