Teaching Comic Strips
Rick Instrell
Deep Learning
info@deep-learning.co.uk
Version 1.0
1 June 2013
Association for Media Education in Scotland
Multimodal Approach
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All communication is multimodal
Every communication fulfils 3 functions:
 Ideational function (ideas, experiences)
 Interpersonal function (audience engagement)
 Textual/compositional function (unifying modal
elements to fulfil other two functions)
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To analyse and create multimodally means
understanding how modal elements are co-ordinated
to engage the audience and communicate meaning
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Modes
A mode is a communication resource:
• Image
• Words
• Audio (music, sound, dialogue)
• Lettering
• Colour
• Layout (on a page or through time i.e. editing)
• Body language
• Interaction
• Sensations (e.g. touch, smell)
• Movement
• Lifelikeness
• …
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Lifelikeness
Can think of cartoon style as existing on a linear scale:
Realism
Caricature
Characters and setting may be similar or different
in how lifelike they are
Abstraction
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COMIC STRIP TERMINOLOGY
Title
Panel/frame
Speech
bubble
Sound effect/
SFX
Symbols/
emanata
Speed/
motion lines
Gutter
TEXT IS USUALLY
ALL IN CAPITALS
Bleed
A CAPTION IS A BOX
USED (USUALLY
RECTANGULAR) FOR
NARRATION: e.g.
“MEANWHILE…”
Cartoon Strip as Medium
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Cartoon strip: page-based story-telling through a sequence of frames
containing text and images
Because comic strip is a sequence of frames similar to a filmed sequence of
shots it uses film conventions: use of shot distance (ELS, LS, MS, MCU, CU,
ECU) and angle (high, straight, low, canted); zoom in/out; shot-reverse shot;
eyeline match
Direction: left-right, top-bottom (in West)
Black and white or colour
All strips use similar basic conventions
Comic strip artistry comes from:
 breaking basic conventions in expressive ways to represent character,
emotion, situation, action
 distinctive artwork and lifelikeness
 cultural/intertextual references in image and language
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Cartoon Strip Structures
Micro-structures: inter-frame relationships: shot-reverse shot, zoom
in/out, repetition, contrast, Q/A, moment-moment, action-action,
subject-subject, scene-scene, aspect-aspect, non-sequitur, flashforwards, flashback, …
Macro-structures: Consistent style; narrative structure e.g. beginning
(setting/ characters/ actions), middle (problem, effect), possible
solution/cliffhanger
Comic strip narrative structure is often similar to that of mainstream
film and television e.g. 4-act structure (setup, complication,
development, resolution)
So comic strips are a good place for pupils to start the study of
narrative
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Manga
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Style that tries to make the audience
identify with rather than simply
observe action
Iconic rather than realistic faces
Strong sense of place e.g. near
photographic real world detail
Subjective effects e.g. motion lines,
low/high angle
Broad range of character designs
Expressive design e.g. big close-ups,
expressionistic montages and
backgrounds
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Analysing a Comic Strip
Analyse a comic strip:
• Identify modal elements & their connotations/reasons
for use
• Identify genre and target reader
• Identify stages in the narrative
• Evaluate artistry (degree of lifelikeness, artwork, use of
repetition & contrast, expressive breaking of basic
conventions)
• Evaluate representations e.g. stereotypes, nonstereotypes
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Creating a Comic Strip
1. Pre-production planning
• Identify purpose, target audience and genre
• Create, evaluate and redraft storyboard
• Decide on degrees of lifelikeness of characters and
settings
2. Production
• Collect/capture/create bank of images
• Edit and store images in folder
3. Post-production
• Use appropriate software to create and redraft comic
strip
• Print and save in format for distribution (e.g. pdf)
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Six-Panel Storyboard
From Marchant, S. (2006) The Computer Cartoon Kit (with CD-ROM of images). Lewes: Ilex.
Digital images & instructions provided!
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Design
Need to decide the style in terms of degrees of lifelikeness
of characters and setting
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Digital production
• Creating/capturing/editing/storing images of
characters, actions, props, settings based on style
decisions
• Need some images to be cut-outs i.e. have transparent
backgrounds which do not obscure the background
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Cut-outs
• CD-ROMs from Ilex may provide cut-outs
• Some websites provide cut-outs e.g. Looney Tunes clip
art (these copy and paste into PowerPoint but not
ComicLife
• Making background transparent can be done using
advance software such as Adobe Photoshop or the
cheaper Adobe Photoshop Elements and Gimp (free)
• On-line tools are available to simplify the making of cutouts e.g. free on-line image editor Lunapic
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Cut-outs with Lunapic
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Go to www.lunapic.com
Click on Upload then Browse to locate and load your image
Select Edit>Transparent from menu bar (the Fuzz figure – default 5% - allows
you to change the range of pixel colour to be removed (100% removes all
pixels)
Click on area that you want to make transparent (a fuzz factor of 5% will
remove all pixels 2.5% lighter/darker than the one you choose
Repeat 3 and 4 until desired area transparent (alter fuzz factor if area is a
gradient fill)
Select File>Save Image and choose Save as PNG
A message appears at foot of screen. To the right of the Save button click on
the down arrow and choose Save As… . Give the file a meaningful name and
save it in a folder in the Pictures folder (on a PC Pictures is the default image
folder for many other graphics programs)
N.B. If the surround colour is similar to colours in the part of the image you want it
may make part of this transparent. This may need creative thinking for a
workaround or better software!
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Post-Production
Use of DTP program (e.g. Microsoft Publisher) or comic strip
program (e.g. Comic Life) to produce comic and add text
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Evaluation
Evaluate in terms of:
• Purpose
• Audience engagement
• Compositional unity
• Technical proficiency
• Artistry
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On-line Resources
Graphic novelist Anina Bennett’s website Big Red Hair.
Education Scotland on-line resource on comics & graphic
novels.
Comic scholar Mel Gibson’s website .
Looney Tunes clip art (Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck et al).
Marvel Comics on-line.
Gilles Poitras provides librarians & teachers with up-todate resources on manga & anime.
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Software
These are straightforward programs: (i.e. they avoid
steeper learning curve for advanced tools like Adobe
Photoshop and Adobe Photoshop Elements):
ComicLife 2.2.6 for PC/Mac, $29.99 from http://plasq.com/
Microsoft PowerPoint plus Microsoft Snipping Tool
ToonDoo, free online comic creator at
http://www.toondoo.com/Home.toon
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Books
Bowkett, S. and Hitchman, T. (2012) Using Comic Art to Improve Speaking, Reading
and Writing. London: Routledge.
Helsby, W. (2005) Children’s Comics: A Teacher’s Guide & Classroom Resources.
Leighton Buzzard: Auteur Publishing.
Marchant, S. (2006) The Computer Cartoon Kit (with CD-ROM of images). Lewes:
Ilex. Ilex Books has collections of digital clip art.
McCloud, S. (1993) Understanding Comics. New York: HarperCollins.
McCloud, S. (2006) Making Comics. New York: Harper.
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