Sequential Art (SEQA)

Introducing the components of sequential art, this course explores visual narrative theories and techniques. Students become familiar with the discipline of sequential art and the various standard tools and techniques involved.

Focusing on observational and interpretive drawing skills as they apply to visual storytelling for sequential art, students in this course develop their drafting facility and learn how characters are constructed and integrated into graphic environments.

Highlighting significant works of sequential art including their historical roots and major influences, students in this survey analyze trends, styles, techniques, subject matter and works of important artists across the sequential art spectrum.

Examining the technical craft of sequential art production, students in this course focus on a variety of traditional skills, techniques and tools associated with illustrating a comic narrative.

This course examines and explores the art of cartooning. Students create and develop their own single- and multi-panel comic strips, as well as editorial and political cartoons.

Emphasizing the observational skills and attention to detail that help a creator define and individualize cartoon characters and backgrounds, students in this course create appropriate model sheets for character animation and generate storyboards.

Covering dialogue, captions, sound effects, panel and page layouts, and the relationship of image to text in dramatic situations, students in this course develop narrative ideas and express them in written form, from the basic plot to the finished script.

Focusing on digital problems and concerns relevant to creating a sequential narrative, students in this course develop their understanding of color theory, digital coloring techniques, digital lettering and sound effects, and the use of appropriate applications as they relate to visual storytelling.

The dynamic elements for successful design and execution of graphic novel covers are explored through a series of demonstrations and projects focusing on general color theory, the treatment of light and shade, representation of depth, surface textures, environment and the human form.

This course enables students to explore comprehensively the characters, themes and environments of their own creation.

This course helps students increase their knowledge of storyboarding and how it applies to the advertising, animation and motion picture fields. Students break down ideas and scenes sequentially to promote visual storytelling.

Students are introduced to the business of researching, marketing, packaging and distributing comics. Approaches to selling work to mainstream comics companies are emphasized, along with the business of independent publishing. Students may have the opportunity to participate in a comics publication.

Underscoring the vital visual elements that are often overlooked when illustrating a believable visual story, students in this course study and illustrate building interiors, exterior environments, vehicles and other objects from different perspectives and in a variety of locations.

Through the manipulation of various sculptural materials, this course introduces students to the process of designing maquette characters for 3D rendering. The students learn to work with diverse types of character designs, styles, proportions and genres. They study classical and contemporary sculptural techniques and subsequently learn to utilize the various working methods described.

In this course, students produce a variety of projects beyond panel-to-panel comics formats, incorporating fantasy or science fiction themes and comics-related subjects.

This course showcases the art of drawing superheroes. Students are introduced to techniques for making characters dynamic and pages exciting through the use of camera angles, page layout and perspective. These techniques help students pace stories and choose views that best accentuate the characters’ heroic abilities.

This non-studio course builds upon content from Comic Book Scripting. Particular emphasis is placed on problems posed in scripting for longer work, such as graphic novels.

In this course, students gain a thorough working knowledge of the form and dynamics of the human body through applied sculptural, observational and rendering techniques. Specific attention is paid to how these techniques can be applied to visual storytelling.

This course focuses on improving students’ ability to execute a drawing of a reasonable likeness of an original or imagined subject in a limited amount of time. Sketches continue to be used to build complex drawings and are applied to storytelling for sequential art.

Traditionally, Franco-Belgian comics differ from American comics in their artistic approaches; attention to detail; and focus on longer, self-contained stories printed in a larger format. Students study styles, trends and production methods associated with Bande Dessinée and apply these skills to their own sequential work.

Concentrating on skills associated with printing, bookbinding and packaging, students develop a variety of mini-comics that showcase their sequential art in the form of handmade publications.

Digital delivery and the empowerment of the independent creator are achieved by creating marketable, well-branded web-comic sites that demonstrate intelligent formal use of the medium. Students gain skills necessary for site construction and promotion while learning the artistic history of the genre.

With the everyday use of mobile devices, storytelling through scrolling format has created an accessible and incredible medium that is becoming swift competition for traditional print publishing. Students gain skills necessary for expressing a variety of story genres within the scrolling format while learning how to understand, research, compile, and apply applicable data to help increase awareness of their work online.

Developing graphic storytelling skills and the craft of penciling comic book pages, students in this course learn page layout, panel design and work with scripts while penciling traditional panel-to-panel sequential art.

Students learn how to create and present a proposal or “pitch” for development as a graphic novel, comic book series, film or television project. Emphasis is placed on creating stories, characters and settings that are used in an extended narrative and culminate in a presentation bible.

Through lectures, demonstrations and studio work, students are introduced to the tradition of hand lettering and typography in sequential art. The use of word and image in service to a narrative is explored as the students practice conventional and contemporary techniques. Emphasis is placed on skill-building and practical application.

Real and imagined creatures of mammals, reptiles and birds are conceived for fantasy illustration, scientific illustration, game design, animation, movies and themed entertainment. Through direct observation, analytical drawing and action analysis, students develop a thorough working knowledge of the form and dynamics of animals and create real or imagined creatures relevant to their career goals.

This course engages students in the professional practices of comic arts inking. Proficiency of method and application of media are stressed through a wide variety of inking techniques. Students integrate various forms of inking applications into the graphic narrative in support of developing a personal direction and style.

Continuing to develop the skills introduced in Visual Storytelling I, students herein explore the integral relationship between pencils and inks while honing their visual storytelling skills.

The foundation of a successful creative career in sequential art lies not only in mastering the craft, but also in cultivating a deep understanding of the business side. Throughout this course, students explore emerging trends in the industry, identify strategies for self-promotion and marketing, and begin to build a professional network tailored to their career goals.

Incorporating various skills, including storytelling, scripting, drawing techniques and working with various materials and media, students produce sequential art suitable for publication or for incorporation into a portfolio of professional quality work. This course is a culmination of the undergraduate sequential art curriculum.

Using characters, environment and technology established in previous coursework, students continue to develop their individual creations as well as work on collaborative projects. An increased focus is placed on developing a professional, cohesive portfolio.

In this course, students create artwork for children’s books in which the picture primarily tells the story. Students have the option of generating original story ideas or adapting existing works of children’s literature.

Japanese Manga is an immensely popular genre of comics. In this course, students explore the two definitive elements of manga: visual style and unique storytelling. Students learn to recognize and adapt Japanese influences into their own sequential artwork.

Action figures have long been associated with comics, fantasy, science fiction and other branded characters in the entertainment industry. Students learn about the action figure market and create their own conceptual character designs. Action figure designs are sculpted in both traditional and digital methods for the purpose of producing 3D action figures.

This course investigates the art and business of sequential art with visits to studios, galleries and publishing companies. Students travel off-campus to meet professional cartoonists, editors and gallery owners, giving them insight into the working world of sequential art.

This course provides structured production opportunities for students engaging in individual sequential art projects. Emphasis is on realizing personal vision through exploration of sequential art methodologies and productivity. Students select a faculty adviser to provide supplemental feedback and direction on projects. Group instruction, critiques and project adviser feedback provide students with a unique opportunity to evaluate their work in a broader context.

Internships offer students valuable opportunities to work in a professional environment and gain firsthand experience to help them prepare for careers. In an approved internship setting, a student typically spends one quarter working with an on-site professional supervisor and a faculty internship supervisor to achieve specific goals and objectives related to the program of study.

Imaginative visual interpretations of observed characters, places and events are key elements in visual storytelling. The power to manipulate images between the observed world and the realm of imagination is vital to the success of any sequential artist. The sequential artist should be able to employ fresh approaches to imagery and also understand the critical importance of style to narrative skills. This course fosters these essential skills while helping students discover a personal approach to sequential art.

This course reinforces skills in creating visual narrative for students entering the sequential art program at the graduate level. All sequential art begins with the relationship of the visual image to the narrative. It is essential that students understand and analyze the fundamental relationship between graphics and text as they relate to the visual narrative. This relationship, as well as page layout and panel design, is among the topics covered in the course.

Any story, no matter how carefully conceived, requires an understanding of production processes. Creating static narrative art not only requires a fine imagination and an understanding of basic storytelling, but a mastery of the technical aspects of presenting the story. This course explores a variety of processes and techniques used to produce visual narrative from thumbnails to pre-press. Students in this course are taught traditional and digital approaches to penciling, inking, lettering and coloring to increase productivity and efficiency.

In this course, students study sequential art theory, history and industry. Using studio projects aligned with specific theories and concepts, students view their own work within the context of contemporary sequential art. This course includes directed and independent projects, research presentations, critical writing, and the discussion and analysis of industry trends.

For the sequential artist, observational analysis is key to creating innovative approaches to visually communicative narratives. The sequential artist should also understand how personal style is informed by imaginative visual interpretations of observed characters, as well as places and events as key elements in visual storytelling. This course fosters these essential skills while helping students discover a personal approach to sequential art.

In this course, students learn strategic approaches for the creation of visual solutions to concept design. They also develop the tools, skills and organizational capacity to respond to conceptual changes. Through the process of previsualization, students create a comprehensive volume of concept visuals in diverse media in support of the narrative, with a focus on process and time-management.

Students study a variety of methodologies in perspective drawing to create illustrations of structures, environments, vehicles and other objects, using both traditional and digital techniques.

Exploring and experimenting with different techniques and subject matter is critical to remaining competitive in the sequential art profession. This starts with the research of marketable techniques and the development of style and production solutions that promote good time-management practices. Students in this course learn how to research, cultivate a process for creating personal style and develop personal solutions in visual storytelling through marketable techniques, with a focus on process and time-management.

The composition for comic script writing is evident in other forms of visual narrative such as animations, films and plays. In sequential art, writers break down the story in sequence, constructing layouts page-by-page and panel-by-panel, covering dialogue, captions, sound effects and more. Students in this course use narrative strategies to build the relationship between image and text in dramatic situations, from the basic plot to the finished script.

By examining the complex interaction of human bones and muscle groups, students gain an understanding of the anatomical and mechanical underpinnings of the human characters that will occupy their fictional worlds. In this course, students progress from skeletal to muscular forms and from primitive forms to detailed ecorche artwork.

Building upon technical foundations in sequential art, practice using tools and rendering techniques enables the sequential artist to develop consistency in the discipline. In this course, students develop toward professional practice by refining these skills and engaging professional methods in production efficiency. Students learn applied techniques in consistency of visual narrative and utilize time-management practices that allow for adaptability.

Technological advances have transformed the process of creating sequential art. Exploring digital techniques affords the sequential artist with alternatives to traditional methods of creating artwork and enhances skills that open new avenues for career opportunities. Students in this course will explore and practice digital methods and design media for integration into contemporary forms of sequential art.

A professional inker can enhance the mood, pace, and readability of visual narrative. Inking often requires the artist to interpret images and employ creative mark-making choices using a variety of techniques. In this course, students will explore a variety of inking tools and methods to gain the ability to work in a wide range of styles and develop a personal approach to inking.

This course focuses on the necessity for sequential artists to be competent writers as well as artists. Writing for sequential art covers all phases of narrative, including generating story ideas in various genres, constructing plot synopses, scripting in various styles and developing proposals for publishers. The course is designed to give students the writing skills and strategies necessary to work professionally in sequential art.

A substantial professional-level portfolio that integrates student skills and knowledge is important in providing career opportunities in sequential art. Students in this course will learn to enhance personal aesthetic, develop technical expertise, construct a portfolio and effectively promote themselves for career opportunities.

Students in this course learn to enhance personal aesthetic and technical expertise that reflect professional practice. Contextual work and scholarly research enhance understanding and appreciation of an intended audience, and provide a sequential artist with marketable skills.

In this course, students refine problem-solving skills through learned strategies while developing a professional portfolio and implementing activities that promote professional relationships. Projects of individualized interest and focus produce a range of work that leads to an aesthetically engaging and conceptually innovative body of work.

Self-promotion is about strategically creating an individual brand that supports personal value. It is about communicating experiences and accomplishments to an audience of professionals to facilitate career opportunities. In this course, students learn how to design marketing and business strategies that cultivate promotional methods toward the fulfillment of career goals.

This course provides structured production opportunities for students engaging in individualized sequential art projects and professional development. Emphasis is on realizing personal vision through exploration of innovative methodologies in sequential art and further refinement of production management skills. Students select a faculty adviser and professional mentor to provide supplemental feedback and direction on projects. Individualized instruction and professional mentoring provide students with a unique opportunity to prepare for professional practice through critical analysis of the formal aspects of their work.

Students in this course undertake a field assignment under the supervision of a faculty member.

Students in this course undertake a teaching assignment under the supervision of a faculty member.

The thesis is composed of both written and visual pieces that focus on the formulation of theoretical research and rhetoric regarding sequential art interests and themes. Emphasis is on a written treatise accentuated by the creation of visuals that support the supposition. In this course, M.F.A. candidates learn to research, document and develop the written component of their pre-approved proposal, and create an accompanying visual component.