Shakespearean Comedy: Draw a Comic Strip

When you want to read something funny you may go online or even to a newspaper or comic book to find a comic strip or story. A comic strip is a form of storytelling-“a sequence of images with a small amount of text in each box...normally inside balloons or written as captions”. They use drawings or cartoon characters to tell their stories.

DC and Marvel comics are still popular among collectors, and Super Man is one of the best-selling comic books of all time. Comic strips were first published in England in 1884. However, throughout history, people have always found ways of writing and drawing funny things, whether writing graffiti on a wall in ancient Rome (it’s true!), printing a drawing mocking a political figure, or simply writing creative dialogue for a play (like Shakespeare!). The saying “laughter is the best medicine”is true. Laughing makes us feel better.

Creating a comic strip involves several easy steps. With these tools in hand, you will be able to create your own “funnies” (That is what the newspaper comics used to be called!). Why don’t you create a comic about celebrating Shakespeare’s birthday? Read through some of the posts on today’s event, and see what you can come up with!

Here are the steps to creating your own comic strip:

1. Write your ideas for your comic story. You will need a beginning, middle and end as well as characters, setting, expressions, action and an ending with a punchline.

2. Draw three large blank frames on a piece of paper. Make them large enough to fit your drawings and dialogue.

3. Use a pencil to make your drawings. Use simple, basic shapes to draw out your characters – you can even use stick figures (Just look at how successful Diary of a Wimpy Kid is!). Add speech bubbles and starbursts for sound effects.

Source: Garfield by Jim Davis

4. Add the speech and lettering. Remember, bigger letters can mean the character is using a louder voice. Tiny letters mean he is whispering.

5. Add any extra details to your characters (expressions, what they might be holding, etc.) and draw in your background (setting).

6. Go over your comic in pen. You can color any parts of your comic that you like!

Project source: https://www.imagineforest.com/blog/how-to-create-a-comic-strip/