Manga Comic Jam Project - Page templates and instructions

A few comic page template samples illustrated with a purple Pilot Color Eno 0.7 mm lead.


The idea is for students to choose a few of the comic page templates below and use them as a starting point to create an original manga short story.



Manga Comic Jam Project

Instructions:

1. Write and draw your original manga comic short story using at least 4 of the comic page templates provided with photo references of the school building and After School activities.

2. You may use additional pages with your preferred number of panels to adjust the pacing of your story. Ideally limit your project to a total of 8 to 12 pages.

3. You may choose any genre, but keep it PG-13. Your story may remain grounded in reality or include fantasy elements (Drama, Comedy, Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Action, Horror, etc).

4. Start planning your story layout with thumbnails and work out your comic page design and word-balloon placement with graphite pencil.

5. Erase stray lines and ink your and letter your story with a Sharpie fine point pen or black marker.

Keywords:

· Anime: Japanese animation.

· Manga: Japanese word for comics and graphic novels.

· Shonen Manga: manga intended for boys.

· Shojo Manga: manga intended for girls.

· Kodomo Manga: manga intended for children.

· Kaiju: “Strange Beast” or monster like Godzilla.

· Dōjinshi (Doujinshi): self-published manga.

Bonus Quiz:

· List three animated movies by Hayao Miyazaki.

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· Name a character created by Osamu Tezuka.

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· Name a Shonen manga title created by Masashi Kishimoto.

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· Name a Shonen manga title created by Akira Toriyama.

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· Name the creator of the Shojo manga Fruits Basket.

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Piccadilly Anime Flowers Sketchbook Review

While you can certainly practice your sketching and drawing skills on loose inexpensive sheets of printer paper, every once in while it might be a good idea to work on some type of sketchbook so you can maintain a more permanent chronological record of your artistic development. I own several sketchbooks in different sizes filled with assorted papers suited for different sketching tools to meet the needs and mood of any situation I might encounter.Occasionally a new sketchbook ends up in my rather large collection of partially filled sketchbooks mainly because I found myself away from home in an unexpected waiting situation without an adequate supply of drawing paper (Reminder: always carry a sketchbook with you! especially if you do not want to end up buried under a pile of unfinished sketchbooks ;)). Recently I picked up this 8.5" X 11" top spiral bound Piccadilly Anime Flowers sketchbook with 100 sheets of white paper in the bargains section of the local Barnes & Noble bookstore. Being left-handed, I really like that the wire binding is on top away from my drawing hand. Small enough to fit on any backpack or messenger bag, it is quite suitable for sketching on-the-go.
This markings sample chart shows that the paper can readily accept pigmented plastic nib pens, brush pens, graphite pencils, and colored drawing leads.
Uni F 2 mm graphite lead test doodle.
Uni H 2 mm graphite lead test doodle.Pilot Neox Violet Color Eno 0.7 mm drawing lead test sketch.
While this sketchbook might work best with dry media and some pens, it can also handle some light watercolor washes. Used some Winsor & Newton Artists' watercolors to color the waterproof ink sketches above with minimal buckling of its lightweight paper. Economical choice for a practical field sketchbook.

Doodling with Pilot Color Eno Violet 0.7 mm mechanical pencil lead

Click on the picture above for a 2 minute video of a doodling and erasability test of the Pilot Color Eno Violet 0.7 mm mechanical pencil lead. The lead is quite smooth, but tends to crack and snap off under heavier pressure. It kept breaking when I tried it in a mechanical pencil with a conical tip designed for writing, so I loaded this delicate lead in a mechanical pencil with a 4 mm drafting sleeve to reduce accidental breakage.
It had been a while since I played with this purple lead, so I used it along with my 2 mm leadholders to pencil some personalized comic page templates for class. After adding some images digitally to the comic page templates, assorted fantasy elements and backgrounds were drawn around the posterized elements.
These penciled images will be used for an inking exercise, so I am not unduly concerned with the possibility that the Pilot Color Eno violet marks might fade after prolonged exposure to light. I found it to be quite enjoyable for doodling and a nice change from my usual H or HB drawing graphite. Since it is softer, it does wear down faster than them. This brief change to color lead is a simple way to foster creativity when stuck in a rut.For most of the afternoon, I alternated between doodling with Mitsubishi Uni HB 2 mm lead and my Sakura 127 0.7 mm mechanical pencil loaded with the violet lead.