Comic Strips: Create Your Own Comic Strips from Start to Finish

by Art Roche

Kids love comic strips…and now they can devise their own imaginative illustrations and stories with the help of a professional artist who designs for the Cartoon Network. He provides advice on the basic tools and materials; demonstrates how to construct bodies and faces; explains how to come up with appealing characters and build an ensemble cast; and provides ideas for fine-tuning the finished work with proper inking techniques, shading, and color use. There are loads of practical tips and hands-on activities to hone technique, along with tutorials on writing jokes. Plus, Roche gives the low-down on the big business of comic strips, including suggestions for getting published. To top it off, readers watch as the author produces a brand-new strip, from start to finish.

Genres: Art, Childrens

112 pages, Hardcover

First published January 28, 2007

About the author

Art is a cartoonist and content director at Charles M. Schulz Creative Associates. He enjoys a lifelong interest in cartooning, writing and daydreaming.

Before his work at the Charles Schulz studio, Art worked in game development as the founding creative director for National Geographic’s virtual world, Animal Jam. Prior to that Art was a part of Cartoon Network’s new media team, where he created the popular animated shorts series, Nacho Bear.

Art’s book, Art for Kids: Comic Strips, currently ranks #1 on Amazon’s best sellers list for children’s cartooning books.

Reviews

[Roshell Bissett · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very encouraging book for kids interested in making comic strip with some great tips!

[Ruhama · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fantastic layout of everything you need to know about comic strips--from the 'science' of it to the drawing to the publication. As an introduction, Roche includes a few examples of types of comic strips to show the history and show good writing, popular illustrations styles and how to work a punchline. He also goes through some basic illustration techniques, giving 'the usual' for many of today's popular comic strip artists. After drawing, Roche describes some storytelling techniques, character development and discovering your style. Plenty of examples are sprinkled throughout the book, as well as practical advice. Finally, Roche explains turning your comic strip into a professional product and what to do with it once you're done. Anyone seriously interested in comic strip art will appreciate this book, and perhaps the school newspaper advisors should be made aware as well!

[Ryan Hipp · Rating 4 out of 5]

I checked this book out after discovering it for research. I am working on writing and illustrating a basic-for-kids "textbook" for my comics classes that I teach - kind of a kids version of Scott McCloud's "Understanding Comics". Too many "How To" books out there are teaching kids all the wrong things. I think this is a great book kind of bridging the gap between a "how-to" book and what I am doing.

[Rachael]

Some handy hints & ideas for kids, or adults wanting the basics