Basics of Storytelling

5 Basics of Story Telling (Narrative Arc)
1. The protagonist: The hero of the story. In order to be the protagonist, we need to have emphathy for the character, the character needs to have motivation and ability.
*Empathy: The reader needs to care about what happens to the protagonist.
*Motivation: The protagonist needs to want something badly enough to do something they wouldn't ordinarily do. This is motivation.
*Ability: The protagonist has to be able to fulfill his desires. If the reader knows that the character can't achieve want they want to, the story will be B-O-R-I-N-G.
2. The Spark might be the most important ingredient in good story telling. This is what can turn a regular character into the protagonist. The spark must be something that wouldn't normally happen in the protagonists life. A good guy fighting the bad guys isn't a good story until there is spark. What if all of a sudden the good guy finds out that his father is the worst of all the bad guys, and he must defeat him. That has spark.
3. Escalation: It wouldn't be an interesting story if the protagonist suddenly solves the problem created by the spark at the beginning of the story. Escalation is a series of unexpected events that make the protagonist work even harder to solve his or her problem.
4. The climax: Ideally, a story will have several attempts to solve a problem. Each of them making the problem a little bit worse. (Escalation) When you hit the climax of the story, the reader says, "Ah, yes, that's it," not "And what's next??" The climax needs to provide an answer for the protagonist, and it doesn't have to be a happy one, but we NEED to know that the story is about to end.
5. The denouement: an action that happens after the climax that ties up loose ends and gives the story some closure. It usually doesn't have anything to do with the protagonist's problem.
Whole Class Activity:
Let's talk about Cinderella...
Who is the protragonist?
What is the spark?
Escalation?
Climax?
Denouement?

Group Presentations:
Use your knowledge of the Simpsons (or some other REALLY well known TV show) and create a new episode. Someone in your group needs to write down your story. Extra credit will be given to the groups that share their story.
Start by picking a protagonist (there are many in this show)
Or start by creating a spark
Or start with the climax
Just remember to escalate conflicts form minor to major.

Jack and Jill

Jack and Jill is due tomorrow at the end of the hour!

You have been working on telling the story of Jack and Jill in 9 panels, using the 7 transitions from your notes.

Here's how it will be graded:

All of the transitions are used and labeled correctly. 10 points
Your comic tells the story of Jack and Jill in exactly 9 panels. 10 points
All of your panels are efficiently used. 10 points
Lettering and inking are neat, legible, and clean looking. 10 points
Width of your inking lines vary, and of course, your pencil lines are erased. 10 points.

Transitions and Closure

Transitions and Closure

Closure is the understanding that your reader has when they read your comics. As a writer/artist you must give your readers directions in understanding your work. These directions are called transitions and they happen in seven different ways.

1. Moment to moment: this shows time passing. The result is similar to showing something in slow motion in a video.
2. action to action: is similar to moment to moment, except it doesn't show every little step along the way. It usually show the beginning and ending of an action.
3. Subject to subject: this takes place in one scene, but switches between characters. This is commonly used for dialogue.
4. Scene to scene: this moves from one place or time to another.
5. Aspect to aspect: shows multiple views of the same scene and it is usually silent. It helps to deepen the mood.
6. Symbolic: takes place within the storyline and depicts something non-literally. It is making a point about a character's state of mind in a metaphoric way.
7. Non-sequitur: this is two panels that seem to have no meaning when put together.

TO DO: Look through the comic section of the newspaper. Cut out panels and re-arrange them in order to tell a story. Glue this in your sketchbook. You can use the existing dialog, or you could cut it away and write your own. Decide which of the transitions from above is used and write it down.

Color Study

Next week (probably on Tuesday) we'll start your next painting assignment. But before you do, I need you to do a quick exercise: Choose the color that you most enjoyed working with on the color wheel. Mine was blue-violet. Find it's partner (otherwise called its compliment) across the color wheel. Mine is yellow-orange. Somehow on your paper show me at least 5 tints (add white)


5 shades (add black) and 5 varieties of intensity (add the partners together). Make your arrangement attractive to look at. Don't let your colors touch each other. More to come...

3D Color Wheel

Students have been mixing colors for a long time now. Their beloved elementary teachers started them mix, mix, mixing, and now I'm continuing with it. We'll be working on reviewing color mixing with these 3-D color wheels through Monday. (Whoops! I can't get a picture to load--I'll try again tomorrow!)

Black or White out

Today you'll be using your problem solving skills, a pencil, a ruler, and finally a pen to make exactly 6 panels that are stacked in a very traditional way: 2 columns, 3 rows, and the gutters in between them are 1/4 of an inch wide. The outside gutter can be up to 1/2 an inch wide. Done? Ink it.

Next, layout your lettering and balloons to tell a story of someone either stuck in a white out, or a black out. Vary the width of your inking. Use guidelines for your lettering. Use the entire panel. Neatness counts. Messy isn't fun to read! Due on Tuesday, October 12th.

Final Still Life is Due Today!

Final Still Life Drawing:
*Presentation: complete erasures, smooth blending, signature, paper is clean and smooth with no smudges or mystery marks.
* Effort, use of class time and attitude.
* Cast shadows, midtones, reflection, and high lights are accurately represented.
* Drawing is accurate and proportional.
*The artist has used the view finder to find an interesting composition and has used the entire sheet of paper to demonstrate this view.
Total Points: 50

Lettering and Word Balloons

Here are some tips on lettering and word balloons! Thank you Zander!

To Do: spend the hour working on lettering. You could use song lyrics, or made up nonsense, or you could even work your way through some of these pangrams. The point is using an hour to practice your lettering and balloon usage. HAVE FUN!