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ttataaaa&t0&&a0t88aaa&E&taewspaper cartoons, comic books, graphic novels .comic art is abroad,exciting, and growing field. Comicsare sometimes described as "sequential art," though some are(IAcartoonist is awriter, an actor, adirector, and an artist.We write, act, anddirect every scene.The drawing is the finalstage of the productions,when I can touch theimaginary images, feelthem, bring them to life!"-Lynn Johnston, creatorof the comic strip ForBetter or For Worseonly one panel. So what is a comic, exactly? It'stold however you would like to tell it. Go for it! TXPS1.Delve into the world of comics2. Choose astory to tellout4. Frame it in four panels5. Add the words3. Draw itFurposeWhen !'ve earned this badge,l'llknow howto create my own comic.'i!ffiik!avisual story

tSTEPI Delve into theI *orld of comicsGetto knowthe artform in one of these fun ways.cHolcEs - Do oNE:nGollect comic strips from the paper for one week. Read them each day,paying attention to how atl the elements work together. Keep track of whatyou like and don't like, how artists show feelings and actions, and how theywork timing to make punch lines great.roR M0RE FUN: At the end of the week, take your favorites, cut the panelsinto squares, jumble them up, and rearrange them to make new panels andanewstory.ORtrVisit witha comicartist. If you can, visitone artist in person' Or, readautobiographical information about three artists inbooks, magazine artides,and online. How do their styles differ? \ /hich is your favorite and aaaaa"ttt"""""'Make sticky-note comics. Get the hang of comic stories by drawing oneof these on a sticky note (rough, rough sketching, remember!):ra dogfloating on a rafte a hawk divingragirl at batTake another sticky note and add:rthe cat that's swimming past the dogo the prey the hawk is diving for)Comic books, whichcarme about inX934, Srave becornerrlore SroBular asof late,3n f'act, themodevm graphicnovel, which mad.eits deb&t im 19?8, isthe fastest-growinqliterary mediunrin tke coumtry!.the ball the girl is trYing tohitNow, take a third sticky note and add another element to each panel:ranother cat chasing the fi.rst cat that's swimming past the dogo a larger hawk after the prey the hawk is diving forrthe catcher waiting for the ball the girl is trying to hitNow, imagine how these could be turned into a comic story. Then make upa storywith friends.FoR M0RE FUN: Draw all nine scenarios and make themtell one story!Read all about it. For an in-depth look at the comic art form,read Scott McCloud's famous book, understanding Comics.J

)TDEAS F&MYOUn GOnfi8GARTISTKIT"OOLtoolbox or fishing tacklebox is a great place to keep supplies.A smallBare bones:. Sketchbook or other practice paper. Finish paper, drawing paper, or board (suchdeleter paperfor manga art, vellumsurface paper for charcoal art, or plate surfacepaperfor inking)as lined\r/. Tracingpaper. 2h pencils. WhitevinylerasersExtras:. Ruler. Rightangle. Metal scissors. Gluestick. Narrow watercolorbrushes for inking finalartwork. Black drawing or black magic ink. Fine-point blackfelt-tippens. Liquid Paper (correctionfluid) pen. Gharcoals. Watercolors. Colored pencils.Old toothbrush and/or straw for inking effectsa6!;i@

MORE 70 EXPLORETry One-PanelPunch lines!zst?i1?i.,,Choose characters anda situation, and createthecomicgag.Example: Afamily is walkinguptothe housewithanew puppy, while throughthe windowyou see a catpacking a suitcase.The one-liner: "This houseisn't bigenoughforthe both of us."Character(s)Talkingdog and catMom and childSistersPenguinsTeacher and studentBoyfriend and girlfriendEmployer and employeeSingingstar hopefulTaxi driver and passentlerAt heart, comics are another method of storytelling. tf you'vegotcomic characters in mind already(people oranimalsyoudoodle in notebooks, perhaps?), let those inspire your story.tf not, the story you come up with will lead you to yourcharacters. Keep your story simple-it might even be onequick moment! ln the next steps, You'll turn this story into afour-pane! comic.cHorcEs - Do oNE:nThink of a story from your life. Choose something that happened toyou, a friend, or a family member. It could be a funny moment or adramatic one, a favorite memory or an activity from GirI Scouts youwant to share.ORnaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaltaaaaalaaa""t"Think of a story from a book or movie. Have you seen a movie orread a book recently that had a part in it that you could turn into acomic strip?ORnaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaataaaaa!aaaaaa""Make something up. Think about the comic books, comic strips, orgraphic novels you've liked. Now think of your own made-up story!that would make a good comic tale.SituationOdd food on dinner tableNew petOn a rope swing over a riverOn a melting ice floeLost homeworkA rained-out picnicJammed copy machineaToo-short microphoneStreet paradeRoasting marshmallowsJol'

Careers toExploreSTEPY3Braq,w. Comic bookwriteritoutand/or artisto GraphicTake the characters in yourstory and start some rough sketching.(You may have only one characte6 depending on your story.) Stickfigures are great! Bring them to life one of these ways.e. Comic art colorist,inker, orct{orcEs-DooNE:InItracing paper. Find a comic strip with a style you love. Trace toor rz panels, paying attention to the forms beneath the drawings, thesimple shapes the artist likely started with. Now see if you can draw each 'character in your story in a similar fashion.UseORtrDo a"free draw."atoaaaaaaaaGet a big stack of scrap paper and just keep drawing.And drawing. And drawingl Move quickly at first. Refi.ne any detailsgo until you feel you have characters worked out.ORnaaaaaaaaaaaaaataraaaaalaaaUse aaaaasyouaataaaa6taaao.aaaaaaotrtaaahow-to book, video, or software. Are your characters people,animals, or both? Find one of the many manuals, such as the Marvel comicssoftware, that give step-by-step instruction on drawing humans andparticular animals.novelwriterand/or artisteoletterer. Politicalcartoonist. Syndicated comicstrip or panelartiste . Freelance cartoonistr Video game artiste . Advertisingdesigner. Portrait artisto Caricature artist. Police sketch artistr Graphic artistr Muralastr Greeting card designerr Special effects artist. Storyboard animator. Animated character artist. Background:{*li.:Jj,animation artisto Costume designer. Fashiondesignerr Children's book illustrator{:1EMANATAarethescribbles that emanatefrom a drawing,likedrops of sweat or linesto il lustrate movement.COMIC ARTIST:i

STEPflFrameitinfour panelsEMoment to Moment: likeflip books or animated film.Action to Action:Slightly more is done perpanel-it's completed actionto completed action.It's time to put your characters into action, and that meansframing them-drawing them in little boxes called panels. Soimagine your story as characters in a series of actions. Createpanels with sticky notes or by using a ruler to draw them on paper.Tell your storyfrom step 2 by placingyour characters into fourpanels in one of these ways.cHotcEs - Do oNE:nnScene to Scene: Fromone place to another.Aspect to Aspect:showsadifferentpartof samescene or thing or person.And the non seguitur:transition that purposelymakes nosense!A-from Scott McCloud'sUnderstandrng Comtcst aaaataoaaaaaaaaaaaaUse body postures. For some comicaaaaaaa.aaaaartists-and for some stories-it'smore about action than emotion. You can leave the faces pretty much thesame and move the story along by showing small movements, such asshrugs, and big actions, such as running and leaping.ORtrfacial expressions. Some comics use only faces to illustrate theirstories, simply changing the expressions to show emotion and move thestory along.ORSubject to Subject:One person orthing movesto a different person orthing in the next panel, likeshowing a Use both facial expressions and body posture. Illustrate movementand emotion using both techniques. Many artists will switch from onestyle to the other: One panel might show a ball falling on a girl's head, andthe next panel might show a close-up of her face as she reacts.fill in your eomics-a process called inking-try enlarging asmall sketch on a copier.lnk in the details, then reduce it again.TIP: To

tSTEP-i 5edd *ke q*erdsthere are comics outtherewith no words, butforthe mostpart the art is a melding of words and pictures meant to beexperienced together. Add words to your four-panel comic strip inone ofthese urays.Yes,Comic creators agreethat drawing ability haslittle to do with comic artsuccess-many cartoonistsuse simple line drawings,even stickfigures, tomaketheir points.ct{otcEs - Do oNE:ilAdd some dialogue. If you have more than one character, a classic wayto tell your story is through dialogue. Ifboth characters speak in a panel,the one on the left should speak first. Write your character's words in ovalconversation bubbles connected to the character with a fine line.ORnaaaatoataatataatttataaettAdd thought bubbles. If your story revolves around one character, haveher "speak" in thought bubbles, putting her words in ovals connected to herwith tiny bubble ata!tt&ttnarrative in separate boxes below the panels, Instead oftelling your story through dialogue or inner thoughts, you can write aRun arunning third-person narrative at the bottom of each panel.Tell the whole story! Turn your four-panelcomic into a full-fledged comic book!abotTtoNs0oGutterSpeech bubbleYou could add someorall of theseelementsto your comic either byhand or by scanningyourworkandthen usingcomputer programs:coloro shadingc. shadowse backgroundscor,rrqenrrsrIz

Eddthe Badge toYour JourneysYour Leadership Journeys invite you to Take Action andmake a difference. Try using cartoons to teII a storyabout an issue you care about, an adventure in TakingAction, or to share a message that inspires others to getinvolved in changing the world.Nowthat l've earned this badge, I can give service by:o CreatinS an inspirational comic that showsJuniors what they'll love about being Cadetteso MakinB comic posters whenstudent officeafriend runs foro DrawinSa comic about a school orcommunity issue and sharing it with othersI'm inspired to:"l'

Now, imagine how these could be turned into a comic story. Then make up a story with friends. FoR M0RE FUN: Draw all nine scenarios and make them tell one story! Read all about it. For an in-depth look at the comic art form, read Scott McCloud