VAMCGS

This 2 semester series was created to satisfy the California High School Visual Arts Proficient Standards and is comprised of three courses.  The first semester begins with our Digital Manga 101 course followed eight weeks later by either Digital Photo Painting 101 course or Digital Drawing and Painting 101 course.  All of these courses are described on this site.

For the second semester students take our Visual Arts – Digital Manga, Comics, Graphic Novels, and Storyboarding course (VAMCGS). This 16 week course builds on the skills taught in Digital Manga 101 and Digital Photo Painting 101 and is a significantly more demanding course. VAMCGS teaches the principles, tools, and techniques used to create Manga, Comics, Graphic Novels, and Storyboards. We integrate photography into our comics so all students will be able to create original works of comic art without being required to draw. We also explore the historical and cultural dimensions of comics, analyze and assess selected works, apply the skills learned for a school advertising campaign, analyze comic’s unique perspective on world events versus other media, and the varying skills required in the comics field.

Students create an Online Student Digital Art Portfolio and a Paper Portfolio containing their research, analysis, writings, and art work.

Cost: DM101 and DPP101 are each 8 weeks long, although some students finish quicker, and cost $155 each.  VAMCGS is 16 weeks long and $310. (Can be paid with Instructional Funds)

Required Book to be purchased: During the second semester we use Scott McCloud’s "Making Comics - StoryTelling Secrets Of Comics, Manga, and Graphic Novels," approximately $19 @ Amazon.com.

Required Software:  The software used in a few chapters is Photoshop Elements however students can also use the free Photoshop replacement GIMP that they learned in DPP101 and DDP101.