Graphic Novel Your Life

About

Learn how to create a page-turning graphic novel based on your own life experiences on this 10 week online evening course with graphic novelist Rachael Ball.

You’ll learn how to create rounded characters with clear goals, natural dialogue and believable storylines. You’ll experiment with visual metaphor, story pace, composition and comic page layout to tell those stories.

By the end of this structured and inspiring course, you will have created story and character brainstorms, key character sheets, scripted pages, a compelling plot, a well-composed storyboard, experiments, a synopsis and a finished page of artwork.

You’ll also gain inspiration from a range of other graphic novels, including Rachael’s own, The Inflatable Woman and Wolf.

What you’ll do

• Brainstorm ideas based on personal experiences, then play with them to transform them into semi-fictional stories.
• Write and refine your scripts so they flow naturally.
• Apply page-turning plot techniques to your story.
• Find the right visual style and appropriate material for your graphic novel.
• Create compelling storyboards, experimenting with ‘shots’ and pleasing compositions.
• Create an individual action plan so that you feel confident to develop your novel independently by the end of the course.
• Learn how to make a professional sample to send to publishers and gain advice on the best way to approach them.
• Receive individual and group feedback on your work.
• Get creative and have fun in a supportive environment.

About the tutor

Rachael Ball is an acclaimed cartoonist who started out cartooning for cult comic Deadline in 1988. Her first graphic novel, The Inflatable Woman (Bloomsbury), was a Guardian Best Graphic Novel 2015 and her  second, Wolf (SelfMadeHero), has been called “a timeless classic” (Pipedream Comics) and is soon to be published in France.

She is currently working on her third graphic novel, The Patsy Papers. Her work was featured in House of Illustration’s Comix Creatrix exhibition and the Cartoon Museum’s The Inking Woman exhibition. She also co-coordinates the London branch of LDComics, a forum which promotes women in comics, and has 16 years of teaching experience.

Read our Q&A with Rachael.

Previous students

100% of respondents rated Rachael’s previous online courses and masterclasses as excellent.

“Rachael is an amazing teacher. I wish my university course had been this informative!”

“Rachael is a wonderful tutor. The class was well-structured, engaging and pitched to all abilities.”

“Before Rachael’s course I thought creating a story was something a bit scary, too big for me to tackle. But in class we stepped on the process fluidly and reached a story without even realizing it.”

“I found her course inspiring and felt very supported every step of the way. It was great working with other students and sharing ideas. I really enjoyed the whole experience!”

See previous students' work.