Cleveland High School – Digital Media: Special Effects 1-Cartooning and Comics (Intermediate)

Mar 2026 · 2nd Semester

This course is paired with Screen Printing 2. Cartooning explores the world of graphic narratives (“picture stories”) by approaching comics as the meeting of visual art and writing. Students will study some of the history and many of the "how-to’s” of comics and cartooning (including scripting, penciling, inking, digitizing, lettering, and pitching ideas), and will learn to draw the human figure in a variety of poses (with a focus on anatomy, proportions, and facial features and expressions. Students will create individual as well as collaborative comics in genres including humor, superhero, editorial, autobiography, and illustration - all while cultivating their own interests and artistic voices and styles. Hand drawn comics and illustrations will be scanned and finished using a variety of tools and techniques in Adobe Photoshop and/or other programs, preparing students for a broad range of creative careers. The Portland metro area is home to some of the nation’s biggest and best comics publishers and animation studios - Cartooning students at CHS are uniquely positioned to get involved in this amazing industry. Suggested Donation: $30