A drawing class is a wonderful venue to tell a story, express emotions, communicate and connect with others. Montgomery County Public Libraries (MCPL) conducted two five-session virtual classes in May and June: “Create a Graphic Novel” (for ages 10 and up) and “Cartooning” (for ages 50 +). In partnership with MCPL, illustrator, cartoonist and animator Leila Cabib taught the classes, offering a unique opportunity for participants to demonstrate their creativity and imagination. Both classes were funded in part by a Wheaton Cultural Project Grant from the Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County.
As they worked on their cartoons, students in “Create a Graphic Novel” learned to combine the conventions of graphic novel storytelling: narration, dialogue, character design, dynamic page layouts and cinematic techniques. They refined their rough pencil drawings into finished art with pen and ink and watercolor pencils.
View the artwork from Elisha J., Binyam, Mehak, Michelle, Stella, and Sofia in this gallery.
Participants were asked to pick a Wheaton locale for the setting of their stories. Brookside Gardens, Urban Artistry Dance Academy and Pine Lake at Wheaton Park were just a few of the settings of the cartoons created by students attending this class.
View the artwork from Sandra S., Patricia, Rosa, Peter, Peggie, James, and Nirmala in this gallery.
“Cartooning” class participants created caricatures, original characters, single- and multi-panel cartoons and experimented with pen-and-ink techniques. The Wheaton Library, the pond and the dog park at Wheaton Park were some of the scenarios participants chose to frame their artwork. Attendees at both 5-week session classes enjoyed sharing their artwork with each other during the Zoom sessions, which encouraged collaboration and fomented social interaction. MCPL and Cabib will offer “Create a Graphic Novel” (for ages 10 and up) and “Cartooning” (for ages 50 +) again virtually during fall 2021. Sign up today!