Draw a Comic with a Partner: Comics Jam

Casey Roonan
Illustrator & Comics Artist

♪ Casey’s Studio Playlist ♪

Prompt

With a partner, trade off drawing comic panels to improvise a comic sequence.

Core Ideas

Story, point of view, motion, composition, typography

Recommended Tutorials

People of Color in Character Design

Imagined Self-Portraits

Comics & Storyboards:
What’s the Difference?

1.
Each person has 1 sheet of paper, therefore, there are 2 comics being created at the same time. Both people simultaneously draw a single comic panel at the top left of their paper. 

Comic panels can be any shape or size, but there should be room on the page for at least three panels. Draw directly in pen so there is no erasing, there won’t be time to fuss!

For tips on the Papermate Flair Felt-Tip Pen, watch the video above.

2.
Trade pages every 5-10 minutes, and draw a new panel to the right of your partner’s. Build a story by responding to the previous panel.

3.
Trade again and repeat, until both pages are filled.  Keep adding panels for as long as you want!

Karas Cowger
Intern

Karas: “In my opinion, Comics Jam was extremely fun to make! It was so much more exciting than what I anticipated. It felt like no mistakes could be made because you didn’t know what to expect when your partner would finish the next panel.

I also love that this project is just in pen. It makes the project more challenging because you can’t undo what you just created, and you need to just keep going. Even if you aren’t the best story teller, there is nothing that can go wrong while doing this project.

The only thing that was challenging was coming up with the next panel because of how limitless the options were. It was almost overwhelming, but in an exciting way. It’s also interesting to see what your partner creates and how they will pick up the story. It can take many twists and turns, comical or dark. It is unpredictable, but that is what’s so fun about it.”

Skylar Bartels
Intern

Skylar: “Just one person’s train of thought is interesting enough, but what happens when you combine two? Comics Jam is an interesting and utterly unpredictable way of using two minds to create one story. When making this, I was constantly wondering what my partner would do next and which way our story would turn.

Playing off each other’s panel’s was fun and exciting, as absolutely anything could happen and there is no wrong answer. Whether it be fitting, funny, or just out of the blue, each new panel I received either flooded my mind with creative thought or stumped it completely.

Whenever I got stuck, I looked back at the previous panels and tried to identify a common theme or idea. With this, I would build on that idea and think about all the possible directions it could go. Comics Jam is an excellent project for creative minds, as it is based on in-the-moment improvisation, curiosity, and thought that never seems to slow down.”