Autobiographical Comic Book: Illustrate Your Experiences
A course by Alec LongstrethCartoonist
A course by Alec Longstreth, Cartoonist
Learn how to write, pencil, and ink a comic based on your personal experiences, from the initial idea to the finished page
“Comics appeal to me because the combination of words and pictures take the reader into an immersive story.”
Cartoonist Alec Longstreth creates comic book art on a daily basis as part of his creative practice. As well as self-publishing his own award-winning comics, he has illustrated for National Geographic Kids, Nickelodeon, and more.
In this online course, Alec shares his process for coming up with engaging comics, from brainstorming to the finished page. Learn how to write, pencil, and ink a one-page autobiographical comic that captivates readers. Find your creative routine and turn your personal experience into comic books.
What will you learn in this online course?
14 lessons & 24 downloads
An Overview of Comics
20 minutes, 27 seconds
Generating Ideas!
15 minutes, 35 seconds
Sketching Thumbnails
20 minutes, 8 seconds
The Page Layout 1
14 minutes, 48 seconds
Lettering
20 minutes, 29 seconds
Penciling and Inking 1
20 minutes, 12 seconds
What's included in this course?
Begin the course by getting to know cartoonist, freelance illustrator, and teacher Alec Longstreth. Discover how he turned his childhood love for comics into a career, along with the influences that inspire him and the work he creates.
Take a look at what you can expect from the course. Then get an overview of comics as a form of storytelling and begin brainstorming ideas for your own using the techniques Alec recommends.
Time to create your comic! Draw a series of thumbnail sketches and lay them out on paper to decide on your final composition. Then learn how to **create legible hand lettering, and pencil and ink your page **with Alec as your guide.
Discover Alec’s tips for staying productive during the creative process. Then clean up your comic using either digital or analog materials. To wrap up the course, see how to share your work on social media and gather feedback for future projects.
What is this course's project?
Create a one-page autobiographical comic book from the initial idea to the final artwork.
Projects by course students
Who is this online course for?
This course is for anyone interested in using their own experiences to create comic book art from start to finish.
Requirements and materials
No previous experience is necessary.
In terms of materials, you will need drawing materials including printer paper, pencils, and a Sharpie, or a design program like Procreate or Photoshop if you prefer to work digitally.
Reviews
- 4 months ago
Wow I love this course. Thank you for sharing yourself and what you do!
- 5 months ago
I've already written a review! I said the course was great - five stars for everything! I really like the teacher - so clear, calm, friendly and helpful.
- 11 months ago
A huge thank you, Alec. Your class is both stimulating and relaxing. I really appreciate your poetic and methodological approach. Your advice is invaluable. I'm still in the creative process. I'll add to this comment once the one-page comic is finished. I'm also surprised by how similar our references are, despite the ocean of distance, both Hergé and Employee of the Month (who are just as much from Brussels as I am).
- 1 year ago
This is one of the best cartoon course I ever came accross. Alec makes it simple a subject which can be very complex and if you really listen to all that he explains, you will learn a lot and be able to make very good cartoons. Really, I highly recommend his wonderful course. Thank you Alec.
- 1 year ago
This course is informative and lots of fun, Alec is great!
He started drawing comics seriously while studying technical theater at Oberlin College. Alec’s comics were featured in the student newspaper, and after graduating, he began self-publishing them. Since then, he has released 24 issues of his minicomic Phase 7, and won awards for both his first and second comic project, Isle of Elsi. He later moved to New York City to study illustration at Pratt Institute and launched his freelance illustration career, working with Highlights Magazine, National Geographic Kids, and Nickelodeon. Alongside creating art, Alec teaches workshops to students as the Director of Academic Outreach at The Center for Cartoon Studies.
Content
- U1
Introduction
- About Me
- Influences
- U2
Brainstorming Ideas
- Introducing the Project
- An Overview of Comics
- Generating Ideas!
- U3
Making Comics: The Creative Process
- Sketching Thumbnails
- The Page Layout 1
- The Page Layout 2
- Lettering
- Penciling and Inking 1
- Penciling and Inking 2
- U4
Onwards!
- Productivity Tips
- Cleaning up the Comic
- Sharing the Comic
- FP
Final project
- Autobiographical Comic Book: Illustrate Your Experiences
What to expect from a Domestika course
Learn at your own pace
Enjoy learning from home without a set schedule and with an easy-to-follow method. You set your own pace.
Learn from the best professionals
Learn valuable methods and techniques explained by top experts in the creative sector.
Meet expert teachers
Each expert teaches what they do best, with clear guidelines, true passion, and professional insight in every lesson.
Certificates
PLUSIf you're a Plus member, get a custom certificate signed by your teacher for every course. Share it on your portfolio, social media, or wherever you like.
Get front-row seats
Videos of the highest quality, so you don't miss a single detail. With unlimited access, you can watch them as many times as you need to perfect your technique.
Share knowledge and ideas
Ask questions, request feedback, or offer solutions. Share your learning experience with other students in the community who are as passionate about creativity as you are.
Connect with a global creative community
The community is home to millions of people from around the world who are curious and passionate about exploring and expressing their creativity.
Watch professionally produced courses
Domestika curates its teacher roster and produces every course in-house to ensure a high-quality online learning experience.
FAQs
Yes, this course is designed for beginners and covers foundational techniques in drawing, storytelling, and comic creation, making it accessible to those with little or no prior experience.
You'll need basic drawing materials such as pencils, erasers, Bristol board, a T-square, inking pens or nibs, and access to Photoshop or similar digital coloring software for certain lessons.
You'll learn comic page layout, panel design, hand lettering, digital coloring, visual storytelling, character simplification, and techniques for both traditional and digital comic creation.
Yes, the course covers self-publishing processes for both mini comics and webcomics, including practical steps for submitting comics to newspapers and sharing work online.
Absolutely. The course includes lessons on transforming personal experiences into compelling autobiographical comic narratives using audio brainstorming and visual storytelling techniques.
Yes, you'll be guided through digital coloring workflows using Photoshop or similar software, along with tips for combining traditional and digital art.
You'll learn how to use thumbnails, plan four-tier layouts, measure gutters, and arrange panels for balanced storytelling and effective pacing.