#  Design Gallery Spotlight: Thematic Course Illustration 

 





February 28, 2022

 

 

   ![The Graphic Novel - frame sample](/sites/g/files/omnuum4411/files/styles/hwp_1_1__360x360_scale/public/dtl/files/screen_shot_2022-02-28_at_12.51.28_pm.png?itok=qYAt1QxM) 

 

Course Design Spotlights highlight innovative projects that members of the Teaching and Learning team work on with DCE faculty through the Teach Partnership program. This spotlight highlights a partnership with Emmy Waldman to introduce course themes in a unique and engaging way with creative assignment prompts and custom digital illustrations.##  The Challenge

 In ENGL E-184 The Graphic Novel, instructor Emmy Waldman wanted students to explore the graphic novel as a visual medium through which authors can uniquely play with concepts of time, space, identity, self-expression and narrative. Her goal was to incorporate hands-on, creative assignments that enabled students to engage in not only the deconstruction of comics, but also in the act of creation and practice of “drawing as a way of thinking”.

##  The Design

###  **Avatar**

 During initial discussions with Emmy, the designers picked up on two important pedagogical themes at the partnership goals - 1) the unique modes of self-expression that graphic novels provide, and 2) the fact that anything can happen in a comic. What better way to illustrate that concept than to actually illustrate it? The designers developed an avatar with Emmy, which was used in a set of assets such as a redesigned syllabus and a full-page comic entitled “Anything Can Happen in a Comic”. This comic played with themes such as the passage of time, space, and the meta-cognitive aspect of self-depiction in art. In the initial panels, the sequential art and shifting color scheme indicate the passage of time, emphasizing the unique capacity of graphic novels to tell a story without dialogue. As one continues through the illustration, Emmy’s character realizes that she is in a comic, must manipulate time, and rushes to communicate with her future self before the comic ends. The traditional panel flow is broken up to bring dynamic motion and an element of surprise to the piece.

###  **Creative Assignments** 

 These visual assets were developed alongside concepts for a “Create Your Own Avatar” assignment, an in-class exercise on constructing personal narratives through imagery, and a creative final project in which students develop their own comics and artist statements.

##  The Partnership

 Mike Davis (Senior Media Producer/Graphic Designer), Sara Makiya (Course Designer), and Amanda Watkins (Academic Technology Consultant) worked with Emmy to create a visual avatar that included the most important facets of her identity that she wanted to convey. The initial process of brainstorming, sketches, feedback, and ideation resulted in a final avatar that combined elements of the artwork of all three designers. Sara Makiya simultaneously worked with Emmy to develop several creative assignment options as well as to build out a concept for the final project. For the *“Anything Can Happen in a Comic”* illustration, Amanda Watkins laid down initial sketches and style choices, and Mike Davis further refined the concept and final artwork. Sara and Mike also re-designed Emmy’s syllabus in order to “comic-ize” it and incorporate the avatar.

##  Interested?

 If you’re interested in designing custom illustrations for your course, [book a consultation with a course designer](/course-design) to discuss your ideas and with their feedback, [apply for a Design Partnership](/teach-partnerships). If your application is accepted the process will begin with an initial meeting to determine the goals, scope, and approximate timeline of the project, followed by several meetings and ongoing communication/feedback with the design team. Custom illustrations may take several months to complete, so interested candidates should apply a minimum of one semester in advance of when the final product will be used in their course.

##  The Finished Product

 This comic strip, titled "Anything Can Happen in a Comic", plays with themes of time, space, visual narrative, and the meta-cognitive aspect of authorial identity in art. The sequential art and shifting color scheme indicate the passage of time, which is shaken up as the traditional panel flow is broken and Emmy's avatar realizes that she is in a comic and must communicate with her future self. (Artists: Amanda Watkins & Mike Davis; Media: Adobe Photoshop)

   ![The Graphic Novel - frame sample](/sites/g/files/omnuum4411/files/styles/hwp_1_1__720x720_scale/public/dtl/files/emmy_4_panel_13_panel_compiled_v7.jpg?itok=WL4tkdGH) 

 

 View additional [custom illustrations](https://teachingandlearning.knowledgeowl.com/docs/design-gallery-spotlight-thematic-course-illustration-assets) designed for this Teach Partnership

 View the [redesigned course syllabus](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1iM6ewD0NupacPhS-oOIC60KIVkZdX4aLIjYTvlEXNWk/edit?usp=sharing) for Spring 2021