Teaching is an important part of my work as an artist. I learn a lot from my interactions with students and fellow teachers and I’m constantly bring these inspirations and challenges back to my drawing table. I’m always developing my theory and practice of teaching and over the years I’ve found that the best classrooms, regardless of the level or age, are student-directed. As a teacher I try to stay out of the way. I give my students projects to work on from the first hour of a workshop or class and I ask them to regularly interact and collaborate with one another. In the best classes I find myself simply cheering from the sidelines by the end as the class collectively brings the project to the finish line.
I am also currently offering my services as a one-on-one comics coach, helping people bring their book projects to life. You can find out more here or reach out to me directly.
Here are some of the workshops I have to offer:
99 Ways to Tell a Story
- a very simple 3-4 panel comic strip (I have even done this with kids)
- students make their own variations of my “template”
- students create a full page comic (based on a simple script of mine) and make multiple variations.
Build Your Own Labyrinth
- comics palindromes
- a comic based on Lewis Carroll’s “word ladder” game
- a comic using the colors of the rainbow as prompts.
- comics based on fixed poetry forms, from haiku to sestinas
- student-student challenges based on The Five Obstructions
Drawing Words & Writing Pictures
I’m always looking for new opportunities to teach at schools, libraries, museums or festivals so get in touch with me via my contact page if you’d like to work with me. I taught comics and ink drawing at the School of Visual Arts in New York City from 2000-2012 and I have simultaneously maintained a practice of teaching workshops ranging from a few hours to five days in a variety of settings all around the western (so far!) world. I’ve taught mainly university-level students and adults but I’ll occasionally work with secondary school students. I teach in French and Spanish in addition to my native English. You can see more of my teaching experience by looking at my CV.