Short post today- all about Comics Camps! I've been a teacher at four of these now. Each one was only a week long, and only one of them was completely focused on comics, so getting a whole book done in that time was asking a lot. I only managed it twice:
Working at Tip Top Pottery, I coordinated three summers of the Tip Top Art Camp along with painter Rebecca Gottesman. The kids would spend half the day painting in her studio, then come downstairs and spend half the day making pottery. Because they were only allowed to do one pottery project a day, the rest of the time was rounded out with comics exercises. During the second summer I taught, the kids each made up their own super heroes and collaborated to do these great battle drawings. This was based on an exercise we'd done at CCS in James Sturm's class. I pulled all the drawings together into a little zine so each camper could read everyone's and take them home.
That same summer, I spent a week out at the Orchard School in East Alstead, NH, teaching a comics camp. This one was coordinated by Marek Bennet, who was also running another camp in Hopkinton at the same time! This camp was all about comics, and the kids were totally focused. It was hard to get them to do anything else! We had to force them to take a break and go swimming. They just wanted to stay inside and draw all day. It was great!
Each camper put together their own quarter-size mini comic that week. Some amazing stories came out of the class. All of the teachers and counselors were expected to complete one, too (no one got off the hook) and at the end of the week we held a mini comics convention for all of the parents, so each camper could present their comic and trade with everyone else.
Of course, the copy machine broke (doesn't it always?) and I ended up with only copies of my own.
Working at Tip Top Pottery, I coordinated three summers of the Tip Top Art Camp along with painter Rebecca Gottesman. The kids would spend half the day painting in her studio, then come downstairs and spend half the day making pottery. Because they were only allowed to do one pottery project a day, the rest of the time was rounded out with comics exercises. During the second summer I taught, the kids each made up their own super heroes and collaborated to do these great battle drawings. This was based on an exercise we'd done at CCS in James Sturm's class. I pulled all the drawings together into a little zine so each camper could read everyone's and take them home.That same summer, I spent a week out at the Orchard School in East Alstead, NH, teaching a comics camp. This one was coordinated by Marek Bennet, who was also running another camp in Hopkinton at the same time! This camp was all about comics, and the kids were totally focused. It was hard to get them to do anything else! We had to force them to take a break and go swimming. They just wanted to stay inside and draw all day. It was great!Each camper put together their own quarter-size mini comic that week. Some amazing stories came out of the class. All of the teachers and counselors were expected to complete one, too (no one got off the hook) and at the end of the week we held a mini comics convention for all of the parents, so each camper could present their comic and trade with everyone else.
Of course, the copy machine broke (doesn't it always?) and I ended up with only copies of my own.
When we talk about summer camps, we always thought that it’s about games and most of all fun activities that your child may enjoy and the experiences that they carry with them all through their lives. Though, we all know now that there are various kinds of summer camps for children, to whichever they want to have a summer camp with. They can choose between, arts summer camps, theater summer camps, dance summer camps, performing arts camps and so on.
ReplyDeleteRight on, C! That copy machine ALWAYS smells the Comics Camp in the air, and it breaks down at least once a year on that certain week of the Summer.
ReplyDeleteHope you can join us again! Let's try in internationally next time... a camp on each continent, all creating together...