Posted in: Comics, Recent Updates | Tagged: aau, art university, Comics, san francisco

Academy Of Art University – The Comic Book Club

The comic industry is growing in a lateral way, leading business in a new direction that is hard to track or predict. It's certainly a very interesting time to be a comic book creator.

Comic books have generally been regarded by the art community as being somewhat of a low-brow form of art, along with their sister mediums like tattooing and graffiti. But that's changed with the sudden surge of entertainment that seems to point to the conclusion that comics are not only respectable, but are inspiring. Comic readers have known that all along, and few are surprised that mainstream culture in America is starting to catch on to this. Among those realizing the potential of sequential story-telling are colleges that are all clamouring to be ahead of the curve in offering programs tailored for comic book development. Among the leaders in these new curriculums is the Academy of Art University in San Francisco, whose  comic book industry-involved teachers and passionate students are making strides to make sure AAU is the top of the line in comic book education and unrivaled in its rich and engrossing community of creators. This weekend on Bleeding Cool you can read individual testimonies of what AAU has to offer to someone who dreams of creating comic books.

Comic Book Club

Written by Ash Fairless

  The Academy's Comic Book Club is a place to gather and talk about the latest news in the industry and about comic projects within the university. However it's also a valuable resource for writers and artists alike. Run by Club president, Matt Harding, and recent graduate Ash Fairless, as well as help from active club members such as Ashton Warren, Marcus Shultz, Jeremy Smith, and many, many more. CBC has begun hosting numerous demos by working industry professionals from Archaea artist, Mark Simmons, to "Batman and Robin" inker, Mick Gray. These special demos and lectures allow students to ask pros questions as well as learn more about techniques and tools, get an up-close look at professional portfolios and even get a critique or two if time allows.

"When I first came to AAU, I noticed that all the students who were making comics kept it to themselves, hiding in badly lit corners of their dark rooms, afraid to show their work to anybody. One of my main focuses for the club was to create a community that can share what they're doing with like-minded students within the school. We have students like Marcus Shultz, who's living in Australia, but always contributes his work for critiques and compilations," said Matt. "In the last year I think we've established a life-long bond between many of the industry's future professionals."

On top of that, Harding has begun Sketchfests – special Saturdays and Sundays throughout the semester set in AAU's historic Bradley Hall where artists can come to draw models in superhero-themed costumes wielding a wide array of props. It's one of the few places where you'll find Emma Frost and Poison Ivy striking a sultry twenty minute pose for you, while Hawkeye battles Beast on the next stage over. The Sketchfests have grown in popularity over the years, with more and more students coming to utilize the free event's excellent source of live reference. "I dressed like the Beast from X-Men, Ash was an awesome girl version of Robin, and we had a Scarlet Witch and Emma Frost, too," Matt recalled.

Bradley Hall is also used for the club's main event, the 24 Hour Comic Day. Like the name says, the fall event allows students to gather and use the time to create a comic within 24 hours. Each year the quality of the work is astounding, with a wide range of styles, mediums, comic lengths, and genres being produced all under the same roof. The challenge, while difficult, often proves to be extremely rewarding to those who partake as it helps them hone their craft.

Beyond the free lectures, contests, posing Catwomans, and the occasional midnight premiere of a super hero movie (in costume, of course) the group does give back. This past year the CBC held a comic drive, collecting issues and donating them to the Oakland Children's Hospital for patients to read during their stay. The members also donated artwork they created as well as art they added to a Star Wars themed sketchbook that were auctioned off on their Ebay Store with the proceeds going to the hospital. This last year the club raised over $600 and donated more than 300 comics to be given to Oakland Children's Hospital's Oncology ward in honor of Matt Harding's niece, Ariel Gariano, a 13-year old girl suffering from cancer, and a resident of the hospital.

With the combination of eagerness of its members to immerse themselves in the comics industry, to promote other AAU comic endeavors, and to give back to the community, CBC has established itself as one of the most active, well-rounded clubs of the Academy.

Matt Harding, the comic club president's blog is www.stillts.blogspot.com. The Comic Book Club's blog is www.needmorecomics.wordpress.com.

Comic Book Program

Written By Matt Harding

The Comic Book Program has grown exponentially over the last five years to become one of the country's leading programs. Many colleges have become aware of the growing popularity of comic books in the field of entertainment, and they're acting on providing education accordingly. The Academy of Art University is leading the pack, as they've developed classes to handle every aspect of Comic Book creation, from the penciling to an end product, like the Figments motion comic. Currently, some of the Alumni that have come from AAU include such artists as Chris Staggs, an Eisner award winner; and Jerome Opena, whose work includes Marvel titles, "The Punisher," and "Uncanny X-Force."

Many of the students who come to San Francisco seeking to major in Illustration have come are looking to enter the Comic Book industry, and their passion to do so fuels the classes and extra-curricular activities that go on at the school. The Director of Illustration, Chuck Pyle, comments that all he has to do is give some support to what the students are already trying to accomplish, a service he does on a daily basis. "If it wasn't for Chuck Pyle's support and enthusiasm towards the advancement of the Comic Book program, and his excitement at everything the student-run clubs are trying to achieve, we wouldn't have come half as far as we have," says Matt Harding.

When a student looking to get into the Comic Book industry finishes his/her fundamental classes, and walks into the Illustration Department in the historical building on Powell Street to begin his/her higher learning, they are introduced to the medium through the class, "Comic Book Penciling and Inking 1", taught by the energetic and prolific teacher, Mark Simmons. Mark is the perfect teacher for the class, being a recent graduate from AAU, and current contributor to the industry. He's written Wolverine stories for Marvel, penciled "Fraggle Rock" and 2000 A.D. stories, not to mention a litany of secret projects that, no matter how hard we try to get him to talk about them, he is bound by contract to keep his mouth shut. He's won numerous drawing challenges, including the 24 Hour Comic Book Day. Mark has taken over the on-site responsibilities for Dan Cooney, author of "Valentine", who is currently living out-of-state, and teaching online classes. Mark's wife, Julie Davis, completes the school's "Comic Book Power Couple" as she teaches writing and history of comics with inspiring enthusiasm.

Once Mark Simmon's requirement class is completed, a new student has a plethora of classes to choose from to further his/her education. Mick Gray's "Inking for Comics" class is a must, as Mick is one of the most experienced teachers the school has to offer. He's currently the inker for DC Comics' "Batman and Robin. He's inked the graphic novel "The Joker," as well as "Promethea," by Alan Moore. The guy is a legend! AAU has him teaching kids how to ink with a brush and pen – a learning experience that no other school can offer. Once he/she has finished that, they can take "Advanced Penciling and Inking techniques for Comic Books", the "Comic Book Collaborative" (the class that produces the Ultrasylvania graphic novel mentioned earlier), "History of Comics", "Writing for Comics", taught by Brian Schirmer and online with Dan Cooney, and the upcoming "Motion Comics" class that's in the works.

All of this is just the beginning for the Academy of Art University, as the students who graduate begin to make an impression in the industry as a whole, and the college begins to morph and change along with the emergence of popularity greatness of the Comic Book Industry.

Keep your eyes glued on San Francisco …because some of the brightest Comic Book creators yet to come are being born right under your noses!

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