A wide shot of a ceramics studio, featuring students working with pottery wheels and other tools.
Selfie of a white man outdoors in the snow

Sam Sharpe

Lecturer

Bio

Sam Sharpe (b. 1983; he/him) is a cartoonist, illustrator, and art educator born and raised in Madison, Wisconsin. He received his BFA from Rhode Island School of Design in 2006, where he focused on 16mm live-action filmmaking. Shortly after graduating he moved to Chicago where he became an infrequent participant in the comics collective Trubble Club. City of Chicago Community Artists Grant funded the printing of the first two issues of his comic series Viewotron which has subsequently been nominated for Ignatz and Eisner Awards and was excerpted in Best American Comics 2014. He’s working on his first solo graphic novel titled Mom: A Story of Love and Mental Illness (23rd Street Books, a division of MacMillan) and perennially publishes new issues of his series Viewotron: Comics and Stories (Radiator Press). 

Portfolio

Courses

Title Department Catalog Term

Description

Investigate visual storytelling strategies through the contemporary art forms of alternative comics and graphic novels. This course introduces a variety of illustrative approaches, such as writing, storyboarding, penciling, inking/coloring, and prepress preparations with a diverse exploration of materials including pencil, pen, ink, and collage. Building on this foundation, students learn research methods to develop ideas and produce conceptually-driven, portfolio-quality works through projects that examine narrative structures, material choices, and the integration of text and image. Students are introduced to contemporary artists, illustrators, and designers that transcend the traditional approaches of comics and graphic novels to generate their own audiences. Regular critiques and field trips to the Art Institute of Chicago, Museum of Contemporary Art, and/or local galleries and comic shops supplement the studio experience.

*NOTE* Previous drawing experience required. SAIC provides basic equipment, but students are encouraged to bring their own digital camera, tablet, and/or laptop for homework and after-studio hours projects.

Class Number

1027

Credits

2

Description

Investigate visual storytelling strategies through the contemporary art forms of alternative comics and graphic novels. This course introduces a variety of illustrative approaches, such as writing, storyboarding, penciling, inking/coloring, and prepress preparations with a diverse exploration of materials including pencil, pen, ink, and collage. Building on this foundation, students learn research methods to develop ideas and produce conceptually-driven, portfolio-quality works through projects that examine narrative structures, material choices, and the integration of text and image. Students are introduced to contemporary artists, illustrators, and designers that transcend the traditional approaches of comics and graphic novels to generate their own audiences. Regular critiques and field trips to the Art Institute of Chicago, Museum of Contemporary Art, and/or local galleries and comic shops supplement the studio experience.

*NOTE* Previous drawing experience required. SAIC provides basic equipment, but students are encouraged to bring their own digital camera, tablet, and/or laptop for homework and after-studio hours projects.

Class Number

1030

Credits

2

Description

The Department of Painting and Drawing offers a wide variety of comics courses, ranging from traditional to experimental methods and techniques. Each course is designed to focus on a specific area of comics production. To learn more about the topic of a specific comics course in which you are interested, please review the course description for that particular class.

Class Number

1709

Credits

3

Description

The Department of Painting and Drawing offers a wide variety of comics courses, ranging from traditional to experimental methods and techniques. Each course is designed to focus on a specific area of comics production. To learn more about the topic of a specific comics course in which you are interested, please review the course description for that particular class.

Class Number

1728

Credits

3

Description

The Department of Painting and Drawing offers a wide variety of comics courses, ranging from traditional to experimental methods and techniques. Each course is designed to focus on a specific area of comics production. To learn more about the topic of a specific comics course in which you are interested, please review the course description for that particular class.

Class Number

1662

Credits

3