When helping the kids move forward with their talent, how is constructive criticism given?
I ask kids to run their penciled artwork by at least one other person, and (at least at first) to show it to me, too. I emphasize that extra eyes and reader feedback help you improve your comics. They need to develop the skill of peer conferencing and self-editing, but I’ll also explain to them how a reader will read their pages, and if there’s a “bump” (that makes it hard to read); I’ll talk with them about ways to fix it. What benefits made you choose this route? Since the artwork is student-directed, the solutions also need to be student-driven. I’d never say, “Look, page four doesn’t read well. Move the monkey to the left side, cut out the tidal wave, and move that word balloon to the bottom of the panel.” Sure, maybe that’s how I’d do it, if it were my artwork… but it isn’t, so the solution has to come from the artist. My job (as the leader of the workshop) is to provide some concepts, maybe some vague suggestions, and to be a good sounding board for their original ideas. It’s a
