Jess Ruliffson is Here to Introduce Nonfiction Comics in 4 Live Sessions

At A Glance

When: For 4 weeks starting Wednesday January 17, 2024 3-5PM Eastern

Where: Online via Zoom

Level: Beginner to intermediate

Cost: $259

Materials: Basic materials (pen and paper)

Bootleggers Guide to Nonfiction Comics

This course is designed for those cartoonists interested in nonfiction, journalists or academic researchers interested in comics, writers and cartoonists of historical fiction. The goal of the course is to draft and clarify a first draft outline of your nonfiction comic.




Student Testimonials

“Jess has a wide variety of resources and comics to illuminate the techniques she was teaching which was very helpful. Her skills and knowledge make her presentation of the material deeply engaging.”

Bootlegger's Guide to Color with Jess Student

Ellen

“I am SO glad I took this workshop. The resources are phenomenal. Tom and Jess are so sharp and supportive, I learned a lot from listening to their instruction and their constructive thinking about everyone’s work. The instruction is very responsive to the needs and interests of the group. ”

Graphic Novel Intensive Student

Lynn

“SAW classes are a great way to upgrade your skills in a warm and welcoming environment while making connections with lots of other folks who are doing the same. ”

Drawing for Comics with Jess Student

Jennifer

In Detail

Week One: Wednesday January 17, 2024 – Make A First Draft - Putting it all on the page – yep all of it – Thinking About Parameters and Formats First – Does this need to be a comic? Why?

Break Wednesday January 24, 2024. 

Week Two: Wednesday January 31, 2024 - Beware the siren spa of research – The burden of knowing everything about a subject means you want to regurgitate it onto the page. Learn how to get out of the cozy hot tub of research and organize, trim, and edit those discoveries your research has wrought—and turn it into a legible comic.

Week Three: Wednesday February 7, 2024 - Finding the Center of Your Story – Find One Question to Ask – After committing a summary to paper, and sifting through your notes, can you find a thread to pull through all the disparate, key elements? We’ll play with point of view and think about time and narrative: when to disclose things to the reader (avoid the explainer) and how to disclose information.

Week Four: Wednesday February 14, 2024 – Advice on Getting the First Draft Done, Pitching, Synopsis Writing

Calls will include live instruction, discussion and exercises. 

Class videos, audios, chats and transcripts will be saved and archived. This course includes an exclusive community for sharing through the Mighty Network. 




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About the Instructor

Jess Ruliffson is an award-winning cartoonist. Her debut graphic novel, Invisible Wounds, is out now from Fantagraphics. In 2017, her comic I Trained to Fight The Enemy was shortlisted for Slate's Cartoonist Studio Prize. Her comics have appeared in Freeman's Tale of Two Americas, Virginia Quarterly Review, The Gainesville Sun, BuzzFeed, The Nib, The Boston Globe, Pantheon Books, Wilson Quarterly, and The Oxford American. She teaches comics and painting at The Sequential Artists Workshop in Gainesville, FL and The School of Visual Arts in NYC. Jess is represented by Duvall Osteen at Aragi, Inc.

Jess Ruliffson

Instructor