Kick Your Graphic Memoir Into Gear
Are you writing your graphic memoir?
Do you need feedback, guidance, and accountability?
Welcome!
to our graphic memoir intensive working group!
If you are working on autobiographical work, a graphic memoir, whether large or small, this is the place to be.
#1 bestselling graphic memoirist Tom Hart and mystery novelist and memoirist Beth Trembley are here with dozens of other graphic memoirists to help you find and tell the story you have been meaning to tell.
We've taught hundred of students, and Tom's memoir debuted at #1 on the NY Times Bestseller List. Beth has taught creative writing to hundreds over the course of a 25-year career.
We're here to help you find your material, find your voice, with an audience of like-minded readers and creators.
The Graphic Memoir Working Group started in Nov 2017 and has been AMAZING...
And there's plenty of room for you.
Come introduce yourself...
Come into the group (not on Facebook, but our own Mighty Network), introduce yourself, and you'll get instant access to the abundance of materials below and wisdom from Beth and Tom and the rest of the past and present group.
A Masterclass of Material
Every week is a little different. Potential topics and exercises are all bundled in the curriculum below, and it's always growing! We'll pull from these materials as needed during class time, but you're always welcome to dive in and look around.
- the fear of getting started
- personal material gathering
- general structure
- different tones of voice
- visual metaphor
- getting around sticky personal situations
- cleaning up your room!
- and the in-depth ways we can be compelling on the page
- and much much much more (we're always surprised myself!)
Past students know that we're quick to tailor exercises and discussions according to the needs of the group or even individuals.
It may be that some people need guided exercises and others want discussions and feedback. Both are always accommodated.
This group has been dynamic, rich, supportive and super-interesting.
Want to see what real people are like? Want to see real people telling their stories? Want to tell your own?
Want to make your graphic memoir come alive?
This group will focus and inspire you. Let's make your story happen!
Tom wrote the book on Graphic Memoir

Course curriculum
-
01
0. Introduction to this Course
Show details- About this Course
- Video Intro to Graphic Memoir Intensive
- Community Invitation
- Guided Steps of a Graphic Novel - PDF Packet from the SAW 2020 Graphic Novel Intensive
-
02
1 - Introductions
Show details- Introductions, characters, plots and themes
- Rosalie Lightning Pitch PDF
- Problems and Characters in Fun Home and Epileptic
- Assignment in the group
- Assignment in PDF form
- Discussion
-
03
2 - Silent Storytelling
Show details- Silent Storytelling Introduction
- Some Silent Stories
- Some Silent Stories - PDF
-
04
3 - Voice
Show details- Voice Introduction
- Narrative Voices Video 1 of 3
- Narrative Voice Video 2 of 3
- Narrative Voices Video 3 of 3
- Narrative Voices Exercise PDF Format
- Narrative Voices PDF Format
-
05
4 - Drawing the Head and Body
Show details- Introduction to Drawing Bodies and Heads
- Drawing the Figure - Famous Artists Cartoon Course
- Drawing the Head - Famous Artists Cartoon Course
- Cartooning the Head in Detail - Famous Artists Cartoon Course
- Cartooning the Figure in Detail - Famous Artists Cartoon Course
- Drawing Children, Adults and Teens
- Emotions PDF
- Random Bodies and Stuff
-
06
5 - More About Storytelling
Show details- Introduction to Show and Tell
- Scott McCloud - Chapter 6 Show and Tell
- David Mamet On Directing Film Excerpt
- Pedro Almodovar - Pain and Glory - Plot Intro
- Pedro Almodovar - Pain and Glory - Reunion Scene
- Annihilation - Bedroom Scene
- Using Silence - House of Glory Improv
- David Sedaris - Your Life is Worth Writing About
-
07
6 - Composition of the Panel
Show details- Introduction to Composition in the Panel
- Molly Bang - How Pictures Work - brief PDF introduction
- Video: Staging Characters in the Panel
- Disney's Basics of Composition PDF
- Storyboarding the Simpsons Way - Composition PDF
- Panel Composition by Kali Ceisemier
- Drawing for Comics from Tom Hart's Comic Strips Book
- Wally Wood's 22 Panels "That Always Work"
- How To Read (and make) a Single-Panel Cartoon - by Tom Hart
- Body Language PDF
- Silhouettes PDF
-
08
7 - More Drawing Resources
Show details- Video: Using Reference
- Video: Some Principles of Comics
- Coloring from Tom Hart's Comic Strips Book
- Page Compositions Part 1
- Page Compositions Part 2
- Selection of Trees - PDF
- Mining the Linefield Chapter from How To Say Everything - PDF
- Designing in Black PDF
-
09
8 - Visual Metaphor and Motif
Show details- Introduction to Visual Metaphor and Motif
- Sampling of Visual Metaphors
- Gestural Text PDF
-
10
Readings from The Art of the Graphic Memoir
Show details- 01 - Why Comics?
- 01 - Why Comics? - My Story
- 02 - Gathering Material
- 02 - Gathering Material - My Story
- 02 - Gathering Materials - Exercises
- 03 - Organizing Materials
- 03 - Organizing Materials - My Story
- 03 - Organizing Material - Exercises
- 04 - Finding a Visual Style
- 04 - Finding a Visual Style - My Story
- 04 - Finding a Visual Style - Exercises
- 05 - Getting Started
- 05 - Getting Started - My Story
- 05 - Getting Started - Exercises
- 06 - Storytelling Strategies
- 06 - Storytelling Strategies - My Story
- 06 - Storytelling Strategies - Exercises
- 07 - Visual Language
- 07 - Visual Language - My Story
- 07 - Visual Language - Exercises
- 08 - Change Your Life
- 08 - Change Your Life - My Story
- 08 - Change Your Life - Exercises
- 08 - Change Your Life -- Live Example
- 09 - Finishing
- 09 - Finishing - My Story
- 09 - Finishing - Exercises
-
11
Other Readings and Exercises
Show details- Ongoing list of links to online articles and books
- Carol Tyler's Red Ribbons
- Carol Tyler - Character Intros and Symbols
- Carol Tyler and Tom Hart speaking at Society of Illustrators - VIDEO
- Images That Sing - PDF from How To Say Everything
- Diary Comics
- Chester Brown - The Playboy Narrative Guide
- Tom's Forest Story in Progress, Feb 2018
- Twisted Sisters PDF
- Lettering! Title and Display
- I Remember (excerpt) by Joe Brainard
- The Aquatic Uncle by Italo Calvino from Cosmicomics - TEXT
- The Aquatic Uncle, by Italo Calvino from Cosmicomics - AUDIO
- Tom Hart Rosalie Lightning, "Version 4", mid-draft PDF in InDesign
- Lettering Video Presentation
- Bodies- Phoebe Gloeckner - The Sad Tale of the Visible Woman and Her Invisible Man
- Bodies - Eleanor Davis - The Fox
- Bodies - Judith Vandistendael - Excerpt from When David Lost His Voice
- Chester Brown - The Book of Mark (Bootleg)
- Bodies - Ken Dahl - Excerpt from Monsters
- Access to the SAW Reading Folder!
- Anne Sexton - Complete Poems PDF
- Deadwood Script Episode #9
- David Sedaris - Your Life is Worth Writing About
- Humorous Video - William Kentridge on Making and Self-Critiquing
- Sherlock Holmes - Puzzling
- Carol Tyler at Library of Congress 2018
-
12
Self-Guided Exercises
Show details- 01 Readings
- 02 Gathering Material
- 03 Organizing Material
- 04 Finding a Visual Style
- 05 Getting Started
- 06 Storytelling Strategies
- 07 Visual Metaphor
- 08 Change Your Life
- 09 Finishing
-
13
Videos from the Graphic Memoir Mini Course
Show details- Starting
- Gathering Material
- Structuring Material
- Structuring - My Story
- Visual Style
- Visual Storytelling
-
14
Grids and Other Resources
Show details- Why grids?
- 4-Panel Grid
- 6-Panel Grid
- Balloons, Panels and Bubbles - Common Comics Language
-
15
Tech and Production
Show details- Intro to Procreate from Beth Trembley
- Managing Your Workflow with Beth Trembley
Sliding Scale
As always...
Like a lot of SAW classes, We're offering it sliding scale. Paying what you can afford helps others pay what they can afford, thanks!
Want to pay something other than the below? Contact Tom at tom@sequentialartistsworkshop.org
F.A.Q.
So there are two URLs for this course?
Yes, the course materials, are here:
https://learn.sawcomics.org/courses/graphic-memoir-working-group/
and the conversation is on our own Mighty Network (join the public space here: https://sequential-artists-workshop.mn.co/feed ).
The private URL will be given to you upon sign-up
It looks like a ton of material there. How do we go through it?
Yes, there is lots!
We'll excavate slowly!
You can browse at any time you feel like a particular topic is what you need. You can always ask about anything in the class, but more common is that I will point to particular materials there, and have some or all of you take a look and work on the topics therein.
Is there overlap with the self-guided Graphic Memoir mini-course?
Yes, much of what is there is here also. As well as some materials from Comics for Writers and materials from all across the SAW world.
But there is tons of nuts-and-bolts stuff not in the Graphic Memoir mini-course course, and this course gives you access to our private community...
What if we're all at different levels or stages of our project? How does that work?
It works great! I find this is a lot like a dojo; the experienced students get to deepen their understanding by guiding and assisting others, and those in beginning stages learn from a lot of collective wisdom!
What will you have us be doing?
The main thing is working on Sequences. Always creating sequences in combinations of words and pictures, and evaluating how they are working.
As we do this, we will be trying new techniques, or bringing new understandings to each week's sequences. For instance, one week, we might focus on tone of voice, or we might focus on staying silent, or on body language or page composition or lettering. Other times we may take a step back and look at structuring our sequences.
There are always any number of options to enliven our sequences for the week, but these assignments are just for people who want to bend towards their work in a new way.
The main thing we should always be doing is moving forward on our stories the way that makes the most sense to us. My aim is to guide you that way.
What if I don't subscribe next month?
You have access to the materials AND the Mighty Network Community by continuing to be a subscriber.
The price always be sliding scale. And you can change what you pay any month.
You will be removed from the Mighty Network when you're not subscribed; but you can rejoin and still have all your old posts available...
Sliding Scale? What Does That Mean?
It means you pay what you can afford. You have the same access as everyone else. Thanks for paying what you can afford!
Does Tom Hart really post and comment in the group?
Yes, this is me! And the Graphic Memoir Group is the main social media in my life. It is deeply rewarding. I post and comment in this group almost daily, as well as in the Comics Flow Group, and to some degree the rest of our Mighty Network as much as I can be... I have no time for other social media!
Any more questions? Feel free to ask tom@sequentialartistsworkshop.org
Thanks for being on this first adventure with me!
Or you may be interested in...
-
All Courses, Storytelling, Mini-Courses, Tom's Courses
Creating Your Graphic Memoir - 16 Videos and 8 PDFs
(3)The Art of Telling Your Personal Story in Comics. This self-guided course of videos and exercises will help you on your way.
-
Comics and Visual Storytelling for Writers - Always Enrolling
-
Going in for the Snakes Starts March 1
-
Tom Hart
Instructor Bio:
STAY INSPIRED
Tom Hart is a cartoonist has been the Executive Director of The Sequential Artists Workshop, a school and arts organization in Gainesville, Florida since 2012.
His 2016 memoir, Rosalie Lightning, debuted at #1 on the New York Times Bestseller List and was featured on many Best-Of-2016 lists.
His Hutch Owen series of graphic novels and books, were nominated for all the major industry awards. His The Collected Hutch Owenwas nominated for best graphic novel in 2000. He was an early recipient of a Xeric Grant for self-publishing cartoonists, and has been on many best-of lists in the Comics Journal and other comix publications. He has been called “One of the great underrated cartoonists of our time” by Eddie Campbell and “One of my favorite cartoonists of the decade” by Scott McCloud. His daily Hutch Owen comic strip ran for 2 years in newspapers in New York and Boston, and his “Ali’s House”, co-created with Margo Dabaie was picked up by King Features Syndicate.
He was a core instructor at New York City’s School of Visual Arts for 10 years, teaching cartooning to undergraduates, working adults and teens alike. Among his students were Dash Shaw, Sarah Glidden Box Brown and other published cartoonists like Leslie Stein, Jessica Fink,Josh Bayer, Brendan Leachand many others. He has taught comix and sequential art at schools and institutions all around New York City for more than 10 years, and has conducted week-long workshops from Maine to Hawaii. He also teaches sequential art in the School of Art and Art History at UF.
His website is http://www.tomhart.net