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ACADEMY

Take Your Story
From Ideation to Publication

The OPTIMIST COMICS ACADEMY is a 10-week comic book publishing workshop designed for middle and high school students who are passionate about storytelling and art! From the first spark of an idea to holding a professionally printed comic in your hands, our program guides young creators through every step of the creative process. Students will develop original characters, craft compelling stories, and explore visual storytelling techniques while receiving mentorship from experienced comic artists. The experience concludes with an exciting youth comic convention where students will showcase their published work to family, friends, and the community.

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LEARN WITH THE SAME TOOLS THE PROS USE!

With OC Academy,
all of your digital art needs are included in your course.

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We mobilize an entire classroom set of touchscreen pen display Lenovo computers so that every student has access to s smoothest digital drawing experience that translates directly to traditional drawing.

Pressure sensitive stylus combined with a touchscreen device students use the power of digital art with the traditional feel.

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Students will learn how to use Clip Studio Paint, the industry leader in digital comic art. Clip Studio Paint is provides a great foundation to pursuing other digital artforms as well, with features such as 3D modeling, perspective rulers, and animation built directly into the application!

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See the power of
Clip Studio Paint
in action!

Project-Based Pedagogy:
Putting 
passion first so
the
learning lasts.

With our project-based learning approach, we prioritize fun and creativity over efficiency. In the Mobile Maker Lab, we give students the tools and guidance to bring their unique stories to life. While more popular teaching methods may focus on drills that perfect draftsmanship and technique, we focus on removing obstacles to make the creative process as seamless as possible.

We start by helping students identify a story they want to tell, then introduce the fundamentals of visual storytelling to help them tell it. We built this process to serve students of all skill levels in bringing their stories life.
Beginners, have no fear, your journey starts here!

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ONLY $25
PER CLASS!

Your Friendly Neighborhood
Comic Arts Program

Every Chicagoan knows that where you live plays a large part in the kinds of activities and programs your children have access to. We created the OC Academy to overcome this challenge and provide top notch arts education in any community that will have us! 

We partner with local book stores, comic shops, and service-based organizations around the city to create 
Community Hubs so students have access to arts programming that is conveniently located in their neighborhood. 

Find the community hub closest to you!

NORTH SIDE

Lakeview

WEST SIDE

Lawndale

Can't find a
Community Hub
in your area?

Connect us to a local business or community organization that we can partner with near you.

If your recommendation results in an OC Academy, your student can attend their first 10 classes for free!

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Community Hub Engagement Form

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