A Day in the Life in Graphic Novel Style

There are so many authors and artists who work together to create graphic novel style biographies. Below are just a few examples:

Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi

Maus by Art Spiegelman

Smile by Raina Telgemeier

Today, you will create a one page comprehensive "Day in the Life" graphic novel.

STEP ONE: Take a moment to look at the template at the bottom of this page.

STEP TWO: Make a list of 6 photos that describe your daily life. You will also need a partner OR an item that represents you.

STEP THREE: Grab your assigned camera and SD card. Go out and take at least 6 photos that describe your daily life.

STEP FOUR: Put your images into a folder on your desktop labeled "Day in the Life"

Editing in Photoshop

STEP ONE: Open your first image in PS. Create a mask layer, so your subject is free from the background.

STEP TWO: Right click on the layer (or control then click of the layer) and select "Convert to Smart Object"

STEP THREE: Add a threshold adjustment layer and adjust the level under Image > Adjustments

[Optional] STEP 4: Make a new layer. Using a black brush at 100% opacity, paint over any extra information to make you the star of the story.

STEP FIVE: Go to your custom shape tool and add a thought bubble or a talk bubble to explain your action

If you'd like a color version comic-book feel you can try:

STEP ONE: Duplicate your layer twice (command +J)

STEP TWO: Starting with the bottom layer, go into Filter, then Filter Gallery. From Artistic Section, select Poster Edges. Adjust the edge thickness before hitting "OK"

STEP THREE: Add a threshold adjustment layer and adjust the level, under Image > Adjustments.

STEP FOUR: Add an Oil Paint filter, under Filter > Stylize > Oil Paint... and adjust the levels as needed.

*Make sure to disable Lighting

STEP FIVE: Enable the top layer, setting it to Multiply

You can apply the Poster Edges filter again, but set the edge intensity to zero to remove black lines.

STEP SIX: Apply the Oil Painting filter again to give it a hand painted look.

STEP SEVEN: Go to your custom shape tool and add a thought bubble or a talk bubble to explain your action

Talk bubbles not there?!

Window
Select Shapes
A menu will pop up on the right, click the four lines then choose "Legacy Shapes and More"
Choose folder "All Legacy Default Shapes" (see image below)
Look for "talk bubbles"

MAKE SURE TO: Save your edited images individually as JPEGs before placing them in the correct order on the template below! Have fun with this assignment and get creative!

Student Examples:

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