Comic Studio · With Krea
How to make a graphic novel
This course teaches your kid how a graphic novel or comic series works: one hero who never changes, friends who come back, a new problem in every issue, and a cliffhanger at the end. Krea hosts four short films, and your kid plans issues one to three on paper. Plan about 4 minutes of films and 45–60 minutes of drawing.
How to make a graphic novel is part of Kubrio Learn: short courses that inspire kids to make things. Learn more
Watch all 4 lessons in the appWhat your kid makes
Your kid ends with a hero sheet, the last box of issue one with its cliffhanger, and one page with three numbered covers, each with a new problem. That's a planned comic series. Later, each issue can become its own comic in Comic Studio.
- Ages
- 6 to 13
- Time
- 4 films, about 4 minutes, then 45–60 minutes of drawing
- You need
- Paper, pencil, crayons or markers
- Host
- Krea
The 4 lessons
Lesson 1. Same hero, every issue
Some things never change, so readers know the hero in one look.
- Draw your hero big, from the front, on a hero sheet
- Circle three things that never change
- Write one rule of your hero's world
Where: Paper
Lesson 2. Who comes back
A sidekick and a catchphrase come back in every issue.
- Draw a sidekick and give the sidekick a name
- Write a catchphrase your hero always says
- Add both to the hero sheet
Where: Paper
In the app
Lesson 3. The cliffhanger
Every issue gets a new problem and ends on a big question.
- Draw the last box of issue one
- Stop on a big question, with no answer yet
- Write the question under the box
Where: Paper
In the app
Lesson 4. Three covers
One page with three numbered covers plans the whole series.
- Draw three covers side by side and number them
- Draw the same hero on every cover, with the series name on top
- Write a new problem on each cover
Where: Paper
In the app
Lesson 1 transcript: Same hero, every issue
Today you make a comic series! Lots of comics, one hero. Issue one, issue two, issue three!
Here's Boing. She bounces as high as a house. And she stars in every issue.
Readers have to know her in one look. So some things never change.
Make a hero sheet. Draw your hero big, from the front.
Then circle three things that never change. Her curly hair. Her teal mask. The ball on her chest.
Your world has rules too. Boing gets three big bounces, then she has to rest. That rule stays in every issue!
Your turn. Draw your hero on a hero sheet. Circle three things that never change. Write one rule. Then press Next.
Free guides to practise with
Questions parents ask
What's the difference between a comic and a graphic novel?
A comic is often one short story. A graphic novel or a comic series tells a longer story with the same hero across several parts. This course teaches what keeps a series together: the same hero, friends who come back, and a new problem every time.
Does my kid draw three whole comics?
No. The course ends with the plan: a hero sheet, one cliffhanger box, and three covers with a problem on each. Each issue can become its own comic later, on paper or in Comic Studio.
How long does it take?
The four films take about 4 minutes. The hero sheet, the cliffhanger, and the three covers take about 45–60 minutes of drawing.