Objectives: Benjamin Percy writes novels, comics, screenplays, essays, and articles! He finds inspiration in the world around him, through article clippings, events, or images that inspire him, and uses those to become the “skeleton” of his stories. When writing comics, his first audience is the artist, so he must consider not only his own vision, but also theirs. In this activity, you and a partner will take turns writing mini stories, then switching the stories and creating illustrations to accompany them. Conversation and teamwork are key!

Tools/Resources: MN Original video clip, pencil, paper, art paper, colored pencils, markers, scratch paper, newspaper, magazine

Activity

1. Watch the segment and discuss:

   a. When writing a comic book, Benjamin Percy says that the first audience is the comic book artist. You must show the artist what you see and gain their permission to change it according to the artist’s vision – why is this conversation between writer and artist important?

   b. What do you think are important topics to discuss if you were to plan out a story with illustrations?

   c. Benjamin Percy sometimes gets inspiration from newspaper and article clippings, why is that a good idea?

2. Brainstorm:

   a. Going through a newspaper or magazine, find part of a story that inspires you to create the title page for a story.

3. Working with a partner….

   a. First partner tells the “artist” partner their story idea…together, you must plan out how the cover for your story will look.

   b. Switch roles after the first illustration is completed.