Our apologies for the missing updates these last couple weeks!  We’re back with lots more challenges for you!!

 This week it’s time to put the focus on what is often an after thought - your backgrounds.  Can the backgrounds of your comic tell a story of their own?

Homework for Artists and Writers:
Write and a 1-2 page story that has nothing to do with the Holidays.  As you draw your comic, add in backgrounds that place your characters in a Holiday environment — for instance, Christmas Shopping, a Holiday dinner with family, waiting in line to see Santa, etc.  Focus on adding an interesting and enriching setting to your story.  Not only will the action provide interest to the reader, but when done carefully, the contrast between what is going on around your characters and what your characters are doing can provide interesting juxtaposition.*

Extra Credit:
Rework a comic that you’ve previously worked on using this same technique.  How does your jungle action sequence now fit in at the crowded mall? Keep the dialogue and action the same, but throw your characters into the new setting.  Does it add or take away to what you’d previously written?
* For more about juxtaposition, check out Challenge #8.