At Wizard World Chicago, which will be held August 23-26, 2018 at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center, aspiring artists will have the opportunity to attend a workshop with American Flagg! creator and The Shadow: Blood & Judgement writer-artist Howard Chaykin.

Chaykin will take artists through page layout and show what works, what doesn’t, and why. The workshop, which is available for an extra fee of $100, will be held in two one-hour sessions. Participants will complete three pages of layouts from a supplied script between sessions and have them evaluated by Chaykin.

Who would make ideal participants in this course?

“A newcomer professional, an aspiring talent, or a curious and interested enthusiast ‒ in both disciplines, writing and drawing ‒ since this is about developing a visual presentation of narrative,” Howard Chaykin said.

For some artists, three pages of layouts are easily done overnight, while others might normally take longer. Chaykin stressed that what participants will be looking at is breakdowns.

“Details are the last thing I’m interested in here. It’s a matter of organizing the shapes within the panels, and the panels on the page in a narratively effective way, being mindful of the principles laid out in hour one as they apply to the creation of the assignment,” he said.

Can a short course like this help someone to focus?

“Absolutely,” he said. “I’ve altered the course of the way an amateur or professional approaches the design of a page in less time than this by a demonstration of these principles on a piece of scrap paper over a cup of coffee.”

For more information, check out the Wizard World site and select “Workshops” from the menu.