Do you know any children who aspire to create their own illustrated characters and bring them to life through a comic or graphic novel?

Join us as students aged six to twelve learn fun and innovative ways to tell stories through the creation of their own graphic novel!

In this fun three-hour workshop, students will learn techniques on how to create and draw their own imaginative characters and employ the principles of visual storytelling to breathe life into them.

Through writing prompts and exercises, students will also learn how to translate their ideas into a script complete with compelling dialogue and actions. To bring their scripts alive, students will be taught panel progression, shot composition, and drawing methods that will spark their creative visual storytelling abilities. By the end of the workshop, students will have created a three-to-five-page comic using their own stories and characters.

This workshop is open to all levels (ages 6-12). No experience necessary. Students will learn simple concepts and techniques that they can use to continue exploring their creativity and visual storytelling at home!

Each workshop registration includes a ticket to a performance of Dog Man: The Musical following the workshop! This hilarious production based on the worldwide bestselling graphic novel series by Dav Pilkey!

Petey’s Café will also be open each day with lunch and snack items for purchase. Pre-order your items when registering!

Meet your instructors

Jeff Chiba Stearns is an Emmy® nominated and Webby award-winning animation and documentary filmmaker. He is also an accomplished illustrator and artist. After graduating from Emily Carr University with a degree in Film Animation, he founded Meditating Bunny Studio Inc in 2001. From viral video ads for companies like Sharpie and Post-it Note, to short and feature films including Yellow Sticky Notes (2007), One Big Hapa Family (2010) and Mixed Match (2016), Jeff’s work has broadcast around the world, screened in hundreds of international film festivals and garnered over 40 awards. He also has a Bachelor of Education from UBC and taught high school animation. He was the senior classical animation instructor at the Centre for Arts and Technology in Kelowna for over four years. Jeff has also written and illustrated the children’s books Mixed Critters (2018) and Nori and His Delicious Dreams (2020) and has released his first graphic novel, On Being Yukiko (2021). He is currently in development of his second graphic novel. Jeff is also the host of the upcoming animation podcast, Animation Meditation and the director for the pre-school animated series The Treebees which airs on the Knowledge Network and has amassed over 35 million views on YouTube.

Lucas Green is an award-winning illustrator and animator based in Vancouver, BC.  A prairie-boy turned west coast wanderer, he creates fantastical worlds for film and TV, including work on SyFy’s Vagrant Queen (concept artist) and Astrid and Lilly Save the World (storyboards), as well as the long-running CBC Kids Gumboot Kids series (animator). Lucas illustrated the award-winning graphic novel King Warrior, and is co-creator of the webcomic The Constant Star. When he isn’t tied down to a drawing desk, Lucas can be found wandering the coastal rainforest with his adventure dog, Kuiper.

Event Schedule

Saturday, October 28 or Sunday, October 29

Workshops 1 & 3

9am-12pm | Workshop
12pm-1pm | Lunch break (bring your own or pre-order from Petey’s Café).
1:00pm –2:10pm | Performance in the Massey Theatre of Dog Man: The Musical (70 minutes, no intermission)

Workshops 2 & 4 

12:30-3:30pm | Workshop
3:30-4:00pm | Snack break (bring your own or pre-order from Petey’s Café).
4:00-5:10pm | Performance in the Massey Theatre of Dog Man: The Musical (70 minutes, no intermission)

Information for parents

Withdrawal Policy: A student may withdraw up to seven days prior to the class start date. A refund of the class fee will be granted less the non-refundable registration fee. Refunds will not be granted after the seven-day period has passed. Exceptions for medical or compassionate reasons may be considered upon receipt of a written request submitted at least 24 hours prior to the start date of the class. Upon approval, a refund of the class fee will be granted, less the registration fee.

Each workshop registration includes a child’s ticket to the performance of Dog Man: The Musical following the workshop. Parents are required to purchase their own tickets, and will be contacted by our Box Office to book. A discount of $5 will be applied on all additional purchased tickets.