Dynamic Comic Covers!
CREATE COVERS THAT GRAB ATTENTION AND DRIVE SALES
with Shawn Crystal
THEY SAY DON’T JUDGE A BOOK BY IT’S COVER, BUT WE KNOW EVERYONE STILL DOES
How important is the cover?
The cover to your comic book is a crucial part of your comic’s success. It’s the first thing most people see.
A well-designed cover will have people grabbing it off the shelf, while a less interesting cover can ultimately lead to lower sales. This is even more so the case now with readers increasingly searching for comics using digital platforms.
In this two-week workshop, Shawn will teach you how to make the type of dynamic comic covers that command attention and drive sales. You will learn how to approach composition, design, illustration, and color to execute the perfect cover.
Learn how to make your comic book stand out - both on the shelf and on the screen - with an eye-catching cover.
Everything You'll Receive
AS PART OF THIS TWO-WEEK WORKSHOP YOU’LL RECEIVE:
Access to four online livestreams with Shawn
Live Q&A to ask any questions
Comic cover assignments to help you practice what you are learning
An individual comic cover critique from Shawn (Critiques Packages purchase required)
what you will learn!
Understanding Comic Covers: What is a cover and what is its role?
Types Of Covers: What are the cover archetypes and what defines them
Developing A Dynamic Concept: Preparing to create a dynamic cover by learning to gather reference and plan out what emotion of message you are trying to capture with the cover
Thumbnailing A Cover: Learn to assemble all of the needed elements into an interesting and simple composition.
Play With Shapes: Let each idea show you what you need
Composition: What do you want the reader to understand about the book from this cover and how do you communicate that with focal points
Design: How do you use value and the color palette to create a more interesting composition.
What is included
with a critique?
Skip all the guesswork and get specific, actionable advice on your cover!
How The Critique Package works:
Submit 1-3 color thumbnails of your cover concept(s)
Shawn will do digital draw over on parts that need specific revisions
The critique session will be livestreamed during the workshop so you can ask questions directly and so others can learn from the critique as well
The critique session will be recorded so you can review it as many times as you need to
You'll also receive the PSD drawover files that you can refer to when revising your pages
Having a professional look at your work with fresh eyes is one of the fastest and most effective ways to learn the craft of making comics
Workshop Schedule
Sat July 11th
Fri July 17th
Session 1 | 7am PT
Lecture: Theories and concepts of comic book covers.
Session 2 | 11am PT
Live Demo: Walk through a cover from concept to finish
Homework: Create a colored thumbnail of your cover
Homework Due
Students who enrolled in the Critique Package must turn in their cover thumbnails by 7 AM PT for review.
Sat July 18th
Session 1 | 7am PT
Student critiques (must purchase critique package to have your work reviewed)
Session 2 | 11am PT
Wrap up student critiques
Final Q&A session
“Jake and Shawn were excellent instructors! Whether they were walking students through the importance of storytelling in comics or giving feedback on the illustration side of comics in office hours, they really did give it their all and we all benefited greatly from them.”
— Stephanie B , Graphic Novel Pro Student 2025
Meet Shawn
Shawn Crystal is an artist and a teacher. His creative passions stem from his love of hip hop, comics, street art, and illustration. His childhood dream was to draw comics for Marvel and DC Comics, a dream that came true on such titles as Batman, Spawn, X-men, Deadpool, Mother Panic, Guardians of the Galaxy and many more! He is also the Co-Host of The Inkpulp Podcast alongside Eric Canete and Matteo Scalera. Shawn has also created Inkpulp Instruction, an online educational resource that teaches anyone interested to improve their skills as a storyteller and illustrator. He is currently working in Comics and Video games as an illustrator and storyteller.
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Once purchased you will have access for 2 months to the workshop content
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The Dynamic Comic Cover Workshop is for both beginner and experienced artists. It's designed to be a resource you can revisit as you build your skills. Advanced artists and professionals can apply the techniques immediately to enhance their work, across many forms of visual art. It is adaptable to whatever kind of work you want to make.
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The workshop begins on July 11 with two live online sessions. You will then have one week to work on the homework assigned. On July 18 there will be be two final sessions. The morning sessions will start at 7am PT/10am ET and the afternoon sessions will begin at 11am PT/2pm ET.
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There will be one main homework assignment given on July 11. Students will then have the next week to complete and share their work. Students who have purchased the Critique package will need to submit their homework by 7am PT/10am ET on July 16.
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No, the Dynamic Comic Covers Workshop and the SVSLearn subscription have very different formats and goals. Dynamic Comic Covers is designed as a focused, 2-week workshop with 4 live sessions. SVSLearn, on the other hand, is geared toward building general illustration skills through self-directed learning.
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If you're not already a member of SVSLearn, a student account will automatically be created for you upon enrollment. This is where you'll access the class content, livestream details, and private group chat. Please note that the lessons will be released in two batches over the course of the class. You can do the lessons at your own pace, and you'll have the opportunity to join 3 livestreams with the instructor to ask any questions you may have.
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Only students who purchase the Critique Package will receive individual feedback from Shawn. Students will also be encouraged to post work to the workshop chat and to give each other feedback there.
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The workshop is structured around 2 days of live sessions with a week between to complete the homework, but you can take as much time as you need to complete the homework (unless you paid for the critique package). You'll have access to the content for 2 months after the class is over, so we encourage you to go at your own speed and focus on creating your best work.
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100% refund if canceled by the first day of class.50% refund if canceled by the third day of class.
No refunds after the third day of class.
But you’ll love it so much you won’t need one!
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Photoshop, Procreate, or ClipStudio all work great. The techniques also work for traditional media.