Comic strips have been appearing in our local newspapers for quite some time. They’ve made us laugh, excited us and kept coming back the next day to see what happens next. If you’ve ever wondered how it all got started, you need to head back to 19th-century Britain.
Back then, they weren’t referred to as comic strips but rather illustrated humor periodicals that were not the paneled strips we’re used to today, but rather a couple pictures all together. They started in 1825 with “The Glasgow Looking Glass,” and from there many famous strips were created, including Punch, which popularized the term “cartoon.”
Americans quickly joined in on this craze by creating comics in well-known magazines such as Punch, Judge and Life. The quick success of these comics led to the creation of newspaper comic strips. Entire pages of popular newspapers were dedicated to this popular comic series, and in many places still continue to be. Throughout the early evolution of comics, artists experimented with things such as the movement of the strip as well as the placement of the speech bubbles to create additional depth or contrast.
Then in the early 20th century, shorter strips became all the rage. By the 1920s and ‘30s, many of the strips became adventure and drama driven serials, forcing readers to come back the next day for the continuation of the story. This was the launching pad for many superhero comic series, which are being read now more than ever.
If you have ever wanted to learn how to draw a comic strip like you’ve seen in the paper, Hunakai Studio of Fine Arts is holding a Comic Strip class this summer from Aug 21-26. Seats are filling up fast so don’t wait and book your spot now.
Based in Foxboro, Massachusetts, Hunakai Studio offers a wide range of art lessons, classes and workshops for kids, teens and adults who want to explore and develop their artistic expression in a wide variety of mediums. For more information on any of our sessions or to enroll in one of our lessons or workshops, call us today at 508-543-5665!