Virginia Commission for the Arts

Robin Ha

Robin Ha | Graphic novel and Illustration

Educational Background/Training

Robin draws from her years of experience working in the comics industry as well as her training in illustration (Rhode Island School of Design, 2004) to teach visual storytelling.

She strives to find a balance between teaching conceptual and practical ways of making comics so the students can take the knowledge gained from her class and apply it in the real world.

About the Artist/Ensemble

Robin Ha (She/her) is the award-winning author/illustrator of the graphic novel memoir Almost American Girl. At fourteen she moved to the United States from Seoul, Korea. Her comics and illustrations have appeared in various publications, including the Washington Post and the Los Angeles Times, as well as in anthologies highlighting Asian American culture, including Rise: A Pop History of Asian America from the Nineties to Now, New Frontiers: The Many Worlds of George Takei, and Shattered: The Asian American Comics Anthology (Secret Identities). She is also the author of the best-selling comic recipe book Cook Korean!: A Comic Book With Recipes. Her new graphic novel, The Fox Maidens is scheduled to be published by Balzer and Bray in February 2024.

Educational Program Description

Memoir graphic novel workshop (All ages, no experience needed)

Is your diary brimming with exciting stories? And do you love to read comics? Walter-Award-Honoree graphic novelist, Robin Ha will walk you through how you can transform your life into a graphic novel. You’ll learn a step-by-step process of selecting and refining your personal stories, planning out your graphic novel, and drawing the comic pages. This workshop can be presented in a single workshop (1 hour to 90 minutes) or multiple sessions with more in-depth lessons, in-class assignments, and critiques.

Intro to making comics (All ages, no experience needed)

Do you love to read comics and want to be a comic artist someday? This workshop is for you! You only need paper and pencil and a story idea to start. NYT bestselling graphic novelist, Robin Ha will help you jump-start your comic book idea and bring it out onto paper. The workshop will examine comics as a powerful storytelling medium and teach you to use all the elements in comics most effectively to tell your story. From brainstorming your story, and developing your characters to page layouts, you’ll get a comprehensive lesson on the creative process of making comics. This workshop can be presented in a single workshop (1 hour to 90 minutes) or multiple sessions with more in-depth lessons, in-class assignments, and critiques.

Recipe comics workshop (All ages, no experience needed)

This workshop will teach you a step-by-step process of selecting, and refining personal recipes, drawing each step, and creating sequential art that you can share with your friends and family.  This workshop can be presented in a single workshop (1 hour to 90 minutes).

Mini-comics zine workshop (All ages, no experience needed)

Did you know that many established cartoonists started their careers by making mini-comics zines and selling them at art festivals and local bookstores? Zines are self-published, small booklets that are printed at home or by using a self-service printer and distributed by the maker. It is a low-cost way to explore your creativity and engage with your communities. This workshop will teach you the basic process of making mini-comics zines from idea to print. You will learn how to refine your ideas for the zine, make the book layout, and explore various visual mediums including pen and ink and collages.

Fees

In-person event under 90 minutes: $1,500 (plus the travel cost)
Virtual event under 90 minutes: $1,200
In-person event day rate: $2,700

Travel and accommodation expenses to be determined by service and location.

Audiences

  • All Ages
  • College/University Students
  • Adults
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