HOPS + HEROES COMICS
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HOPS + HEROES COMICS
  • Home
  • The Shop
  • For Kids
  • For Schools
  • For Girl Scouts
  • BAM! - Books Are Magic!
  • S.L.A.M. Academy
  • Educational Resources
  • Grading Services
  • About

S.L.A.M. Academy

What is S.L.A.M. Academy

S.L.A.M. AKA Story, Lettering, Art, and Marketing Academy is a summer program for kids and teens to pursue their art and writing passion in more detail. These classes, taught by professional writers and artists, take college-level writing and art concepts and brings them to young people in a way they can master. S.L.A.M. Academy is meant to build a toolkit for students so that they can take their skillset to the next level. Students can take classes a la carte to enhance a single skill or sign up for the entire summer for a complete experience. 

S.L.A.M. Academy Courses

Character Development - Writing

Students who attend this class will learn:


- Types of characters and how they are used 

- How to build a lead character that is believable 

- The ins and outs of working with minor characters 

- Character Motivations 

- How to build a backstory 

- How to create dialogue that fits a character

- What makes a villain great

- And more


Event Timing: May 17, 2025. 3:30PM-5:30PM

Sign up: https://forms.gle/EyZrMhvCdi5XoGn18

Figure Drawing - Art

 Students who participate in this class will learn:


- Basic Body Structure/The Rule of Three 

- Movement and Gestures 

- Proportions 

- Fabrics and Details 

- Foreshortening and Other Techniques 

- How to Use References (including a live model)

 

Event Timing: May 24, 2025. 3:30PM-5:30PM

Sign up: https://forms.gle/g1pV3Uome66GUzCG8

World Building - Writing and Art

Students who participate in this class will learn: 


- How to create rules for your world 

- How to develop cultures and customs 

- When to use pictures and when to use words to build your world (show vs tell) 

- When it is acceptable to break the rules and how you do it successfully 

- Research techniques 

- Using setting as a character in your story 

- Drawing your world's map and images 


Event Timing: May 31, 2025. 3:30PM-5:30PM

Sign up: https://forms.gle/uFNZhpcLSpQQheLo7

Composition - Art

Students who participate in this class will learn: 

 

- Rule of Thirds 

- Using Shapes to Create Hierarchy 

- Balance and Contrast 

- Focus or Emphasis 

- Movement, Motion, and Rhythm

- Unity 

- Pattern and Proportion 

- And More! 


Event Timing: June 14, 2025. 3:30PM-5:30PM

Sign up: https://forms.gle/jh4k9StPMa7zYfj28

Developing a Plot - Writing

Students who participate in this class will learn: 

 

The Hero's Journey and the three act structure 

- Pacing 

- Internal vs External problems and how to continuously challenge your character in ways that make sense

- Tropes: when to use them and when to avoid them 

- Types of endings and how to ensure yours is dynamic  

- Methods to organize ideas from chaos into form 


Event Timing: June 21, 2025. 3:30PM-5:30PM

Sign up: https://forms.gle/LFCSSsUHWmWA1qDG7

Sequential Storytelling - Writing & Art

Students who participate in this class will learn: 

 

- Overview of storyboarding and its terminology 

- Types of shots 

- Writing as screen direction 

- Different types of page layouts 

- How to collaborate between writer and artist 

- How to create transitions 


Event Timing: June 28, 2025. 3:30PM-5:30PM

Sign up: https://forms.gle/YgEAJXJ1z8mPEje69

Inking, Coloring, and Finishing - Art

Students who participate in this class will learn: 

 

- How to produce gradients and feathering

- Inking digitally vs manually 

- Creating texture and finalizing details 

- Light placement and rendering 

- Color Psychology 

- Flats and final color correction

- And more! 


Event Timing: July 12, 2025. 3:30PM-5:30PM

Sign up: https://forms.gle/u7JPnYvdtNM9syR77

Editing - Writing

Students who participate in this class will learn: 

 

- How to script doctor a story idea for development 

- Techniques for line editing grammar 

- Graphic organizing the little details to make sure they work after the story is done

- What a beta reader is and what you should expect from them

- When to edit and when to finalize your work - what does done look like?

- How to balance art and story changes 

- And more!



Event Timing: July 26, 2025. 3:30PM-5:30PM

Sign up: https://forms.gle/9dzVxZv6bPxtvVgc7

Lettering and Graphic Design

Students who participate in this class will learn: 

 

- The process of adapting a script into graphic format

- Font types and formatting 

- Spacing and emphasis on words

- Basic graphic design techniques to assist with lettering

- How to build your toolkit for lettering 

- How to communicate with your artist and writer

- And More! 


Event Timing: July 19, 2025. 3:30PM-5:30PM

Sign up: https://forms.gle/Zh1ABuGYVKd53F2U8

Marketing Your Book

Students who participate in this class will learn: 

 

- How to pitch your book to publishers 

-How to talk to stores about carrying your book 

- How to talk to customers about your book

- Basics of social media marketing 

- How to build your brand as a creator

- Building and presenting your portfolio

- And more!


Event Timing: Aug 9, 2025. 3:30PM-5:30PM

No Sign Up necessary for this class!



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