Whether it’s an in-person visit or a virtual workshop, my vibrant, joyful teaching style will keep your students engaged and enthusiastic about writing with images.
My fee as of January 2021 is $500 per programming hour. I typically require the use of a digital projector and a dry erase board or flip chart. The students will need copy paper, pencils, and scissors for the hands-on portion of the workshops.
I want to support the learning happening in your classroom or institution, so please don’t hesitate to email or book a meeting with me and share your needs.
I am a member of the Ohio Arts Council’s Teaching Artist Roster and have over fifteen years of experience with classroom management and arts/curricula integration (you can view an example of my lesson plans here). I keep my skills as a teaching artist relevant and up to date via professional development sessions such as the Center for Arts Inspired Learning series.
Let’s work together and inspire your students
Email me to find out how I can help motivate your students to tell their stories through comics.
You can also book a 30-minute appointment with me to start a conversation on how we might work together.
Not sure what kind of cartooning workshop you’re looking for? Here are two of my most popular workshops:
Write with Images (Youth/Teens) 1.5 Hours Learn how a cartoonist uses drawings, panel size, and crazy sound effects to immerse their readers in the story! Cartoonist Jerzy Drozd will lead you in an interactive discussion on some of the fundamental comics storytelling principles, after which you’ll be invited to create a short comics story of your own!
Sequences & Consequences (Youth/Teens) 1.5 Hours
In this gameful workshop you’ll use 9 index cards to find out how looking up/down and close/far away changes a moment’s meaning. Find the surprise ending when you discover a different yet equally plausible story after rearranging your cards!
I also lead arts integration workshops for educators. Even if you think you can’t draw, you can use comics to reach different learning modalities and enhance lesson plans in every subject area.
Looking for something different? I’m happy to design a custom workshop to suit the needs of your students.
More about me:
I lead cartooning workshops for children and teens in libraries and schools, as well as for teachers who want to bring comics to the classroom. I wrote and drew Science Comics: Rockets with my wife, Anne Drozd, and I’m one of the artists of The Warren Commission Report. I also podcast about comics and how to make them.
I began work as a teaching artist in 2007 when I served as the lead teaching artist for the ArtServe Michigan’s Literacy Arts Comic Book Project, in which I visited 10 Detroit public schools (grades 3-6) to teach students how to make comic books. I’ve since led workshops and classes throughout Michigan and across North America, including a two-day workshop for educators at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
I truly love meaningfully connecting kids with comics. The visual language of comics unlocks new forms of expression that appeal to different learning modalities. Kids who may be labeled as “reluctant readers” can discover a love of reading and writing through cartooning. I especially enjoy connecting my lesson plans with classroom curricula—I feel a strong sense of mission to be an ally not only to the students but to the other teachers who are advocating for them.
A one-minute preview of my online classroom experience.
Testimonials
Jerzy adapts his teaching strategies to meet the interests and needs of his students. His curriculum is second to none and is filled with fun warm-ups, games, and challenges to keep things exciting in addition to covering the meat and potatoes of learning how to create a successful and compelling visual narrative. He is exceedingly patient and has excellent classroom management techniques, commanding the attention of his students with ease. Jerzy quickly adapts to changing circumstances and makes the best of every situation with a positive, can-do attitude. He is thoughtful and constructive with feedback and both supports and challenges his students in ways that bring out the best in them.
Jerzy is the bar to which our other youth and teen instructors aspire and an irreplaceable presence at the Ann Arbor Art Center. I highly recommend him for any teaching opportunity. One could not find a more committed, dynamic instructor, particularly where comic arts are concerned.
Jean Spindler, Youth Programs Manager, Ann Arbor Art Center
Usually art/comic teachers (not all) don’t really teach you anything about comics or just make you copy famous works of art. But Jerzy lets you draw your own thing unless we are doing a cool down or warm up. One of the best things in the class would be these giant pieces of paper put on multiple tables then we make one big comic together. I remember that Jerzy drew Hulk and we had to decide what to do with the drawing. I ended up drawing annoying little kittens all over him meowing and scratching. I also remember that if we did really well in pretty much every class, screaming with happiness and drawing things eating Jerzy counts we would get one of his mini comics.
Even in virtual classes it is really fun its not boring where everyone awkwardly stares at black screens. It can be very fun especially the cool downs. He has given me many creative opportunities too. This is my most favorite class I have ever taken.
Chloe, student