Pelle had heard about The Animation Workshop (TAW) in elementary school. He got the chance to visit the school to see what it was like to be a student there. This visit sparked a fire inside him. After finishing elementary school, Pelle went to a creative high school in Viborg called Visual HF. This high school programme is a collaboration between TAW and Viborg Gymnasium offering young creative people a high school education while developing their creative abilities.
Pelle did not always know that he wanted to end up at TAW, he just knew that he wanted an education within the creative field.
“While I was in my high school programme, I stopped drawing for a bit. I got really into filmmaking instead and then I thought that I would apply to a film school. But I was not accepted at the film school, so I decided to take two gap years, and in those gap years I realized that I really like writing as well. Graphic Storytelling could unite my passion for writing with my passion for storytelling,” Pelle says.
A Poet and a Drawer
One thing that has dominated Pelle’s education in the second semester is comics.
“We learn about the formal elements of comics. We learn how to make panels, and how you tell a story through these panels. We learn about page layouts and how spreads work. Lastly, what comics can do in terms of storytelling that other media cannot,” Pelle says.
Even though a lot of the teachings at TAW focus on improving the students’ drawing skills, everything is not about drawing. The students learn how to write copy that reflects what is happening in the visual product.
“We learn a lot about prose, copy writing, story structure, dialogue and storytelling. We also learn how transform your manuscript to a comic. We learn how non-verbal elements can be communicated through comics,” Pelle says.
The Future
Comics have found a special place in Pelle’s heart after his first year at TAW. He has now learned how to make strip comics, pantomime comics (comics with no text) and how to make comic books.
“I am not quite sure what I want to do, when I am done. But I have really gotten a taste for comics. I applied for this programme because I knew that I would get to tell stories using my craftsmanship and I feel like comics unites that for me,” Pelle says.
Even though Pelle is not sure where he will end up, is he sure that he will find the right place for himself.
“I think it would be very intriguing to make comics for a living. But I would also be open to writing animation movies/series or working in the animation industry. I could also see myself starting a publishing agency or perhaps making a videogame with animation within character and game design. There are a lot of things that I have learned at Graphic Storytelling that I could use in that industry,” Pelle says.
A Diverse School
Something that Pelle greatly appreciates about TAW is the diversity at the school.
“You feel the diversity in the themes that are being taught but also in the teachers. We have teachers from all sorts of backgrounds in the industry. Some of the teachers are making comic books, some make movies, some animate, write, or are just experts within their fields. There are truly a lot of different people. This way you will meet both teachers that you will think are amazing and teachers like you have never experienced before. They differentiate a lot from the typical professor you would meet at a university for example,” Pelle tells.
TAW is an international educational programme and attending students come from all over the world.
“The diversity can also be applied to the students. It is an international programme, so you will meet a lot of people from all over Denmark, but also from the rest of Europe and the whole world. This makes TAW an interesting place to study. Every person who are accepted at the programme has an interesting story to tell.”
Pelle's three best tips for someone considering applying to Graphic Storytelling
- Show all the things you can do in your portfolio. Show the people evaluating your portfolio that you dare to do things outside of your comfort zone.
- Hang in there! Even though the application period is long and tough, just keep going. If you get rejected on your first application, do not see it as a failure. Instead, view it as an opportunity to spend another year getting better for your next application.
- Get some practical experience with the school. Attend open-houses and arrange a meeting with some students. This way, you can build a network and gain more concrete knowledge about what you are applying for.