They are ten Malagasy comics that have been selected for the first artistic stay on the island since the start of the pandemic. This training aims to enable them to perfect their technique, but also to learn how to sell themselves to publishers.
From our correspondent in Antananarivo,
They are between 19 and 33 years old and everyone already knows how to draw perfectly. On the island there is no cartoon school. Also, the graphic styles for these new talents are free, unformatted.
Review the basics
Mozer is from Diego. The one who is now a fan of ink and paper, trained alone at the age of 8 and consuming the works of his idols: “For a long time I thought I knew how to make comics, but in fact, it has gone 3 days ago I realized I did not know the basics. Like the framing, that is, how to highlight, how to tell a story on a square, the shots, how to highlight them, the characters … ”
Cutting, sequencing, storyboarding … For the most part, workshops dedicated to these structuring phases of the creation process are therefore a discovery. Rolling Pen is a screenwriter. It trains in narrative construction. He encourages his students to arm themselves with cultural references.
“You need to know how to immerse yourself in everything: conversations, movies, books, even music at times. It’s super important when writing a story, the screenwriter insists. Especially when we are stuck on a stage when we lack inspiration because it can happen, it is the references that can save us. “
►Listen too: The vive (s) voice – When comics use literature
Experience sharing
Franco Clerc is a Malagasy cartoon, for him this added value is in this sharing of experiences to avoid destabilizing situations when it comes to sales.
“Although there are international writers who intervene, it is also very important for young people to have Malagasy references, Malagasy writers. Me, for example, when I started 10 or 12 years ago, I had to knock on the doors of foreign publishers. There are those who answered me briefly and said: why do not you publish this with you? Simply because we do not have a publisher with us. ”
“Others, too, who asked me if I had already published before,” Franco Clerc continues. This is done a lot when you are a beginner. Unfortunately, if you are a beginner, it is because you have never actually published. And I think it’s important to share with these young people who are starting all these experiences so they know exactly what awaits them in this obstacle course. ”
A joint work
And to help them in this crazy adventure, a collective cartoon will be published at the end of the stay. A bilingual French-Malagasy cartoon. A fantastic first time for the country that so far has no color work in Malagasy. The opus is presented at the International Comics Festival in Angoulême.
While awaiting release in bookstores, Alliance Françaises or in reading and cultural activity centers, Malagasy comic book enthusiasts will be able to come and meet the authors, view their boards and attend comic book creation workshops on Saturday. October 17 at the French Institute of Madagascar.
►Read also: “Afropolitan Comics”, the African comic
.
