AN internationally-recognised comic book was the subject of a masterclass for Barnsley College students.

Local artist Dean Ormston - whose credits include DC Vertigo comic Bodies which has been adapted to an eight-part Netflix series - delivered an educational talk to art students offering them the opportunity to delve into comic book creation.

The artist then gave students a professional brief he received for Bodies and allowed them to develop their own character.

Archie Busby, a fine art practice BA (Hons) student, who took part in the session, said: “I loved the session, not just because I got to practise drawing, but seeing all the drawings, paintings, ink work and Dark Horse comic books that Dean brought that was just amazing.

“The main things I’ll take from today are the pages that comic book artists use, they draw the bleed and panel themselves, as well as how they might draw the same board or page three or four times to get it right, whereas when I’ve been creating mine, I only do it once.”

The college’s library team organised the workshop as part of their Library Festival coinciding with Barnsley Council’s Barnsley Book Festival, to show students the process of receiving a comic brief and turning it into a story through the art of graphics.

Dean added: “I thoroughly enjoyed speaking to the students and allowing them to see that someone from a small town like Barnsley can make a career internationally and feature in Americanised comics, without leaving the town.

“The students’ work was fabulous with only half an hour after receiving the prompt, they developed some wonderful characters.”