do you want to create your own stories?
Hi, welcome to Pencils & Stories! My name is Henrike, and if you feel lost when it comes to creating a comic or another kind of story then you’ve come to the right place!
Back in 2009 I had the dream to create a webcomic of my own after only having made sloppy short comics, but I was art blocked and didn’t know how to go about starting a more polished comic from scratch.
I set out to learn as much about comics, art, story and productivity as I could.
Now I have my own webcomic, a Youtube channel and blog about these subjects. And my dream for Pencils & Stories is to help others create their own comics and stories as well. Because the world always needs more stories and your story is worth telling!
What Pencils & Stories is all about:
Everyone can create their own (web)comic or story
Small steps bring a project from start to done
Keep it simple and get it done imperfectly
Story is king and your story matters
your health is important
Be kind to yourself
Promotion of and making money with your comic is valid
You can always improve
Get story coaching for your creative or professional project
Story coaching helps you put the story that’s in your head to paper so you can share it with the world in whatever form you want.
Whether you’re writing a comic, a book, a film, a presentation, your social media messages or your brand’s story, this coaching will help you articulate and construct the story that’s close to your heart.
Click on the button below and book a call with me:
How to Start a Comic course
Create a full comic from scratch in your own time
If you ever wanted to make a comic but have no idea where to start and what to figure out before you can start making your pages then this is the course for you!
I lay out all the steps of creating a full comic from scratch. From coming up with ideas, to writing the full story, designing your characters, world and comic style. All the way up to creating finished pages.
Get the How to Start a Comic course, today, and get that comic out of your head and on to paper!
Testimonials for my courses and 1 on 1 coaching
The How to Start a Comic course has been fantastic so far! It’s completely demystifying the comic making process in a clear and easy to follow, step-by-step way.
Thanks to this course, I’ve become part of a great community, I’ve been able to turn a vague idea for a comic into an almost completed script/outline, I’ve designed characters, decided on a style for my comic, set up the technical specifications of my working process and finished comic dimensions, and have created test pages and layouts.
I would definitely recommend this course for anyone who’s looking to start/improve a comic but isn’t sure where to start. 100% worth every penny/cent!
Your Comic Journey was awesome, and Henrike’s positivity and love for comics shined through the whole course!
She guided me over the finish line of my project by always being the reassuring and down-to-earth voice needed during the emotional roller-coaster that is a comic.
If you have issues finishing anything, this one is for you! You’ll feel energised to tackle more projects, and Henrike’s focus on solving your problems in a personal way will teach you a transferable processes that will work for you, and make you more resilient when working on new projects. 10/10, would recommend!
How to Start a Comic has helped me to organize my time an attention where it’s needed most while making my first comic.
The thoughtfully laid out course flows wonderfully from one lesson to the next. It also acts as a great checklist so you know where in the process you are and don’t feel overwhelmed.
The community has been super supportive as we work towards our comic goals and work through the lessons.
I’m still in the process of making my comics, but with this work at your own pace style of course, there’s no overwhelming pressure to “keep up” with everyone else. Just work as fast or as slow as you’d like.
Would 100% recommend to anyone starting out and feeling lost while making their comic and feel like they aren’t getting anywhere.
I would highly recommend Henrike’s coaching sessions. I found her advice just what I needed to finally get my dreams turning into reality.
When I started I had a good idea of what I wanted to do (make a web comic) and the idea for the story all in my head. Henrike helped me to get all of that out and on paper so I could start planning how my story would work and how it would look.
I now have my outline in hand and a clear path forward, thank you Henrike!
Talking to Henrike can be like much needed therapy for your work.
She provides refreshing perspective in an understanding, non judgemental way. She’s really good at locating problems that you might have accepted as normal or unsolvable and working with you to find ways to manage them.
After talking to her I felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders! It’s so refreshing to get support by an artist who can understand your struggles, has worked a lot on overcoming obstacles and is happy to share her skills.
The “Your Comic Journey” course was so inspiring!
Henrike’s knowledge, encouragement, and kindness helped me stay on track and finish my first real comic! ^_^
It was exactly what I needed and I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to make comics, but feels stuck and overwhelmed.
Henrike’s thorough and dedicated breakdown and one-to-one mentoring was key to ironing out the flow of my novel, as well as the drive behind my characters in a way that each strengthened the narrative for the right reasons.
Her friendly, focused and professional advice was exactly what I needed to make the most of my second draft and truly drive my story to a powerful conclusion.
Get the How to Start a Comic course
The ultimate guide to start, develop and create your own comic from scratch.
Ideal for longer comic projects, this course allows you to work at your own pace alongside a Discord community of fellow comic artists.
From ideas to writing your story, designing your characters and world and then creating your comic pages. Everything you need for your comic is in here.
Get on the waitlist for my live group program "Your Comic Journey"
Your Comic Journey will help you go from blank page to a finished short comic in 10 weeks.
This is my live, mentored course that opens a few times each year. Every week there is a new lesson and a live meet up with your group where you all get feedback on your comic’s progress of that week.
Dive head-first into making comics and see if it’s for you.