Activity Description: Scouts observe and sketch facial expressions, then use them to create a four-panel comic strip that tells a story without words.
- Fulfills Step 4 of GSUSA Cadette Comic Artist badge requirements.
Info Needed: A sample comic should fit into four panels and use facial expressions or body posture to show what’s happening. Each panel should move the story forward, even without words. You can focus on how characters feel, move, or react.
Items Needed:
- Pens or pencils
- Paper (plenty for each Scout)
- Blank 4-panel comic grid handout for each scout
- (Optional) A mirror (one per Scout or shared, if possible)
- (Optional) Facial expressions reference sheet – Expressions by The Badge Archive
- (Optional) Comic Anatomy sheet
Instructions (Estimated Total Time: 15–50 min):
- Observe facial expressions using a mirror or each other. (2 min)
- Scouts make faces showing emotions like happy, sad, angry, surprised, scared, and excited.
- (Optional) Use a reference sheet to explore more expressions.
- Sketch a few expressions with focus on facial features. (5 min)
- Scouts look at how eyebrows, eyes, mouths, and wrinkles shift with each emotion.
- (Optional) Scouts who prefer simpler drawings can sketch emoji-style faces.
- Practice exaggerating expressions to make them more cartoon-like. (5 min)
- Scouts can repeat sketches and try different versions of each emotion.
- Choose a story idea and plan a four-panel comic strip. (2 min)
- Scouts may base their comic on a real-life event.
- Scouts may use a scene from a book or movie they know well.
- Scouts may invent a new story idea and keep it simple.
- Outline a comic strip thinking about what expressions will be used in each panel. (2–5 min)
- Scouts decide how to use expressions to show emotion and action without words.
- Scouts should use simple outlines and sketches for their comic.
- (Optional) Detail It! (15–30 min)
- If they want to do detailed drawings, plan extra to give them enough time to complete their work.
The Badge Archive 