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Beth Kathleen Hetland

Assistant Professor

she/her

Contact

Professional Site

Bio

Beth Hetland is a critically acclaimed cartoonist and award-winning educator. Her most recent publication is the graphic novel Tender, published by Fantagraphics in 2024, which is a psychological thriller with elements of body horror. Alongside Tender, her publications include experimental artist books, genre fiction, and collaborative graphic novels. She is the co-founder and co-operator of Green Key Studios, a fabrication studio shared with her long-time collaborator, Kyle O'Connell. Beth earned her BFA at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and her MFA at the Center for Cartoon Studies. 

Awards

2025 Lynd Ward Graphic Novel Prize, 2024 Bram Stoker Nominee, 2024 Harvey Award Book of the Year Nominee, 2024 Broken Frontier Breakout Talent Nominee, 2022 DCASE Grant, Marion Kryczka Excellence in Teaching Award, Part-Time Faculty of the Year.

Publications

Tender (Fantagraphics); Half Asleep (Green Key Studios); Drawing Comics Lab (contributor); Cycles (self-published); Fugue (self-published); Backyard Biology (illustrator); Irene #2 (contributor). Bibliography: Publisher's Weekly; Diabolique Magazine; Voyage Chicago; High-Low Comics; Sixty Inches from Center; Strategist. 

Collections

Ontario College of Art and Design; The Schulz Library; Joan Flasch Artists' Books Collection; Dartmouth Library; University of Chicago Library; Library of Congress.

Courses

Title Department Catalog Term

Description

Artists of all walks of life have made the plunge over the last two decades to create work digitally with a tablet. This skills-based intensive will investigate a wide range of digital drawing techniques, best practices, and formal concerns as they relate to comics specifically utilizing ProCreate and Adobe Illustrator software.
Examples will vary but typically include vertical scroll webcomics, editorial cartoons, caricature, and publication asset design.
Students can expect short technical assignments to make up the majority of this course. Students are expected to provide their own iPad and laptop for this course.

Class Number

1296

Credits

3

Description

This seminar will address professional practices for teaching comics and developing proposals, including graphic novel pitches. Part of the semester we will explore a variety of teaching approaches for various age groups and venues while examining unique challenges for comics in particular. Students can expect to create a wide range of documents aimed at preparing them to teach including but not limited to syllabi, teaching statements, lesson plans, lectures, and assignments. The other part will be focused on researching proposal opportunities including residencies, grants, fellowships, and graphic novel pitches. Students will develop and refine language for applications, collect contacts and submission deadlines, and dissect publishing contracts.

Class Number

2276

Credits

3

Description

Taken every semester, the Graduate Projects courses allow students to focus in private sessions on the development of their work. Students register for 6 hours of Graduate Project credit in each semester of study.

Class Number

1273

Credits

3

Description

Taken every semester, the Graduate Projects courses allow students to focus in private sessions on the development of their work. Students register for 6 hours of Graduate Project credit in each semester of study.

Class Number

2008

Credits

3

Description

Taken every semester, the Graduate Projects courses allow students to focus in private sessions on the development of their work. Students register for 6 hours of Graduate Project credit in each semester of study.

Class Number

1248

Credits

3

Description

Taken every semester, the Graduate Projects courses allow students to focus in private sessions on the development of their work. Students register for 6 hours of Graduate Project credit in each semester of study.

Class Number

1981

Credits

3