I usually start with the words when I make comics or illustrated work in general. It helps me clarify the concept, flow, and framework for the finished piece. Last week, I was short on clarity and decided to try to add words to an existing series of panels. The process was meandering, inefficient, and illuminating. Here’s how I did it, and what I learned.
I scanned in the page above, which was an experiment with bright yellow gouache and black Sumi ink. I taped the page into neat little squares and made some blobs with my #8 round brush — first with yellow, then with black. I’ve had this piece sitting around for weeks without a plan. It looked like it could use some words.
I pulled the scanned image into Procreate and started experimenting with handwritten text on my iPad. The brain space I was in immediately showed up on the page. Here’s that version:
I feel torn about this version. While I like some of the concepts, it feels a little disjointed. The first two thirds are a total downer and then at the end I tried to put a positive spin on it all… I guess? I played around with the ending for an unreasonable amount of time before I settled on this version and decided to let it sit for a few days.
On a day when I was feeling a bit better, I decided to start completely fresh on the words. I named this version “Noticing” — here it is one panel at a time:
To me this version feels a lot more cohesive and true to what I wanted to say about searching and finding. Suddenly I’m on a walk and noticing my surroundings instead of mulling over weighty and existential-crisis-inducing things like “purpose” and “what’s the point of all of this?!”
What I think is more valuable than the end product is how the process forced me to pay attention to how I felt. I searched for what I was trying to communicate and eventually found it. I think this might be a worthwhile exercise for anyone looking to do a little internal searching. Here’s a quick breakdown of the process if you want to give it a try:
Tape off a grid of 9 squares.
Blob some paint in those squares (or marker or colored pencil — whatever you have around!). This can be realistic or abstract, but I recommend keeping it simple and loose. Think about leaving a little space for words, or embrace the idea of cutting out paper to put over the top for words later.
Peel off the tape, and scan or photograph the page to add words digitally. Or get out some paper to plan out words to write by hand. Or if you’re feeling really bold, just add those words right on top of what’s there!
Step back and admire your brain on display. Did you discover something about what’s going on in that noggin of yours?
I’m including a blank version of my comic with today’s paid subscriber downloads so you can skip the panel creation step and go right into writing if you’d like! If you do decide to try out this exercise, I would love to see what you create! Please reply with a picture or tag me on Instagram!
Also, a huge thank you to everyone who has placed an order from my store! I really appreciate it! Any orders placed for books and zines will now arrive after the holidays, but print on demand items (t-shirts, tote bags, mugs, etc.) might arrive in time. Be sure to check estimated shipping times while shopping!
Thanks for reading
Thanks for being here! It truly means the world to me to connect with you every week and share the ups and downs of making creative work. In case you missed it, last week I shared some experimental panels while I was in the brain fog of a cold! You can check out that post here.
Paid subscribers, keep scrolling for printable versions of today’s comic, including both text versions and a blank version if you’d like to experiment with adding your own text (or just prefer the aesthetic!).
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