A monthly comic

While drawing in Italy, I realized that while being able to depict objects and make them look right is important, there is more than that required for comic books; you have to be able to tell a story. I knew this, but I hadn't thought about it.

Actually, it came from something that happened on the flight. I already wrote about it, but for a time I did not think I could put it into words, and yet, it was significant. I wondered if I could draw it.

That didn't seem very likely. Hands are really hard for me, and to show tears rising up around the eyeballs, but not making it past the eyelids, isn't going to convey the right sentiment. However, as I was doing my other sketching during the week, I decided that once a month, I should draw a comic with a story. I had already done the one for the MOOC in May (http://sporkful.blogspot.com/2013/05/badly-drawn-girl-my-first-comic.html), so I just needed to start thinking about June, and then keep it up.

After tossing various idea around, I decided to do a scene from the Family Blood screenplay, where the hikers die. It's short and visceral, and the fact that there are no band members in it takes some pressure off. I did some sketches and practiced drawing, and I kept hating everything.

Finally, on June 30th, I scrapped it and drew a few wordless panels on the life and death of a dandelion, inspired by an odd looking weed in our backyard that I could see from the dinner table. It is also pretty ugly, but I drew it, and I learned in the process.

I did remember to include margins this time. I am rather proud of myself for that. I am thinking that I want to create the panels on the computer, and then draw. If I am printing the sheets out before any drawing, I definitely have margins, so it would help for that. I could use a ruler to do the layout. Actually, I did a few music video storyboards in junior high, so I know I can do that, but it's a pain, and I should probably save the annoying parts for the drawing. Also, doing that on the computer is forcing me to picture the layout more clearly, which I think will be helpful.

A lot of it is just that I need more drawing skill, but building that up will take time. Intellectually I feel it will be valuable to hone my visual storytelling skill at the same time. Emotionally, it keeps me excited. I keep getting all these other ideas.

The June story doesn't look right because the last panel is too static, and dandelions don't really get that droopy, but I wanted to convey the move towards the end. Well, maybe I can do it with Cosmos instead, or leaves, or I could add color, or just try it one more time when I am better at this. Maybe I could do a music video again, or a commercial, but they function as a story. I am going to do the scene I wanted. There are so many possibilities.

And all of that is not even mentioning the one idea I have that is going to be so long and involved that I probably will not even be able to draw it until May for the 1 year anniversary of me drawing monthly comics, where a simple bass-off between friends ends up involving a soul sucking demon, inter and intra dimensional portals, zombies, construction equipment, and Fall Out Boy singer Patrick Stump.

(It's actually better if we have the real bass-off before I draw it and make the participants nervous about possible repercussions. Like we would even do it at a crossroads on the midnight of a lunar eclipse occurring on the winter solstice!)

I suppose the next obvious question is whether I will be posting these. I have actually been able to scan something successfully, but there is still the issue of the links on freepdfhosting only being good for 30 days. I am probably going to need to get set up with Dropbox, and just keep a comic archive there with a link, but we'll see. You're not missing anything awesome yet. Yet!

For now, I did have another drawing session based on a weird conversation, and that is what I successfully scanned. So here's a couple of pink zebracorns.