Making Comics Make Sense

I love comic artists. I have loved them forever and working as a comic artist was one of my dreams. I tried one for today’s reading – and making comics is much more difficult than I guessed – whether you or not you have artistic talent, making comics is hard work.

First off, I formatted the page in the wrong direction. Second off, I have only one facial expression. I am proud that it seems the people are all distinct individuals, and they seem trackable from panel to panel.

I almost didn’t post this because I realize it might not make sense if you haven’t read the book. Then, I thought that’s what I do. I’m not trying to tell you the story, or even give you an overview, what I’m trying to do is make you curious enough that you decide to read the novel. I hope you read A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki, and don’t worry if this panel comic doesn’t make sense to you.

I’d love hear whether you like the inked or watercolor version better.

 

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Just Enough Words

The best writers seem to use just enough words. It’s true, a famous hero of mine has disdain for adverbs, which only makes me read his work with an eye toward adverb usage. He uses just enough.

I try, in these drawings, to include just enough words to make you curious about what other words the authors use to tell the stories. If you’re not going to read the stories, or even if you are, you could use these drawings to launch your own stories by adding and then…and letting your mind run free.

A Cartoon in a Novel

In my heart, I’d love to be a cartoonist. I was so happy to find this line in Ruth Ozeki’s novel A Tale for the Time Being. The funniest thing about this drawing is the light source. In my mind, as I drew it, the light was in the upper right. For some reason, I drew the lamp on the left. Maybe that’s because, in my mind, anything is possible.

 

Some Sumi Ink

During Inktober I had the opportunity to use both sumi ink and Bristol paper for the first times. I’m new at understanding them, and I’m enjoying both of them. Sumi ink gives a full range of shades and, when properly diluted, appears to add an almost sepia quality. Bristol paper is another issue, the jury is still out – one day I love it, the next day I have a problem with it. Today, I had a problem.

The novel is giving me no problems at all. Ozeki has a writing style that is full of suspense while seeming to show all. Because she shows so much, I’ll enjoy drawing the story, because of the suspense I’ll probably read the novel too quickly. There are far worse things than a novel I can’t put down.

An Ending and a Beginning

Whew! Inktober is over. You can see most of my drawings at @onlylace4me on Instagram. As always, Inktober was fun, challenging, and educational. This year I learned how to use ballpoint pens and how to do thumbnail sketches. Come to find out, I excel at thumbnail sketches done in ballpoint pens.

I’ve just finished reading Little by Edward Carey. The story is sweet and awful and horrific and lovely. I read it faster than I wanted to. Here is the final drawing – I thought I was finished drawing yesterday but this one image kept begging to be drawn. A beautiful book. Thank you, Edward Carey, for writing it.

 

The new book I’m reading is A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki. Not at all what I expected, who knows? I’m only on page 37.