Making Myself Into a Comics Character

So, I'm working on a graphic memoir.  And one of the first things I needed to think about (and which I am still working out!) is how I'm going to depict myself.

That's a little weird. 

I need to really think about it, so I depict myself consistently.  Like, how many hair spikes?

And since this memoir involves a significant amount of running (well, at least, one part of it does), i decided I should practice drawing that.  Myself doing it, that is.

Below is just one page of my many practice sheets.  Trying to get the images into my hand's memory.

I am copying these running poses from a wonderful book by Preston Blair, which you can learn more about here.

More work with Background and Collage

Here is another example of a prepared background I made in a journal as part of a wonderful course I took with Roz Stendahl, and some collaging and journaling work I did over the background.

This background came as the result first of a light ochre-colored wash, then later layers of blue and brown.  You can see texture lines in those colors--the "dots" would be created by spritzing the ink while it was still wet.  The lines (on the left in the blue) were created by dragging a silicone texturizer through the wet ink.

Once it thoroughly dried, I added the journaling and the selfie.  I posted this selfie a few weeks ago as one I sketched on a day I took my mother to the hospital for some out-patient surgery.  I simply printed it and collaged this copy in.

The journaling was inspired by a book I'm reading about cultural context:  what are some basic facts about the "character" of the place where you live, and how does it feel to live there much of the time?  How do these things go together?   It's something I'm interested to explore across many pages of this journal!

I don't ever do much with collage, but I really like this notion of working with my own art from other sources to create new pages.  I want to explore more of that.  And the texturing tips I have learned from Roz!  So much fun.  (Messy, but fun!)

A Day at the Hospital

Last spring my mom had some out patient surgery, and I went along to take her to the hospital, bring her home, and stay with her for a day afterward.  Everything went very smoothly.

It was up early, then hours of waiting.  So, of course, I brought along my sketching stuff.

I was working in a Midori Traveler's notebook (thus the unusual paper size), in an insert book I had made out of Strathmore mixed media 500 paper.

I had fun doing a variety of subjects, though you'll see I dropped the color as the day wore on.  I think I was just too darned tired!

St. John USVI Sketchbook Part 10

This trip back to our favorite Haulover Bay led to some of the best people watching of the entire vacation.  The man floating in front of the bar was the best.

St. John USVI Sketchbook Part 06

A trip to Maho Bay.   We were a little surprised, again, at how crowded St. John has gotten since our last visit.

Me and The Dogs, a la Scheinberger

Felix Scheinberger is one of my most favorite sketchbook artists.  His book, Urban Watercolor Sketching, lives on my bedside table and goes with me on almost all of my vacations.  I use his work as constant inspiration to loosen up my own line, and capture what I see and how I see it.

I struggle with this, the loosening up part.

Anyhow, here are some loose scribbles I made of myself and my dogs recently.

While on one hand none of us looks much like these scribbles, on the other hand, these scribbles do sort of capture something very true.  Me, out in the snow in my old orange puff coat and bright fuchsia hat, staying out in the wonderful cold until my nose and cheeks turn bright red.  Nik, in his favorite "lounge and listen" position.  Nora, lying there, not really relaxed, but ready to spring up at a moment's notice to do whatever thing happens next.

Each of these took me only a few minutes to capture.

This is what I want to learn to do more of--quickly rendered scribbles that capture something authentic about the subject and about how I see the world.  Little sketches that fit into the tiny chunks of time during a busy life. 

Scheinberger will be teaching a week in my current Sketchbook Skool klass very soon!  I am sure looking forward to that!

I do think that my nearly two years of carefully observed subjects and sketches have helped my quick, loose scribbles be more descriptive of the subjects.  So I will keep doing both as I move into this new year:  pay attention and capture as closely as possible.  Render detail, and lots of it.  And balance that with more of these quick, loose pieces.  Let each influence the other!

Scribbling with Video

This month and next, I'm lucky enough to be receiving training in digital storytelling--a new way for a storyteller and visual artist like me to create!  I am quite excited.

To prepare myself, I've done a little learning with iMovie (I know, I know, everyone under thirty can use iMovie by instinct, but I'm older than that and had to learn).  And I've made a few super short films to practice.

Not long ago I participated in a virtual sketchcrawl with Urban Sketchers Midwest, and I took along my trust iPhone to capture some photographic images--as well as some sketched images--which I might use in a short film about the outing.

I'm happy to share the result here--only my second iMovie project!  I think it tells a bit of a story...

As I mentioned, the possibilities opened up by my learning how to work in short short films thrill me!  I found during the morning that in addition to paying attention and really seeing the surroundings and the people there because I searched for something to draw, I looked and saw in a different way as I considered what could provide good elements and variety in a video presentation.  The two different art forms fed each other that morning.

I look forward to making more videos of anything, especially of people creating! Guess I'd better find out more about working with YouTube and Vimeo.

Warming up with Fast Blind Contour Selfies

Credit for this idea goes to the artist lapin, who shared it on a Q and Art video about warming up which you can check out here.

He recommends warming up by quickly scribbling blind contour drawings of people.  Less than a minute or so on each, and you do it without looking at the paper.

Of course, what results is often a mess in terms of looking like the person!  It can be hard to place the mouth in relation to the nose when you can't look at the paper.

But blind contour drawings help train your eyes to see and your hand to follow.  The process is good for your skills at paying attention.

Plus, sometimes the resulting wonky drawings have a vibrancy and charm all their own.

Today, when I had a few spare moments before I had to leave for an appointment, I did four blind contour selfies--all four in under two minutes.  Here they are:

None of them looks like me.

They all look like me.

Super fun.  Super quick.  An interesting way to look at yourself and others.  I can't wait to give it a try out in a public place later this week.

I also think this will be fun to try with other members of the family.  Imagine how closely--and sweetly--you will have to look at each other to draw each other in this way.  What wonderful things, other than the drawings, might result?