In which our hero sets the scene

August 30, 2016

Something I've never been good at is drawing backgrounds. I've barely started trying to apply the Eddie Campbell rule to my comics (you must show a character's feet at least once per page), let alone drawing elaborate crowd scenes or detailed mystical world building. Not because I don't want to (I can imagine in my head exactly what I want things to look like), more because I lack the technical skill to draw it.

But as I've drawn and read more comics I've realised that the panels I'm really happy with and the artists I really like have something in common: they gots backgrounds.

So going into making my first full-length graphic novel, I wanted people to get a feel of the area I grew up in and the type of people my family are; I wanted the reader to be able to fall into the world of the book; and most of all I wanted it to feel Australian.

I don't have a lot of confidence in scene setting and one of the main questions I brought to my mentor, Pat Grant, was how to help the reader feel like they are in the same world as you. Pat took me on a tour of his hood and we took turns drawing a scene from the area. It turned out like this:

We still have the final colouring to do. The little bit of colours that have been done were by Pat.

When I got home from visiting Pat, fired up with a new mission to capture my childhood neighbourhood, I walked around the main suburbs where I spent my time as a kid and a teen taking photos and feeling a touch nostalgic.

I got myself into the studio and came up with a variety of scenes that I feel sum up the places I visited, walked past and loved. Here are the scenes that have made it into my thumbnail draft of the book so far.

I also realised that I could use these scene-setting breaks in the story to expand the main characters in the book too. I could show not only snippets of toys and bedrooms but also items that describe different people's takes on the same issue.

And Dad is a techno-lover from way back.

I also used this as a chance to try to replicate a few family photos - we have quite a few as dad got on board the digital camera train early on and we are pretty much a family of visual learners.

Now that I've set the scene, I think I'd better show off some of these thumbnails I've been working on!

I'll talk about my writing/drawing process and where I'm at with the script in the next blog post.

My time in the Gong

August 28, 2016

In June I went to Wollongong for the first time. I travelled by myself (which is very nerve-wracking for me) and managed to get safely to Thirroul (near Wollongong, NSW). I was visiting my mentor Pat Grant. For two whole weeks we would be hanging out, talking about my graphic novel and pulling apart my script. I was thrilled and terrified all at once (a fairly normal feeling for me).

I kept a comics journal of my time there, which I've included a few pages from in this blog (the pictures in blue).

We spent the first week in Pat's studio, chatting about comics and life. I felt overwhelmed and like I would never know how to answer his questions. I assumed I would sit in mute silence for the whole two weeks.

Luckily, I loosened up after the first week and we got quite of a lot script rewriting and pulling apart done.

Pat asked me lots of questions, some easy and some hard. Not just about comics but life in general too (work, kids, Owen). I think my brain is still trying to process some of them.

One of the best things I got out of the trip was the insight into how Pat pulls apart a script and turns written words and thoughts into a comics page. Having never written anything longer than about 38 pages (and that was a comic journal and doesn't really count as a planned out script), I was dubious about whether or not I could actually write something long-form. I didn't know where to start, let alone what process to take. So Pat taught me how he does his thumbnails and the first week all I did was drink turmeric lattes and draw thumbnails.

Pat's thumbnailing technique really helped me and I was hooked after translating the first couple of scenes from the rough script into rough illustrated panels. By the end of the first week I had a complete script and thumbnails to take home and draw up into a rough draft manuscript (more on that in a later post).

I had a couple of day trips to Sydney where I spent too much money on bubble tea and a new backpack. I found the most amazing book store, Kinokuniya - their comic section alone could rival some comic stores I've been to.

I also got to visit a wicked offset press printer that one of my hosts from my host family helps to run. It was pretty neat. You should look up the stuff they do.

In the second week Pat wanted to do some more drawing type skills (which I was totally keen for as I think that a few of my weak points are watercolouring and scene illustrations). So one night Pat came over to where I was staying, bearing hot soup and a bunch of watercolour paints. We each drew a colour-in page for the other and then, working with a limited palette, coloured the other person's illustrations. It was super fun and for me it's the best way to learn: have someone right there telling me what they do and explaining how I could do it too. Also physically colouring at the same time helped. I can't learn something by reading the theory. It doesn't sink into my brain until I do it with my hands.

For those who don't know, Pat is a radical someone in the Australian comics field that I've looked up to since I first read his book Blue several years ago. Having the chance to work with him on one of my projects and learn the tricks of the trade is one of those dream-come-true moments. So when Pat suggested that we do a little drawing project while I was hanging out in the Gong, I tried to hide my pure excitement.

The idea was that we would both walk around the neighbourhood together for a day and draw scenes of the area.

We would take turns in picking a place to draw and alternate who drew each panel. It was awesome. I particularly liked this as I've always wanted to be better at drawing scenery and backgrounds. In particular I've wanted to make my comics look Australian.

This walk and draw inspired me to go out and draw in the real world and not just stay at my desk trying to remember what places looked like.

On the whole, the trip was great! Which I knew it would be once I stopped being my normal Nervous Nelly self. It was pretty exciting to think that over the two weeks I'd learnt some tips on watercolours, scenery, and making things Australian. I started to think about lots of things I normally wouldn't and learnt new ways to think critically about my own work. And I wrote a third of my book and I was pretty happy with it.

Unfortunately, as often happens, I got sick on the last day and boy was that plane ride home the worst. Although, even the airport had a great message of encouragement for me.

I know I have a long way to go but it feels so much more achievable now. I have a process that I enjoy and that works and now all I have to do is do it.

If you want to read more about my travels in The Gong you can buy physical copies of my journal comic at my Etsy store here.

That's it for this post but in the next couple of posts I'll pull apart how I've been working this past month on my first draft manuscript. Eeep!

ADL --> MEL

July 13, 2016

This week I thought I'd share my most recent zine which I launched in June as part of a zine pack with Adelaide zinestars Rebecca Sheedy and Simon Gray.

We all went to the Festival of the photocopier this year (I also tied this visit to Melbourne with my first visit to my mentor Mandy Ord) and all wrote zines about the trip.

If you like the comic and wish you had your very own copy, don't worry, you can! You can Find copies on my Etsy store here.

I'm working hard on getting my readable thumbnails finished by the end of this month. (Hopefully) I'll post some soon so you guys can see what I've been doing while locked away in the studio.

In which our hero meets her mentor for the the first time

March 1, 2016

So when I went over to Melbourne for the Festival of the Photocopier, I also got to squeeze in a visit to Mandy Ord, who is one of mentors for Oh Brother. As you can tell from the above picture, I was super nervous.

I met her briefly at the Festival of the Photocopier. I was super nervous and don't remember what I said at all. I was overwhelmed by the hugh amount of people at the FoTP Zine Fair (over 150 stalls). There were so many people that I couldn't focus and it felt like nothing I said had any substance. She gave me a copy of her new comic 'Trains'. Well, actually, she traded it with one of my journal comics. I think I got the better deal tbh but I love trading comics. I feel like a trading card kid (I always wanted to be one but ended up just keeping all the cards because I like the pictures).

Luckily the day after the zine fair, Mandy was free for more chats. So I hopped on a train with my copy of Trains in hand ready for round two where hopefully I'll have more interesting things to say. It was strange reading Trains (which is about Mandy trips down various Melbourne Train lines, summed up in a neat four panels) as I was travelling on the line that is commonly mentioned in the book. I think it was meta but I'm not quite sure.

Once I was at Mandy's place, I slowly calmed down and stopped sweating like crazy (I sweat a lot when I'm hot, grumpy, embarrassed, tired, nervous, living). It helped that she had an adorable dog. I've been craving a puppy to dog but apartment living / not being able to give the dog the love time it needs is problem. Until I can have my own, I guess I will just be one of those people that hangs out at dog parks, without a dog of their own.

ANYWAY - we started to talk about comics and Mandy showed me around her studio, telling about her way of working and how it's change and people she's been inspired by. It was great! I'm so excited that she is going to be my mentor. We will be sending each other post surprises, including a shared sketchbook. I'll draw something in the book and then post it to Mandy, then she will add her entry and post it back to me and so on and so forth.

Nothing beats face to face time with someone, as much as I love letters/letter writing, and I hope that I can catch up with her soon when I have a script or some thumbnails to work through with her.

This is a super text heavy blog, so I might leave it there for now.

Have an excellent week.

Packed for Success or #FoTP

February 27, 2016

Travelling hasn't always been my thing. Not against it by any means, I'm just more of a home-body. ANYWAY, as of last year me and the wonderful zinester Rebecca Sheedy (but I call her Bec) have kind of made this pilgrimage to The Festival of the Photocopier (FoTP) to meet zine nerds and sell our zines together. We are both quite terrible at peddling our personal wares and usually end up pedalling each other instead.

So we made out way over to Melbourne for our zine heaven. We left Thursday evening for 5 days of no stop zine launches, bubble teas and trip to Daiso (the $2.80 shop - everything is literally $2.80). Know that I would be bring home a lot of zines (and tbh a truckload of adorable cheap stationary from Daiso), I knew I needed to pack smart. I only had carry-on so I planned my attack.

February the 14th (a.k.a Valentines day) was a super exciting day for zinesters everywhere for it was the date of THE FESTIVAL OF THE PHOTOCOPIER ZINE FAIR! My personal highlight of the FoTP as I love zines and being able to get new zines, make pals and meet the zine creators who I'm crushing on. Of course often I'm too scared to say anything to them but this year I did lot better than last year.

Look at all my pretty new zines! I got quite a haul from the over 150 stall holders.

Bec and Soph's feet at an exhibition all three of us were in.

The view of the city from Northcote was stun-tac-ular!

We got to travel on mostly trains while we were in Melbs - which is great I far enjoy the energy of a train ride to that of tram or a bus. The comfort that it's on tracks and will stop at every stop.

Sellin' my wares to the good folks of Melbourne Town.

My attempt at keeping a diary during the trip. Highly unsuccessful. I did keep dot point notes however.

Adelaide zinesters represent! Simon Gray and Rebecca Sheedy lookin' adorable.

We spent a good amount of time at the train station.

I had a grand ole time in Melbourne and some how managed to get home not over the weight limit (planned packing ftw). Makin' new pals and seein' old ones. I even got to meet Mandy Ord (one of my mentors for Oh Brother) for the first time and I don't think I made (too much of) a fool of myself. But I'll tell you about meeting Mandy in another post!

As for now, be happy, drink tea and as always..

Stay Excellent,