Nancy Werlin's Blog, page 72

#105: Spotting a Sociopath, 3

#105: Spotting a Sociopath, 3

#104: Spotting a Sociopath, 2

#104: Spotting a Sociopath, 2

#103: Spotting a Sociopath, 1

#103: Spotting a Sociopath, 1

#102: Pages 10-12 of the hand-drawn version.The process of...

#102: Pages 10-12 of the hand-drawn version.

The process of making a comic is labor-intensive and iterative. First you do sketches and thumbnails, figuring out layout. Then you do pencil sketches until you are satisfied. These pencil sketches must then be traced onto your final boards, and only then can you ink on top of them (and then erase any remaining pencil marks).

Lettering is also done by hand, paying attention to spacing and using a lettering tool to draw lines to work with.

Next time, I will use a much finer line for the speech balloons — bad decision there — and also go smaller on the text size.

I have a lot to learn about proportion, among other things. Many other things! Yet I am happy with this first attempt. 

With the next post, it’s back to Pixton, but know that I’m continuing to work on this. I figure it will take me a year to transition. Even that seems quick. We’ll see. Pixton remains useful for conceiving the episodes in this memoir, and getting those done regularly. 

(P.S. Apologies for bad photos. This is just to give you an idea.)

#101: Pages 6-9 of the hand-drawn version. You would not believe...

#101: Pages 6-9 of the hand-drawn version. You would not believe (or maybe you would) how often I used my eraser. I wore that thing down to the nub. I needed to learn to use a lighter hand with my pencil. Only when you’ve got the underlying pencil sketches right do you 1) trace the final drawing and 2) go over the whole thing with ink.

Figuring out that I could “cheat” by making those long-shots of the two scrawled figures walking in the city was a life-saving moment. 

(P.S. Apologies for bad photos. This is just to give you an idea.)

#100: Pages 1-5 of the hand-drawn version. After much effort, I...

#100: Pages 1-5 of the hand-drawn version. After much effort, I had managed to draw a single view of Frankie’s face, a single view of Nancy’s face, and two of Conrad’s face that I thought were tolerable. (Alison advised us against trying anything with more than three characters, so Kiwi had to go for now.)

Using tracing paper, I replicated the faces again and again, and tried to vary the expressions. Go to a mirror or take a selfie of yourself scowling, or afraid, or interested — watch the positions of your brows and mouth. Look at what your irises are doing.

My husband Jim commented to me, while I worked, that I quickly took to calling the Nancy character “Nancy.” I never said, “me.” What does this mean? Your guess is as good as mine. My guess is that it helps me keep some necessary distance. 

(P.S. Apologies for bad photos. This is just to give you an idea.)

#99: Graphic Memoir Class.Photos from Alison Bechdel’s...

#99: Graphic Memoir Class.

Photos from Alison Bechdel’s class in graphic memoir at the Provincetown Fine Arts Work Center. Summer, 2013.

Top: That’s me in the bottom row, second from left. Alison, of course, is third from left. She is a fabulous teacher. My wonderful classmates are all around. We are clutching our finished projects on the last day.

Bottom: I created a 12-page comic, all hand-drawn, using as source material “The Secret Son” sequence that you just read. I’ll show you the whole thing, quickly, in the next 2-3 posts.Then we’ll move on to another new episode.

This summer is the first time since 7th grade that I’ve hand-drawn comics. It was terrifying and exciting, and I learned this:

In time, I will give up using Pixton and hand-draw my comics.
Not yet. I need a crutch a little longer! Pixton is a good way to make quick drafts.
I am ready to admit, to myself, that this Tumblr is Ground Zero for the rough drafts and sketches of what will become a graphic memoir.
I will be both writer and cartoonist, because that is what I want. I am not interested in another artist helping me. This memoir will be 100% mine. 
I don’t think I can become a good artist, but I think I can learn enough to meet my own needs.
We won’t even speak about learning to write memoir, aka the truth, but let’s note in passing that it’s a different skill from writing fiction. 
All of which means there’s a long road ahead — years. However, I know all about taking small steady steps toward what I want to learn. It took me six years to write my first novel. I am not afraid. I am excited!

Sharing along the way is my strategy to keep going. I remain committed to putting up three posts a week. 

P.S. Am I still writing YA fiction, too? Of course. Always. 

#98: The Secret Son, 15

#98: The Secret Son, 15

#97: The Secret Son, 14

#97: The Secret Son, 14

#96: The Secret Son, 13

#96: The Secret Son, 13