"My Writing Process Blog Tour"
Suzie tagged me in this comics writing process blog tour and I'm really happy that she thought of me when she picked other cartoonists to answer these questions as well! Thanks for including me and I'm really gonna miss chillin with ya in baltimore and seeing your band play music! Also really glad we got both of our bands to play at the same show too! :) I really dig her work and her zines are awesome! Her sense of humor is very genuine and it really shows in her comics! Check out her q+a from this tour thing at her blog!
I just got back from touring across the country with my band, Snowcone and I'm in the process of writing a comic about our adventures from the trip! I plan on having the layout of the comic be mini stories of things that happened on the trip in order of what happened. I'll probably include a map in the beginning of all the places we played/stopped/camped at too. Usually when I travel I like to keep a diary highlighting the things we did, allowing me to remember the trip, otherwise it would be a crazy blur by the time I sit down and try to draw comics about it. The stories are going to range from mundane little funny conversations/moments we had, to big events that shifted or helped us continue with our travels. Stay tuned for the zine!
2) How does my work differ from others of its genre?
I guess my comics are different from other illustrators making comics because I don't really have a specific style that I stick with. I struggle with that when making comics because it's hard for me to keep things consistent and I almost always need reference when drawing. I also really like drawing with pencil, and then switching it up with pen and ink wash. Although one thing I do with panels that are somewhat different is that I love drawing border-less panels. I like to allow the background of the drawing to create a square, or more often an abstract shape that separates each drawing. Another thing I like to do is self publish all my comics and make zines! I went to school for printmaking and putting together an edition of a zine and screen printing the cover is almost more exciting for me than drawing the comic! (almost...i still love comixx)
3) Why do I write what I do?
I write about what I know and the experiences I've been through. Sometimes I do editorial comics, which express a topic or issue that interests me, but for the most part I usually write about personal stories and ideas that I have. Although, the last comic I wrote was a fictional story about a group of people that survived an earthquake and come together to rebuild their home by gardening and creating new homes out of the ruins of the destroyed city. Even though the story seems sad, I added some humorous parts to it and I always like to keep things light hearted. I try to write in a way that's relatable to people by expressing human emotions within my comics.
4) How does your writing process work?
It depends on what I'm writing about. I usually do a lot of research first and collect lots of reference photos. Then I storyboard and compile all the images and arrange them into an order that tells the story I'm trying to tell as well as write the dialogue that goes with those images at the same time. Sometimes I don't even storyboard at all and just draw the images and words and then arrange the images into a comic layout on photoshop. I'm trying to do less of that, but it really depends on the type of comic I'm making, whether its a free form loosy goosey comic or if I'm trying to create a narrative.
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Okay, so now I name/tag 3 people who I would like to answer these questions. :) I chose these people because I really dig their work/~style~ and what they do !
1. Cathy G. Johnson (http://cathyboy.tumblr.com/)
2. Leah Wishnia (http://leahwishnia.tumblr.com/)
3. JMKE (http://bemyghoulfriend.tumblr.com)
