Simple, Wonky Things
Inspired by pretty much all of Jason Novak’s comics, which I love.
You will need:
Brush or chunky pen or marker
Post-It Notes
Paper
A willingness to get weird
Instructions:
You’re going to work fast for this one, with a brush or a chunky pen or marker. Try to draw only one thing per panel, starting with a quick, wonky outline and then adding in the detail you need.
Then, fill the background in black.Tell someone about something you discovered in the narration. Make it up as you go. See where the story takes you, and then, see if you can make it FEEL meaningful. Think “dream logic”, at least until you know where you want things to go.
Work fast and do not judge your drawings. Comics are cumulative, and a few crummy drawings will only add to the immediacy and strangeness of your story.
Example:
Thoughts:
If you are unfamiliar with Jason Novak’s work, you are in for a treat. His book “Ascent”, a collection of stories adapted from radio dramatist Joe Frank, is one of my favourite comics of all time. The drawings Novak’s books are fast and loose and (somehow) perfect. He tends not to worry about detail or consistency with characters, focusing instead on “the idea” or action of each panel.
There are a few artists whose work always makes me want to draw; invariably, artists that make loose and spontaneous looking work. The images are not overly technical (or appear that way) and so feel a bit less intimidating, more friendly and approachable. They just… seem like fun to make. They seem that way because they probably ARE fun to make. I may come to regret this when I lose the last of my technical skills, but the looser my comics get visually, the more
I enjoy making them.
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