Found Objects #16: Short-form Comics

Trying something new - fiction!

Summer vacation officially began a few weeks ago, and I’ve been putting off house projects and basking in the gorgeous weather. I recently set up my studio and started working on a new comic, surprisingly in fiction! (Well, I’m calling this fiction, even though it’s partly inspired by real life events.)

I don’t normally write fiction, but two summers ago, I wrote a three-page short story in an online creative writing class with the intention of adapting it into a comic. Inspired by Boundless, Jillian Tamaki’s collection of short-form comics, Asterios Polyp, by David Mazzuchelli, and Adrian Tomine’s work, I’ve been wanting to explore some fictional character-driven stories of my own. These cartoonists often create narratives with strong metaphors that focus on character arcs and relationships, more than flashy, action-packed plots. They all have distinct visual styles that complement their writing.

My current story, “Apartment by the Sea,” is a 20-page character-driven story about two college friends in their early 30s, both feeling somewhat lost in their lives, reuniting after several years of not seeing each other. 

I tend to follow a different process for each comic that I work on, and I’ve been completely immersed in this one. Because I have such a strong vision for this project, I’ve skipped some steps that I normally take. I haven’t done much sketching or visual research — mainly because this is contemporary fiction and doesn’t require historical accuracy. I decided not to sketch on separate paper and trace over on a light table, and I haven’t done much media exploration.

Instead, I began by adapting the prose to a comics script, sketching some character designs, and thumbnailing loose layouts.

Before I sketch anything, I always envision the composition of my spreads. These sketches work like maps, even though I’m the only one who can understand them.

Afterwards, I began working directly on 100 lb. 9”x12” pages. I pencil each panel lightly, outline with a cool gray colored pencil, and add color with a limited palette of colored pencils. Colored pencils are hard on my wrist, but I love the texture and the way they blend.

Loose, light sketches. I’ve been trying to use less photo references and stylize my characters’ gestures and facial expressions.

Outlining with a 90% cool gray colored pencil — I have a feeling that I will need several of these for this project!

Adding color with a limited palette.

Now that I have a larger studio space (and am no longer living out of a suitcase), I am working with traditional materials more often than digital media. When I work digitally, I can’t help but erase my lines until they are “perfect.” After awhile, this really stresses me out! With traditional media, I work slowly and methodically, and I am forced to problem-solve (or live with) mistakes on the page.

Here are the first two final pages of the story. 18 more pages to go, plus a cover, back cover, and end pages.

This story will be printed as the May/June 2024 issue of my zine subscription. I plan to finish this by the end of the month and send it to my subscribers soon after. If you want one, please sign up for a paid subscription before the end of June!

Thanks for reading!