Category: Comics & Writing

I just finished teaching a course at UBC Creative Writing — Introduction to Graphic Narrative. It’s the first time the course has been offered, and my first time teaching a full-term class! Most of the classes in the department are small workshop classes, but this is a lecture class with 45 students. It was a combination of theory and practice — lectures, in-class writing and drawing exercises, assignments that included writing about comics and creating comics. Huge learning curve for me, many moments of wanting to throw up before class, many late nights. And in spite of that (because of that?) I loved it. Loved the earnestness and determination and creativity and excitement of these awesome students. And, by doing massive amounts of research to teach the class, I really improved my own understanding of comics. I am hoping this filters through into my future work…

As a follow-up, with a small group of fellow cartoonists, I am working my way through all the exercises in Ivan Brunetti’s Cartooning: Philosophy and Practice. Very hard, very valuable.

Want to see some of my students’ work? Here you go: http://comicsbycrwr208.blogspot.ca/

Just a tiny drawing. Thinking about death, what else is new? And thinking about how Maureen’s face  changes from panel to panel and the reasons why I would draw this instead of just writing it down.

I am so into drawing cats with my fountain pen…

I did these drawings around November 29, the seventh anniversary of my mother’s death. Click on them to see them bigger (I know you know that but for some reason I say it anyway.) Starting to use a fountain pen (Lamy Safari) which I like a lot.

You can click on these guys to make them bigger.

I love how Nicola wears fancy frocks to comics events, and then decides to tap dance or pull on a winter hat partway through her presentation. Elegant and playful at the same time. Is that a particularly British quality?

Cartoonist and publisher Corinne Pearlman at her fabulous home. I did not find this article about the house until after we returned to Canada.

This is our new friend Katie; we stayed at her place in Newcastle. She is talking about some of the symptoms of M.E.

Katie changed her surname in her 20s. What’s really cool is that then her mother and sister followed suit. I’d never heard of that before.

As you can see, I’ve been experimenting with styles. Neither of these really looks like Katie, but I had fun doing them. And here is Katie’s dog Jodie.

And last of all, a wee angel. I love all the angels who only have heads and wings. They are all over the cathedrals. Maybe I will do some comics about these body-less angels.