Making Comics

Just to get the record straight, I admit I bought this book to have a look at it before committing myself to actually going through it and doing any of the exercises. I wanted to get a feel for it, and I wanted to see if it inspired me.

I’m one of the people Lynda Barry seems to prefer as students, somebody who doesn’t know how to draw, thinks they never could draw, and would never want anybody to see any of the demented chicken scratchings they produced and dared to call “drawings.”

Her book did light a fire, a little one maybe, but big ones start out as little ones.

Her approach is improvisational — don’t think too much, just draw and don’t stop. Lessons are timed, and part of the object is to draw fast, don’t plan, and show more see what happens.

Even when she gets to building stories, the idea is the same. Draw a frame, then, what happens next? Don’t plan it out. A story that follows a script you thought out ahead of time is boring.

And, above all, don’t worry about whether or not your drawings and your stories are good. Just keep going.

It sounds like fun, but it’s challenging.

By the way, you’ll need a decent amount of supplies — particular types of pens, crayons, particular types of paper, a composition book, a “non-photo blue pencil,” index cards. Might be good to get those together before starting. show less

This is basically a step-by-step guide to the class Barry teaches about making comics. You don't have to be good at drawing, and in fact, Barry has a special fondness for people who think they cannot draw.

I borrowed this book from the library, but there's a lot of information and instructions here, so I ended up buying a copy for myself. Will definitely be re-visiting this for ideas and drawing practice.

A beautiful, wise little book, bursting with life.