beyond attendance cards
First day working with the third new thing I'm teaching myself (along with learning to speak semi-competent Japanese, the and an intelligent, long-term approach to investing (read: not crypto or speculation), as per Benjamin Graham's book – though now I’ve probably opened the comment-field floodgates to sp@m; great) is how to draw or, rather, how to (re)learn how to draw, or rather, how to at least somewhat improve what I'm doing with my will-forever-remain rudimentary Attendance Cards and translate it over to drawing well-enough to convey some of my word-ideas in comics form – first Informality notwithstanding – in interesting ways that feel as one with the words I concoct; the work of Tadao Tsuge, especially, is a major inspiration (as is Jonathan Hickman's debut, THE NIGHTLY NEWS, and Bendis's early Jinxworld comics – TORSO, in particular).
General plan is to do at least a little bit every day. Current texts: Lynda Barry's MAKING COMICS (a return to regular practice, and where I'll start, doing an exercise each day, usually at the start of my second workblock); Ivan Brunetti's CARTOONING: PHILOSOPHY AND PRACTICE; Scott McCloud's MAKING COMICS – though as more of a general reference than anything; and I'm even pulling out my old, battered copy of HOW TO DRAW COMICS THE MARVEL WAY that saw heavy use in my early double digits – though I've little interest in drawing comics the Marvel Way, no matter how much I adore 60-70s Marvel comics.
Suggestions for further horizons broadening welcome.
I've long considered drawing to be the missing piece in my storytelling practice: an increased recognition that the only way some of my work will come to fruition is through drawing, through comics or, rather, comics and text in my own weird hybrids. Maybe I'm finally returning full-circle to the eight-year old who wanted to draw comics with 34 years of mileage behind me?
