Tuesday, 27 February 2018
Wednesday, 21 February 2018
Illustrating 'My Anxiety Handbook'
I’m so thrilled to finally show you this very meaningful project I’ve been working on: 'My Anxiety Handbook'!
Written by psychologists Sue Knowles, Bridie Gallagher, and co-authored with Phoebe McEwen, the book guides young people aged 12-18 through their issues with anxiety in a warm and light-hearted way. I was so thrilled to have been asked to illustrate the book with relatable, character-based spot illustrations - especially as I have suffered from anxiety myself.
The book delves into the psychology behind anxiety, as well as promoting useful self-care steps, a journal section, and lots of really insightful personal experiences with anxiety written by a huge range of people – from young people at school, to England footballers, and, well, me!
It was incredibly nerve-wracking to fully share my experiences with anxiety or the first time, but it was therapeutic to write it all out, contained, and in such a safe and welcoming place as this book. It would definitely have been reassuring to read something like this when I was little, so I hope in sharing my experience I can help someone else.
The illustrations were lovely to draw. I’ve been doing a lot of work for school-aged children and young adults lately, and this book was a great chance to create a set of characters to reflect the fact that anxiety can affect anyone – no matter what they say, what they look like, or how they present themselves.
The spot illustrations were all created using brush and ink linework, with digital shading – keeping them simple, with a focus on relatability - presenting the text in an engaging and illuminating way! I was also asked to create hand-lettering for the journal section in the back, with titles guiding readers to note down their experiences and help unravel and identify the different strands of their anxiety!
It's a really special book, and it was an honour to work on it. If you fancy a copy you can pick it up online , in bookshops like Waterstones, or hopefully, in your local library!
Wednesday, 7 February 2018
Emmeline's Hourly Comic Day 2018
Hourly Comic Day 2018 was last week, and yup, I'd forgotten what a toughie it is from last year (seriously, I had to take a day off afterwards to recuperate!) - but as with so many of the illustration challenges I set myself, it was incredibly rewarding!
Hourly Comic Day challenges creators to post one comic for each hour of their day, in real time, on February 1st. Think of it as a kind of diary comic, an insight into that artist's behind-the-scenes, and if you follow the hashtag #HourlyComicDay, a glimpse into the different lives of creators across the world.
I love it! Sure, you let yourself in for around 16-18 hours of almost constant drawing (or at least being "on it" thinking and preparing the next comic), but it's pretty cathartic to take that time to focus inwards on your life, what you like to draw, and your thought processes. Hey, it's even nice just to be able to look back at what on earth I did on a particular day too!
Last year I collated my Hourly Comic Day strips into a book called 'Drawn Until Dusk', and I've had an incredible response to that through selling it at comic festivals up and down the country, as well as through my Etsy shop. This year I wanted to introduce a bit of colour (yup, I like to make things incrementally harder for myself) and roll with a slightly sketchier, looser style.
This time I was drawing directly on-screen, rather than via a graphics tablet, and my god did my hands thank me for it (you might remember the Wacom-claw panel from last year?). With my new-found portability I actually managed to get out and about to draw the comics this time, and set-up shop in a local café or nestled on my sofa instead of just sticking to my desk.
It's really interesting seeing how the comics turned out, I don't know if other artists do, but I certainly didn't have any kind of plan of what the comics would be like, or even what I'd do on the day content-wise. I kind of like that spontaneity, and that risk that every panel might just be me sat at my computer forced me to get out of the box, and, well, the house, and brought forth new ideas.
A lot of the comics seem to feature odd little moments between me and my partner, or small introspections. I love seeing that what ended up being in the comics is such a reflection on my world and my personality - I guess that makes sense, I was constantly focusing on the small moments I noticed throughout my day. It's been lovely to hear how relatable and honest people have found these.
Trees and nature also seem to feature heavily! I think that's mostly down to the fact I spend so much of my time wandering through nearby parks and forests, and they're definitely one of my favourite things to draw! Okay, yes, trees are pretty easy to draw quickly (and that provided some relief!), but it was great to be able to indulge myself in experimenting with really simple mark making and colour to bring a sense of atmosphere and environment. I'm usually pretty perfectionist, so it was kind of liberating to be forced to let go of that through facing thirteen one-hour deadlines throughout the day!
Thanks so much to everyone who liked, commented, re-posted and sent me messages of support on the day - especially from the other artists taking part (seriously, go and look through the hashtag, there's so many amazing threads!). You can find my full series on the Twitter thread, or on Instagram!
So, today, I'm working a exciting new comic project - so, if you liked what I did in one day, I can't wait to show you this! 💕
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