Living Lines
Why I sometimes love my sketchbook drawings more than my "finished" pieces
Hello dear readers! I started typing “can you believe it’s already November,” but then realized two things: 1. I think I might start at least every other newsletter exclaiming how I can’t believe it’s already the month that it is, and 2. It’s not even “already” November. We’re deeply in November! It’s the freaking 23rd! Did you know?! Are you as bewildered as I am?
Today’s newsletter, we’ll be doing a bit of a deep dive into something that’s been on my mind lately.
The Desk
When I say “living lines,” I’m almost positive you know what I mean. Even if you’re not an illustrator or artist, it’s pretty intuitive— some lines just have an energy to them. They feel spontaneous, exciting, charming, wild, confident, playful,— alive. And while I enjoy so many different kinds of work, including illustrations that have intentionally flat and graphic lines, or work that is more painterly and lineless, I keep coming back to this desire to have living lines in my own work.
Here’s an assortment of other people’s work that feature lines I admire/feel moved by:
I think part of that desire comes from experience and age. I’m 35. I self-published my first comic 10 years ago. I’ve gone through the awkward growing pains of wanting to prove that I’m good at drawing, of trying out styles that didn’t quite fit, all that necessary messy stuff. And through that I’ve figured out some of the things that feel the best and most true in my practice. Now I’ve just got to remember them, not let them get covered up with useless stuff like style-envy or trends or counter-intuitive perfectionism, and figure out ways to keep them close. Also, part of getting older for me has really felt circular. It’s been realizing that the core if me is so much of what I was as a child— the things I’m into, the things that feel fun and safe. And like the years inbetween were this necessary but somewhat excruciating game of dress up, trying things on, covering and hiding and uncovering. I want to draw in ways that connect me to that weird little kid, that feel playful, natural, and unselfconscious.
Part of this desire might also be this bit of a cultural turn I’ve been seeing in other people’s work, a straying away from tight lines and perfection, embracing the messy human aspect of their work, as a reaction to ai. Someone I’ve seen talking a lot about this is Tom Frose, an illustrator I’ve been following for a few years now, after taking one of his skillshare classes. He’s been going through a process he’s called “rewilding” his work. It’s been a joy to watch. I’ve seen a few other artists I follow recently mix traditional back into their mostly digital practices (no shade to full digital artists), or incorporate other fresh, unexpected elements. Of course it’s all a balancing act, especially if you’re trying to pay the bills with your art, it makes sense to need to use some time-saving tools (I mean digital tools and style shortcuts, NOT AI), and not everything can be the most beautiful, exciting, authentic piece of work you’ll ever make. But I think making space for that work is so essential, and what I’m really trying to get at.
My sketchbook drawings usually feel the most alive. The stakes are low— my sketchbook is messy. I keep it full of silly drawings and notes to myself— quick doodles of strangers, ideas for comics, goofs to make my friends and partner laugh, often drawn with very accessible mediums, like kids washable markers and my favorite cheap fountain pen. When it comes to something I’m intending to be a more finished piece, I’m often working with nicer materials on better paper, adding this new pressure to not mess up and waste the good materials or my serious work time— it’s really no surprise that something gets lost in translation. In the end, a piece might look more polished, but I’m often left a little unsatisfied.
Some hypothetical solutions to test:
Loose warm up doodles
Tools that feel more like the ones I use in my sketchbook— ex. a fountain or dip pen with a thicker line (since I often need to work bigger in the final) that feels like my usual sketchbook fav.
Significantly looser pencils
Trying to move my hand faster
No reference images allowed during final art
Take more breaks!
Making my workspace feel more causal somehow?
Learn to expect/live with some of the trade off
Let’s see if any of these help! Got any other suggestions? Let me know in the comments.
The Rest
I’ve got a shirt preorder going on right now. It’s for the above design on the left. It’s through raw paw, a local screen printing shop that does this cool thing where they run a shirt preorder, then do printing and fulfillment once that ends. This design is something I drew in my sketchbook that really resonated with people. It’s got like 38.2k likes on instagram and a ton of shares, which is, uh, not normal for one of my posts. (The one before that had 54 likes haha). A lot of commenters requested a t-shirt, so I listened. The proceeds are all being donated to OutYouth. Preorders end 12/7 and extras won’t be made, so if you’re interested you can get one here.
I’m done with shows and big trips for the year! My last one was end of October/beginning of November to Portland & Seattle. In Portland, I was part of Galaxy Gateway at Secret Room. It was a comics reading hosted by some very friendly space aliens, and was such a fun time! Then me and some friends hopped on over to Seattle for Short Run. It continues to be my favorite comic show. I love an excuse to go to the Pacific Northwest and have come to know so many lovely people that live there (and visit to attend the show). What a time! A highlight was coming across a very wild neighborhood Halloween parade. I was so sleepy from the trip and it was so wet and chilly out that I almost didn’t want to leave the warm couch to brave the streets but was so glad we did. More halloween parades, please!!!
Right after that, I had a couple of local events. I was a moderator for two panels at Texas Book Festival. If you’d told me just a couple of years ago that I’d be brave enough to not only be on a panel but MODERATE, I would have laughed in your face. I’ve always had a big public speaking fear that’s been a whole journey to work on. It’s still scary every time but also feels very cool and important. I’m glad they asked me again this year. I also tabled at Lone Star Zine Fest and dedicated half my table to Inky Eyes (the quarterly comic reading event I host at Alienated Majesty). I had some past readers work on the table, and got some help from my partner Chloe and my friend/new cohost Sammy, both of whom had new comics for the event. Now that I’ve found myself with a little bit of local name recognition, it feels good to use some of that attention to celebrate and showcase other cartoonists in my local community. I’m still new to this more organizer-y side of things but it feels good to do. Hoping to do more in the new year!
I finished thumbnailing the second book in the Devilfish Bay series (MG, first volume comes out next year). I’m doing a lot better with this one than the first. A big part of that is being on ADHD meds and having more consistent good workdays. God bless Lexapro!
Something about me is that one of my favorite things is giving gifts. I love taking my time picking out something special. I love when I can tell I did it, that the item made the person feel seen and cared for. The holidays are coming up and usually I start acquiring my xmas gifts early, but money is tight right now and I’m finding myself needing to be very intentional and thrifty. It’s hard— I want to ball out for my loved ones, but I’m trying to see it as a creative challenge. Anti-capitalist xmas, letssgooo. On a more serious note, a lot of unexpected expenses have been coming up, and I’m genuinely scared about health insurance next year (I’ve been able to afford it bc of the marketplace credits, and even then it’s been a stretch). I’ve been taking more shifts at the bookstore. I’m looking for more illustration work, but I think I’m also entering a season of reevaluating the “career” side of things. I wish the world was set up differently. I know so many people who are always busy, making incredible stuff, running around, working at a regular job, working side gigs, and are still just scraping by. Anyway, capitalism is a disease that’s slowly strangling us all. Billionaires are leaches. Etc. I’ve been really lucky and privileged to be able to dedicate so much time to making my lil’ drawings these past few years. Maybe that’ll have to look differently in the future. We’ll see. I’ll be doing it no matter what, whether it’s a trickle or a flood. Hope y’all are doing okay. It’s hard out there.
Other stuff: I’m now in TWO three-person book clubs. I got a new tattoo done by Jose/Whotattoo . I just finished both my tiny travel sketchbook and my regular big one, so expect some sketchbook pages soon.
I’m ready for the winter slow season. No events to prep for, no big trips to go on. Chloe’s in the other room reading. We’re having ramen for dinner tonight. I’ll make some extra soft boiled eggs so I can have one tomorrow on toast. My dog Theodore is snoring under my desk. I’ve got an early shift at the bookstore tomorrow— 7 am, which means I’ll be there two hours before open, and it’ll be nice and quiet. Maybe this week I’ll make some holiday cards, maybe have my first hot cider of the year, and work a little on this personal project I’m dreaming up, and draw with lots of good live lines.
That’s it for today! Take care.
I loved reading this ~ I wish we were in a cozy winter cafe to gush about wiggly lines and be angry at the country's healthcare system. I feel all these things too!