The Art of a Graphic Novel
It started with a phone call. A woman’s Hungarian accented voice said, “I have looked at your Instagram account and I like the spirit of your sketches. Would you be interested in doing a graphic novel of my story?” That is the gist of her request somewhere in 2017. Having never done a graphic novel before, but having a background in magazine design, I said, “send me your story and I’ll take a look at it.” When we look back over our lives I’m guessing that you, like I, wonder at the crossroads that send us off into unknown directions–hence, ‘roads less traveled’. After reading her story I said, “yes,” and entered the world of World War II and the Holocaust. Not a pleasant place to be, but I was attracted to the author’s purpose in educating others about the devastating consequences of hate and prejudice. In April of 2023 “Hidden” a true story by Kati Preston and illustrated by Dilleen Marsh was published. In 2024 “Hidden” was selected for The Children’s Book Council’s Best of Lists for Teachers and Librarians. There’s something very satisfying about being part of a ‘good purpose’.
The Process. Where to begin?
DOODLE!!! Actually these little sketches are called thumbnails–because of their size. They range in size from 1 to 1 1/2 inches per page. The small size gave me a useful overview of visual ‘pacing’ in the story. Like a camera zooming in and out, placing small images and large images in an arrangement to keep the reader engaged.
The author, Kati Preston, had some surviving photos to work from.
Thank goodness for the internet! Recreating scenes from World War II, the Holocaust, and Hungary in the 1940s would have required a library of books without it. Searching for specific scenes was made much simpler by asking my search engine detailed questions. I did a lot of printing of photos to draw from. AND I drew resources from my own photos and the generosity of family and friends modeling scenes for me.
Then full-size sketches on tracing paper–making it easier for adjustments along the way. How do you lay all the sketches out to see where you’re going? Paper clip the drawings to window blinds, of course!
Yes, artists can work in unusual spaces. One day my very perceptive husband walked by my sketches and suggested I intersperse the pen and ink drawings with some oil painting. Brilliant! I will always be grateful for his suggestion. The final art-work began. I stretched drawing paper on a drawing board and gessoed the parts that I would be oil painting on. The rest of the surface was left for sketching with Pigma Micron black ink pens. To add color to the pen and ink I used Prismacolor pencils over the ink.
It took about 4 1\2 years to accomplish the 90+ pages of art for the graphic novel, Hidden. The covid-pandemic of late 2019 through mid 2022 gave me plenty of seclusion to finish this work. Consider these two quotes: “I’m, I’m simply saying that life, uh…finds a way,” said Dr. Ian Malcolm in the movie, Jurassic Park. “Life breaks free. Life expands to new territories. Painfully, perhaps even dangerously. But life finds a way,” said Michael Crichton in the book, Jurassic Park. And I found a way to be part of this worthy project!
Eat a live frog first thing in the morning…
1. Impressionist/Realistic Painting: Started this portrait with free-hand drawing with a brush from a photo. Two days in I used a method I had seen a great portrait painter use: traced the photo onto tracing paper, enlarged to the same size as my painting, transferred enlarged tracing onto a clear plastic overlay, gently laid it over the painting to check major inaccuracies. I was thrilled to discover that aside from raising the shoulder and sliding the top of the ear to the right a bit…I had been amazingly accurate with my eye/hand co-ordination. The face’s profile was an exact match! It’s got to be the practice of drawing every day from life!!! Yay!
2. Social Media: Today I will be drawing-from-life my 70th sketch in a row. I am amazed that I have been that consistent. Sometimes the drawing gets done by the stroke of midnight, but it gets done. I have posted each day’s drawing on Instagram and also shared it with my Facebook timeline. Was told about a #inktober project artists were posting to and joined in. Since I was already doing my sketches in ink I fit right in and have met some new artist friends. Finding thematic and interesting things to draw every day has become a game that requires some thinking. My dear husband has gotten into the swing of things…doesn’t object to my disappearing into the studio or out into the wilderness for a while to draw and even will remind me on occasion: “Have you done your sketch for the day?”
3. Concept Painting: Have decided to begin painting characters in the stories I am writing. These paintings fit in the concept/stylized compartment of my art life. I am looking at self-publishing some of my stories. Therefore, art needs to be produced! I love these little characters and it is delightful to explore what they will look like and how they will act in visualization as well as in words. This is a fairy-princess named Siz.
4. Story: It is amazing what you can accomplish, a little bit at a time. This past week, because I am eating that “live frog” first thing, I have made some real progress on two stories: “A Little Sad Love Story” and “Nightmare Roundup”. At this rate I may actually join the ranks of writers, storytellers, and children’s books aficionados within my lifetime!
What!!? “Eat a live frog first thing in the morning and nothing worse will happen to you the rest of the day.” My favorite “bard”, Mark Twain said those words. Why would doing art that I choose to do be like eating a live frog (YEEESH!)? It’s the: getting into the studio, focusing, figuring out the next move, avoiding distractions by starting earlier, etc. that falls into the category of eating a live frog. (Again, YEEESH!) On a Sunday night I declared that I would get up at 7am the next morning, do morning rituals, and be at the work of art by 8am. Sabotaged myself by staying up really late and fell asleep without setting an alarm. At 6:59am Monday morning I spontaneously woke up. Had one minute to decide whether or not to eat that frog. Ate it! Was at work by 8:07am. The preceeding or following is what happened this last week.
dilleenmarshwomanartistrenaissance 