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!
Pushing The Envelope: What Does It Take To Do That?
What do I really, really love? Halloween! Fairy tales! Every October, as I was growing up, my dad decorated for Halloween with enthusiasm. Coming from a farm background where harvest time holds a nostalgic and small town Sleepy Hollow place in my heart the make-over of Driz was pure pleasure. The re-do of Siz came from that book of fairy tales I read every morning while eating breakfast before school, compliments of my mother making sure we had books in the house. Fairy princess and zombie vampire – so much more interesting! Then I sat down to edit my stories and found that my “new and improved” characters lent themselves to WAY more interesting story lines. A whole new world and definitely more work just opened up!
Art Adventures: Dixon #6
Each year for the last six years I have journeyed with art buddies, Roxane Pfister and Barbara Edwards to Mt. Carmel, Utah for a week’s art retreat at Maynard Dixon’s home site. This year we went for the last week of June. Rox, Barb, and I have wandered in the world of art together since middle school. It is a precious long term friendship that has only deepened over the years. Paul and Susan Bingham, owners of the Dixon site and an accompanying prestigious art gallery have been very generous in providing this art opportunity for us and others. Even as I am writing this I am struck by my good fortune to have dear friends that I can share my passion for art and life experiences with, paint and draw to my heart’s content, adventure in the semi-wilds, laugh a lot, be under the influence of the ghost of Maynard Dixon, and be inspired by the quality art of the Bingham gallery. Following are bits and pieces from the week. This first sketch is of Diana’s throne. Waking up with a full bladder, hunger pangs, and the anxiety of making a living with my art, I climbed the 4 minute hike to an overlook that inspired Maynard Dixon. Sitting on a rock in the early morning quiet, amazed at the enduring magnificence of the landscape, the anxiety took a backseat and I started the day’s “work”.
dilleenmarshwomanartistrenaissance 