Literacy Comic Reflection

Once the visual component of my literacy narrative was added, I had a clearer direction for my storyline.  I’m definitely going to go back and rewrite or at least revisit my literacy narrative, because the visual helped narrow in on the direction and message I wanted to focus on.

When deciding what to draw in each frame, I focused on either the setting of the scene (i.e. the library) or a line that I could create visually (i.e. “follow in her footsteps”).  I realized after creating the comic that I don’t prefer alphanumeric writing because I find it harder to organize my thoughts and find the words that express what I’m trying to convey to the reader.  I noticed that none of my frames have people actually talking to one another, and I think that’s because I’m not the best at drawing people.  Also, the story is written in the past tense so adding conversations would be switching to present tense, which could be confusing for both me to create and for the reader to read.

One aspect of my comic I tried to portray was how the lamp was bright when my mom was healthy, and then everything went dark after she was gone. I didn’t use words to express that and left it up to the reader to figure out.  I also used less detail as the story went on to symbolize the emptiness in my life without my mom’s presence.  I took up both of the last two frames for dramatic effect and to try and  represent a moment with a greater and significant impact.

Literacy Narrative Reflection

Writing my literacy narrative was one thing, but making a comic out of it was a challenge from a whole other world. When writing my narrative, I did not have to focus as much on the fluidity of an actual narrative, which led to some unnecessary information regarding the narrative to be uselessly scattered throughout. Once I had to put my narrative into a comic, I was forced to rethink everything I had written down in order to properly narrate it and pass it onto a coherent story. Passing it as comics made me realize what parts had to be readjusted, and what parts required more emphasis in order to make it a more effective narrative.

As I developed the comic, I had a clear idea of exactly how I wanted to develop my images in order to portray the story in the way I wanted. However, there was one problem with that: I have no illustration skills whatsoever, so I was limited to the few drawing skills I possessed in order to create the images I had envisioned. Hypothetically speaking, I would have been 100% satisfied with my literacy narrative comic if I had a private illustrator to whom I could explain all my ideas in order to properly place them on paper.

This was a great experience in my opinion, because even though I will not be an illustrator or writer in the future, it made me improve my writing skills and the way I approach narrating anything as a whole, given that this project helped me discover the best ways to display and properly narrate anything.

Literacy Comic Reflection

For the reflection on your literacy comic, I am most interested in you thinking about how it was different to write your literacy narrative as a comic — how did you think differently once the visual component was added?, how did that help you to see the story you were trying to tell in different terms?, was your analytical thinking process any different? How have your thoughts about your alphanumeric literacy narrative changed in the process of transforming it into a comic?

I’d also like you to discuss choices you made in creating your comic and try to explain why you chose the way you did. Especially if there’s something you were really trying to do in your comic which you felt you couldn’t realize as perfectly as you would if you had a lot more time, more resources, or if you could have hired an illustrator to turn your vision into exactly what you wanted. If there are aspects of your comic where you have a clear sense of what you were trying to accomplish and how you would have done so if some things were different, then explain that in your reflection. Doing so allows you to demonstrate that you have the knowledge you need about this sort of writing even if you have not yet developed all the skills necessary to make that knowledge visible in the final artifact you’ve produced.

Literacy Narrative Comic

The process of making this comic was a unique one. Starting with the assignment of writing the text version of the narrative was an essay I had never tried before. Then converting it into a short comic was even more of a challenge. I debated for a while over what to include and how to include it. I finally decided to focus mainly on the part of my narrative that talked about my first comics/graphic novels; it seemed relevant. After trying to sketch a few different character types, I got the idea to draw it in the same style as the first graphic novel: Bone. The odd white figures seem out of place to most people but I think it really added to the tone, for me at least. My first draft had a really confusing panel structure- we had just finished reading Palestine by Joe Sacco and his dense illustration style must have influenced me. I got critiques on it in the group review session but I knew it was coming. I changed the structure to more panels and now I think the comic works much better and reads more fluently.

I really enjoyed doing the assignment because it was fun not only to remember all those days reading comics, but I really liked the cartooning part, especially since I was able to imitate the Bone style.

Literacy Narrative: Comic Reflection

Through the process of creating this comic book, I learned a number of things. First, writing comics is HARD WORK and extremely time-consuming. Unlike an essay, which you can go back and change during the revision stages, changing a panel within your comic means changing the REST of the panels in your comic. This can be a tedious and frustrating process. However, this process helped me learn and acquire a deeper understanding of comics and their subtleties. It definitely allowed me to develop a newfound appreciation for comics and comic book writers. It’s interesting how they have a reputation of being frivolous and juvenile, when they are in fact extremely complex and multi-faceted beneath the surface level. Comics make for a very stimulating reading experience in my opinion, and I hope readers of my comic would say the same!

Literacy Comic Reflection & Drafting Process

When I first was told of this assignment, I immediately knew I wanted to incorporate this aspect. I initially thought I would stay close to the text, but after going over sketching and outlining I decided to take a lighter approach. Unlike the comics we have read for class thus far, I chose to incorporate color. Whenever I think back to my youth, I had always associated comics with superheroes and bright colors, so I wanted to do so in my own comics. One thing I didn’t anticipate in regard to coloring is the sheer amount of time it takes to properly shade in a panel; let alone sketching. All in all the time spent on each panel was a little over an hour. However, there was no burden in completing this assignment. I can honestly admit this was the first time, I have ever felt in any capacity like a true artist. It has been extremely gratifying and has allowed me to garner great respect even for the lowest of craftsman. If nothing else, I have a new found admiration for artists dedication and frequent excellence.

Returning my own experience, I wanted the comic to be lighthearted and imaginative. I wanted to challenge myself by limiting speech to its absolute concision. In doing so, I was required to carefully draw and shade. I chose predominantly primary colors in order to highlight each of the different aspects within the panels. I was somewhat limited in the number of shades I had, but chose the most fitting for each section.

In regard to story structure, I did my best to ensure its simplicity due to the comic’s lack of linguistic expression. I began the story right outside the tour bus, so the reader would understand some background and help guide the time lapse. I then took the story into their seats where the main character would spend the most of his time. The first seated panel depicts a breaking off of a likely previous conversation in order for either individual to read or relax. The next panel focuses in on the main character opening the book and a new world. The large bottom panel then shows the book emanating light as if commencing a magical encounter. The next page begins with a panel showing his imagination bubble emerging, but not with any content yet. The subsequent panel depicts the main character closing his eyes after reading the material, and envisioning people from the story. The large middle section shows the main character transported to the world of the story in a large landscape. After that, the character is nudged awake then told they have arrived in New York.

Literacy Narrative Comic Final Draft

In the process of finalizing my literacy narrative comic I tried to use as much color as possible. I didn’t want to leave white space unless I absolutely had to do so. Because most of my backgrounds were somewhat minimalist, and because I generally like the way that that looks in my art, I decided to fill in with color instead of setting and objects. I identify periods of my life in colors, and so I decided that drawing these kinds of aura/ color-halos around my characters felt like the most emotionally truthful I could be about my own experiences.

Much of my initial draft stayed the same, because I felt like I had spent a good chunk of time on the initial draft, but the process of adding color and inking in lines still ended up adding something substantial to the story, I think. The last panel in this narrative is one of my favorites and I am glad I got to end with it.

Full Final Draft in PDF Format

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