Me? I had the "clever" notion that I could tell a story with artwork only! That way, I reasoned, I wouldn't have to actually write anything. It'd just be all pictures! Of course, when I started, I didn't realize quite how difficult I would make things for myself using that approach!
I don't recall much about the writing process itself. I do remember Dad gave me some pointers on drawing dogs -- I distinctly recall learning about how their hind legs really look. Although I don't have as clear a recollection on this point, I can see faint traces of my original #2 pencil sketches underneath the finished product, so I obviously did preliminary layout work. The story itself was rendered in colored pencil. I believe I tried inking/coloring with markers, but since each piece of art I made was what was actually bound into the book, I couldn't ultimately use them because it bled through the paper.
I also don't specifically recall much about the cover. I know Mrs. Charles was thrilled that I had this clever idea of using a faux fur cutout of the main character, and even moreso when I deliberately did NOT glue his ear down, allowing it flap a little as the reader picked up the book. I'm betting that was Mom or Dad's idea and not mine.
Since I didn't actually write text to accompany the story, most of the storytelling devices I used to relay the "plot" come very directly from comics. The thought balloon motif, speed and motion lines, visible sound effects, probably even the notion of perspective (although I clearly hadn't mastered it at that age)...
It doesn't exactly lay flat, so I can't really scan the pages, but I did take photos to share with you all. Ladies and gentlemen, may I present my very first graphic novel, written and drawn when I was nine years old: The Winning Pup...
2 comments:
A very imaginative way of completing the assignment.
Like many things I've done, I made things more challenging for myself by trying to think of an "easy" solution.
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