Sketches

I started some preliminary sketches on the weekend for what might eventually become a graphic novel (or, more accurately, graphic story). I've never been particularly strong at cartooning, so my idea of a graphic text is a little less Superman and a little more traditional pen and ink... with some text thrown in for good measure.

I have a few pieces of writing sitting around in draft form and ideally I would like to use one of these as the text inspiration for the images. I'm also brainstorming a second graphic project that would work in the opposite way - drawings first, then text - which would be based on some of my New York photos, but I haven't thought that one out enough yet.


These sketches are based on a poem I've been working on called 'fame lit me up'. I intended the poem to be snappy and humourous, but it has taken a slightly darker turn. Here are the opening lines:

I was born with a thirst for humiliation

I pinned my headshot like a missing dog poster to every post in town.

When it rained, I shivered with self-loathing. In the sunshine, I was exposed as a lonely amateur.

My other weekend creation (with some serious grilling support from T): Chicken Satays with homemade peanut sauce:


It looked so pretty I just had to take a picture.