A collection of various comics, mostly self-initiated and for pleasure rather than part of an over arching vision. I am interested in stories - of course - but also in observing the little moments that can have impact on everyday life. Engaging with people and having a connection, whether that’s with other people or a sudden moment of clarity myself.
Comics made in 2024 so far.
2024
My fourth year taking part in Hourly Comic Day on `the 4th February. Fancy a glimpse into my daily life? Probably not… But if you do, here it is in all its glory! It was actually an atypical day as I went out for lunch, cooked a whole chicken and didn’t do anything else but draw comics. Not a typical day-in-the-life for me! (Dreamy in many ways though)
The HCD brief is to draw a comic for every hour that you are awake, though getting them all done on the actual day isn’t always possible around other commitments! I drew up to 1pm on the day (7 comics) and from 2pm onwards (8 comics) were all drawn on the afternoon/ evening of 5th Feb.
For real comic / illustration nerds, I estimate (because I logged my time) that to do all the comics took 4 hours 15 to draw, 6 minutes to scan, 2 hours of screen work to get them web ready and then just under 40 minutes to upload and write the copy for them all on social media. So the whole thing took about 7 hours all told. Nice to know!
FEB 2024
A small collection of favourite comics from late 2023, more prevalent after a writing residency on Orkney with the Museum of Loss and Renewal. Around the same time I started working in a disused local building now used as shared artist studios.
AUTUMN 2023
On my first ever residency, I spent a formative week on Orkney with the Museum of Loss and Renewal among a group of writers. I’m not entirely sure what it was that compelled and propelled me there (aside from the generosity of others) but nearing the close of the week I started to create little observational comics. Funnily enough I did create proto-comics about the residency before I went which you can see some of in this blog post.
My own wee stories about little encounters with the other residents of Birsay Bay began to materialise. They take in other residency pals, our interactions and the local landscape and seal population. These scrappy little comics were the first steps into a new way of making work for me. I made the occasional comic before then, but now I want to make them all the time.
SEP 2023
The parallel pen edition. This is my third year of taking part in hourly comic day and I just love it. It’s like having a special day of obligation to drawing. It’s actually often one of the few days in the year that I draw all day from the moment I get to my desk to the end of the evening. Better than that, I draw WHATEVER I WANT.
I got a parallel pen last year; it’s a pen with a nib of two metal plates which allow ink to seep out in a controlled way, giving an almost knifelike edge to draw thick and thin lines, depending on the angle it’s held. I am a total novice with it, but I’m just drawing with it as much as I can between refilling it messily with ink!
It’s so fun to draw what’s happening and to spend time thinking about what I’m doing, but with no clear goal in mind other than to have a drawing to show for each hour of the day. Each year I feel I am a little better than the one before (better at capturing what I see, planning it out and just being efficient at doing it) but also that even over the course of a few hours, I actually improve my technique and storytelling ability. I don’t really make comics much, but I’ve been long inspired by the Kate Beatons and Lucy Knisley’s of this world and I want to learn how to tell stories.
1st Feb 2023
My second attempt at #hourlycomicday! I have been genuinely looking forward to this all year. It’s a day when anything can happen - on paper - and possibilities of connection and learning something new are there for the taking.
These are my efforts from February 2022; a day in the life of Rosemary Cunningham. Like last year, I was at home in my Glasgow flat just doing a ‘normal’ day of work, but mostly concentrating on the comics - they took a wee while as I did a quick pencil draft for each (probably unnecessary in the end). Then I drew them using Derwent Inktense pencils with a little water to give them a bit of depth. That took the longest time - adding the wash and waiting for it to dry in order to add text.
As you can see, the day is incomplete. This is what I managed on the day itself, but I hope to add the remaining 7-8 drawings at a later date. The fireworks really held me back!
Feb 2022
An annual event, #hourlycomicday happens every 1st of February and this year I decided to give it a go. It involves drawing a ‘comic’ - in my case an annotated illustration - of what you are doing for every hour that you’re awake. The idea is that these images are shared on social media throughout the day and other artists can tune in and look at each others work.
I managed 12 individual comics, all showcasing the lockdown life I am currently living in a Glasgow flat with my husband and toddler. I used a 2B pencil to draw the scenes and text and added watercolours to round them out. Each one took 20-25 minutes, but with the addition of scanning and sharing there wasn't much time for anything else!
Read more about the experience in my blog post.
February 2021
