The Secret Language of Comics: Visual Thinking and Writing

Visual note taking is always something I’ve seen on YouTube yet never tried. It seemed as though it required an immense amount of effortless art, which I couldn’t imitate no matter how hard I tried. Also, during class it can be very hard to focus on what’s being taught and doodling only made that task harder.

This assignment was fun because it allowed me to take something mundane and turn it into art. I also enjoyed this activity because it was low-risk. Often times, when attemping to create a grand art piece, it can become very stressful because one pen stroke could ruin everything. However, with visual note taking, I had the freedom to draw anything that came to my mind because it could be used to remember class content. I can honestly say that I will be able to recall all the notes I drew.

Trying to come up with an idea for this Sunday Sketch was a lot harder than I expected. I looked all over my room for inspiration, trying to find small items I could incorporate into my sketch. After failing to find anything, I started looking at what other people submitted in order to get some inspiration. However, I soon found myself just doing variations of what other people did. I realized that I needed to stop looking at what people did and come up with something on my own. After a few more failed ideas, I decided to stop obsessing over the assignment and just go about my day. I was watching football and snacking on some cookies when it hit me. I immediately ran over to my desk and sketched out the image that you see above. The cookie is the top of the umbrella protecting the man from the rain.

Sketch 2: Sunday Sketches

This week’s Sunday Sketch was intimidating. I was traveling this weekend, and I wasn’t sure, after reading the prompt, that I would have creative capacity to conjure an idea for this assignment.  I needed a common object, one that would be accessible from both my house in Nashville and my dorm in Ashbury circle, lest I start workshopping an idea around an item at home only for it not to fit it in my backpack /one carry-on. Looking around my bedroom at the things I knew would come back to Atlanta with me, the idea for the VSCO ballerina came to me.

Like earrings or a choker necklace, scrunchies are accessories I am not often seen without. I knew I must use one if I did not yet know what for. The idea for making a tutu out of a scrunchie came naturally. Dance was a significant part of my life for most of my life. From ages 3 to 14, I trained in classical ballet in Nashville Ballet’s academy. I recently reacquainted myself with dance through taking a jazz class at Emory.

In drawing this week’s Sunday Sketch, I exercised my ballet muscle memory in a way that surprised me: I was able to illustrate a human form – ballet sculpted arms and legs – without reference or stencil. Demonstrating this ability on paper, I realized that my image of the human body contorted with ballet technique is still crystal clear in my mind, left over from hours a day spent in front of mirror-paneled walls wearing tights and a leotard. Drawing this figure – ambiguous and silhouetted – with such ease and assuredness, reminded me that the preteen dancer with dreams of principal roles from I am long distanced is still inside me.