Category: Student Posts

I enjoyed making this quadriptych a lot. The composition process was very similar to the triptych, although I feel like this was a bit easier due to the fact that we had more panels to work with. I got this idea because I was thinking a lot about the environment recently as the seasons have been changing. From there, I had an idea about a flower getting watered after being neglected and I decided to make it my topic. I then sketched each panel on an iPad, making sure to have the 2nd and 3rd panel be the same act. For me that was my greatest challenge. I struggled in making it clear that the 2nd and 3rd panel were a part of the same act, but I used the background to hopefully do so. It was definitely different, but I like the way this style of comic feels very similar to how I used to write when I was younger.

I developed the idea and planned out the panels first before I started drawing. This time the idea of an ignorant person getting saved came to pretty fast. I think I could have drawn the car better but it does the job. It’s pretty similar to triptych where I had to tell a clear story with confined space but one more panel make it a bit more flexible. There could be more action in the middle. I created this because it is humorous but also carries a message.

Click here to see my literacy narrative. Writing my literacy narrative was different from writing it as a comic because of how intentional and subtly detailed my comic had to be compared to the written narrative. When drawing out my comic, I had to use the limited time, panels, creativity, and artistic ability that I had to be able to create what I wanted. Because of those limits and restrictions, I had to be much more intentional and pickier with what details I chose to include in my comic versus my actual written narrative. I didn’t have the freedom to merely think of an idea and write it out in a few words – I had to choose things which I could effectively visually illustrate.   That response ties into how I had to think differently once the visual component was added. It made me realize that although the visual spectrum introduces a load of new opportunity and a wider range of creativity, it can also bring in limitations, especially when working informally on your own. Additionally, while prose literature can usually be interpreted in a fairly straightforward and literal manner, the visual spectrum offers much more to consider. You have to think about how every drawing, every word, every detail, and even the blank spaces and gutters. Therefore, you have to be clever but also intentional while considering those additional details as well.  I think that drawing a comic and writing my literacy narrative did have me perceive my story in different ways. In my opinion, drawing out a comic ended up simplifying my story in a beneficial way. I am writing this after it was discussed in class earlier today, but I raised the point that because I had to be more intentional with everything in my comic and the details that I chose to include from my written narrative. Due to this, I actually found that the comic version allowed me to see the written narrative with the same amount of detail, but in a simplified manner. That means the exact same instances, moments, and details, but presented in a minimalized format. When writing prose, I myself have a major problem with filler words and details and spending too much time and words on things that aren’t actually relevant to my story. When discussing both academic and creative writing, being able to concisely but clearly getting your ideas across is a crucial skill in all modes of communication. Looking back on this, I had the idea that next time I have a lot of time to write for a project (whether it be school or a personal thing), I may consider writing it out, then simplifying it into a comic, and then rewriting it based on the comic. In my mind, this way I can easily filter all the filler and keep the important details of my story.   With that, I have ultimately become much more critical of my alphabetical narrative. At first, I might’ve been blind to improvement, but merging the narrative into different literary forms has almost made my narrative show its true colors and flaws, giving me room for improvement within my writing. 

Creating my comic was a three-week process that consisted of many different stages. I first had my literacy narrative. How was I going to get all of this writing into my comic? I had to figure out what needed to be in my comic and what was fluff. This process took me a couple of days and was one of the more difficult parts. This was the part that would make or break my comic. After figuring out what to use in my comic, I had to decide my layout and style of my comic. I decided to go with a simple six-panel comic per page with one large panel taking up an entire page. Doing this would allow me to easily organize my thoughts and break down my comic into different parts. The most important page of my comic is my page that consists of one panel. I decided to make this page that way because it is the most important page and is where I developed a deeper appreciation for reading. By putting this one panel on its separate page, it makes the reader take notice of it. It gives the reader a chance to see something different and gives them time to analyze what I am really trying to convey. After deciding the layout of my comic, I actually had to make it. This was the hardest part, but also the one I found most enjoyable. I was able to be creative with my comic and learn some along the way too. As my comic progressed, my drawings became more sophisticated and, in my opinion, better. I was able to experiment with some of my ideas and create a comic that I am personally proud of. The creation process took me about two weeks, but in the end, the result was unlike anything I thought it would be when I started. After creating my comic, I came up with a title and was finished with my work. To talk more on my page with one panel, I really wanted to illustrate myself encaptured in the book almost as if I was surrounded by the things I was reading. This was fairly difficult for me, however, and would have been much better if I could have hired an illustrator. Doing this process on my own with no preparation or experience, however, gave me the opportunity to learn, fail, and then later succeed. Overall, I found this assignment to be very helpful in terms of my graphic design and my literacy abilities. I was able to pull out the most important parts of my narrative and reduce the fluff that was unneeded. This is a process that I should take with every piece of writing I do. It also improved my ability to draw and express creativity through my writing. It was a lot of trial and error, but as I progressed through my comic, I could see physical evidence of my improvement, and it gave me the confidence I needed to complete my comic. This assignment was pretty difficult for me, but one I am grateful for.

The process of writing “The Overcast Summer” and then converting that piece into a comic showed me a lot about the way I write. I have never made a comic before and have rarely read them, which led me to notice many key differences between writing this piece and drawing it. It seemed that I had a lot of small details that I did not expand on much, making it difficult to convert into comic form. I realized I had to leave some aspects of the written portion out of the comic because they either wouldn’t match the comic’s flow or were unimportant. I believe the comic’s flow is essential to writing. Looking back, I can see how a comic’s flow is similar to an essay’s flow in how all aspects need to be connected. The comic forces the writer to make a more cohesive piece, unlike just using text, because of the visuals. Converting the written portion into a comic improved my visual literacy, as I had to think about how each panel was arranged and the story it would tell. I struggled to find a main thesis or lesson to convey in my written portion, but while drawing the comic, it seemed much easier. I believe this is because I did not have to convert the lesson into words; instead, I could use images. For me, this was a lot easier due to the flow of the comic. When creating my comic, I found myself using many more symbolic images to portray my narrative. These things did not happen in my narrative or real life, but the message they portrayed aligned with my story. For example, in the third panel of my first page, chains are seen breaking on my wrists. This was meant to show how school feels very restrictive to me and the freedom I felt when summer arrived. I also added an image of me lying in bed with my eyes open to reveal a change in myself. It portrays how I knew I was missing out on something because I never tried new things. The last three panels were not part of my narrative, but I added them to reveal the message of the comic. One part of the comic I was very happy with translating from writing to comic form was the scene of me reading Percy Jackson for the first time. I was very descriptive in my narrative, and I thought it was easy for me to create an image of this scene because of the many details I described. Unlike the other unnecessary aspects, the details I chose to add here all flowed like the comic would, which I would like to translate into my writing as a whole. I feel that if I copied the flow of the comic and translated it into my writing, my writing would be much more efficient, cohesive, and would convey a more captivating message overall.

I draw about a fun memory of me sneaking to play video games when my parents thought I was asleep but I was actually not. I found out it to be more changeable to draw a Quadriptych comparing to a Triptych, since one more panel could change a lot of stuff and it gives more space for imaginations. But still, four panels are still a limitation as I was planning on this drawing, because the more panels you could draw, the more ideas you could put in and to show a more detailed informations for your audiences.

This assignment was different from the triptych one since the middle of the story used two panels instead of one. This was more challenging in terms of coming up with a story short enough for four panels but still had a long enough middle to take up two panels. The organization of the story into four panels still felt similar to the triptych since I have to compact and plan certain events based off the panels. I chose to tell this story since it included an aspect of the food chain or the phrase “there’s always a bigger fish in the sea” which I find interesting. It also included the idea of perspective since the orange fish was completely clueless while the pink fish just witnessed everything.

Link to Beyond Z comic Creating my literacy narrative as a comic was a completely different experience than just writing a regular essay, and frankly, it was a bit of an adventurous and challenging journey at the same time. Not only did I have to tell my story with fewer words, but I also had to come up with ways of showing it through visuals – how to depict emotions, characters, and significant events in such a way that it would be understandable without giving too much explanation. I found out very quickly that images can communicate a lot and sometimes even more than words, so I had to be careful in the interchanging of dialogues, narration, and visuals so that the story would be coherent and understandable. In addition, I understood that pacing is also an issue in comics – each frame should smoothly connect with the following one so that the reader can continue the story logically and this made me more aware of the pace of my narrating which I hadn’t before. Little things like characters’ faces, the gutter, and the style of certain words suddenly became very significant for illustrating my development, hardships, and revelations concerning reading and writing. This assignment made me think about my journey as a reader and writer – the things I have learned, places where I have struggled, and how I have pushed myself to become better – which, in fact, are very closely related to the objectives of the class such as analyzing literacy development, linking personal experience to more substantial ideas about reading and writing, and experimenting with different modes of communication. I believed that the use of both pictures and words made my narrative more vibrant, and I gradually started to see the connections between my feelings, the manner in which I express myself, and my comprehension, which I might have overlooked if I were just writing a normal essay. Besides, it compelled me to be deliberate with my words because I could not afford to talk excessively – each word had to be of use which in turn made me consider more how to clarify my thoughts effectively. To sum up, this experience of making a comic not only pushed me to think about storytelling differently, it also challenged me to convert my personal stories into something visual and written simultaneously and it gave me a broader view of literacy beyond the traditional reading and writing perception, that is, literacy is the ability to communicate your thoughts and share your ideas creatively.