Jillian Tamaki: Graphic Novel Tools
Added 2021-09-08 18:45:31 +0000 UTC
Jillian Tamaki posted insights on how she chooses which tools she uses throughout the graphic novel-making process. Read the whole thing on Instagram.
I consistently enjoy Tamaki’s work, as I’ve discussed before. I particularly enjoy her children’s book with Julie Fogliano, My Best Friend. I feel like I didn’t hear much about it when it came out, but it is excellent.
As for these process thoughts, just picture me like a hype man, bouncing around, punctuating every line by shouting an echo of her words.
This writeup does lead to a natural question, though: how do I figure out “what’s best for you and the project?”
Well, experience, of course. You just need to try things. I always use pencil on paper to figure out the thumbnails, for reasons similar to Jillian’s. For Bubble, every subsequent step was completed digitally—roughs in Procreate, final art in Photoshop. Why? Because I wanted to experiment, and because I knew digital art would give me a different look (almost for free), one that would distinguish Bubble from my other work. For DD4, I’m back to paper, mostly. Roughs and clean line art are all being done on paper, and I’m enjoying not having to deal with or look at a computer. I still use Photoshop to letter and colour, because—again echoing Jillian’s sentiments—it’s what I’m most comfortable with… which is something I’ve learned over time, with experience.
