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Telling your own story
through comics
With Koyo Do
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Outline
1. Why do I draw comics?
2. How do I approach it?
3. 5 steps to make a comic
4. Let’s draw! (1 hour)
*If an artwork does not have credit, it belongs to
me :)
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Why do I draw
comics?
Comic is just another art form, some
people prefer listening to music,
writing, singing, painting, dancing
because that’s what works for them.
And today, we will figure out if making
comics is something that might work for
you as a creative outlet.
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Reason 1:
Comics invite me to slow down
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@constantbageltherapy
If I don’t take time to make comics, I would
constantly be swept away by other people’s
plans and emotions. Comics allow me to slow
down and connect with myself, and from there -
connect with the world.
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@constantbageltherapy
Making art is very similar to journaling: You
“transfer” the energy from inside of you on
to paper to in a way organize your inner
world, and cleanse it.
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If you can visualize
your emotions, what
does it look like?
Credit: fb.com/StellimicansEyes
It is time to turn your emotions into
something tangible.
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Reason 2:
Comics invite me to process life.
● Notice little things that most people take for granted
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Story of the fridge:
I have always been fascinated by
refrigerators. As a teenager, whenever I
forget what I was doing.. I just instinctively
open the fridge. Whenever I go to my
friend’s house, I’ll be nosey and I want to
know that’s in their fridge. So I started to
explore what the fridge means to me.
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Like that, refrigerators
became a symbol of
love, care, and comfort
for me.
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What has caught
your attention that
you would like to
explore?
Credit: fb.com/StellimicansEyes
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How do I approach it?
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Treat it as a diary
● Whatever you might write down in your diary.
● It does NOT have to be profound.
● It’s for yourself - first and foremost.
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It could be simply about something you felt that day
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Something that happened to you
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Nathan Pyle - Strange Planet
@nathanwpylestrangeplanet
Something strange about humans
that you noticed
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@constantbageltherapy
Or a reflection of your last
week, last year, or a longer
period of time and how you
have changed.
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Koyo’s 5 step guide to
making comics
Everyone has a different approach to making comics and I would like to suggest mine!
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Observe within-
Take 10 minutes in
stillness
Step 1
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Write down your
idea & brainstorm
Step 2
This was my theme for the next comic I
wanted to work on, and it’s such a big
idea that I think it can be and should be
broken down into at least 4 different
comics. But that’s why it’s important to
transfer your thoughts onto paper so
you can organize them.
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Plan your comic
Step 3
● Keep it short: ideally 4 panels, 8
pages max. You could even try and
shoot for 2 or 4 panels.
● You can write down the idea of each
panel: Characters, dialogues, or just
text.
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Sketch things out &
make drafts
Step 4
● Take as much time as you
want here - this
pre-production phase is
actually the most important
because it’s when you
process your story and
emotions.
● There are many comics that
looked like it was made in 5
minutes but the planning
could take days!
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Tips:
Keep your characters simple
Basic shapes: Square, circle, triangle
Don’t worry about making your art
beautiful - because it’s all about the
story and about getting in touch with
yourself and processing life.
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Keep your characters simple
Blobs
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Keep your characters
simple
Or however you want them to look!
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Draw your comic!
Step 5
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There is actually another reason why I make comics...
Invite others to
connect with you:
Open your door.
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Comics help me connect with others.
● Make that comic for yourself and then decide later if you want to share it
with people!
● When you have been true to yourself you will see that many many other
people have experience the same thing you’ve been through, it:
○ Invites deep conversations
○ Informs you that you are not alone
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Happy crafting!
Feel free to share your comics with
me, I would love to see!
Tag me on Instagram @letsgokoyo
Or email me:
[email protected]