This content was published: May 9, 2020. Phone numbers, email addresses, and other information may have changed.

Pandemic Pictorials

Gail Jeidy

I got Lynda Barry’s wonderful book “Making Comics” for Christmas and started following her lessons, drawing with flair pens. Along came the pandemic and I had real world drama to draw on. Drawing comics became a satisfying way to process what was happening. . .

One of my early Pandemic Pictorials was a one-minute scribble at the end of Winter term, while grading, when the uncertainty of everything hit home.

Jeidy 3I’ve drawn a comic every day since and dated them, capturing whatever I was feeling or noticing. Uncertainty. Stress. Overwhelmed. Sunshine! Sadness. Loneliness. Joy. Appreciation. A chuckle…

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Sometimes, drawings come to life late at night, more often around 4:30 a.m. as my sleep schedule has roller-coaster-ed since this all started. I’ve discovered a surprising joy and a grounding practice.

Jeidy 1My dining table with flair pens, composition books, and colored pencils pulls my focus multiple times a day.

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My goal is 90 days of comics, longer if this pandemic continues. In addition to keeping me sane, I’m furthering my skills and working on solidifying a style.

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I think of these as free-drawings like free-writes. I try not to criticize myself and to just keep going.

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Working on lined paper keeps my pen loose.

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At first, I limited my daily comic to visuals only.

Jediy 8In the last month, I’ve allowed myself to add words.

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Gail Jeidy teaches at Cascade and Rock Creek, specializing in scriptwriting, film studies and technical writing.  She’s been teaching at PCC for ten years.