Drawing Together #27 with KC Councilor

The Drawing Together community again gathered on Sunday, June 27. Our host was KC Councilor.

KC is a cartoonist and communication professor at Southern Connecticut State University. Many of his comics are about being a trans and transitioning person in the world. You can see more of his work and get a copy of his 2019 book Between You and Me: Transitional Comics at www.kccouncilor.com. Be sure to check out the terrific video about his work with another former DT host, Lynda Barry.

KC started our time together sharing his comic, “Dear Doctor” (which can also be read here). Then he segued directly into the first part of our multi-staged experience together.

Part one instructions: Take 3 minutes to write down a list of memories that come to mind from the word, INJURY. The term should be broadly considered, and experiences do not necessarily need to be physical.

Part two instructions: Choose one of the memories on your list, ensuring that there was at least one other person with you in that memory. On a piece of paper draw a good-sized frame, at least half of the page, if not all of it. Take 5 minutes to draw the scene you chose, with as much detail as you can remember.

Part three instructions: Choose one of the other people in that memory with you and write a letter to that person. You don’t need to stay in that moment, let the letter take you where it wants to go. Feel free to explore your shared history, thoughts from your life today, etc. Be sure to sign off. Take about 10 minutes, or as long as it takes to bring the letter to a natural close and sign off. Draw a portrait of the person you are writing to if you’d like.

Part four instructions: Last part of the exercise: make another large box on your page, at least half or full-page. Spend 5 minutes drawing a scene from the letter, not the original one from the injury, any other scene that is strong for you.

Homework assignment: Turn the work you’ve just done into a full comic!

If you’d like to share your work from this session, be sure to tag it with #DrawingTogetherGM so we can all see it.

Thanks, KC, for this wonderful series of exercises. Much work to be done.