30 Days of Comics

For the past few years I’ve spent November making one comic a day. 30 Days of Comics (as I call it) is a time for experimentation, exploring short forms, and a great way to produce work. It has been a productive exercise for me–which is why I keep doing it. In many ways, these months of comic creation were very productive for me not just in output but in allowing me to change my work process and my conceptualization of comics. It was during the 30 Days of Comics 2009 that I started using appropriated text in my work, to go along with the appropriated imagery I started using in my piece for the Abstract Comics anthology.

You can check out some of my results:

Why November? At first it was because I was copying NaNoWriMo (which I did two years in a row many years back), but I’ve also found the seasonal changes of the month to be a conductive background for my work.

Why just 1-2 pages a day? Like many artists I work a full-time job, and sometimes it can be hard to find the time or energy to work on my art. Making a 1 page comic in a day that many days in a row can be tough, but it’s also achievable if you put your mind to it. Maybe someone else would want to do 1 page of a 30 page comic each day, but I like working in the short form, since it allows me to change up what I’m doing without getting too stuck into one mode/style.

Since 2011 I’ve tried to get other artists to join me. There have even been a few other publications (besides mine) that came out of it. Allan Haverholm released his 30 Days of Comics as well as Lots which was drawn in a similar vein during last November. Warren “#drawnwhile” Craghead printed his 30 Days of Comics too. And I know it was a productive (and fun) exercise for people. Simon Moreton has even noted on Twitter that “I wouldn’t be drawing how I am now if it wasn’t for #30days last year.” (I think it’s because of the project that I first saw/read Simon’s work.)

So, for those who are interested in participating this November. The parameters are pretty simple:

Make 1 comic a day for the month of November.

They can be anything you like, any format, any style. Just do it everyday.

We’ve been using #30dayscomics as a hashtag on Twitter and Tumblr (and I guess wherever else you want to post/discuss). Spread the word if you think others would be interested.