#also I know a few of the panels within my collages are out of chronological order but I deleted my screenshots before I could fix them

[vessel-full-of-stories]

By now, I've specified several things regarding characters' major love languages. I know this is late but quick disclaimer: I am not an expert in this by any means. To me, some scenes fall under two or more languages depending on how you view them. But when I see a certain character favoring one language over another, I'm gonna assume they're working with what they're familiar with. Or, at least, what I perceive them as familiar with.

And, side note: Just because I don't assign a certain love language to a character, that doesn't mean they don't occasionally use it to communicate affection towards others. It just means its not one of the more common ways they do it. That they tend to favor another form of love to communicate that.

This post is going to focus on Buck and Eddie, and the love languages they use towards each other.

(This gets long so I'ma put a break in to spare the people who just want to scroll past this.)

Quick review of what I've already covered.

Buck has a complicated relationship with physicality. He tends to not touch others without their consent unless it's in life saving situations. Basically, if there's not a physical reason for him to grab them, he won't. Unless they ask.

This doesn't mean he dislikes being close to people. He loves affection. The lack of closeness he got growing up probably influenced the way he leans in to the people he loves, now, at least while talking to them. All those shoulder bumps? That's Buck leaning in when he talks to Eddie as they walk. And it's not exactly grabbing him, so this might be the fine line Buck draws on letting himself be physically close others.

Eddie, on the other hand, uses physicality freely. He initiates all three of their hugs and Buck clearly enjoys them. He gives a little tap to say 'don't be a creep,' when they catch him staring at Marjan in the Lone Star crossover.

In 4x01, Buck clearly attaches his own harness before going down. No issues. But, when the bus explodes, you can hear Eddie scream Buck's name after he doesn't respond to his initial question. Then, with no explanation, the very next episode (4x02) Eddie clips Buck's harness for him. I'm gonna assume it's because the last call with a harness scared him and he's taking comfort in physically clipping Buck in himself. And Buck lets him.

Another example of him taking comfort from Buck is in 5x01 when they're called to help a man having a heart attack. Yes, one could assume touching his shoulder is just Eddie alerting Buck to his movement so he doesn't bump into him by accident. However, I feel like the writers are so deliberate with character dialogues and choices that they wouldn't purposefully drag focus away from Eddie's inner dialogue for nothing. And he's definitely having an inner dialogue here.

There's a number of things the unconscious man could have triggered in Eddie's mind, but the point is, we know he's been triggered. And he's working through it. When he notices another man experiencing a panic attack, there's a distinct way he touches Buck, a constant contact as he moves around him. It's different from the quick taps the team sometimes give each other to say 'Ok, let's go,' 'Look,' or 'This way.' I think Eddie's hand lingers because the touch comforts him. And we also know he's not just trying to alert Buck to follow him because, if he was, Buck would have followed. He doesn't, Hen does. This touch was just for him.

So, we know Buck enjoys physical affection, and touch can be used for both affection and comfort to Eddie. But what about comforting Buck? Physical comfort doesn't really work on him. So how does Eddie comfort Buck back? He actually figures it out over time.

Let's begin at that iconic first meeting.

Analyzing their first episode through the lens of their love languages, it truly makes sense where things went wrong with their first impressions and how they eventually steered it right.

Buck finds purpose and joy in being a firefighter. He's able to serve both the people of his community and the 118 - his family - through it. He spent most of season 1 securing his space and working with his beloved team, so it's a surprise when Bobby suddenly adds an additional member to their unit.

Right off the back, Buck isn't just listening to his team compare their physical appearances (due to the firefighter calendar competition), but Bobby goes on to talk about Eddie's qualifications and how he fought for him to join the 118. A right Buck almost lost permanently in the pilot of the show because of his own immaturity. To Buck, his entire team is gravitating towards Eddie because he's not like him. He's better. Considering Buck's abandonment issues and lack of therapy at this point, it's obvious why he gets mad. Just look at how straight he's sitting in his seat. He's pressing himself as far away from Eddie as he can.

What doesn't help is that this idea is actually enforced (in Buck's mind) throughout their shift. Buck moves in to save a patient, following Bobby's orders and the protocol he was taught, but Eddie cuts in with his own field experience, telling them there's a more effective way to do it. Bobby agrees and lets Eddie take over, Buck having to literally, physically hand his job over to him.

And it's not just his job being taken, but the love of his family. Buck had to build his relationship with the team over time. He was the naive punk who they warmed up to slowly. But Eddie? He charms them almost immediately. Not only does Eddie correct Buck on proper lighting to get a good photo (one-upping Buck in his love of fact giving), but Chimney seeks Eddie's skills to get a photo shoot done for himself. Right in front of him. Now, Buck's been stewing in his anger all day so of course he says something rude. Not that Chim doesn't forgive him, but Buck is definitely falling into a pit of self sabotage here.

Eddie, on the other hand, is doing everything he can to just fit into the 118. To prove his capability and be a part of a team again. Something he hasn't had since he was in the army, especially after Shannon left and he was more isolated than ever. He doesn't get angry and attack Buck for constantly making things difficult. He's friendly and patient. But he's also petty *affectionate*. So, after his reassurance that he's not a threat, that he and Buck are on the same side, doing the same job, he does throw in that comment of "I've just done it with people shooting at me is all." (I love him.)

And it's completely valid because, to Eddie, Buck seems to be all ego. That Buck is trying to place himself above Eddie because he thinks he's better, not because he's afraid of losing the life he's built. Unsurprisingly, it was more of the same after that. So much so that on the next call, Eddie drops the niceties and asks "What are we measuring here, Buck?" Because he doesn't get it. He doesn't know Buck. And Buck doesn't know Eddie.

Everything changes once Eddie realizes the grenade in the man's leg isn't a practice round, it's live.

Eddie starts to understand Buck's ego isn't what he thought it was by the way he responds to the news. Unlike that first call where they argued over methods of approach, Buck knows he's not the expert here. He has no idea what he's dealing with and listens to everything Eddie says, even asking questions for clarification.

Buck realizes Eddie isn't what he thought he was when he offers to remove the grenade himself, regardless of the risk. Because there is absolutely a risk. This wasn't a job for firefighters or even the bomb squad. They couldn't defuse a grenade. They would have to wait for the military to show up which would take longer than that man had to live. So, Eddie volunteers to do it.

And Buck, who is committed to acts of service, relates to this. He sees that, oh, we are here to do the same thing. Help people. There's not an ounce of malice in the way he says, "I'm in." He's 100% dedicated to helping the man. By the time they're ready to start, they're finally seeing each other for who the other is.

Buck can marvel at Eddie's capabilities and when Buck fumbles with the grenade for a moment, Eddie can recognize his bashfulness at his mistake. They're so impressed with each other, and Eddie is the first to admit it.

And that's where Eddie's other love language, words of affirmation, actually comes into play.

From my understanding, words of affirmation are showing affection or comfort to others by saying personal things that they know will have impact. Verbalizing specific details known about them and communicating in a way that shows they're actively listening.

And, because eye contact is absolutely a form a non-verbal communication, I'm going to include it in this category.

Honestly, the whole show does a great job of pushing meaningful communication and therapy. Every single main character has had their moments to give and receive words of wisdom, comfort, love, frustration, and everything in between. It's embedded into the foundation of the story itself.

So, if everyone uses words to impact others on multiple occasions throughout the seasons, how do I know it's one of their specific love languages? Well, I'd have to sit down and analyze every character in order to know for sure. (Even then, I am a novice.)

In my analysis, words of affirmation are not only a key component for Buck to understand someone's love, but (coincidentally) another major love language for Eddie. And, like physical affection, Eddie truly got to utilize it after getting away from his shitty parents.

I could get into specifics but I'm gonna keep this brief because there's so much else to say. When rehashing many of Eddie's failed acts of service for his family when he was young, he goes on to point out how Ramon verbally tore into him after every incident. When he receives his purple heart, it's not just Eddie's trauma that hollows Ramon's praise. And don't get me started on his f***ing mother. The way she uses the word "hero" against him and tries breaking down any shred of self confidence he has just to keep his child? I can't. Ramon isn't the only one Eddie needed to tell off at the retirement party. Still, I'm grateful for what we got because Eddie got to tell Ramon to his face, "I spent my whole life trying not to be like you." And he wasn't just talking about not looking weak.

Eddie is constantly, verbally telling Chris how much he loves him and he does it while holding him (physical affection) or facing him head on. It's an added emphasis to make sure his love is being conveyed, no matter how he is saying it. And he says it a million different ways.

He assures Chris he's always just a phone call away, that he's safe, that they still have each other. That he misses him and will be home soon. He validates his feelings in tough situations. He tells him how handsome he is when he isn't feeling confident in a suit. He calls him nicknames like kid, buddy, little man, my little Superman, and even Gordon Ramsey when he's making a salad. He doesn't like it when he talks down on himself and corrects him when he wrongly takes blame, like when he heard Eddie and his parents yelling. And he especially struggles when it comes to communicating Chris' limitations with CP. But he finds a way, because, again, he knows first-hand how powerful words can be.

So, Eddie's blend of physicality and words can be shown easily through Christopher. Now, let's look at Buck.

Obviously, there's no examples of Eddie holding Buck as he tells him something important. (Yet. Please?) The closest thing we get are their hugs and those are fairly brief.

He does test physical comfort in the beginning with a simple pat on the back, no words and no eye contact. It could have been Buck's immediate quote of "That's love," that gave Eddie the hint touch doesn't work, words do. Because he doesn't really attempt physical comfort after that.

Not that words always work, of course. Because Buck needs a special kind of assurance to calm him down. He needs words based in facts, or at least strong ideas that can compete with the ones dominating his mind.

The difference between that first confrontation in the gym and their talk after the grenade incident? Eddie's words. His first attempt generalizes everything as 'I am not a threat. We are on the same team.' But Buck absolutely sees him as a threat because he's a potential replacement for him on that team. He tries bringing up Abby to explain off some of his tension, which, yeah, wrong move. Then his jab about being under gunfire only sticks with him as he immediately goes into comparing war zones the second they're alone.

After they save the day, Eddie looks him dead in the eye and compliments his ability to stay calm under pressure. Something personal, a fact just witnessed in the ambulance. He goes on to request his service on future calls, saying "You can have my back any day." Which. Double love language right there. Even the eye contact is different and you could tell how genuine he was being with his words. So, teasing Eddie with, "Or you can have mine," and actually making him laugh? It's no wonder they work in perfect sync by the next call. It's like their feud never happened.

Later, Maddie's been kidnapped and Eddie tries comforting him after he's been chewed out by Athena. He assures him he understands his actions because he has sisters, too. That Doug would have found her regardless if Buck had convinced her to stay in LA or not. Excellent points, but the fact that Maddie is still with Doug at that moment eclipses all of that. No comfort.

After his embolism, nothing Eddie says matters because Buck still lost his purpose. There's little eye contact with Buck hiding under the blankets, distancing himself away from Eddie and his words, and just avoiding them completely when Eddie hits him with, "[Chris] never feels sorry for himself." But at least that last comment get's him thinking.

After the tsunami, Buck is convinced his failure overshadows everything. And I love the way Eddie focuses Buck's gaze to him or Christopher, the boy he saved. As if to say, 'Look, we're both still here.' When Buck turns away, he moves to catch his eyes as soon as they turn back. Because he wants Buck to see how much he means what he's going to say. Instead of telling Buck he didn't fail (which he never would have believed) Eddie admits to his own failures and pushes two major truths onto him. One, that Buck loves Chris enough to never stop trying. And two, (He grabs his shoulder to really keep his attention here.) "There's nobody in this world I trust with my son more than you." Oh, and before he goes, "Thank you for not giving up." Drawing value and appreciation to even his unsuccessful acts. And, wow, that works.

Eddie implements direct eye contact into moments of comfort after this, but he still goes on a bit of a losing streak starting with Red.

Buck is scared his team will drift apart like Red's did. While everyone else keeps repeating that there isn't anything to worry about, Eddie tries bringing up some evidence to prove it. Which backfires when Hen and Chim reveal they don't actually keep in contact with their old teammates. Eddie's left to simply say, "That won't happen to us." Which brings Buck little comfort.

There was the Abby incident where he was at such a loss for words he almost resorted back to physical comfort, ending on a simple "You ok?" Because, seriously, there's so much baggage there and they have more jobs to do. What else was he supposed to say?

The Buckley parents arrive and dropkick Buck into emotional hell. As much as Eddie tries to convince him he has every right to be mad, to have said what he said, that him being unable to save Daniel with his "defective parts" wasn't on him, Buck doesn't believe it because his parents' wouldn't. Then, Eddie finally shifts away from his parents and focuses solely on Buck. In one beautiful moment of "I had to do it."/"I know you did," he's finally back with a win. And he keeps winning.

The emotional agony he knows Buck endured saving his life and waiting for him to wake up? Assure him he's ok with a casual greeting. Just look at that smile. Buck thinks he's expendable and can easily be removed from their lives? Sike. He's been in his will for over a year. And just to prove how much he loves knows him, he knew Buck would never turn it down. For an added touch, he calls him by his first name to emphasize his value goes beyond the Buck they got to know, but the Evan that felt worthless before him.

My god, does Eddie love him. Understand him like no other character on the show. He's able to pinpoint exactly what Buck needs to hear and says it without hesitation.

Buck is the guy who likes to fix things. He's not allowed to just walk away from their family, he's stuck with them. Someone's invalidating his feelings again? He's gonna defend him, but also say it in the form of a joke to make him smile. He's twisting his previous comment into something self-depreciating? Absolutely not. Because being the guy who likes to fix everything comes in handy when he needs help fixing his wall. Thank you for your service.

Of course, Buck loves Eddie just as much. He just shows it differently.

His major love language, acts of service, is found in abundance throughout the show, so let's focus on what he's done for Eddie.

After assuring Eddie multiple times that Christopher is safe after the earthquake and alerting him the second phone services are back, he drives Eddie straight to him so they can be reunited.

For whatever reason, Buck continues this trend and goes with Eddie when his abuela broke her hip. Considering he drove him to Chris' school, drove them around in the episode "Treasure Hunt", and drove him while Eddie stayed on the phone with Charlie in "Suspicion," I'm going to assume Buck is just the one who drives. Plain and simple.

When Eddie has nowhere else to take Chris, Buck gives Bobby a heads up to the situation so that it's all cleared by the time he joins them in the loft. After discussing Eddie's situation with Pepa and Maddie, he introduces Eddie to Carla who helps guide him through the system to get Christopher what he needs.

A small moment I personally appreciate happens on the call where Shannon is struck by a car. Buck and Eddie are so focused on helping the driver, they don't even consider any pedestrians until the driver brings up the woman she hit. And Buck sees her before Eddie does. The shock and pain on his face is because he knows how much this will blindside Eddie. And they can read each other like a book, so Eddie catches on immediately. By then, it's too late. He sees her. Buck doesn't grab him, but he does try to stop him. He gets in front of him and asks him to wait, to take a second to process. But Eddie can't wait, so Buck lets him go.

There's the Christmas party he plans with Athena so Chris and Eddie could be together. (Everyone else, too, but the Diaz boys' sad eyes were definitely key motivators.) They build a skateboard together after he comforts Eddie by not only appealing to his love of baseball but the success of a baseball player with a disability. And, of course, there's the night he's more than ready to dig Eddie out of 30ft of wet earth by hand.

Buck's willing to split a massive fortune with him because he was a little sad they couldn't team up. The entire sniper arc, he's dedicated to helping Eddie, Chris, and his team at any cost, especially at his own life.

He's shown to be willing to physically defend Eddie, to care for Chris while Eddie takes care of himself mentally, to help put the broken pieces of the his life and his wall back together.

And Buck does comfort Eddie verbally, too. I actually pointed out a few above.

Buck comforts himself, his family, and strangers on calls using facts. It's not as prominent or effective as his acts of service. Even his direct eye contact is more used to gauge whether the act is effective or not. Instead, his words are more often a foreshadow or accompaniment to the act itself. But it's still a notable feature of his.

One example got a lot of people confused when it aired. In 5x08, Eddie is distressed at the thought that a little boy and his baby sister were lost to a hospital fire. He asks, "What are we supposed to do with that?" to which Buck say, "We put it away and we save the next one." Some people found this insensitive, harsh, or even uncharacteristic. But, truthfully, it's not. Because what facts are there to comfort him in this case? That they've saved plenty of other lives today? That a fire this big was statistically bound to have casualties? That it's somehow ok that this happened and he shouldn't be sad? There is nothing based in fact that can make this situation better, so Buck steers his mind towards the next one. That is all he can do at this point.

When he truly doesn't have the right words to say, he actually stays silent. This is alluded to in Eddie's confession after his breakdown and his admission that he's unsure if anything they do is even worth it. Both scenes cut before Buck responds, because whatever comes next doesn't progress the story. He hasn't found the right fact yet. And if he doesn't have one, he finds one. He finds Charlie and shows Eddie exactly how much can be done with a second chance.

Another cute example of Buck comforting Eddie is when Eddie's packing for Texas. The domesticity of Buck playing with a dinosaur as they chat. Ugh. Anyways, Eddie's stressing about time and Buck tries to comfort him with, "Your parents will understand." They both realize the error in that statement and he corrects with a, "They should understand." And when Eddie tries to argue his family isn't screwed up? Buck's smile, omfg. It speaks for itself. He also makes sure to brace Eddie for when his dad inevitably get's under his skin, and Eddie tells him he already has a hotel in mind for them to stay if it really comes to that.

Like I said, Buck's words and actions are linked. No other moments demonstrate this quite like when Buck is being ignored. Because how can he gather information to help someone if they won't tell him what's wrong?

The bruises, the tiredness, the anger. The cardiologist, the deflecting, the panic. Asking for honesty and being told to move on. Buck knows when something is wrong. He knows Eddie. And it's not until his breakdown that he gives Buck exactly what he's been asking for.

I actually kinda love the unfiltered honesty we get from Eddie after this. He tells Buck his worst fears, how crappy he feels, how he's worried it might not get better. How he doesn't know whether to believe in their work anymore.

It's an honesty he mainly shares with Buck, considering how he bit his tongue for most of his father's retirement party and then couldn't admit to FOMO with May. He's completely vulnerable for vulnerabilities sake. He's not asking for Buck's help, Buck just does that anyways.

To end on a happy note, I want to bring up the funnest part of their dynamic. Where the two of them meet on equal ground within words of affirmation: teasing.

I explained that words of affirmation includes picking out personal details to sort of showcase how well they know each other. And Eddie and Buck do it flawlessly all while teasing each other, others, and themselves to no end.

It could be pointing out that Buck doesn't know math, that Eddie can't (couldn't) cook, that they were both going through a phase, or just making faces as the other one's ridiculousness. That Eddie loves telenovelas, that it's actually an exoskeleton, Buck, or their dating life is full of weak excuses and invisible girlfriends.

What really pushes that this is Eddie's love language is the way he finds a way to tease Buck as he's comforting him. Especially when he finds the situation absurd.

The whole lawsuit arc? Fake glares him down with a pointed finger and says "Just don't do it again." (Humor that actually switches the hug from comforting to affectionate.)

Maddie's worried about him after a disastrous dinner with his parents? "Can't imagine why," as he proceeds to walk away from Buck nearly kicking over a punching bag.

That near-fatal rescue in Buck Begins? "Showoff."

Chim might never forgive him? Not a chance. "I'm kidding!... Maybe."

Buck removing himself from the team after he finds Ravi is ready to replace him. "Who replaces me?"

And, yes, he knows how to call himself out, too. Especially because Buck is probably the only one who would get the joke. Bobby calling Buck out on his rocky relationship and not knowing what to do when things go wrong? "Yeah, who does that?" (That little look they share after he says it? I love them.)

He incorporates humor into these stressful situations and majority of the time, it does make Buck smile. The fact that his smile is such a goal for Eddie in these moments says so much.

They love each other effortlessly yet purposefully and teasing is such a joyous highlight to show it. I can't wait to see how their relationship evolves from here.

[unproduciblesmackdown]

hey man your comic stuff?? fucking amazing do you have any tips for a novice child artist such as myself

hmm!!! thats a good question if i have any advice at all…i dont really draw things in comic form that often because of how slow i am…its a whole project for me lol

also natch im just an amateur at all of this vs people who like…pay attention to how to do things really well and/or draw comics on a regular schedule &/or get paid for it and all. so seeing this i was immediately trying to think of like, advice ive seen from random professionals on twitter & stuff & i’ve tried to moreso shake it down to the stuff I’M actually doing when i draw a comic. which is a bit tricky because of my small sample size & the fact that i dont have any kind of consistent process or technique unifying all the comic-type stuff i draw

like sometimes its just a few floating sequential drawings and other times is definitely more like, really thinking of it in terms of how i’m going to structure it in Comic Form & use the format to adjust my presentation of whatever idea i have

like i know ppl whose Job (officially or just by their own standards) to do a bunch of comics pages will do a script of scenes to decide what goes on what page and sort dialogue / action into panels & describe how things will look etc…and then do like maybe really rough layout pre-sketches, then the first rough sketch for a page, an optional more cleaned up sketch layer on top of that, and then the final lineart

i sorrrt of do a version of that, in that i am generally sitting on a Comic Idea for a while before i even start getting into the business of thinking through how it’ll actually work. i have to make sure that im “committed” enough to the idea to wanna make more than one drawing for it, and that i think i have at least a vague notion of how i could put it into a comic. sometimes i DO end up just putting the notion into a single drawing or condensing it into like, 2-3 lil floating drawings or w/e. coz a lot of the times the idea starts out really vague, often with one “moment” that serves as the whole inspiration & that i then try to build a scene/sequence around….a lot of the details beyond that can be really vague in my mind, like the setting or dialogue or who’s involved or what happens or the pacing or extra events or etc…basically Everything is real amorphous for a while

so yea step 1 is me having this one idea and trying to decide if building a scene around it would be a better way to present it vs just having one drawing, & if i think i can actually effectively carry it out….which is in reality even less fancy than it sounds…i just sit on an idea for a while & never get around to actually focusing on it / putting down any of the thoughts abt it that im formulating. but the upshot of me putting it off for forever is that i do end up with a kind of mental script / layout for a comic before i start it…..but even the extensiveness / format of these unwritten scripts varies a lot for me

like, a few times when i have made something that’s maybe longer than just one page &/or something ive been mulling over for an extra long amt of time (which tends to be stuff that is starting out w/ heavier than usual ideas) i’ll like, actually write down what happens page by page, even plan out specific panels, maybe even put down a few rough sketches of certain parts. i’ll have the Main Moment which is the idea that started the whole thing in the first place, but what tends to happen is i’ll come up w other moments that i think could lead up to / frame / follow the main moment, and i pretty much just decide how they all fit into one cohesive piece. so what my “rough drafts” look like for these more extensively planned ones—still really not that exhaustive, i only put things to paper when im basically done enough w my ideas to be just about ready to start actually making them—can vary in their actual formats (e.g. simple chronological bullet points of events, a few drawings, a rough sketch of how the whole thing might look), the core of it is basically just me finding a way to nail down how i’m going to arrange the Moments i have and how i’m going to lead one into the other…….like for things with enough pages / panels, i’ll tend to focus on which Moment will end each page &/or each line of panels, then have an idea of which other Moments i’ll need to put on which of those pages, and kinda figure out how to pace things

again that all sounds like maybe i have a real process…..I Do Not

im kinda lucky in that i think i have a decent sense for composition without having to struggle over it too much. so a lot of times i can leave a lot of that up to be felt out as im actually doing the rough lineart for the first time. i also often don’t nail down panel arrangement that carefully & also make it up as i go along a bit, which is probably not something anyone should emulate. someone was saying something about how some certain page layout of like, 3-something-something panel rows looks best, i dont know. i’m guessing, as with all things, nobody can say “always do this / never do that,” but i think staggering odd/even numbers of panels in each row is always a good guess. just makes it easier for them to read more distinctly at least, surely

sometimes i DO think about certain panels when i wanna frame a certain “shot” in a very specific way. but im just kind of doing whatever. i know vague rules like that wide shots / negative space slows down the pace, vs tightly cropped / small panels / packed w a lot of visual info tends to read as a faster pace, more chaotic. i dont quite go too wild about that sort of thing tho, because for me as a reader, a lot of times really tight shots that are like cutting between 5000 different angles rly fast all in a row, sometimes it is absolutely unreadable to me, as in i do not understand the visual info at all. it feels like the equivalent of how action movie editing keeps hanging on to the “incoherency = intensity” vs just me tuning out until the scene is over & missing details b/c i just am not getting anything out of it

thats not much of a factor for me coz i dont really ever do things with extended sequences of movement / action or whatever. i’ll keep things in one place. i’ll like to do smaller, “quicker” panels moreso to like, show simultaneousish details / to extend one moment…..occasionally i do Big Panels for a moment of higher intensity / impact too. btw putting a High Intensity moment in a super tiny panel is always really funny for the contrast of it all. i dont think ive ever done it, but it is

ummm…….also planning where your speech bubbles will go is good. i dont do that enough, but i should. most of the reason i dont have a more proper, organized process to anything i draw is that i just dont have the focus / patience to slow down for More Planning vs just going ahead and drawing it. jokes on me, since some quick vague planning can make it a lot easier on yourself vs just diving in and struggling w something for ages

uhhh also since im not that fantastic or mindful of panel layout? sometimes i’ll make a point of just having uniform rectangle panels of the same size/shape, so i only have to really worry about the layout within the frame. this is mostly good obv for things with not that much shift in pacing throughout it or action or whatever…you lose the advantage of how panel sizes can affect the tone of a shot or something & probably cant get that detailed in ur drawings but that is often Fine By Me

when i do use the uniform rectangle structure though, i kinda have to focus more on each individual panel, vs like, knowing ok, these three moments are going on this page, i have a vague idea of what’ll connect them, just make up the individual panels as you go along. this does mean that i have to kinda think more about what justifies each panel….how its different from the ones before & after it or how i might want it to be similar to “hold” a shot for a beat or w/e or draw focus to a small movement, what’s actually going into each panel, if i can/should condense two panels into one, etc. its still a lot of playing it by ear, i dont have solid rules of how i think i should do it each time

even when i do have a like whole plan for something im drawing i’ll often make more changes as im actually making it. sometimes its deciding something would be more effective, sometimes it’s just “hey this would work too & be easier,” and thats definitely fine. nobody knows the change you made, and Easier isn’t necessarily Worse anyways. convenience is good where you can get it

ive also definitely had specific comic artists formatting/framing styles in mind when i specifically wanted to use that while drawing my own stuff. like the way i’ll draw maybe a kind of horror vibe (more diagonal lines / “fractured” panels than i’d normally use, quick tiny shots of different smaller details, that kinda stuff) is gonna be different from when its a calm & quiet tone. where i dont really get too creative with the panels really & keep them pretty steady

and then that one time i did a largely nonsequential sort of panel collage b/c the marge simpson anime gave me great inspiration for how to combine & present a bunch of vague notions i had floating around all into one page. it was a good accomplishment & thats unsurprising because the inspiration i was using was That Good. thank god we can all benefit from each others good ideas and knowledge & work & all that. it does help to jump on a feeling of “wow what a cool comic i wish i could make something like that.” just go ahead and make something like that…

ummm this is all on the technical side-ish still but i dont really know what to say abt the kind of stuff that makes me wanna draw a comic in the first place vs just putting the idea into a regular single drawing…usually it Is kind of a more nuanced moment that i think would be better presented within some amount of context and buildup and all that. i basically exclusively draw emotions….and sometimes theyre better shown with some amount of action/dialogue, or at least a few different shots or something. i dont know if this area is helpful information or anything anyone would benefit from knowing about, or even if i have anything to say about it…is it all self evident maybe? idk! i do think i communicate emotions best through comics…not that each one is “here is my mood!” or talking about me at all, but i was for example trying to communicate about an abstract emotion, i think i can draw about it better than talk or write about it or anything. i DO sometimes draw more directly from my own specific feelings/experiences for things, but mostly when i think it can be relevant…i cant really do anything all that directly autobiographical, even casual diary comics or whatever. thats what my text posts are for… but i have been interested in how to convert these huge emotional issues that i’ve been v familiar with into a few pages or panels and how to present its impact in the simplest, straightforward ways i can manage…sometimes i think its worked for sure…..i feel like i gave a more Relatable sense to a certain experience by putting it in comic form than any of the times ive discussed it as a personal thing at length via text. like i said i communicate best via comics probably, despite not drawing them all that much coz im too damn slow lmao

speaking of, i’ve kind of been like “what a waste” abt the fact that i dont have like, a proper approach or regular strategy to thinking up comics before i draw them, but i think theres something actually okay to be taken from that lol……just that i know if i got too caught up in trying to plan it all out perfectly before getting into actually drawing it, i’d be making it into a bigger project and slowing myself down even more & i’d risk dropping it partway through or just never getting started at all. so if i have a less than perfect end result, at least i have an end result, and ive finally got that one idea out of my head in some way. and i feel like some of my comics do work out decently enough….a good handful of times ive been surprised w how well some ppl receive them

so i think it is good to just go ahead and dive in. i did that once w an idea i’d been sitting on for like half a year, and i think it turned out good enough. i just knew i could easily spend months and months more turning over all the details, which might make it Better, but would also mean that yknow, i’d never actually get around to making it b/c of feeling like it had to be ideal. so i simplified it a bit, used a uniform panel layout, did little drawings, and just got it drawn out in an afternoon or two. and now at least it exists lol. and ive sort of come back to the same idea in a way…if i feel like it turns out i wanna elaborate on something more, i can just make another pic/comic built on the same theme, who’s gonna care or stop me

i also try to focus on what lines are/aren’t necessary to avoid things being confusing or just pointlessly cluttery….this isnt a big issue b/c i dont often bother w bgs. dont emulate that either lol…….but im not doing any Serious art so its no big deal to me if im not “good” or not progressing as spectacularly as i might. i dont need my drawing abilities to be that amazing here. but bgs still serve a purpose beyond being a “skill” or whatever so im trying to include them more, aka occasionally, at all. still hardly ever. but sometimes you at least need like one halfassed establishing shot yknow. anyways

mmm this has all been kinda vague and i’m trying to think if there’s anything more specific i could/should talk about!! i dont know. i dont have a good perspective on what its like to look at my art while not being me lol & what ppl might think or what stands out to them or whatever. rip

sorry this is so long, i dont really have ppl wanting to know abt my Processes or drawing thoughts or whatever so i’m kinda jumping at the chance to talk about this sort of stuff after having been actually prompted to. but i dont know if i’ve said anything at all!! i dont know if any of it has been helpful

“tldr; i dont really know what im doing, but go ahead and jump into actually making them as opposed to feeling like youre ready / you know the best way to make a page, because nobodys ever ready or can say This Is The Best Possible Version so just go ahead and use whatever process feels like it makes your life easier, while still actually making the damn comic” is my whole thing, i guess

i dunno, if there was some specific thing you wanted to know abt that i didnt talk about / talk about well here, feel free to ask me to specify because i totally will, which is both an invitation and a warning obviously

sorry this is so long everybody…….writing an essay & by the end of it not being sure if ive given any info at all is part of my whole Thing