This letter will be a memorable one for me and I wanted to use this author commentary to document for myself why that is.
When I write, I’m pretty loose with my process. I don’t have a strict structure that I follow since every project wants to be written in a different way.
While these letters have developed a pattern and structure of their own, I always allow the writing to lead and I just go with the flow. I’ve been writing consistently for eleven years at this point, so I’ve learned to trust the process.
On the other hand, it hasn’t even been two years since I started drawing consistently. And I don’t study drawing as often as I study writing, so I haven’t made as much improvement in my understanding of it as I could have.
This means I tend to follow a fairly strict and rigid drawing process in order to make things.
But while I was working on the thumbnails for this letter, the illustrations decided to break away from my previously created storyboard to create a new story.
This… has never happened before.
I found the drawings wanted to change the story as I was making them, and I decided to trust them, and it created something infinitely more wonderful than what I had originally planned.
I have all the confidence in the world when it comes to writing because I’ve put so much time into it, but I have almost zero confidence when it comes to drawing because I’m still in the beginner-phase.
Yet, for that brief moment, drawing felt the same to me as writing. And I found myself smiling at the end of it all.
I leveled up in my ability. It was magical.
I never want to forget it.
Favorite Panel: This one! Though, if I had the chance, I would change the colors I chose for it. I was really pressed for time when I did the colors for this letter whoops.
P.S. Thank you to everyone who welcomed me back after my long break! I was nervous about returning after being gone for so long, but your messages put me at ease. Thanks a ton 🙂
This week’s letter can be found here
Olivia Forero 