Donna Druchunas Returns For Another SAW Student Interview.

SAW STUDENT: Susan Marks

“I am so excited to be able to share interviews with SAW students with you, so we can learn more about their work and influences and be inspired in our own creative journeys. Today, I’m talking to Susan Marks.

Susan lives in near Sacramento, California with her husband and two rambunctious cats, and “no snow.” A native midwesterner who has lived in snow for enough in her life, she enjoys the dry heat of northern central California. She retired from a 40+ year career in nursing and making comics is her passion and main retirement activity.

You can learn more about Susan’s comics at her websites: zeandzo.com and susanmarksart.com and on Instagram.”

― Donna Druchunas, SAW student & enthusiast

DD: How and when did you get involved with comics?

While learning to draw about 5 years ago, I came upon "Drawing Words, Writing with Comics" by Jessica Abel and Matt Madden. Comics?? What? I hadn't read comics while growing up other than a couple of Archie comics and a few peeks at Mad Magazine, but they didn't grab me. But by 2018 comics were a whole, big universe of possibilities. There were so many styles and genres, I felt like I had found a treasure trove at the library.

DD: What is your all time favorite comic or long-form graphic book or comics series? What do you love about it?

Lore Olympus and Space Boy--these are both long-running comics on Webtoons. I've been reading batches of their new episodes recently. Lore Olympus is a beautifully drawn and well-written romance featuring the Greek gods and goddesses in contemporary times. Space Boy is an all-ages graphic story featuring a young girl, transplanted back from a satellite to Earth, where she meets a strange boy. They both get caught up in the adventure of mining deep space and encountering the Wandering One. Both stories have big ideas and themes and fantastic writing. Dave Kellett's Drive, Snapdragon, and Becoming/Unbecoming are some others that I really enjoyed. Where do I stop?

DD: Tell me about your comics style and what makes it unique.

When I started, I only knew of one style―comics designed for full pages with fixed panels. I chose this as a constraint when I drew Ze and Zo, my first fictional 82-page graphic novel. I'm proud of this but also consider it my "starter-comic.”

Sample page from The Poem: a Ze and Zo adventure

While making that comic, I continued to study how to draw better, the "holy grail" of comics. I think my drawing improved but it got tighter and tighter along the way. I am now consciously trying to draw looser. I'm much happier with both the process and the outcome.

I like sketchy, thin ink lines and watercolor, all done digitally.

DD: Tell me about your creative process. Do you have a specific process for creating comics from idea to finished pages?

My mind is creating ideas for comics all of the time. It's a blessing, it's a curse. I keep a running list of them in a list in Todoist, which I call my "idea freezer." Periodically when I'm between projects I look there and sort them. I've come to think that I have an idea muscle, and a making muscle. Rarely do I actually ever use the ideas from the list. I do think the process keeps the idea-generating machine whirring, and keeps those shiny ideas out of my way so I can work on the one idea I've committed to.

When I start a comic, I draft the idea into some sort of page layout. It's a little writing, a little drawing, a little stirring, more writing, etc. I think, as is often said, that the magic of comic making is in that interplay of words and images. It is magical, and it is slow, and usually I enjoy it.

Some projects go through lots of personal iterations as well as submitting for feedback to a few groups I am in at the SAW community. Asking for and receiving feedback was really difficult for me at first-but I'm growing emotional muscles to gain the value it offers.

Other projects, like the diary comics I'm currently working on are created in a day and do not get feedback from others. They are a great exercise for me in drawing and writing to get to the point a little more quickly.

DD: What tools and supplies or apps do you use and why? I'm on “Team Procreate and iPad.” I've been a maker for decades and my house is filled with all of that, so I didn't want to amass a pile of sketchbooks, etc. Nearly everyone says you must draw with analog materials―but rebelliously I go a different way. I love the portability and tidiness of the iPad.

I've learned a lot specifically for making comics in Donna Druchunas' biweekly Procreate Tips session that she shares with the SAW community.

DD: What projects are you working on now? Include links if you have any parts of this project online that you'd like to share.

In August, the SAW community did a month-long project called SAWgust. I finished up a 12 page memoir about adoption, but also indulged a desire I had to explore diary comics.

I've made one nearly every day for the last 3 months exploring whatever I'm thinking about each day. I'm still in love with this project and I really like reading and writing for the long vertical scroll format.

Page 1 of The Fantasy Life of An Adopted Child

The Little Orange Princess: a fairy tale, page 1

In September this year I applied for Medicare and began publishing my diary comics on Webtoons-this surprising duo of milestones pleases beyond belief.

DD: What projects do you have planned for the future?

I am currently taking “Romance Comics” with Mel Gilman, and next up will be a graphic memoir intensive with Beth Trembley. This is my dance-a love of fiction (which I really want to write) and memoir (which comes a little bit easier for me). I'd like to make one more short fictional story this year. I've drafted 180 pages of a memoir, but honestly do not think I've got the temperament for creating long-form projects. I've been much happier, and I think my work has grown much more, from doing short-form work. It's actually fun for me to think about "What will I make in 2023?”

DD: Where can we see more of your work and/or purchase your comics and books?

Ze and Zo can be read online at zeandzo.com or purchased on my Etsy store.

Loneliless is my Webtoons Diary Comic. I’ve recently started posting my comics on SusanMarksArt.com.

Many of my diary comics are also posted on Instagram.

Tell me about some important teachers, artists, courses, or schools that have influenced your work.

Lynda Barry! I really taught myself how to start comics with her ""Making Comics"" book. I participated in an evening group of students working through the book together and I facilitate a daytime group who are working through Barry's Syllabus book. Her teaching and spirit gave me the courage to begin and to keep going.

My first class was with Jason Brubaker. I took his 12 week Graphic Novel class. It was a great place to start, very traditional in approach to writing, scripting, thumbnailing, etc. And taught me about choosing constraints to keep your project manageable. I chose black and white, 6 panel grid-and I started Ze and Zo.

The community and classes at the Sequential Artist's Workshop have been my main school and comic-family. I took the Graphic Novel Intensive in 2021. great instruction and support for working on a long-form graphic work. I finished Ze and Zo during this program.

In 2022 I had the amazing good fortune to study with 3 of the best instructors I've ever had in my life. This may say as much about what I need and want from an instructor, as it does about them. They are brilliant, I learned so much and my comic-making has transformed. It may also have been ""the right time."" I always heard this as a beginner and then promptly plugged my ears: It takes years to learn how to draw, write and make comics. In my 4th year, I see that this is actually true and I can see the value of putting the time and effort in. Drawing that 180 page draft quickly has given me the confidence to draw and write.

David Lasky: Haiku Comics This really taught me about being very concise (and beautiful). He's an amazingly generous teacher.

Tom Motley: He teaches through SVA and offers really organized content, exposes you to different genres, gives a short weekly assignment and gives very constructive feedback.

A page from Upgrade, an experimental piece from the class with Tom Motley

Beth Trembley: I took her 4 week class on Memoir and it inspired me to very quickly draft 180 pages (very sketchy, very stream of consciousness) that I could use to write a long form memoir, or abstract some sections for shorter pieces."

Thank you, Susan. It’s been great talking with you and having the opportunity to introduce you to the SAW blog readers!