Socially Distant represents some of the ambitious works developed during the Pandemic by students of the Sequential Artists Workshop (SAW) from September 2020 to July 2021. Inside, you’ll find words, lines, pictures, and the like mixed to tell stories, whether fictional or not, of masks; of new habits; of loneliness; of comfort; of boredom; of rumors; of relief; of survival; of keeping on. It brings together the far reaching work of 27 different artists from around the United States and beyond.

In the last few weeks, SAW student Donna Druchunas began hosting tutorial videos for Procreate in SAW’s main online community! Read on to see more!

Some wise words from SAW Instructor, Jess Ruliffson, on just MAKING THE WORK and not worrying about the rest. Read on to see what she means.

This week, we’re sharing some words, thoughts, and work from SAW student, Jeff Eggleston, as he posted in the SAW Online Community!

See how Jeff spent his Labor Day last week.

We all have different set-ups, different positions we like to be in when we draw, different places we like to work. Whatever your way of working, if you’re having BACK-PAINS, WRIST PAIN, NECK PAIN, or more, check out this great read!

Recent post excerpt from SAW Instructor Jess Ruliffson in our Six-Month Graphic Novel Intensive on process and creating “timeless and honest work that that sits on the waves of the shifting currents.”

Recent post excerpt from SAW Founder and Instructor, Tom Hart, in our Six-Month Graphic Novel Intensive on keeping characters consistent… or not. A discussion about the two extremes and the in-between. Read more.

You Know You're a Graphic Memoirist When... What do you have to say? Check out this exclusive post from one of our ongoing Online Intensive programs: SAW’s Graphic Memoir Intensive (led by Instructors Tom Hart and Beth Trembley)!

Our guest this month is Sophie Yanow! Tuesday August 31, 2021 @ 2PM EST! Sophie Yanow is an Eisner-winning cartoonist, memoirist, journalist, and educator whose work focuses on memory and truth, urban planning, theories of control, the militarization of policing, and negative space. Some of her graphic novels include The Contradictions, War of Streets and Houses, and What is a Glacier? Want to tune in? Read more to see how!

The Creative Process in 43 Hayao Miyazaki Screengrabs

An article Tom Hart shared recently in our Graphic Memoir Intensive on GRIEF and how it affects us physically, mentally, and who we are. Check it out here.

Planning in InDesign! (Tom's Thoughts)

We DO belong somewhere, but the "market" is cruel place. Very few belong there. I wouldn't recommend anyone try it, without a lot of research and planning, like wearing SCUBA gear… So, what should you focus on so you can sell your work?

PRE-ORDER! On What Matters represents some of the ambitious works developed during the online Year-Long Comics Certificate Program at the Sequential Artists Workshop (SAW) from Sept 2020 to May 2021. From responses to course exercises to deliberations on life and death and haircuts in isolation, it brings together the far reaching work of 26 different artists from around the United States and beyond.

I'm in Tom's Inner Critic course and tried my hand (and mind) at my Inner Critic interviewing me.

Have any of you tried it yet?

It was strange, but also very relieving. My inner critic is actually very easy to talk to!

I feel like thinking about these questions as if someone was actually asking me them and then answering them instead of just going straight into anxious mode helped me feel lighter. It was almost like self-therapy and it helped me detach myself from my inner critic.

Imposter syndrome, trouble drawing from my imagination, what do I have to offer, and time… does everyone deal with this?

Have you had trouble drawing hands? Hands can be hard! One of our students shared a PDF with resources that they use to help them draw hands and we’re here to share it with you!

Explore different types of narration in your comics, which styles do you tend to write in?

The Critic Asks:

“...Who do you think you are to try that, to do that, to attempt that, to show that...?

WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?” But the critic has no idea who you are. The critic only knows who you're not.

Our 2021 6 Month Graphic Novel Development Intensive is in its infancy but students are already diving into the material full blast and sharing themselves and their work with the SAW community. Here are just two of the talented artists in the 2021 Graphic Novel Intensive showcasing work they already contribute to the comics world.