Once one of my critique partners brought it to my attention that my latest work in progress, The Adventures of Infinity & Negativa, contained a fantasy element, I immeditately knew that I wanted those fantasy parts to be in graphic novel form. Although the best things are free, a graphic artist is not. A few people were initially interested, but in order for a true collaboration to happen, I would have needed to compensate them for their time. In the future, for another book, that may be a possibility if I have the resources. Yet, my greatest resources right now are time, creativity, motivation and intermediate painting skills.
So, on January 22, 2013, I took the first step of being my own graphic artist by taking a blank 16″ X 20″ canvas out of my storage room. From there, I worked on it once or twice a week, which was a snail’s pace, considering that I planned to complete around 24 canvases.
In addition to working around a full-time teaching job and an active social life, another challenge were my fears: the fear of not completing the series and the fear of not being good enough. A few weeks into the painting project, I overcame the second fear first. To make my lack of professional-looking painting abilities work in my favor, I decided to make the paintings the product of my main character, Nuru. I signed her name on the front and my name and the date on the back.
As soon as summer break began, I started painting every day. I quickly learned that the best rearrangement of my schedule would be to paint as soon as I finished writing in the morning since the reliable Texas heat will have the sweat rolling off my back by one o’clock. The painting truly came together, but I needed an extra push to finish it in a timely fashion.
My next wonderful idea was to present the painting at an open mic that takes place every 4th Thursday. I figured I could finish it in a week; so the painting would have nearly a week to dry and the added bonus would be starting on the second painting.
I had two friends to pose for the composition of the second painting. With the lessons I learned from the first painting, I launched into the measuring, taping and preliminary painting of the second one. I did myself several favors such as not having something complicated for me to duplicate repeated in more than one frame. I also learned, when I was researching about sealing the first painting, that one should use multiple thin layers in order to create an oil painting. I’m quite sure my Honduran oil painting teacher never told me that. I know my Spanish was not that bad. At some point, he could have told me not to use so much paint. I absolutely love the richness of oils, but with my skill level, I need the ability to make corrections as easy as possible. Nonetheless, this whole experience is one big “discovery learning” endeavor and I’m so happy that I have three months to dedicate myself to the pursuit.
The reading of the excerpt that goes along with the painting went over well. I even read a page and a half after the opening fantasy scene so the audience could know a little about the main character who’s “doing” these series of paintings. I ended my reading at the first cliffhanger in the book, which had the intended effect.
Now that I got the ball rolling, I don’t feel like dragging any paintings–at least not until they are all completed–out to be publicly displayed. Just like the journey starting with the first step, I’ve added this work to the gallery that I set up in my apartment a few months ago. Once again, now that there’s been a change in the gallery, I feel compelled to stop and contemplate it. Then on the opposite side of the room, I stop and study the current painting that I’m working on. I know exactly where I need to pick things up, which is usually at the point of some “error” or “ugly” that needs to be redone.
What I love about painting these scenes, other than having the visuals for the novel, is that the book motivates the paintings and the creative composition of the paintings affect the editing of the story. Now that this project has grown in scope, I’m no longer pressuring myself to complete it in fewer than seven years, providing I still have to juggle a full-time teaching schedule. Only time and creativity will tell.