I’ve been adding little sketches to most of my blog posts partly for drawing practice and partly because it’s fun sprinkling images throughout my blog (and Windows Live Writer makes this so easy, too!). Here’s a sampler:

So that’s drawing thumbnails, which is nifty.

And then there’s drawing summaries, either before or after I write the post. For example, these talking points for my chat with Timothy Kenny:

One thing I haven’t really played around with much is using visuals to say things that I’m not saying in the text – to add a touch of humour or illustrate with everyday situations. For example, see this post by Mich W. on learning to write, and her Science x Comics series which turns interviews about research into something much easier to understand.

Here’s one of Mich’s drawings about writing:

(Check out michw.com for more!)

I want to learn the language of comics. To break it down further into something more manageable: I want to learn the art of the one-panel joke or observation. Dust off the Far Side, page through the editorial cartoons, browse through Cartoon Stock for inspiration. I love the everyday situations of Panda and Polar Bear. There are plenty of single-panel comics, like The Flying McCoys, Herman, Non Sequitur, Reality Check… And then of course, there’s learning by doing, as embarrassing as the beginnings will be. (Maybe a decade or two?)

W- and I pun and alliterate endlessly, so there must be something there. It’s a long-term thing, but I think it would be fun to learn visual humour. Goodness knows there’s enough material in life!