The Graphic Travelogue

The work done on EHP is uniquely self-directed. When I was thinking about the kind of work I wanted to do during my travels, I knew I wanted to something personal that would reflect my life in Rome. I'm a huge fan of graphic storytelling (comics, graphic novels, whatevs), but I never quite had the opportunity at RISD to fully flesh out my graphic storytelling skills. Individual assignments for classes didn't allow for much exploration or time to really sink my teeth into a comic. That, and after many years of failed attempts at comics I was a little gun shy.

I was introduced to the genre of 'graphic travelogues' by comic artist Lucy Knisley. I had already been a fan of her autobiographical work when I bought her first book French Milk, a graphic travelogue of her trip to Paris with her mother.

Her work continued to be a huge influence me throughout my sophmore year and when I pondered EHP it struck me as a beautiful way to combine my love of writing and drawing, as well as a great way to document my journey of living abroad.

Thankfully, I didn't have to look far to gain an insight into her workflow. On her blog, Lucy posted a short video presentation about graphic travelogues and her process.

Life is the Story from Lucy Knisley on Vimeo.

 Part of her presentation described her hand made sketchbooks. Created with any paper, backed with cardboard and bound with binder rings, the simplicity and utility of the sketchbook appealed to me. I generally prefer to work in bristol board vellum paper, so I created my own version of the sketchbook for my travelogue. I like the way it feels to draw on, as well as the ability to swap out pages easily and to be able to take the pages out to scan flat. 

I'm going to add a cover eventually...

 

Tools (thus far): Pencil, Sakura Microns, Pentel Brush Pen

 

 Lucy's presentation also included a few graphic travelogues she enjoyed and was inspired by, so of course I grabbed them up as quickly as I could. 

The variety of styles and approaches to the graphic travelogue is pretty awesome, and I'll continue to reference them as I bumble through mine. I've started to work through the sketchbook and will be posting the first few pages shortly!

Obligatory Introductory Post

In 4 days I will be embarking on a flight to Rome, Italy for RISD's European Honors Program.

The European Honors Program (EHP) offers qualified RISD students a six month-long academic program that allows direct experience of the great works of art of Rome and Italy, via a balance of formal instruction and personal exploration. Founded in 1960, the program is headquartered in Palazetto Cenci in the historic center of Rome, just blocks away from the Pantheon and Colosseum.

There are several things I plan on accomplishing while in Rome, which along with my studio and class work, includes training and completing the Rome Marathon on March 18th.

This blog is here to document my work as well as my training, and be a place to keep myself accountable for my own work and allow my friends and family to see what I'm up to. I'll be posting more information on my studio work and process soon!