I usually draw single-frame illustrations—small snapshots of life, fleeting moments of imagination. But this time, I wanted to tell a story. A full, multi-panel comic.
And it took me a very, very long time.
I’m not a trained artist, and honestly, I didn’t realize how much work goes into making a structured comic. With a single frame, I can capture a mood or an idea instantly. But here, I had to think about pacing, panel composition, and how one frame leads to the next.
From Sketches to Final Panels
It started with rough sketches. I jotted down fragments of the story, cutting and rearranging small paper pieces like a puzzle. This method helped me test different flows without redrawing everything from scratch. Even then, it took a while to settle on a structure that felt natural.
Once I moved to digital, another challenge emerged—consistency. My usual loose style didn’t quite fit when I had to repeat elements across multiple frames. Keeping characters and backgrounds recognizable across panels required patience and discipline, two things I don’t usually associate with my drawing process!
The Most Satisfying Part
Despite the struggle, seeing the final version come together was incredibly rewarding. The idea behind Mousetrap came from real-life observations—those mysterious traps I see at the tram station every day. It started as curiosity, then turned into a whimsical thought: what if the mice aren’t caught at all?
For now, I’m happy to share this piece and the journey behind it. If you’ve ever struggled with pushing yourself outside your comfort zone, I’d love to hear about it. How do you keep going when a creative project takes way longer than expected?
Here are some details I like, what do you think?
