This comic was the most exciting for me to create because I was able to express myself in a different manner than I am used to. Growing up I have always struggled with anxiety. It emerges due to a number of triggers however it always seems to make my mind go in circles and down rabbit holes. I am taking steps to eradicate this hurdle but it will take time. 

This was the purpose of my comic. I wanted to express my anxiety through a graphic design and found it was actually cathartic to visually integrate the words and feelings that swirl within me into a design of which I am quite proud. I wanted to express my triggers trying to penetrate my thoughts and integrate words or phrases I say to others when someone is concerned. That said, these consoling words were created in darkness to show that you can utter positive phrases while not feeling as if those words are true in the moment. The purpose of this comic was to also show the other individuals in the class a side of me that not many are allowed to see. I also wanted to show the class that it is okay to struggle with anxiety and if anyone else in class struggles as well… you are not alone. 

The form of this design was one I contemplated back and forth. I love the look of comics that are one panel and have an obvious reading flow to them, I feel these are more iconic and something I would be comfortable with using. I tried to use the word bubbles as their own panels so that the reader can interpret the flow of the conversations/texts easier. 

The Idea of idiom in the comic was hard for me to grasp because I did not fully understand the definition of an idiom nor how I could incorporate it in my comic. HOwever, diving deeper into the challenge, I realized an idiom in this comic could include “I’ll walk it off”, which is another way of saying that I will be okay. This is the message my comic is trying to express.

The structure of this comic took some thought. I Included the jagged black and grey stripes to express darkness creeping in. Inside these jagged points you see words, the words are triggers that spike my anxiety. The silhouette is my own, this choice made the comic more personal. I added the brain and colored it red with black swirls to express turmoil.  I chose to use a limited number of colors to have the more poignant aspects of the comic to be more impactful compared to the other sections.

The crafting of this comic was interesting. I used many of the basic tools available in illustrator but tried to incorporate them in a manner that gave a deeper emotion to the reader. That said many of the tools were used differently than in the past to create a new type of effect.

The surface exposure is definitely the silhouette of a woman. It is not apparent of the deeper meaning until the reader looks further into the comic.

This comic was more complex because it has many different layers and parts to make the comic work. I am using the same basic tools however I have integrated them in a way that shows depth within my comic. The words in varied fonts and sizes depict different emotions the reader should interpret. The painting tool with a feathered texture was used to express a sinister darkness while in the past it was just a paint swipe. I started out having a very basic comic and then the layers were added and the emotion became deeper. I really wanted this comic to resonate with the reader.