Slowing Down to Speed Up
Plus Thank You Message Below...
Sorry to interrupt your dinner— er, lunch? Coffee?
But bear with me while I talk more about my e-ink obsession. I’m sure many of you are tired of my unending experiment (and lavishing praises), but once you’ve entered the world of e-ink, there’s no escape.
The only way to stop is to get it all out of my system. Until then... you’re stuck with my e-ink sketches and rambles.
How I fit my e-ink notepad into my creative workflow
Forgive my word choice here. I’ve decided to call it a “notepad” or “digital sketchbook” instead of a tablet. It just feels more like an infinite-paged notepad than a super-productive tablet packed with apps and web distractions.
What’s surprising is how it recently reshaped my workflow, especially when I’m creating my webcomics.
On my iPad, I often skipped drawing outfit references for my characters to limit screen time and save energy. Instead, I relied on simple, easy-to-memorize designs because consistency is key, right?
Still, no human memory is perfect.
If you look closely at my Witches & Wine series, you might notice slight variations in their clothes from panel to panel. Thankfully, readers tend to skim through the art. As long as the general details are there, nothing is out of place!
With my e-ink notepad, though, it’s become a fantastic tool for fleshing out details I would’ve otherwise skipped. Normally, I don’t draw my references or ideas down. I’m more of a “type-it-out” person. But lately, I’ve found myself reaching for my eink sketchbook to brainstorm and doodle story concepts.
Okayy, but a real sketchbook could do the job too? Yes… but I do like having layers and the ability to rearrange my notes & sketches!
Comic Tip: While making a proper reference sheet takes a bit more effort, it does help to speed up the comic process in the long run. Think of it as your very own assistant!
With a notepad that never runs out of pages in one hand and a pen that never runs out of ink in the other, I felt inspired to go back to practicing basic inking techniques and fundamentals.
There’s something about drawing on an e-ink notepad that makes you want to start afresh, like relearning in order to get used to a new medium.
Especially in today’s rapidly changing world, I think it’s important to revisit and relearn some things in order to stay true and grounded in our craft. We’re constantly trying to absorb and learn new skills, that sometimes we forget the joy of mastering the fundamentals. This feels especially true for artists.
What are some skills you’d like to revisit, not just to improve, but to deepen your understanding and rediscover that spark of joy again?
For me it’s definitely ink drawing and kidlit writing.
And yes it’s…
Time to give my hearty thanks. 🦃
This Thanksgiving week, I hit 1000 subs! Honestly, I’m surprised I’ve even made it to that number. Sometimes the things I write feel so random and underwhelming that every time someone subscribes, I am both amazed and beyond grateful!
Thank you for your time, your support, and the lil corner of your email inbox for my newsletter/blog to dwell. 😭
I hope you’ll look forward to reading more of my art rambles, e-ink experiments, and perhaps even a serialized fiction next year.
The readers and the writing community here are the best.
Nuff said.
♡
I’m getting influenced to look into e ink because your sketches are so cool 🫶😭
Love the vibe of your substack and your drawings! It's funny that I find this now because I decided out of the blue to add a small ink sketch to the post I'm going to publish tomorrow (nothing anywhere close to the quality of your ones though!) and substack decided to suggest this post to me :)