How to Draw (Grief)
A comic about the unexpected loss of my big sister.
Howdy, friend.
If you’re a regular reader of my Substack, you know my sister died unexpectedly last fall. With her birthday coming up, she’s been on my mind even more lately.
I don’t often share full, unpublished comics here, but I wanted to change that this month. This comic is about the suddenness of my sister’s passing, processing my grief in the days after her funeral, her addiction, and finding comfort in small ways after such a devastating loss. I made it a few weeks after everything; it was my way of dealing with the aftermath.
While thinking through how this comic should look, I leaned into a sketchy, scrap-paper motif—like I was jotting down these philosophical thoughts in a notebook chock-full of doodles, marginalia, and scratched-out ideas. I wanted it to look as if I was, on the page, figuring my way forward in real time. I like the messiness of the final product. To me, it feels lived-in. Emotional. Real. I find that giving myself creative parameters or pushing myself in some new way, helps my art. I hope you find some solace in this piece.
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Take care of your hearts. ♡
– RJR
What a beautiful and profound comic about loss and death--and of course about life. Thank you, Rob.
This is bittersweet and so moving. Have you ever read Michael Rosen’s Sad Book? It’s a picture book and he does a lovely job talking about his grief. Thank you for sharing.