About why writing for one reader is sometimes as important and motivating as writing—hopefully—for thousands.
To celebrate the 10th birthday of her son, a mother asked me to write and draw a comic book about his life—starting from conception—and all the successes he had already achieved, but wasn't always aware of.
The book consists of 22 short stories, each about a specific event in the boy's life (birth, meeting his teddy bear who is actually the second hero of the comic book, his first steps, his first bike ride, the stories he likes to imagine with his mother, knitting…).
Over the course of one year, we regularly met with the mother to discuss the next 2 or 3 chapters I would work on. She would begin by giving me the facts and additional information she found useful, then we would discuss how we might turn it into a comic story—what was the most important part of the story, which elements could be used or adapted, which had humorous potential, and which ones were less important. Back home, I would draw a first storyboard that we would edit together until validation. Then I would draw the final outlines and add the colors.
Just in time for his birthday, we printed several copies of the book: 2 softcover books and one hardcover book, all in A5 format.
I heard that the boy was very happy with his book, and I hope he was as grateful to his mother as I am for her trust in creating such a personal and meaningful gift.
What I did in this project: Scenario - Art - Design
Some pages of the comic book :
