Hey friends

(I’m writing you on the verge of the weekend because I yesterday I turned this video and I still feel very CRINGE about 1) speaking without editing 2) sharing my creative practice 3) I have this self-doubt voice in my head screaming “who do you think you are?“ ...so well, if I don’t start posting about this ideas I will change my mind.

before we start one important thing: I know your time is precious and emails can be overwhelming and I’ve send my “leaving instagram” mail few days ago and this pace will never happen again so please continue reading :) you can also chose to take the time to read with no rush )

Before jumping into my next graphic novel, I wanted to take you behind the scenes to show how a story actually grows from my Graphic Journal pages.

Soooooo I recorded a new one-hour video where I revisit my previous book Transformer, and explain how I used my journals full of sketches, notes, and emotions to turn lived experiences into a finished story.

In the video, I show my old sketchbooks and storyboards, the binder where I kept all the pages, and I talk about the connection between drawing and memory.

There’s a metaphor I use often when I teach the Graphic Journal: the “Dumbledore Analogy.”In Harry Potter, Dumbledore pulls a memory out of his head with his wand and places it in a small glass vial (Then he can relieved pouring the liquid thoughts in the Pensieve).That’s what journaling does for me.I take a thought or an emotion out of my mind and place it on paper.It’s not gone! it just lives outside me, so I can look at it with distance and, maybe, tenderness.Later, when I create a story, I dive back into those pages, like Dumbledore diving into the Pensieve, to explore them from another angle.

That’s exactly what this new series “From Graphic Journal to Graphic Novel” is about.It’s a private, ongoing project on Patreon (!!), where I’ll document how my next book is born: through drawings, notes, voice memos, and monthly reflections.It’s not a polished tutorial it’s the real, sometimes messy process of creating art from life.

🎥 You can watch the full introduction video here, for once then it will be for ever on Patreon:👉 www.patreon.com/graphicjournalclub/membership

By joining the €5 tier, you’ll get access to: 🎧 All From Graphic Journal to Graphic Novel videos/audio/photo and various content ✨ After 3 motnhs also a real present by mail🎨 Replay access to Graphic Journal Club workshops

Your support (even €5 the price of a cappuccino) helps me cover small but essential things: brushes, colors, paper...

this is for you if:

* If you’ve ever wondered how a Graphic Journal becomes a Graphic Novel

* If you want inspiration to use your own journal as a creative tool

* If you enjoy reading my books in Italiano or Français and you want to help me to continue create

* If you want me to finish this next book so that I can also try to translate all my book in english (maybe with a big follow on patreon a future anglo-publisher will get interested?)

* If you simply want to see the pages before anyone else (like A LOT BEFORE)

💘 Join me on Patreon → www.patreon.com/c/graphicjournalclub/membership and chose “From Graphic Journal To Graphic Novel” and up (every tier will also receive a real present (in the mail) after 3 months.Let’s explore together how to turn our drawings into stories, and our emotions into art.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit nicozbalboa.substack.com