Sequential Artists Workshop

The Terrible Anvil Season 2 Episode 08 - "Who Do You Think You Are?"

In this episode, we’re asking “Who do you think you are?" meaning,

Thanks for being here!

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Recorded at SAW on Zoom

The Terrible Anvil

How do you make comics without all the frustration? Without feeling lousy and inadequate all the time?

With the Terrible Anvil of daily deadlines! And a community, and mindset shift about what it means to make comics and art. Jess Ruliffson and Tom Hart are working through the whole process, one piece at a time, turning frustration into fun and glee.

The Terrible Anvil Season 2 Episode 07 - "What's the worst that could happen?"

In this episode, we’re asking “What’s the worst that could happen?”

We're talking about the fear of failure and utter collapse of our mental understanding of our own self-esteem. We're talking about large and small audiences, and envisioning the "fiery crash" of those potential failures, finding that a lot of times, they don't actually hurt. But some do, and we talk about avoiding those! Finally we talk about how communities (like SAW) provide readers and support, and that's what art is about!

Thanks for being here!

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Recorded at SAW on Zoom

The Terrible Anvil

How do you make comics without all the frustration? Without feeling lousy and inadequate all the time?

With the Terrible Anvil of daily deadlines! And a community, and mindset shift about what it means to make comics and art. Jess Ruliffson and Tom Hart are working through the whole process, one piece at a time, turning frustration into fun and glee.

We hope you’ll join us in the 2026 Graphic Novel Intensive (GNI)! See you there!

The Terrible Anvil Season 2 Episode 05 - Keep it to Yourself!

In this episode, Tom and Jess talk about the things we should -and shouldn’t- keep to ourselves. Is it ok to make work in private? Is it ok to say and draw weird things? Is it ok to need to have someone draw it out of us? Is it ok to make something unmarketable?

Tom and Jess make a connection with Henry Darger, but also butts and swear words and socially inappropriate thoughts...

Is it ok to bring “nothing of value to the table” except everything we have inside?

And finally we read Nancy’s story from the chat about a kid who only wanted to fix broken staplers and is now a happy doctor in Cleveland. Go kid!

What do you keep inside?

Thanks for being here!

--------------------------------

Recorded at SAW on Zoom

The Terrible Anvil

How do you make comics without all the frustration? Without feeling lousy and inadequate all the time?

With the Terrible Anvil of daily deadlines! And a community, and mindset shift about what it means to make comics and art. Jess Ruliffson and Tom Hart are working through the whole process, one piece at a time, turning frustration into fun and glee.

We hope you’ll join us in the 2026 Graphic Novel Intensive (GNI)! See you there!

The Terrible Anvil Season 2 Episode 05 - Keep it to Yourself!

In this episode, Tom and Jess talk about the things we should -and shouldn’t- keep to ourselves. Is it ok to make work in private? Is it ok to say and draw weird things? Is it ok to need to have someone draw it out of us? Is it ok to make something unmarketable?

Tom and Jess make a connection with Henry Darger, but also butts and swear words and socially inappropriate thoughts...

Is it ok to bring “nothing of value to the table” except everything we have inside?

And finally we read Nancy’s story from the chat about a kid who only wanted to fix broken staplers and is now a happy doctor in Cleveland. Go kid!

What do you keep inside?

Thanks for being here!

--------------------------------

Recorded at SAW on Zoom

The Terrible Anvil

How do you make comics without all the frustration? Without feeling lousy and inadequate all the time?

With the Terrible Anvil of daily deadlines! And a community, and mindset shift about what it means to make comics and art. Jess Ruliffson and Tom Hart are working through the whole process, one piece at a time, turning frustration into fun and glee.

We hope you’ll join us in the 2026 Graphic Novel Intensive (GNI)! See you there!

Season 2 | Episode 4: Memories and Habit !

In this episode, Tom and Jess take a look back on a book they both worked on, The Odyssey of Sergeant Jack Brennan, written by Brian Doerries, published by Pantheon in 2016.

Jess offered some glimpses of the script, and her notes, doodles and then thumbnails and draft, and we talked about all sorts of things, including how to level up from 6 pages to 40, how to take direction, about taking reference pics (Jess, share some of those!) and how ultimately to just get the thing done!

Then we looked at what we might talk about next week: What Kind of Creator are YOU?

We hope you’ll join us in the 2026 Graphic Novel Intensive (GNI)! See you there!

Thanks for being here!

Season 2 | Episode 3: Detours!

In this episode, Tom and Jess take some detours, to talk about developing one’s instincts, through deadlines.

We talked about Present Tim and Future Tim (“What has Future Tim ever done for me?!”) we talked about going to the grocery store hungry, and leaving typos in your work! Being lenient with yourself!

Then answered a question about how to not take free work from friends (spoiler alert: ‘No.’ is a complete sentence!)

We hope you’ll join us in the 2026 Graphic Novel Intensive (GNI)! See you there!

Next week on The Terrible Anvil, we will revisit a graphic novel we both worked on, The Odyssey of Sergeant Jack Brennan

Thanks for being here!

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Recorded at SAW on Zoom

The Terrible Anvil Season 2 | Episode 2: Terrible Commitments!

Tom and Jess about making accidental or conscious decisions early on that we are forced to live with.

Tom Hart and Jess Ruliffson love to talk about making comic-making EASIER, and in this episode, we’re talking about making terrible commitments.

It’s about time management some times, but other times it might be about character design, and story choices or structure.

Tom shows his examples from his comic in progress where the boys are wear buckets on their heads, the girls hide in hoodies, and the men are all rats. So everyone looks the same! How do you get out of it?

Tom and Jess talk about it.

We talked briefly about Chester Brown’s Underwater. Tired of drawing hair, Brown drew everyone bald, which is fine. He also wanted to draw out the lengthy mental/sensory development of an infant into childhood and adulthood. He later abandoned the project! Terrible Commitment or brave experiment, or both?!

We talk momentarily about NAILED IT! -- there's great, great joy in Nailed It! People are experiencing great joy because the deadlines are so crazy. And the work is so off the mark, that it becomes a new thing, and the learning to figure out what the new thing you are developing, is part of the art of the Terrible Anvil.

Then as we slid into answering questions for people either interested or IN the 2026 Graphic Novel Intensive, we answered questions about navigating bad feelings in a project, about heavy choices early on, sometimes about tech questions.

Hi! Welcome back to The Terrible Anvil! Tom Hart and Jess Ruliffson love to talk about making comic-making EASIER, and in this season 2 opener, we’re talking about ART BUDGETING.

It’s about how artists manage time, resources, and visual consistency when working on graphic novels.

Jess’s favorite examples are from Allison Bechdel's Fun Home who love to silhouette characters, and background, and also set up details that are easily repeatable.

Additionally we looked at her dad’s RUG.

Jess also talked about simplifying characters for a longer story, even when she previous pulled out all the stops for realism in a previous version of the same story, seen here:

Then as we slid into answering questions for people either interested or IN the 2026 Graphic Novel Intensive, we answered questions about art budgeting for color.

Tom showed some favorite old-time examples of working FAST which made for bold color choices, like the one below.

We answered a few more questions. We hope you’ll join us in the 2026 Graphic Novel Intensive (GNI)! See you there!

Next week on The Terrible Anvil, Tom will show Jess some accidental commitments he made and Jess will help him deal with the long term consequences!

Thanks for being here!

Inner intimacy, with Sacha Mardou

Have you read IFS comics yet? You’re about to.

Sacha Mardou has been making journal comics about the most intimate moments in her life — the inner dialogue she has with all the parts of herself while practicing Internal Family Systems. It’s a beautiful and accessible opening of the most vulnerable intimacy, shown with her robust resource of skill. 

Our conversation is mostly me complimenting Sacha -- I got a bit carried away with wanting to tell her all the things I loved about her book, Past Tense, and the IFS comics that touched my own heart. We still managed to discuss graphic memoir, asking permission to tell your own story, leaving a religion, deconstructing belief, inviting the internet into your therapy sessions, and so much more. Always more. 

Sacha offers an exercise for you to try at the end, giving you a chance to experience a touch of the grace she’s learned, to feel it for yourself.

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Episode Links & Resources

Mardou’s therapy comics website: https://ifscomics.com/

Past Tense: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/714479/past-tense-by-sacha-mardou/

Mardou’s instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mardou_draws/

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About the podcast

Drawing Health is a podcast about the intersection of comics and health, also called Graphic Medicine. Through community interviews and guided audio practices, we explore the worlds within ourselves and without, nurturing your creative practice, inspiration, and personal health journey. Health and creativity are not at odds, they are two expressions of you. 

Our music

Our spring season theme music is Piling up the stones by Del Stephen, from his independently produced record, Good Spirit Inner Station. Explore Del’s many albums at https://delstephen.bandcamp.com, and be generous with him as he is so generous with us. Thank you Del!

About the Sequential Artists Workshop (SAW)

The Sequential Artists Workshop is a grassroots, non-profit comics school and creative community. At SAW, we teach people how to tell stories and make comics in Gainesville, Florida, USA, and around the world via our online courses and resources. Go to www.sequentialartistsworkshop.org or www.drawinghealth.com to join our community of learners and artists today!

Disclaimer

This podcast is for information and exploration purposes only and is never intended as medical advice. Every viewer and listener is encouraged to seek medical attention at their own discretion. This podcast and the guided practices are tools for listeners to support their whole health, and should be used with care.

Do you know you’re still an animal? How do you care for your animal? 

Listen and settle into sensation, instinct, quiet observation. Your body knows how to be animal, just listen, and draw it out.

Drawing Health is a live class every Saturday from 11am - 12pm EST. Sign up to join in, at drawinghealth.com.

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About the podcast

Drawing Health is a podcast about the intersection of comics and health, also called Graphic Medicine. Through community interviews and guided audio practices, we explore the worlds within ourselves and without, nurturing your creative practice, inspiration, and personal health journey. Health and creativity are not at odds, they are two expressions of you. 

Our music

Our spring season theme music is Piling up the stones by Del Stephen, from his independently produced record, Good Spirit Inner Station. Explore Del’s many albums at https://delstephen.bandcamp.com, and be generous with him as he is so generous with us. Thank you Del!

About the Sequential Artists Workshop (SAW)

The Sequential Artists Workshop is a grassroots, non-profit comics school and creative community. At SAW, we teach people how to tell stories and make comics in Gainesville, Florida, USA, and around the world via our online courses and resources. Go to www.sequentialartistsworkshop.org or www.drawinghealth.com to join our community of learners and artists today!

Disclaimer

This podcast is for information and exploration purposes only and is never intended as medical advice. Every viewer and listener is encouraged to seek medical attention at their own discretion. This podcast and the guided practices are tools for listeners to support their whole health, and should be used with care.