258: Multi-Style Visual Storytelling - Interview with Dylan Meconis

DIY MFA Radio

Hey there word nerds! Today I am delighted to have Dylan Meconis on the show.

Dylan is a cartoonist, writer, and illustrator. While she has pursued visual art since she could hold a crayon steady, her formal education has been concentrated in the liberal arts. She studied Western history, literature, philosophy, and French in the College of Letters at Wesleyan University, where she soaked up in-demand, market-ready skills like reading Chaucer in the original Middle English. (She has no regrets.)

Her comparatively practical career as a professional comics artist actually began in college with the online publication of her first book, Bite Me!. She also spent several years daylighting as a visual communications consultant and designer, before she transitioned to work as a full-time comic book creator and freelance designer.

In 2012 her short story “Outfoxed” was nominated for an Eisner Award in the category of Best Digital Comic, and in 2014 Family Man was nominated for a Reuben Award in the category of Best Digital Comic–Longform.

Her latest project is the middle-grade graphic novel Queen of the Sea, and is now available.

So listen in as Dylan and I chat about this amazing book and how to craft a story in multiple art forms.

In this episode Dylan and I discuss:

• How to bring the day to day life of a historical setting to the page.
• Comic scripts, what they are and how to use them the right way.
• Constructing a story both visually and textually without confusing your readers.
• How the layout of each page determines pacing in a graphic novel.
• Privileging the story’s tone over a single visual style.

Plus, Dylan’s #1 tip for writers.

For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/258