The Band

Tess Needham
The caption reads: "1997: My teenage years. My friends are in a band." We see the band, and in the foreground Tess is looking at them, with a speech balloon saying "They're so cool!"
A caption says "later" and the drawing shows two people talking. One is saying "Paul can't come to band practice... again!"
Two people are talking. The first says "We need a new bass player!" and the other says "Yeah...". Tess appears from the side of the panel with a surprised expression.
Tess has the word "Hmmm" above her head, and is thinking about herself playing piano and saxophone. The text reads "I've grown up playing music..."
Tess is thinking, and the large thought bubble contains an image of her playing acoustic guitar. The caption says "I can play guitar... sort of..."
Tess is thinking, and the large thought bubble contains her dad playing bass guitar. The caption says "My dad plays bass..."
Tess is thinking, and there is a large thought bubble with a Fender Bassman amp stack and a bass guitar leaning against it. The caption says "Maybe... I could borrow it?"
The thought bubbles disappear with a "poof!" above Tess's head. Her expression is hopeful, and the caption says "How hard could it be?"
Extreme close-up of Tess's face, with a determined expression. The speech balloon says "I'll do it!"
Tess is playing bass, while her dad sits next to her and points out a position on the fretboard. The caption says "So, I learn from my dad."
Flea, from the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Adam Clayton, from U2, are pictured. The caption says "I watch what bass players do."
Tess is sitting down and playing bass. She's looking at her hand position on the frets. The caption says "I practice."
Tess is seen playing bass, with a guitar player and keyboard player in the background. The caption says "and then, I perform with the band."
A close-up of Tess playing bass, with headphones on. The caption says "We record some songs."
Tess, a drummer, and a singer are seen, surrounded by a video frame that has the "record" symbol. The caption says "and make videos."
Tess is seen playing bass, with the caption "I get into a flow."
Tess is seen playing with a guitar player and drummer. A few audience members are seen at the bottom of the panel. The caption says "I am good enough."
Tess is seen playing with the full band. There is a crowd watching them. The caption says "And I belong."

About this work

In digging into the story of how I joined a band in high school, I needed to tap into memories, photos, and videos from that time. I had been somewhat avoiding these, as I was worried that I would find my younger self embarrassing. Surprisingly, however, I felt a strong sense of tenderness and grace towards that teenage Tess. Like all teenagers, I just wanted to understand myself, make friends, and belong. With some distance, I can see the beauty in that.

I’m inspired by many artists, including Liana Finck, Art Spiegelman, Lynda Barry, and Austin Kleon. Stylistically, for this comic I was also inspired by the graphic art in the TV show Ms Marvel.

Process

I created this comic on the iPad Pro, using an Apple Pencil and the Procreate app.

Process details:

  1. I started with the narrative I wanted to tell. I wrote and rewrote until I thought I had the story in the best order, with good pacing, and including necessary details. I also wrote down some idea for dialogue and captions. I like to have the guts of the story fleshed out before moving on, but it’s inevitable that I’ll refine it later.
  2. Next, I considered the technical restrictions of the publication format. This comic was going on a web page, so I needed to consider how it would be viewed at different viewport sizes. I decided not to create layouts of panels as I would for a print comic, as this would make the detail of each panel quite small on mobile screens. Instead, I determined that a series of square panels, presented in a centred column, would be the most flexible and readable format.
  3. I then started sketching out thumbnails for the panels. These are very small and very loose. The main intention is to try some ideas for layout, and pacing of the story across panels, which is also very important.
  4. I went digging into my old photos and files to find any visual or audio materials to reference for the story. I found pictures and videos of the band to use, and I also found generic reference photos for guitars and musicians at different angles.
  1. Next, I explored some colour palettes to see what I was most drawn to using. Referring to the book A Dictionary of Color Combinations, I shortlisted a few palettes and transferred them to Procreate with the help of this handy website.
  2. Once I was satisfied with the thumbnail sketches, I set up a Procreate file for each panel of the comic, and copied a thumbnail into each one.
  3. I then sketched and re-sketched in the bigger panel size, eventually laying down the final linework and colour.
  4. Once I had a few panels mostly completed, I showed them to a few trusted friends and family members for feedback. I got some great ideas for improvement, including encouragement to loosen up and experiment with a more sketchy style.
  5. Once I was happy with the new visual direction, I redrew all the panels in that style, and added other details like variations on palette for different “chapters” of the story.
  6. Eventually (right before the deadline, haha), I felt that the panels were ready to publish. Of course, there’s a part of me that wants to keep working on them forever, but I know that it will never be perfect, and it’s important to show your work.
Thumbnail sketches for my comic, transposing the story into beats.
Initial thumbnail sketches for the comic
Initial thumbnail sketches for the comic
Initial thumbnail sketches for the comic
Initial thumbnail sketches for the comic
Initial thumbnail sketches for the comic
A range of colour palettes
A map of all the panels of the story, with a brief description of each panel inside it. There are background colour washes to denote the different “chapters” of the piece.

Project Comments

2 responses to “The Band”

  1. marina Avatar
    marina

    I love this Tess!!! The drawings, colors and the story 🥹❤️ very well done!! 🙂

    Reply
    1. Tess Needham Avatar
      Tess Needham

      Thank you!

      Reply

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