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Character design story below! ⬇️

It’s taken me many variations to arrive at these character designs.

The first version of these characters was with a limited blue color palette. I sent the designs to my agent and received feedback that I should make them full color…so I did. Now, I can’t imagine these characters without color.

When the pitch package was ready and we went on sub (a term in publishing for pitch “submissions” to editors in hopes of selling your book), we received interest however, some of the editors thought the style wasn’t polished enough or read too young. @ChadSell01 and @_pichikui gave me amazing feedback on how to elevate my style. With their gracious feedback, I switched my program from Procreate to @ClipStudioOfficial, altered the brush I was using, and applied color overlays to brighten the muted colors. I also switched the anatomy of the characters so they appeared older. @magshang and a lot of my critique partners also gave me great feedback on outfits and colors.

With an updated style and new sample pages, we submitted them to editors who still had the original pitch and new editors that had requested us to send to them. Immediately, we received a positive reception and ended up getting several book deal offers!

This wouldn’t have been possible if I kept everything the same or gave up when receiving rejections; “rejection is redirection”. Who know, these characters might even change more before my book CRAMMING is done. ;)

Would love to know if you have a favorite character design! Post a comment and let me know who your favorite it. c:

#CharacterDesign #GraphicNovel #Comics #MakingComics #ArtistsOfInstagram #ComicArtist #ConceptArt #CharacterConcept #ClipStudioPaint Group height sheet of 6 character designs. The first is of a blonde girl crossing her arms, the second is of a short-haired androgynous nonbinary teen, the third is of a girl with two buns, the fourth is of a girl with a ponytail, the fifth is of a tall boy wearing a bomber jacket, and the last is of a goth chick with a mesh top. taken in DC by @brigittablair

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3 years ago

Excited to announce that I'm going to be a published author-illustrator!! (: CRAMMING, a graphic novel about the challenges of fitting in, is coming to you in winter 2027!

"Jessica Anderson at Little, Brown/Ottaviano has bought, at auction, Cramming, a semi-autobiographical debut middle grade graphic novel by Brigitta Blair, about the pressures Ari Sharpe and her friends face in eighth grade, including scoliosis bracing, school, sports, gender exploration, and the gift of learning to be at peace in your body, pitched for readers of Swim Team and The Tryout. Publication is planned for winter 2027; Chelsea Eberly at Greenhouse Literary did the deal for North American rights."

@greenhouseliterary @littlebrownyoungreaders @christyottavianobooks @littlebrownink #KidLit #Book #GN #GraphicNovel #Comics #Cartooning taken in Washington D. C. by @brigittablair

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3 years ago

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6 years ago

Hi everyone! 👋 I donated a graphic novel or picture book critique to help raise funds for communities affected by the ongoing events in Minnesota. If you’d like to make a donation, feel free to check out the link in my Instagram bio to see the incredible offers (critiques, art, books, AMAs, etc.) as part of the @publishingforminnesota auction. If you're unable to donate, sharing this post helps spread the word!

Bids are now live and will last until Friday, January 30th at 11:45pm ET.

Feel free to get it for yourself or as a gift for someone else!

Hope everyone is staying safe <3

#kidlitillustrator #writingcommunity #comiccreators Shows Brigitta offering a graphic novel or picture book critique for the Publishing for Minnesota auction that just started and will last until Friday, January 30th at 11:45pm. by @brigittablair

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6 months ago

SATURDAY, MAY 31st at 3pm we’re having a launch party with fantom friend and local artist ANGELA HSIEH to celebrate the release of LU & REN’S GUIDE TO GEOZOOLOGY! Angela will be interviewed by fellow graphic novelist Brigitta Blair to talk about her new book and then signing copies. If you haven’t yet, pre-order copies of LU & REN’S GUIDE TO GEOZOOLOGY today in-store or on our website. 🦋 Swipe through the gallery for some preview pages ❤️

We may have cake! Come through to know for sure 👀

Lu and Ren’s Guide to Geozoology is a fantasy graphic novel about journey and discovery and about seeking understanding despite physical and linguistic distance, set in a world where giant animals form part of the landscape.

Twelve-year old Lu wants to be an adventuring geozoologist just like her grandma Shan. If only Shan Ah-ma weren’t always off traveling the world and spending more time among the giant animal-scapes than at home. If only Lu could read her ah-ma’s native language as well as she could speak it. If only Shan’s increasingly infrequent letters, haltingly read with the aid of a bilingual dictionary, weren’t the only thread that connected them while she was away.

#graphicnovel #middlegradebooks #allages taken in Washington, DC by @brigittablair

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a year ago

New year, new Substack post! 🎉

Happy New Year, everyone!
After a whirlwind of a year, I’m excited to announce that I’ve moved my newsletter and blog to “Brigitta’s Blurbs” on Substack. This has been months in the making, and I’m excited to share with you more behind scenes of my graphic novel process, writing tools, and life updates. If you’re interested in reading my latest post on my 2024 highlights and plans for 2025, comment “Substacker” to receive a dm with a link. In the meantime, you can see a collage of some highlights in the last slide. (Unfortunately, it wouldn't let me tag everyone.)

A few upcoming posts:
- How to Find Literary Agents
- Recap: Graphic Novel Thumbs
- Making a Digital Plot Board in Miro
- Writing a Comic/Graphic Novel Script
- Art Retreat Experiences
- Lettering a Graphic Novel in InDesign
- Video Game Dev
- Templates (such as thumbnail printouts, “get to know your characters” sheets, etc.)
…and more!

For those who were already subscribed to my previous newsletter, you should’ve received an email saying that you’ve been automatically migrated to Substack so no action is needed. (: Thanks for sticking around and hope everyone has a wonderful 2025!

#GraphicNovel #Comics #MakingComics #ComicArtist #Substack Promo for Brigitta Blair's blog, "Brigitta’s Blurbs". Shows a chibi character with long hair holding a pencil. At the bottom, "Substack Live!" is labeled. taken in New York, New York by @brigittablair

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2 years ago

Guess the places 🤫

Illustrated a few of my favorite places that I visited last year as a practice for drawing my graphic novel backgrounds. Any ideas where they are?

A few hints on the locations:
- Image 1 Hint: The Red Wedding from Game of Thrones was inspired by an event that took place here.
- Image 2 Hint: Crowned the most haunted place in Europe, it was founded by Romans but later inhabited by vikings. This street was also known for its butchers.
- Image 3: This is the burial ground for Isaac Newton and many poets including Geoffrey Chaucer and Charles Dickens.

#GraphicNovel #Comics #MakingComics #Travel #ArtistsOfInstagram taken in Washington D. C. by @brigittablair

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2 years ago

🚫 TICKETS ARE NOW CLOSED! 🚫
If you'd like to catch the replay, you can contact Kids Comics Unite from their website which can be found in the footer of the message I sent out or at kidscomicsunite.com/contact.

Thanks to everyone who signed up and can't wait to share what I've spent ages on! c:

~~~~~~~~~~

On Weds, March 13th at 12:30PM ET, I'll be speaking on a graphic novel writing webinar called: "Scriptwriting: Finding Your Process" for @kidscomicsunite

In this webinar, I'll be talking about:
- Tips on creating an outline and graphic novel manuscript
- The pros/cons of working with different scripting software
- How to optimize your script for page turns
- @scrivenerapp tutorial with an intro to writing manuscripts

I'll also talk about different ways you can write a graphic novel script with examples from:
@oneofthejohns
@mat.heagerty
@rivkah_lafille
@jessica.ricole
@hisiheyah
@joshuasmeatonart
...and more!

Comment "GNSCRIPT" below to get a message with a webinar link!

_______

#GraphicNovel #Comics #MakingComics #Scrivener #WritingCommunity #WritingProcess Ad for graphic novel scripting: finding your process with Brigitta Blair. Webinar is tomorrow, Weds March 13th at 12:30pm ET. taken in Washington D. C. by @brigittablair

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2 years ago

I can't talk much about this book because it's in the lore building phase, but all I can is I'm obsessed with this fantasy graphic novel (series🤞) I've been working on in my spare time. The concept has been developing since elementary school and it wasn't until the pandemic that all the fragments of ideas I've had over the years started to fit together. You know when something just feels like it needs to be in the world? This is that thing for me.

On a side note, magic systems feel a lot like programming and UX design. So excited to continue building this world 🖤

#GraphicNovel #Comics #MakingComics #ArtistsOfInstagram #ComicArtist #ConceptArt #ClipStudioPaint taken in Washington D. C. by @brigittablair

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2 years ago

She's one of my favs from this fantasy series...

It's Yennefer from The Witcher!

I'll probably never finish this digital painting of her, just like how Henry Cavill will probably never play Geralt again (he'll be missed). 💙 Maybe I'll replay The Witcher 3 again; I miss that game.

In the meantime, I'll be reminiscing on season 1 by listening to:
🎵 Toss a coin to your witcher, oh valley of plenty. 🎵

#WIPArt #Procreate #Witcher #WitcherArt #yennefer #DigitalArtists #ArtistsOfInstagram #ComicArtist #WIPWednesday taken in Washington D. C. by @brigittablair

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2 years ago

Meet Brittany.

Brittany is the fashionista for my upcoming graphic novel, CRAMMING!
She loves sewing, anime, and cats.
She's also the drama club's costume designer.

Can't wait for you to meet her. (: It was so much fun designing her outfits ❤️

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#CharacterDesign #GraphicNovel #Comics #MakingComics #ArtistsOfInstagram #ComicArtist #ConceptArt #CharacterConcept #ClipStudioPaint taken in Washington D. C. by @brigittablair

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2 years ago

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2 years ago