up the heavier blacks with layers of smudges and added digital inks where needed until it felt right .
I think I achieved what I was hoping to with the visuals and maintained the urgency of storytelling I sought .
What kind of obstacles did you face while putting this title together ? I learnt so much about pagination and creating a long form comic making this book . It was my first comic and , although animation has a lot of processes in common , it was a continuous learning curve . From keeping on top of the overall story to pacing the drawing to keep momentum and flow . I had to find myself as a writer , as well as adapt my composition ideas from the continuous framing of Animation to thinking about beats and page turns . In terms of the story itself , homing in on that I wanted to say about mental illness when it is such a broad and complicated topic was challenging . I had to limit myself by implementing chapters and dedicating a narrative focus to each . I chose 10 Chapters of 10 pages each to tell the story and used 3 to introduce readers to the situation and get Alix onto the mental health ward . That left me with 6 chapters to explore the themes and 1 to resolve the story . Having that structure in place really helped me to be selective about what I wanted to say . It also broke the project down into parts and made it more manageable to create . Long form comics are an arduous process , particularly ones of a sensitive , personal nature . It was difficult to immerse myself in a complicated period of my life and face the ghosts of my past . I had to keep an eye on my current mental health whilst creating BARKING , keeping up positive practices such a Yoga or gardening alongside the creative work . It was a difficult book to make but I wouldn ’ t change a thing about it .
What would you say is the most rewarding part of the process ? I realised the first edition of the book through a crowdfunding publisher , so I have been able to see it read by folks mostly here in the UK . The most rewarding aspect has been hearing from readers about their experiences both in life and of my book . I ’ ve received emails , been written about in thesis and dissertations and had many chats at festivals with a variety of people . For some , the experience of a mental health crisis is completely alien and the book gave them an insight into and empathy for those who suffer it . For some , it is all too close , and they find themselves back in their own darkest days . I ’ m always saddened to hear anyone can find familiarities in BARK- ING but often they also find comfort in the knowledge they are not alone . I think we have taken great strides in recent
years in our understanding and acceptance of mental illness and neurodiversity , but we still have far to go . However , when I ’ m standing in the midst of a busy convention , openly discussing experiences of grief and crisis with readers , I feel a deepening sense of our humanity and how much we can empathise with each other when given the opportunity to .
In terms of audience , who is this book for ? I hope that the combination of personal experience with folklore and experimental visuals will aid BARKING to appeal to a wide audience . It has elements of horror ; it could be read as a ghost story or sit comfortably in the growing canon of Graphic Medicine . I find people are often drawn to it by the art style and it should appeal to readers interested in visually driven narratives . Equally the research and development behind it will hopefully satisfy those looking for an intense , emotion-led story on the internal monsters we can face in life . I do think readers should be well into their teens , it would be advisable to adults to read it first as there are themes of suicidal ideation , sexual assault , and occasional bad language . I wrote it with an adult audience in mind but I ’ m keenly aware that my own mental health issues developed in my teens . If someone has or is experiencing a crisis this book may be too raw , but I hope it may also serve as a catharsis . BARKING was made without a specific audience in mind , and I hope it will reach as broad a range of people as possible .
What are you hoping readers take away from this book ? So many of us experience a mental health issue that the chances are if it ’ s not you , it ’ s someone you know , and they too might need sympathetic aid . I hope that by reading BARKING people may gain a deeper understanding of how terrifying it can be to lose your footing . It is a genuinely horrific experience and one I wouldn ’ t wish on anyone . I also hope that people may appreciate that not all mental crises look the same . In the UK we treat people suffering under a broad umbrella approach that simplifies and stigmatises sufferers . I don ’ t think it ’ s a genuine way to help people to manage and live with mental illness . It ’ s a system built from Victorian Madhouses , dehumanising institutions where visitors were encouraged to laugh at the ill . We ’ ve changed our approaches but its foundations in that era are still apparent and felt by those in the most vulnerable positions . I hope readers will gain insight , look critically at how those around them are treated and try to be empathetic when dealing with people in need of it . It ’ s not a light read but I hope it is an engaging and thought provoking one . I appreciate everyone who picks the book up and gives it their time . Thank you !
ABOUT THE CREATOR • Lucy Sullivan is a writer / artist from London . After graduating from Kingston School of Art she specialized in hand-drawn animation before moving her practice into comics . Alongside her critically acclaimed comics Lucy has created commissions for Razorblades , Black Hammer , Yoshin10 and more . She mentors aspiring graphic novelists for LDComics and regularly tutors Illustration & Animation at universities in London . diamondbookshelf . org 53