Visual Storytelling - 6 reasons why stories with pictures are awesome.

I spoke in a panel at BlogHer14, called "Developing Your Visual Voice". My segment was about eighteen minutes pulled from my workshop on Visual Storytelling. The response was positive enough to follow up with a more in-depth "how to" series here on my blog. I am nice.

Let's get started.

Why should we tell stories with pictures?

1. Welp. The world is full of noise.

If you're doing business, if you're an educator, or an independent artist, writer or blogger; if you're content marketing in any way, images will help you stick out of the pile.

There's a lot of bloggers out there - not a lot of them draw. And NO ONE draws like you (whether you think you can draw or not).

2. Stories will pictures have sticky-power. People have short attention spans - they often skim rather than read.

I'll bet you're reading this.

So putting your message into pictures is a perfect way to be instantly seen...

...and remembered. And shared.

Hurrah for sticky-power!

3. Be instantly recognizable. Use certain colours and styles consistently to establish your visual voice. Remember that visuals add your personal touch to any kind of media. Some folks call this 'branding', but it really means you being 'you'. Know who you are.

Your "look" should be visible on all your social media platforms, your audio-visuals, PowerPoint presentations and your print media.

4. Pictures are empathy triggers. They grab people and make them feel something. The more personal your drawing is the better, i.e. if you draw it yourself, then you're using your own authentic visual voice.

And if you can engage on an emotional level, it becomes a two way conversation.

You talk to them and they talk back - people like to be heard, it makes them feel good. We all want to feel that we are a part of the story.

You can capture the hearts and minds of your audience with visual storytelling.

But that's not all. These four points contribute to one great result:

5. Drawing is good for your brain. Whether you draw it yourself or hire someone else to draw it for you, being able to think and express yourself visually will make you a better communicator and a better storyteller.

6. Duh. Stories with pictures are fun. You can put things in drawings that enhance a story and add layers of meaning. Visual storytelling is value-added.

I mean, which book would you go for?

Next up in this series: simple digital tools. 

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How to #DrawSomething in 10 easy steps.

My strategy with the game is to keep you guessing until the very end, and hopefully make you laugh. So I plan what I'm going to draw and leave out the crucial details until the end. Here's how I play Draw Something in ten easy steps:

Step 1: choose the widest brush and fill in the background, if there is one. In this case, I want black, to set the mood.

Step 2: Add any details to the background using smaller brushes. Note that the new update to the Draw Something app has a single stroke undo, which is really useful if you choose the wrong brush size. I was so glad to see that cuz I'm constantly using the wrong brush and having to repaint over my mistake.

Step 3: I like to put Pickle Weasel in all my drawings. So here's where I block him in. I'm already thinking about his final pose in the drawing, even at this early stage.

Step 4: Block in the colour areas on the character's body. It's important to do this before the outline stage, cuz it's hard to fill in colour in this app. I suck at keeping in the lines, so I like to do it this way.

Step 5: Add the outlines! Not all character's need outlines, but Pickle Weasel does. At this point I also throw in the facial details: eyes, nose, mouth etc. I have to get his expression just right - if you've played with me, you prolly notice I spend more time on this part. Or maybe I just imagine that.

Step 6: Now I paint in the details on his "costume".

Step 7: A few clues begin to creep into the drawing!

Step 8: Adjustments to Pickle Weasel's pose by adding his arms.

Step 9: Lastly I may add some text - this part is a great opportunity to inject humor.

An artist needs to stay in shape. Playing Draw Something is like exercise for me. It forces me to create a funny drawing with limited drawing tools, in a short time. It's like getting really good abs.

I also like the idea of doing a drawing just for someone else, and I enjoy getting others to draw too. Drawing is good for your brain.

Step 10: It's a 3-letter word. And here's your letters below.

What's the answer?

Play Draw Something with "The Animated Woman".

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MORE Funny One Liners.

Okay, here's another FREE drawing lesson for you. It's easy, all you have to do is follow these simple steps. Ready?

We're going to start with a few simple lines. Just grab whatever it is you use to draw, and go for it - wiggly, straight or bent. Lines have a hidden personality, so let's discover it.

Next you just add some dots...put them anywhere you wish!

A few extra little dashes here and there to refine the pose...

Words magically put everything into context.

And a splash of color to give it that extra zing!

WARNING: Try to work quickly; you don't want to miss your dead line.

Lemmeno how it goes!

PS - When I googled Tarzan's cry, the 17 year old daughter said it sounded like "auto-tune on crack". Which it kinda does.

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Laughing Out Loud... OUT LOUD.

I was doing the dishes, by hand, and the 14 year old was helping me by drying. I like this cuz the kids talk about their day when we do dishes. She was laughing about something that happened at school and she said something like: "Bla bla bla - hahahaha! Hilarious LOL!"

She literally said lol, like "laaaaaawwwwwl".

She tried to deny it but I'm an animator and I swear her mouth did this:

And there you have it folks. A new form of LOL-tastic laughter for acronyms is born. More fun than Laughing Out Loud - it's LOL-ing Out Loud! 

Or "LOLOL" for short. She totally said I could post this btw.

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Drawing A BLANK.

My fingers were itching. I wanted to draw something, but I couldn't think what...

Turns out I was already drawing a blank.

High-5 to @ThatIsSuch for this particular suggestion.

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Drawing FITNESS.

WARNING: Never stand on a chair with wheels.

Here's another FREE drawing lesson from me, your old pal JC. Today we're going to talk about Drawing FITNESS!

Your drawing ability will benefit from regular exercise, just like any other extreme sport. You hafta stay in shape, you know? Here's one I like to do - practice drawing something from memory whilst blind-folded with one arm tied behind your back.

Make sure to crouch with your feet shoulder distance apart; and if you stick your tongue out it really helps a lot. If it's your first time, consider wearing a helmet and elbow guards.

Challenge yourself! Don't be concerned with what your drawing looks like - it's the process that counts here. Trust me, Leonardo did this exercise all the time.

Drawing is fun, right? You're welcome!

You can make someone else smile by sharing.

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Funny One LINERS.

Folks often ask me how I draw like I do. Well, it's easy and you can do it too. I put together this FREE drawing lesson just for you.

It all starts with a simple line. There's a lot of attitude in a simple line, okay? So just grab a crayon and draw some - bendy, straight or wiggly.

Then add some dots...

...and a few strokes to give it some body. Haha. See what I did there? BODY.

Words always add a little "je ne sais quoi".

A bit of colour to make it pop, and you're done.

See? It's easy! But BEWARE: too many clichés and you will end up with a flat line.

You're very welcome!

MORE Funny One Liners? Yes please. 

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EyeBROWS.

Today we're going to look at eyebrows. Why do we need eyebrows? Because without them, we are expressionless.

Granted, sometimes we are naturally expressionless, like when your 10 year old boy comes home from school and decides to vaccuum his room...

Exactly. Or if we want to look like David Bowie.

But you can't be expressionless in every single situation! Even at rest, eyebrows give you a little something. A nuance, if you will.

If your husband decides to give you flowers out of the blue, you might lift your eyebrows in mild surprize.

Sometimes you may need to show concern, or sympathy. Like if your BFFF breaks her rubber ducky. Awww....

Obviously, eyebrows are essential to show that you're angry about something. Otherwise how would your 16 year old daughter understand your reaction to her not calling from the 'party' at midnight when she was supposed to?

And these kind of eyebrows would efficiently communicate to the hospital ER staff that you're extremely worried about this odd freckle you've just discovered in your bellybutton.
Hypochondriacs rely on eyebrows just like this!

If you're at all uncertain or doubtful about the usefulness of eyebrows, an expression such as this would probably be on your face. But only, I repeat: ONLY if you have eyebrows.

Without eyebrows? Nothing.

Some eyebrows are better than none. This Marlene Dietrich pluck is a fashion statement, but at least there's a little expression there, even if it is somewhat superior and aloof - it still counts!

And Frida Kahlo....

Well, she just WINS at eyebrows.

You can make someone else smile by sharing.

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