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From Scottie · July 31, 2026
See Drawing Links in a Scottie brief
Scottie read Drawing Links, The Habit of Art by Kelcey Ervick, and Minna Sundberg Art and Comics Blog for a reader with the priorities shown below. Start with the rundown, open the full brief, or check every issue behind it.
3sources
51issues read
5stories included
0 of 20 Drawing Links issues included
What shaped this brief
Reader priorities
A working artist or comics reader drawn to quiet visual storytelling, drawing practice, family observation, and the objects that carry a story.
These are illustrative priorities, not a customer’s data.
This brief includes up to 365 days of issues so less-frequent publications aren't judged on an empty week.
Sources in this brief
- Drawing LinksThe publication this guide is about
- The Habit of Art by Kelcey ErvickAdds illustrated essays about artistic practice, rejection, travel, and reading.
- Minna Sundberg Art and Comics BlogAdds serialized comics progress and a creator's production updates.
Scottie
Scottie example brief
July 31, 2026 · Executive brief
01 / The rundown
- Single-panel diary comics offer a low-pressure way to capture everyday observations by pairing quick sketches with short narrative text.
- Narrative object painting demonstrates how simple desk items paired with limited color palettes can unlock visual storytelling ideas.
- Incorporating deliberate visual and formal constraints helps cartoonists generate new narrative directions while managing physical drawing strain.
Read the complete brief 5 stories · 3 action items
02 / The briefing
01 / main
Turning Daily Life Into Single-Panel Comics
The takeaway: Capturing daily moments doesn't require elaborate comic layouts. Building single-panel diary comics around what you see, hear, or think creates unexpected story juxtapositions while training your eye to spot subtle, poetic moments in everyday life.
Concrete details
- The practice focuses on four distinct categories of daily experiences: humorous, weird, relatable, and poetic moments.
- Lynda Barry's daily diary framework uses a simple four-panel grid tracking what you did, saw, heard, and questioned.
Why it matters for this reader: For your observational drawing practice, single-panel comics provide a low-pressure canvas to pair quiet visual scenes with witty text.
Original sourcesThe Habit of Art by Kelcey Ervick
02 / main
Building Visual Stories From Simple Desk Objects
The takeaway: Painting everyday items can kickstart fresh visual narratives when paired with handwritten text. Working with regular gouache rather than acryla-gouache reactivates previous paint layers, encouraging spontaneous color mixing alongside limited palette choices.
Concrete details
- The illustrated stories were created using a tight five-color palette: cadmium yellow, quinacridone red, Payne’s gray, raw umber, and titanium white.
- Daily painting routines like Gouachevember involve illustrating random items found around a workspace every day of the month.
Why it matters for this reader: As an artist drawn to story-bearing objects, this approach shows how everyday desk items become narrative vessels with just five paint tubes.
Original sourcesThe Habit of Art by Kelcey Ervick
03 / main
Navigating Hand Strain With Constraints and Typewriters
The takeaway: Physical constraints like hand fatigue don't have to stall your comic work. Switching to alternative instruments like typewriters or adopting formal narrative rules—similar to telling one story 99 different ways—can unlock new creative approaches.
Concrete details
- Matt Madden's comic exercises demonstrate telling a simple four-step fridge story in 99 distinctly different visual styles.
- Writer Georges Perec authored the 1969 book La Disparition entirely without using the letter E.
Why it matters for this reader: If physical strain impacts your drawing desk, adopting alternate tools and formal constraints keeps your visual storytelling practice active.
Original sourcesThe Habit of Art by Kelcey Ervick
04 / main
Mining Family Photographs to Draw Ancestral History
The takeaway: Old family photos offer rich material for graphic memoirs and illustrated history. Blending personal genealogy with historical context turns old portraits—like a teenage ancestor working long shifts in a Belfast linen mill—into layered visual stories.
Concrete details
- The historical story project draws inspiration from a great-grandmother who worked 12-hour daily shifts in a Belfast linen mill.
- The Wolfson Prose Prize accepts creative nonfiction and graphic memoir manuscripts ranging from 20,000 to 60,000 words.
Why it matters for this reader: This approach gives you a blueprint for combining quiet family observation with archival research in your own memory-based visual projects.
Original sourcesThe Habit of Art by Kelcey ErvickThe Habit of Art by Kelcey Ervick
05 / main
Resetting Studio Practice With Ten-Minute Micro Drawings
The takeaway: Maintaining a creative routine becomes easier when you lower the stakes. Committing to ten-minute daily drawings, organizing your physical workspace, and running small narrative experiments helps uncover what story you want to tell without pressure.
Concrete details
- The summer studio reset centers on 10-minute daily drawing sessions alongside small visual experiments.
- The routine combines physical workspace cleaning with structured narrative planning tools like the Blueprint for a Memoir.
Why it matters for this reader: Short daily sketching slots help protect your visual practice during busy weeks while keeping your workspace ready for spontaneous ideas.
Original sourcesThe Habit of Art by Kelcey Ervick
Action items
- Set up a 10-minute daily sketching timer to capture one object from your desk using limited paint colors.
- Draw a single-panel diary comic today based on something surprising or poetic you overheard or saw.
- Gather an old family photograph and write down three specific visual details to spark a quiet story.
See every issue behind this brief
Paints objects with gouache to build stories
- The girl who holds the worldThe Habit of Art by Kelcey Ervick · Included
Graphic memoir printing
- Travels in Norway: Side-quests are part of the storyThe Habit of Art by Kelcey Ervick · Read, not included
Daily 10-minute drawing practice and studio resets
- A Solstice ResetThe Habit of Art by Kelcey Ervick · Included
Single-panel diary comics inspired by Lynda Barry
- Making single-panel diary comicsThe Habit of Art by Kelcey Ervick · Included
Graphic memoir Title IX
- Are these the same questions you ask the boys' teams?The Habit of Art by Kelcey Ervick · Read, not included
Storytelling constraints, typewriters, and drawing
- My drawing hand hurts so I got out my typewriterThe Habit of Art by Kelcey Ervick · Included
Finding narrative in family photographs
- Trying to write about my ancestorsThe Habit of Art by Kelcey Ervick · Included
- Finding stories in family photosThe Habit of Art by Kelcey Ervick · Included
Submission strategies for artists
- Team Rejection vs Team AcceptanceThe Habit of Art by Kelcey Ervick · Read, not included
Nature journaling for indoorsy
- Nature journals for people who get attacked by geese, can't draw trees, and generally prefer to be indoorsThe Habit of Art by Kelcey Ervick · Read, not included
Unconscious storytelling in graphic
- 10 minutes: Light candle, make art.The Habit of Art by Kelcey Ervick · Read, not included
Book and story structure
- The most powerful, overlooked, difficult element of a story (or a painting)The Habit of Art by Kelcey Ervick · Read, not included
Substack mini-zine community
- A Substack Friends ZineThe Habit of Art by Kelcey Ervick · Read, not included
Political cartooning response
- Sharpen your axes, artists!The Habit of Art by Kelcey Ervick · Read, not included
Journaling weird interests
- Think Small to Go BigThe Habit of Art by Kelcey Ervick · Read, not included
Big project workshops
- Define your New Year's...EraThe Habit of Art by Kelcey Ervick · Read, not included
Novel reading list
- UniformsDrawing Links · Read, not included
Artists gathering in Maine
- Shake up your art habitThe Habit of Art by Kelcey Ervick · Read, not included
Student drawing workshop digital
- A cartoonist's eyes can see what's hiddenThe Habit of Art by Kelcey Ervick · Read, not included
April chaotic artistic energy
- Embracing April's chaotic energyThe Habit of Art by Kelcey Ervick · Read, not included
Creative mindset and writing
- My latest creative meltdownThe Habit of Art by Kelcey Ervick · Read, not included
Floridoracle paywall plans
- FloridoracleDrawing Links · Read, not included
Enchanted Book paywall
- Enchanted BookDrawing Links · Read, not included
Journey Upstream comic pages
- Pages 244-248 of JU, early accessMinna Sundberg Art and Comics Blog · Read, not included
- New JU pages (early access)Minna Sundberg Art and Comics Blog · Read, not included
- New Journey Upstream pages (early access)Minna Sundberg Art and Comics Blog · Read, not included
- Journey Upstream pages 217-220 (early access)Minna Sundberg Art and Comics Blog · Read, not included
- Early access of pages 211-216 of Journey UpstreamMinna Sundberg Art and Comics Blog · Read, not included
- Pages 205-210 are here for subscribers (early access)Minna Sundberg Art and Comics Blog · Read, not included
- Pages 193-198 of JU, early accessMinna Sundberg Art and Comics Blog · Read, not included
- Pages 187-192 of Journey Upstream, early accessMinna Sundberg Art and Comics Blog · Read, not included
Ocean Critters framing
- Ocean CrittersDrawing Links · Read, not included
Bookstore visits and books
- Slug & BooksDrawing Links · Read, not included
The Edith Oracle launch
- ✨ The Edith Oracle 🔮Drawing Links · Read, not included
Journey Upstream early access
- New Journey Upstream pages (early access)Minna Sundberg Art and Comics Blog · Read, not included
Mermaid illustrated book project
- 10KDrawing Links · Read, not included
Journey Upstream waterfall metaphors
- New JU pages (early access)Minna Sundberg Art and Comics Blog · Read, not included
Journey Upstream backstory conclusion
- Journey Upstream pages 199-204 (early access)Minna Sundberg Art and Comics Blog · Read, not included
Bubbles drawing links
Vikingur Olafsson listening
- Vikingur OlafssonDrawing Links · Read, not included
Vintage Dresser archives
- Vintage DresserDrawing Links · Read, not included
Newsletter evaluation
- Is Your Newsletter Boring?Drawing Links · Read, not included
Gemstones for Happiness
- Gemstones for HappinessDrawing Links · Read, not included
Ring Cycle links
- Ring CycleDrawing Links · Read, not included
Florida Running Review
- Florida Running ReviewDrawing Links · Read, not included
Mystery Fragrance post
- Mystery FragranceDrawing Links · Read, not included
The Sun Egg book
- Water FountainsDrawing Links · Read, not included
Bok Tower links
- Bok TowerDrawing Links · Read, not included
Spring Break studio note
- Spring BreakDrawing Links · Read, not included
About Drawing Links
Should you add Drawing Links to Scottie?
Stay close to the practice and observation behind autobiographical drawing and comics.[1][2][3]
Who it’s for
A working artist or comics reader drawn to quiet visual storytelling, drawing practice, family observation, and the objects that carry a story.[1][2]
What you’ll find in it
The issues linked below include “Family, Mid-November”, “Vintage Dresser”, and “Ears”. Open them to judge the publication in its own words.
- Byline
- Edith Zimmerman[1]
How to read Drawing Links with Scottie
Add its public feed for publicly available issues. If you subscribe to paid issues, forward those emails to your private @scottie.fyi address. Scottie does not need access to your inbox.
Scottie read 20 Drawing Links items and included 0 for the brief. The sources covered different things, so Scottie kept their stories separate instead of forcing a connection.
Read three issues from Drawing Links
Read the publication in its own words. Scottie keeps these original links attached; it does not replace the writing.
- Family, Mid-NovemberPublic issue[2]
- Vintage DresserPublic issue[3]
- EarsFri, 24 Jul 2026[4]