Why I'm Drawing About Sex
It’s taken me a full year of back and forth with myself to try my hand at The Sonder stories. This is a series inspired by my popular London tube cartoon you might have seen on TikTok and Instagram.
The Sonder stories is an exploration of realistic issues humans face. My first comic is about Crystal, a young woman navigating the complexity of a friend with benefits situation. In this comic, Crystal and Lou, her friend with benefits, are having sex. It’s my first time drawing anything this explicit.
The first time I drew characters having sex was in a cartoon a period care brand commissioned me to do. It felt fun and freeing to draw a scene that teases and censors, with the overall intention to entertain and educate their online audience. It reiterated to me that sex is just a natural part of adult romantic relationships and it’s okay to draw about it as someone who draws about real life all the time.
Not to give too much away if you decide to read the comic, but during sex with Lou, Crystal is in a dialogue with herself. In her mind, she’s overwhelmed with emotion and moved by the intimacy she’s experiencing with Lou. This is what makes sex particularly relevant here. I want to show what can happen psychologically for one or both people beyond the physical aspect of sex. I want to create a contrast between how Crystal is feeling and the scenes that follow. For many people that have experienced unrequited feelings in a sexual relationship, this story might strongly resonate. I’ll leave the rest of the story up to interpretation.
This is an exciting and vulnerable venture for me. As someone who generally keeps my content PG, I do wonder how the occasional sex scenes will be received. I have to regularly remind myself that some of the best movies, shows, books and plays have depicted sex in a healthy way, adding a necessary layer to a powerful narrative.
Both The Sonder Stories and The Postcard club are my two new babies and I’m very excited and hopeful for them. I hope to narrow down my work to whichever venture I enjoy most. But for now, I’m proud that I’m selling my digital comics and that I’m committed to sending out several postcards every month. It’s an adventure and I’m letting myself just have fun for now.
In the mean time, let me know if you have any questions, suggestions, or thoughts about my The Sonder Stories. Crystal’s story is available for $1.50 now. I can’t wait for you to enjoy it and tell me what you think.
Speak to you soon!