Stuff by Pam

I used watercolour, pen, pencil, prose, Punjabi, and visual vignettes to create my exploration. I assigned a colour to each sense and how these develop in the graphic narrative represent the journey of the episode.

More about LDComics here

BUY THE ABRIDGED ZINE / DIGITAL DOWNLOAD HERE

The digital download is a 52 page pdf

The abridged zine includes the small sections of prose and has a poster of the cover on the back

Read my Colour Manifesto to find out more about the meanings behind the different use of colours.

Here is a very thoughtful description from my friend Lynn:

“Your work with colours, patterns, and composition is striking as ever. I like how you’ve split the comic into different senses, and how each sense has its own palette and pattern language. I also like how you’ve cut the pages into quarters, like you do with your zines, but then keep splitting and merging them into halves or a full page. It’s very a simple idea but looks like such a great structure in practice. The order of the colours is also a really nice choice, with how they get cooler as the narrative moves to things getting a bit better for you. Your writing is extremely evocative and deceptively simple, and you’ve got great control over its rhythm. I like how it’s not all constrained to a tiny box in the corner, and speaks with your drawings rather than alongside them”

BUY THE ABRIDGED ZINE / DIGITAL DOWNLOAD HERE

Reviews

1. “Pam the comic is beautiful and so moving. Well done! Xx” – Charlotte
2.  “Pam! What an extraordinary piece of work!! Beautifully written, designed and illustrated. … glad that you found a way to process this through your creativity and your mother language. 👍👍🤩🤩” – Kerri
3. “Hi Pam, I downloaded your excellent and inspirational work and was very moved by it. I am very much a visual person, so I loved the combination of words, colours and images. Words alone would not be so affecting and it is a wonderful way of giving the background to bipolar disorder.” – Karen
4. “It’s beautiful. Thank you for sharing your experience so honestly. I love the way the colour schemes for each sense develop” – Jenny Robins
5. “I love how you fusion between both languages – incredible and inspiring. This would be a brilliant resource for anyone who would love to learn the language. As well as those who would know the language too. The use of colour was really cool too.” – Cherish York
6. “Everything you said about senses is so relatable.. since I am from India and know Hindi, I could engage more with the Punjabi letters and its design. I am surprised by how similar yet different Punjabi is from Hindi. It was a delight to enjoy your comic. I appreciate the support you are providing to people who have similar mental health concerns. Well done Pam. The sense of hearing is my favourite part because silence has a lot of importance in our path of spiritual journey .. all the best with your comic Pam” – Sharan
7. “It’s really cool art – love that you’re using lots of different mediums x” – Donna 
8. “I loved it so much – structuring it around the senses gives it so much clarity, but within that it’s actually really complex. Also just fascinating from a neuroscience perspective. You’ve described the experience so well. ” – Cat Andrews
9. “Intense and vibrant – each page brought out the senses so vividly! For me [the pages on smell] connected so so closely to my experiences As an immigrant, so many memories come back by just the whiff of jasmine flowers / mehendi ” – Devi Menon
10. “It’s really good – really well done. I love the page layouts and the use of colour and shape to give the reader a sense of how you were feeling.” – Holly Burrows 
11. “Thank you for bringing together all these aspects of yourself and sharing them. The way you think, feel, see, reflect, so beautifully and generously expressed. I can’t stop thinking about the green and the pink” – Wallis Eates
12. “I love your use of colour as representation, your use of Punjabi is beautiful, both in meaning & the shapes of words— I feel I can really step into some experiences with you, I feel invited in, there is such a tenderness & care in your words & images” – Tara Singh @shadedwriters
13. “The artwork, the use of Punjabi, the colours, the text…. what you have created is extremely moving and powerful.” – F D. Lee
14. “I actually sat and went through it twice. I was hugely proud that you were able to articulate your feelings into words. It is a brilliant piece of work and I’m very proud of how far you have come and appreciate that you could share that part of your life. I loved the art very much.” – Gemma-Louise
15. “I thought you conveyed the experience of hypo mania really authentically and brilliantly. I really understood it. The style is super unique too. After reading your whole story, I also wanted to give you a big hug. ”- Mandy Norman
16. “This comic is both a pleasure and an education, a visually stunning exploration of mental health through the senses. Each section is beautifully illustrated, rich, and inviting. I especially love that it’s written in both English and Punjabi. This enriches the reading experience, making it feel both familiar and unfamiliar, like a journey that’s safe, but at the same time adventurous. I know I’ll be dipping in and out of this comic for many years to come.” – Zina