Craig Thompson: Author, Drawer, and Wisconsinite - 4/15

Blankets by Craig Thompson

    Craig Thompson came to UWSP to talk about his books he has created and the future book that is coming out this year. Reading Blankets, made me want to come to his presentation to learn more about him and what lead him to become such a great author.
       Walking into this presentation to meet the author of Blankets was astonishing. I was surprised by how many people showed up and appreciated his work. I knew he created other graphic novels, but I did not realize how much work went into creating a graphic novel. It took him a year to write Blankets. I took him two years to actually draw out the graphics for Blankets. He draws every single imagine seen throughout the book. I was amazed how talented he was at drawing but also how he created a graphic novel that was about himself and experiences he had. He wrote Blankets to do the opposite of regular comics and show the experience of "sharing a bed" with people.
       He spoke of his background and how it had a huge influence to create his first book. He grew up in Wausau, Wisconsin! As a younger adult he worked on a farm for an hour to get comics. He drew his first drawings with his brother on old computer paper and spreadsheets. He did not get much of an education because of money issues, but got noticed by a restaurant owner noticing his drawings. It did not get him anywhere with money but he now has a publish assistant that he grateful he invested in. His novels are now  translated into other languages and he has fans in all places of the world. He is a true artist and beautiful writer. He says the most important part of telling a story is "getting it out on the page, then looking at it all in more detail, and finally setting a mood with specifics."
        Craig also created other graphic novels with relation to his traveling around in Europe, especially in France, in a different multicultural environment. He brought a sketch book with him everywhere he went for new inspirations for another novel. He expressed how important it is to travel and get out of your comfort zone. His ideal message is to experience life and follow a path that you want to do, not what others think you should follow.