Put a label on it

Adding text to a drawing can completely change what it memes

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Put a label on it

Make some drawings and then use text to transform them into memes, metaphors, and single-panel cartoons.

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What you need:

Paper
Drawing stuff
One or two ideas sloshing around in that big ole noggin of yours

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What to do:

1. Draw something. You DO NOT need to plan ahead, you only need to draw something. Draw a bunch of somethings. Draw anything. Draw anything a few times.
   If you can’t think of a single bloody thing, try these prompts:

   1. A situation with a clear power imbalance

   2. A pile or collection of objects (real or imagined)

   3. A mundane moment or activity that includes something out of place

   4. Animals

   5. Still life

   6. Still reading? Look around you, there’s bound to be something to draw. Draw that
      

2. Look at your drawings and add captions and/or label stuff. Be silly, be serious, be sillious, whatever works for you! The idea is to discover what the drawing might be or represent by just… going for it.
   If you are stuck, try these approaches:

   1. Could the drawing be a metaphor? If so, for what? Something personal, societal, political, biblical, medical, environmental, intestinal?

   2. Treat the image like it’s a single-panel comic and add a caption at the bottom. Is it political? Is it personal? Work related? Is it a work of personal politics?

   3. Pick a topic and write down all of it’s component parts. Then, pair the written components with parts of your drawing. Think about how the drawing and topic relate. Does it relate? What parts get included? Does the drawing reconextualise the topic or visa versa?

   4. Could this be about you? If you are anything like me, you can make it about yourself. Could these be stages from a relationship? Emotions? Thoughts? Stuff you love or hate or a problem or something? What about that night you peed on a possum by mistake? Remember that? That was so weird. Do something about that!
      

3. Add a title if you need it. You might not need it.

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Dinner conversation topics with family

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Thoughts

It was pointed out to me recently that most of the exercises I come up with start with text (thank you/shout out to Andi Spark). I think I do that because I want my drawings and comics to be purposeful and… I hate to practice on purpose! This exercise requires the images to be made first and to not have a plan before circling back and allowing doodles and sketches to take on meanings at the end of the process.

This exercise felt a little like cheating to me. I didn’t worry about story! I didn’t worry about continuity! I drew some of these while watching TV, others while I had a coffee and my kids jumped on a trampoline, and still others sitting on a park bench while my dog ran around sniffing butts and rolling in possum wee. I’m on vacation (it is currently New Year’s day) and it was nice not to think about the drawings too much. And while they didn’t feel particularly purposeful when I initially drew them, it felt good to come back and play with text and add a bit of depth and meaning later.

Keen to try this same idea with data visualisation sometime soon.

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Happy New Year you lovely humans!

Thank you so much for supporting and sharing my work this year. I’m having so much fun drawing and writing and sharing all these strange comics and exercises. Keen to do lots more in 2026! I’ve already got a few new things cooking and I’ll share them soon.
Yes.
YES!

xo,

fionn