For my graphic novels & other long-running projects, I keep a monthly chart showing how many pages I’ve drawn each day…

CHART SET UP:

I set up each month’s chart on graph paper:

  • DATE = Across the bottom.
    (Make sure there are 32+ squares across your page!)
  • PAGES DRAWN = Up the left side.
    (I need at least 30-40 squares if I plan to draw a page a day.)

At the end of each day, I color in the number of pages I drew on that day. For examples, see:

BONUS FEATURES:

  • I use one color for NEW pages & another color for REDRAWN pages.
  • I also add a DAILY GOAL line — In this case, 1 page per day…

A long-term book project like this might be 2-3 years in the making; The series overall has taken 10 years & counting! Building a picture of my daily progress (or lack thereof) really helps me keep track of the work, & adapt my drawing schedule to my teaching schedule from month to month.

CREDIT: I got this idea from the excellent HOW TO mini-comic, Your Comics Will Love You Back by Alec Lonstreth. Thanks, Alec!