@jessmakescomics.bsky.social

@jessmakescomics.bsky.social

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I make comics and illustrations, often about disability/mental health.

Sticker of an origami boat in the colours of the Palestine flag on a soft grey beige background. Text : from the river to the sea
A 6 panel comic. This image shows 4 panels. Panel 1: A wrapped bunch of peonies. Text: ‘I’ve been craving abundance’. Panel 2: The same bunch of peonies in a vase, they have opened into full bloom. Text: ‘I bought a bunch of peonies the size of my head’. Panel 3: A large box of fruit labelled Crowdfarming. The fruits are apricots and cherries. Text: I ordered 2.5kg of apricots and cherries for my birthday. Panel 4: A stack of library books, some of them look rather hefty. Text: I borrowed 6 hardback books to last me 2 weeks.
Watercolour and pencil sketch of young fox sniffing the ground. Labelled Resident Fox
An 8 panel comic about Gaza. Panel 1 shows a woman holding her emaciated child. Text: What can I say in the face of these horrors Panel 2 shows a news feed on a mobile phone. It reads ‘Latest: Vatican News: Death Toll in Gaza nears 59000’, Al Jazeera: ‘Israel has killed nearly 19000 children’ Text above the image: Words are inadequate. They fail me. Panel 3 shows a hand drawing a heart on a piece of paper. Text: Instead all I can do is put my heart down on this paper. Panel 4 shows 2 hands folding the piece of paper with the red heart drawing clearly showing. Text: Fold it lovingly and with care
A 7 panel comic in muted pastels and rich blues and burgundies. Panel 1 shows a dog and cat sleeping in a basket while a mouse sneaks past them. Text: “I love cats and dogs” Panel 2 shows the cat in close-up, opening one eye to look at the mouse. The mouse is sweating nervously. Panel 3 shows the cat and dog back asleep in the basket and smiling. The mouse is sleeping on top of the dog. Text: ‘Regardless of whether or not they catch mice’ Panel 4 shows a newspaper in a paper rack. The headline reads ‘skivers vs strivers’, there are two subheadings reading ‘benefit cheats’ and ‘make Britain great again’. Text: “Yet we are told that disabled people need to work to be of value”
Loose sketchy drawing of a pair of headphones with handlettered text underneath saying ‘I keep waiting for things to get better’
Page 1 of an 8 panel comic. There are 4 panels on this page and 4 on the next. The comic is beautifully coloured in delicate rainbow shades. Panel 1: text: “When I was in a long-term relationship, my partner and a mutual friend came to me” Image: a man with blonde hair and a woman with blue hair are walking in a park, gazing lovingly into each other’s eyes. The man is labelled ‘my partner’. The woman is labelled ‘not me’. The man is saying “We have fallen in love and we want to be together.” Panel 2. The blonde man is smiling slightly sheepishly. He is saying “But we’re not having sex out of respect for you.” Panel 3. I looking upset and scratching my head. I am wearing a yellow jumper and have amazing pink/purple streaked hair. I am thinking “But I don’t feel respected” Panel 4. Text: I was being gaslighted. I am clutching my head in both hands and frowning. Surrounding me are question marks. I am thinking “I feel like I’m going nuts.”
A 4 panel comic is shown, mostly in shades of grey. Panel 1 image: a middle-aged woman cleaning her teeth in the mirror. Text: While I was brushing my teeth last night. Panel 2 text: I had a dark thought. Panel 2 image: The same woman is shown in close-up thinking ‘If I lose my benefits I’ll just kill myself’. Panel 3 text: How many millions of disabled people in the UK thought about their premature deaths last night. Panel 3 image: 2 repeating rows of multiple worried-looking men cleaning their teeth. Panel 4 text: This government is going to have blood on its hands. Panel 4 image: a toothbrush is lying flat on a surface spattered and pooled with blood. The blood is red which is the only colour in the whole comic. The comic is dated 19.03.25, the day after the government’s formal announcement of disability benefit cuts.
A 4 panel comic showing a woman carrying a bundle. Panel 1 text: Your death is a burden I have been happy to carry. Panel 2 text: Although it’s been heavy and lonely, it’s the last thing I can do for you. I want to carry you with me. Panel 2 image: The woman is carrying the bundle strapped to her back. The bundle is golden and slightly glowing. The woman is walking with a shepherd’s crook. Panel 3 text: But I also have my own burdens. Panel 3 image: the image shows the woman with the bundle still strapped to her back. She is carrying black bundles in her arms labelled ‘mental health, ‘DWP’, ‘chronic illness’ and ‘proposed benefits cuts’. Panel 4 text: And sometimes it’s all too much. Panel 4 image: the woman is standing alone with all the bundles strapped to her back. She is leaning heavily on the shepherd’s crook and knees are buckling. She is either standing in a large patch of shadow or about to fall into a hole.
4 panels of a haggard looking female face. The first panel is grey and each one gets brighter. Text in panel 1: ‘Every so often I never want to draw again’. Text panel 2: ‘I think I hate my drawing style so much’. Text panel 3: ‘And then I doodle something I love’. Text panel 4: ‘And then all I want to do is draw - and round it goes’. The art style of the comic is fairly realistic and looks like a rough pencil sketch or an etching.
Wonky drawing of a candle on a tan coloured background. The candle is scented and lit. On the label it says ‘La Luna’ ‘Siberian pine, eucalyptus, cedar wood’ ‘Halvana’, ‘plant wax’. The candle is a symbol both of grief and of hope in grief.
A small tea light candle is being lit with a taper. Underneath it says ‘a light in the darkness’. The candle and taper are in colour but the rest of the drawing is a soft dove grey/brown colour.
A 2-panel comic about grief. The first panel shows a drawing of a man in a scruffy jacket with messy hair. The text reads: Some days I think about how annoying you were. The drawing is labelled with 5 arrows. They read: 1. Either needs a haircut OR just got one that looks like an SS officer. 2. Impish expression because he’s stoned off his tits and it’s only 11.30am. 3. About to say some unspeakable political nonsense. 4. £20 jacket from M&S, falling apart 5. Just stole 10,000 napkins from Pret for no apparent reason. Panel 2 shows a woman crying wearing headphones. The text reads: But other days all I can think of is. Surrounding the drawing of the woman are the words I MISS YOU written multiple times.
A 6 page comic coloured in shades of blue and grey. Panel 1 caption: ‘The January light is silvery blue’. This panel shows blue light shading to a warm grey. Panel 2 caption: ‘The clouds tinged with pink’. This panel shows the same background but with pinkish clouds. Panel 3 caption: ‘It’s been 6 weeks since you died. At first the pain was like looking at bright light.’ The panel shows a bright sun low in the sky above silhouetted buildings. Panel 4 caption: ‘But over time it feels less intense. Hazy, less clear, darker’. The panel shows the same sun without building, the light is more muted and the sky is darker. Panel 5 caption: ‘And harder to distinguish’ The panel shows a close up of the sun with clouds moving to cover it. Panel 6 caption: ‘From fogs of depression’ The final panel shows the sun being obscured by clouds. Everything looks greyer and foggy. The sunlight is more watery.