WebFind: Draw Stonger by Kriota Willberg

By John Freeman on June 13, 2023

Now in its third edition, Draw Stronger by Kriota Willberg is a comprehensive self-care guide for artists interested in preventing repetitive stress injuries and sustaining a pain free life long drawing practice.

The book, first published by Uncivilized Books in 2018, also useful for other desk bound creatives, offers information on understanding how injuries happen and what types of injuries commonly affect drawing professionals, and use practical first aid to help manage pain in the event of injury. Learn what types of symptoms should be diagnosed by doctor, and practice simple exercises to help correct posture and reduce fatigue and pain.

“Clearly illustrated, informative, and packed with wholesome corrective goodness, this graphic novel can get you started practicing simple routines that will help take care of your most important drawing instrument – your body!” say the publishers.

The book has had enthusiastic reviews from, among others, Scott McCloud (Understanding Comics) and award-winning Mexican-American cartoonist and illustrator, Maddi Gonzales.

“We all say ‘take care of your body’ as an artist,” says Maddi, “but you might not know how to start. I like this book. It’s a great resource to have for anyone who spends a lot of time sitting at a drawing table.”

“Kriota Willberg’s Draw Stronger is a life-saver,” says Scott McCloud. “Every artist – pro and amateur alike – needs to memorise this essential little book.”

Cartoonist Kriota Willberg uses comics, needlework, historical studies, bioethics, and her experiences from her career as a massage therapist and health science educator to explore body/science narratives. Combining this history with her background as an artist and educator, she has been creating comics and teaching artists about injury prevention through panels, workshops, and this book.

She drew on decades of experience as a massage therapist and educator in health sciences and the arts to create this comprehensive guide to injury prevention for cartoonists. Her comics appear in SubCultures, Awesome Possum 3, 4PANEL, Strumpet 5, Comics for Choice, Graphic Canon; and the journals Intima and Broken Pencil.

She is also the first-ever artist-in-residence at the New York Academy of Medicine Library. She also teaches graphic medicine at NYU’s Department of Humanistic Medicine.

• Draw Stronger is available from American publisher Uncivilized Books direct here | ISBN 978-1941250235 | Buy it from AmazonUK (Affiliate Link) | Buy it via Bookshop.org.uk (Affiliate Link)

• Krista Willberg is online at kriotawelt.blogspot.com | Follow Krista on Twitter @kriota

John Freeman

The founder of downthetubes, which he established in 1998. John works as a comics and magazine editor, writer, and on promotional work for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He is currently editor of Star Trek Explorer, published by Titan – his third tour of duty on the title originally titled Star Trek Magazine.

Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine, Babylon 5 Magazine, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics. He has also edited several comic collections, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”.

He’s the writer of “Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies” for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs” with Dave Hailwood.