Page 3 of Raina Telgemeier’s graphic novel Smile

Points, lines and planes are the building blocks of design. They create images, icons, textures, patterns, diagrams, animations and typographic systems. Points are defined as marks that define a position in place. They can be insignificant flecks of matter or a concentrated locus of power. When there are infinite points a Line is then created. Lines can be a positive mark or negative gap and when multiplied can describe volumes, planes and textures. Lines also appear at the edges of objects or where two planes meet. Once a certain thickness of a line is reached, it becomes a plane. A plane is a flat surface extending in height and width and can be considered a line with breadth. Shapes are created when a line closes and can be considered a plane with edges. Each of these elements are portrayed and used in comics to help direct the viewer’s eye.

The graphic novel I read in class was called Smile, by Raina Telgemeier, and followed the story of young author Raina in her troubled journey of dental disaster. The story begins with Raina on her way home from a Girl Scouts meeting when she trips and falls, knocking out her two front teeth. Following this event the reader follows Raina as she encounters more dental problems, braces and the cruelty of other children. Eventually, the story explains how she got into graphic art and why she started drawing.

In this comic you can see evidence of the use of a point in each frame where the main character sits. For example, in the image I provided the main character Raina sits in the center of the page in almost all of the frames. Because of this, she acts as a point in which the eye is drawn. There is also slight use of points in the middle frame to create detailing of glitter on the table the Girls Scouts are working at. Of the three building block, lines are the most used in this comic I believe. In these frames for example lines are use to show the person in which a name belongs, where each speech bubble is coming from and also to indicate various movements or emotions. For example on the last two frames there are little lines near Raina’s hands and the other girl’s head to indicate movements. Looking at the comic as a whole you can also see negative gaps which help distinguish where each frame begins and ends. Lastly, there are a large number of planes or shapes at work I this specific graphic novel. I think Raina is a pretty simple illustrator and relies heavily on the use of simple shapes and colors to create her work. Along with this I think she uses axonometric projections in order to depict volume in a lot of her elements. She gives each of her characters depth and volume which helps make them seem three dimensional.