Kristin Becker's DTC Classes at WSU

Page 115 from the graphic novel What It Is by Lynda Barry.

In the book What It Is by Lynda Barry she uses the texture in the page through the images. For this particular page I can see texture used on the mermaid on the top right corner of the page. In the tail of the mermaid I can see the scales that look to be carefully placed. I feel like this is the textural harmony and contrast talked about on page 78 of the novel “Graphic Design The New Basics”. I say this because of the way that the texture is done on the mermaid, it made me think that you could feel the actual texture of it. The contrast done between part of the tail and the rest of it, makes the distinction more obvious. Then when I take a look at the clothes on the women in the lower left corner there is a similar technique used. This technique used gave this particular image a realistic feel with how it looks on the women. The texture done here is also a different way the author has taken art and made it more realistic. I feel as though the artwork was drawn out and transferred into the book. She might have chosen this method to give the book a more realistic and unique feel. It is more realistic because of the texture done and unique as it makes the novel more graphic.  This is how I found texture being used in this particular page of the graphic novel.

Layers consist of multiple over-lapping elements that from an image or scene. Layering brings out many styles and techniques in order to display something whether its intentions are physical, virtual or temporal. Layers can also be used to separate different focal points, scales, colors, and many other essential elements that can affect the results of the piece.

Page from Gene Luen Yang’s graphic novel, “American Born Chinese”

Notice that in this image from Gene Luen’s comic, “American Born Chinese”, the young character is continuously multi-layered in order to show the viewer a change in motion. The character performs a sequence of morphology as he turns from one race to another.  You can also notice typographic layering within the yellow words,”click-clack”, and the red Chinese lettering that overlays the black background.

Notice that on this page of Lynda’s “What It Is”, there’s multiple layers of elements such as dialogue to read, images of octopuses, bird, and three mug shots.

Page 72 from Lynda Barry’s, “What It I

All of the layers and frames used on the page help the viewer know when and how to read the page. Lynda layers multiple fonts and patterns to help decorate the page.There are various windows and squares that are placed with the cut and paste technique to help frame the dialogue, displaying the collage type look.

Page 151 from Lynda Barry’s “What It Is.”
Barry, Lynda. What It Is. Drawn & Quarterly, 2008. Print.

Texture can play a large role in creating images, specifically in bringing the picture to life. Whether it be on a smaller scale or a larger scale, texture works to bring more detail to a picture. Texture can convey various things, including how an item might feel, the look of a surface, and giving a picture dynamic elements.

In her graphic novel What It Is, Lynda Barry uses texture in an unique way to convey different aspects of her images. From the example of page 151, texture can be seen all over the page, playing smaller parts of a whole.

First, she uses texture to convey a certain amount of a realistic look. The dresses on this page all are drawn with patterns that can stand to simply show a specific pattern, but they also work to show what the fabric might feel like (the dress placed behind the number seven, for example). There is also dots drawn over the octopus’s body, giving the creature a more dynamic textural skin, adding something real to it, even though it is quite clear it’s a drawing. She uses this aspect of creating some realism to unfold her stories or messages.

It can also be seen on this page that she uses different textures and patterns to decorate, creating borders and backgrounds. This serves as dividers or creating barriers between separate parts of the page, drawing attention to sections in individual ways. This gives her pages more contrast and more dynamic aspects that work to make all parts of the page cohesive.

Lynda Barry’s storytelling is indeed unique, and she uses several tools and techniques to do so, texture certainly being one of them. Texture adds more depth and understanding to her drawings, also acting as points that draw a readers attention to a specific part of the page, perhaps where her message or idea is being most emphasized.

Page 61 of  Lynda Barry’s graphic novel “What It Is”

Layers are simultaneous, overlapping components of an image or sequence. Layers allow designers to treat images as a collection of assets. Many times layers are associated with collages and the cut and paste technique. Many modern designers use the collage technique to juxtapose layers of content, create layers that switch between flatness and depth and also create positives and negatives. In order to create collages, the cut and paste technique is used. Other examples of layer use can be seen in maps and music or video design. For example, maps use color, line, texture, symbols, icons, and typography to create different levels of information. This in turn allows for layers to be read independently and perceptions to be made about each layer. In music there are various layers to create certain sound tracks and songs.

In this example by Lynda Barry, “What It Is”,  there are a number of examples of layers. Her entire book is composed with the use of collage and the cut and paste technique. Many of her pages such as this page page 61, are created by compiling and combining a bunch of images to create a greater larger image. You can tell that each of the different elements are cut out, or even ripped out sometimes, and then added to the rest of the page. For example, the little blue peanut cat thing on the right edge of the page has a jagged edge to it that clearly signifies that it was ripped out and then added. This not only adds a layer element to her piece but also some texture.

Jason Aaron’s comic “Star Wars”

Another example of layering can be seen here. Instead of using the collage style of layering that Lynda Barry uses, Jason Aaron, the author of Star Wars, uses layering to give depth to his images. For example in each of the frames the characters are layered behind one another to indicate who might be closer in perspective or who might be farther in the background. Another example of Aaron’s use of layering can be seen in the third frame where all the lesser characters are layered within each other to create the appearance of a crowd. I think that this use of layering is a lot more common in comics. It allows the author to create more of a 3D scene and lets the reader get lost in the depth of their comics more.

Page 92 from What It Is by Lynda Barry

Texture can be something rough, smooth, or rigid. We can know a texture by mostly how it feels or by sight. In our other textbook Graphic Design The New Basics texture is described as “the tactile grain of surfaces and substances.”From looking at Lynda Barry’s book What It Is, each page is filled or should I say covered in different textures. For example on page 92 what caught my eye as texture were these tiny dots in the background of the page, her drawings of the TVs, and the little animals on the left side and at the bottom of the page. I believe the type of textures Barry uses in this book were concrete and maybe physical texture itself. Concrete texture can be seen through out What It Is with repetitive dots, little short lines, cross hatching, etc. on the little creatures she drew or in the backgrounds. Physical texture that I see in Barry’s book would be the paint dots, ripped paper scraps, paint smears, and different hand writing that occurs on each page. Without texture, each page or images would look bland and washed out or lack some character. I believe Lynda Barry created the artwork for this book by randomly putting together mixed media collages. Her choosing this method of art, making these random mixed media collages, probably ties into her struggle of being creative or imaginative as an adult artist.

Page 137 from Lynda Barry’s graphic novel, “What It Is.”

While reading through Linda Barry’s graphic novel, it is very difficult to ignore the child like illustrations. This particular image I chose seems to be composed of layers, which create a texture that, the readers could feel. However, since the image was digitized the actual texture disappeared, leaving behind the illusion of the texture, while creating a connection between virtual and physical texture. As for the actual illustrations, judging by the scale, and positioning the middle one seems to be the main subject of the page. The main illustration is created by a combination of different textures, used as design elements to provide a correlation to the visual function they have been assigned by Linda Barry. The most obvious of the textures are the dots that create a pattern that decorates and adds detail to the character. The second texture I noticed was the splashes of what seems to be some sort of liquid/oil painting; this texture creates the illusion of a rough surface. Both of these textures seem to reinforce the mood and point of view of Linda Berry’s graphic novel, which basically speaks to the child within us.