Kristin Becker's DTC Classes at WSU

Page 31 “Understanding Comics” by Scott McCloud.

The page that I am going to review is page 31 of Scott McCloud’s book Understanding Comics. The first principle that stood out to me when I was reviewing the page was the repetition that Scott McCloud uses to reference the heads to compare the different styles. When viewing the faces they are all lined up in an order that goes one after the other and they are all similar enough to repeat, but still have enough differences to look at each one individually. The faces all have to be looked at individually and can not be taken in all in one glance, which creates interest.

The next principle that I want to look at is dominance. We can see dominance in the panel where Scott McCloud’s character is wearing the large simplistic head. This large head draws the eyes towards the simplistic head and this further empathizes Scott McCloud’s main idea in the section is that humans can create faces out of objects. This large head dominated the small cartoon body enhances the image by giving an example of the idea that humans can see a face out of just two dots and a line.

The last principle that I want to talk about on the page is size. Scott McCloud creates a very large face in comparison to the size of the panel. There are words in separate places around the shape and they are very small in comparison. Scott McCloud wants you to focus on the face at first and then read the text. The focus of the reader will shift to the large face and then shifts to the text reading “what are you really seeing” because it is smaller in comparison and shifts back to the large circle with two dots and a line.

I chose the 188th page in Scott McCloud’s “Understanding Comics” because of the intense use of color in the “window” on the very top of the page. I believe that McCloud’s layout is effective in using shape, direction, and texture. Regarding shape, Lovett stated that a shape is “a self contained defined area of geometric or organic form.” In the middle parts of this page, there are three cubes, each with a different amount of squares in them. Taking that Lovett stated that a shape is an area of geometric form, the example in McCloud’s layout takes this literally in making actual geometric shapes (squares). The upper “window” shows great movement. Lovett stated that vertical movement suggests balance, horizontal movement suggests calmness, and oblique movement suggests movement and action. McCloud’s layout is a great example of oblique movement, seeing that it’s not exactly horizontal nor vertical movement, but a little all over the place/diagonal (oblique). Texture also plays role into this because there is surface quality on the red glove of the figure to the right in the “window” on the top. The lines on the glove suggest that the glove is smooth, but in movement because there’s a sense of retracting or bending on the glove. 

After reading John Lovett’s “Design Overview”, one of the pages that caught my attention was this page (pg. 114) The first thing I thought was unity. On this page on Scott McClouds book there’s since of rough textures and angular lines. That indicates the intensity of the comic scene. You can tell that it’s an action scene and not a scene that is calm or relaxing. Another thing that I noticed is the direction. I recognize that there are oblique lines indicting that these motorcycles are moving very fast. You can easily acknowledge that these two people in motorcycles are racing each other. They have another good example of that on the bottom as well where there are horizontal lines that represent the man very running fast. Having shown speed through imagery that includes direction, again shows the intensity of this action scene. Another way McCloud showcases intensity is the darker values that is drawn. It has more of a contrast on this page compared to the other pages. I feel like this is a great example of what the element and principle of design can do and how it can change the way you comprehend and see comics. 

Design elements and principles are crucial for the foundation of comics or really any art.  In our class reading “Understanding Comics” written by Scott McCloud shows a good use of examples on how those elements are used. I chose a page 25

Page 25 from McCloud’s “Understanding Comics”

from his book that features The Treachery of Images. I took a Fine Arts course last semester where we had looked at this piece. It really stuck with me throughout this reading because it was familiar to me and also related to the projects we are working on. McCloud used this example with the intentions of showing how there can be images used that simply are representing something rather than the real thing.

The elements of design include line,shape,direction, size, texture, color, and value. Although these seem simple to see, there is deeper meaning beyond the surface. These elements are used to convey a message and support the meaning The Treachery of Images has.

Principles of design include balance, gradation, repetition, contrast, harmony, dominance, and unity. These principles are important to keep in mind because they help give flow with balance , contrast, gradation, unity and harmony. Repetition and dominance help to make the material memorable.

McCloud’s layout is effective because it uses basic shapes that represent real things, with repetition to ensure that his message is understood. By using a character to imagine being told the information is helpful. He used a repetitive image with different text to give all the information. McCloud didn’t need to use color since he was able to make a gradient using line work hatching. This made it easier to focus more on the information rather than any flashy bright colors.  I chose this page to grab from because it has that same message happening within the comic itself. McCloud was able to use the principles and elements well.

Page 47 from “Understanding Comics” by Scott McCloud.

One principle that is effective on page 47 of “Understanding Comics” is the principle of repetition with variation. The top and middle panels are repetitive because Scott McCloud is in the same position in each panel only there are a few changes in each panel that add a degree of variation. The added variations, whether it be the added texts, the added shapes, or the different contrasts make it so that every panel is interesting in their own way even though they are somewhat similar. The bottom panels are also good examples of repetition with variation. Again, Scott McCloud is positioned in the same place for each panel but the variation comes from his hand positions in each of the panels.

One element that is effective on this page is Scott McCloud’s use of lines, more specifically the alignment of his lines. Aside from the first panel in the middle row, every panel is aligned perfectly both horizontally and vertically. This alignment is effective because it produces a very clean aesthetic. The alignment on this page also helps the reader navigate the page with ease, informing the reader where to begin reading and where the reading ends.

Another principle that is effective on this page is the use of balance within the panels. The bottom row of panels is a great example of balance. In each of the bottom four panels, Scott McCloud is positioned at the bottom half of the panel, directly in the center. Above Scott McCloud are text bubbles positioned at the top half of the panels, also directly in the center. Scott McCloud and the text bubbles take up an even amount of space in each of the bottom row of panels creating an effective and pleasing aesthetic for the reader.

Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud (40)

After reading John Lovett’s “Design Overview”, I found many illustrations from Scott McCloud’s “Understanding Comics” that do represent a significant amount of Lovett’s terms he went over. McCloud seems as if much of his drawing in this novel are hand drawn and then transformed into animation. One of the most obvious signs of this is his use of lines in his comics. In the image of the hand that I have scanned, you can see that McCloud used lines and tones to make this illustration realistic. There is contrast of the methods of drawings he uses in this piece as we see lines being used in the hand, but in the background, there are different textures being used. I would say the same thing is happening for the illustration with the glass of water and cup of tea. On one side of the illustration, we see it as an animation drawn with boundary lines that create shapes to show an image. On the other side of the comic, you see lines were put into the shapes, to further define the picture.

Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud (41)

In addition to that, there are other instances of both line and texture coming together to produce realistic work. This includes the picture of the outlet where McCloud utilizes his knowledge of lines, texture, and shape to create a vivid image. As a viewer, we can clearly see what he was trying to create and what he was implying. To go more in depth with texture, we can see being shown in examples like the two individuals facing each other. Not only do we see random people, but with the texture added to the faces of the individual, we can start seeing the characteristics of the individuals.

Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud (32)

The last image I want to discuss is the very detailed image of a man with wings holding a woman. This comic piece definitely uses lots of obvious texture to make it come to life. We also see that although this piece is a fictional representation of a couple, we can start picking out details like what time and setting this piece was meant to target. This is all due to the physical texture of the drawing. Overall, we see lots of use of different designs in Scott McCloud’s comics that help us further our knowledge on using such tools.

Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud (35)

Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud (19)

 Pages 118-119 of “Understanding Comics” by Scott McCloud

In “Understanding Comics”, Scott McCloud does an excellent job of incorporating the different elements and principles of design seen in John Lovett’s Design Overview. There are so many pages where several of these principles are being used. On pages 118 and 119 in particular, one has clear examples of these elements being used to tell a story and to give off meaning. 

I find this spread very interesting because each grid contains a different feeling, as well as an image that sort of depicts that emotion. For example, the image of madness is a one continuous jagged line that spirals. To me, this accurately portrays the feeling of madness through a drawing.

It is also interesting to note McCloud’s other use of shapes. In the panels with the labels “Anger”, “Tension”, and “Anxiety” McCloud uses many jagged abstract shapes to depict that particular emotion. John Lovett’s Design Overview says that “Abstract shapes can trigger predictable responses…Our hard wired response to snarling teeth, sharp horns, barbs and thorns is to take notice, observe and react.” Those three emotions all involve “sharp” powerful reactions and stress, so it makes sense that abstract shapes would be used to portray them.

On the other hand, the more calm feelings have less jagged edges and shapes, and instead has more curves and soft edges. For example, “Intimacy” and “Joy” are much more relaxing to look at due to the curves of the lines drawn.

In addition, in Lovett’s Design Overview it states lines can exist as other elements, such as texture or tone. The viewer can see that the “Serenity” panel is made up of multiple tiny hatch marks, creating a visible texture in the image. In the “Intimacy” panel, Scott McCloud uses lines to create these hatch marks as well. This also causes sort of a gradient effect in the image.

Page 45 of Scott McCloud’s “Understanding Comics” (Scott McCloud, Understanding Comics, Harper Perennial, 1994, pg 45)

Scott McCloud’s “Understanding Comics” page 45 can be analysed in 3 ways that I find interesting. Firstly McCloud uses direction in his first panel on the page. He does this by having himself depicted standing on top of a globe-like surface that is at an angle from the mid-right of the panel to the bottom left of the panel. In John Lovett’s “Design overview”, he talks about this direction has an emphasis of motion.  When given the context of McClouds text for that panel he could be trying to communicate that the “approaches of comics art” is constantly changing and moving.

Secondly, in the last panel of the page McCloud uses size as a design element. He shows the illustration of himself in much smaller proportion to the “iconic abstraction scale” of a mans face. He does this on purpose to attract the attention of the reader to the scale of the mans face rather than himself. This principle is also outlined by Lovett, where larger items attract more attention when next to smaller items. This principle is valuable for design as it can be used to manipulate the viewers attention to where the designer wants.

Lastly, McCloud uses contrast in two panels when he wishes to talk to the reader more directly. The background is black and the only illustration that stands out is himself with a text bubble. He does this to emphasize what he is saying rather than to illustrate and somewhat transition to his next point. While contrast between the scale of objects is also a form of contrast, contrasting between colors and/or light and dark is also valuable in the same objective. It can bring focus to select aspects of a design. It can also be said that McCloud uses this to transition in a relate able fashion to someone speaking to you and trying to describe something. Where the listeners drifts in and out of directly listening to the speaker and imagining demonstrations of what the speaker is describing.