Notes

PDW VISUAL STORYTELLING #2


basics of visual communcation:
staging: placement of characters/objects in frame, deciding on area focus

Hwo you compose the space and where you place your characters, makes a statement, and helps tell story visually
as artists nothing is done by accident, every decision forwards the story
5 commone rookie mistakes:
1 poor silhouette value; can't tell what's clearly going on
2 poor clarity and readability; makes the audience asks what's going on instead of understanding what's happening
drawings have to be read in just a split second at pitch meetings. light against dark, dark against light helps with clarity
3 tangents (things that just touch, like circle on a straight line) almost touching is much more interesting, like adam touching god
4 drawing to the edge of the frame, keep important information at the center of the frame
5 in-my-face-itis, staged things so close its hard to see what's going on

avoid uninteresting or empty spaces
Look at:
Vance Glery (storyboard artist)
carson van osten (Disney comic artist)
Charles addams (creator of addams family)
gahan wilson (did stuff for new yorker)
rowland b. wilson (animation background, concept designer)
roz chast

one panel cartoons
look at the new yorker for one panel cartoons
HW:
tell story/joke in one panel
white paper 8.5x11 inch paper
vertical or horizontal, black and white, gray tones okay
limited use of color okay only if gag depends on it
only have a few characters, incidentals/background characters okay
no dialogue, no caption
signage within piece okay
keep it in spirit of publication, try to act like you're making something for a client.

glen keane pottery class story:
teacher made one group make one perfect piece of pottery, the second group made multiple piece of pottery, the 2nd group did better because they made more pots, create lots of drawing don't get perfectionist, "greatness will come out of the many" don't tighten up too much. do scattershot of ideas.