The methodologies in sequential illustrations to visually
communicate doesn’t have to be a linear like a comic strip reading from left to
right, in fact there are a lot of unusual methods in telling stories by using
several tricks to make it more visually interesting and interactive with the
reader’s eyes.
Chris Ware, an American cartoonist, explores the reality of
social, emotional torment and isolation, including depression, through his
works by manipulating the comic panels in a way to make things more interesting
and some-what mind boggling. His methodologies in structuring his sequences
consists of ‘slowness’ by which he use several panels of recurring images to
visually represent the passing of time. Another method is non-linear reading
where the viewer can read his storytelling from any direction, and manipulating
the surrounding space within the sequence to generate interesting panels where images
are not ‘boxed’ in.
‘Superman’, Chris Ware
My visual experiment where the sequence consists the
passing of time as you go from one panel to the other and it is up to the
viewer whether time passes in each one is seconds, minutes or hours. Usually in
some sequences in Ware’s work, you can visually tell how long time represents
between each ‘key’ panel, such as age or evolution.
Another experiment but this time exploring seasons of a
location.
Constructing his sequences are basic in terms of detail and
colour-palette, as Ware’s work is often about the exploration of social
isolation and emotional trauma, while avoiding as much visual detail, which
would clash with the complexity of his sequential layouts. Ware’s work is
already appealing as it is, where he plays around with shapes to create
characters and using limited colours, his style is to keep things very simple
yet at the same time making complex structures of narrative sequences to make it visually eye boggling for the
readers, as quoted from an interview (1)
“One of the reasons I tried to make the books look at least as nice as I can,
or I tried to do things that might possibly be considered in some places
beautiful on the page, is to try to contradict what’s going on within the
character’s minds.” This is where non-linear reading of visual narrative comes
in, where Ware’s methodologies in manipulating the panels and the spatial area of
his sequence can be seen in earlier works of classic producers such as Frank
King, whose works are similar in terms of processes (colour and
simplification). While they both do share similar narrative structures in their
work (the passing of time/reality of life/non-linear reading) Frank often
involves all the panels and illustrate one large image to visually communicate
a story about a location where each panel represents a different time period and
have a short story of its own.
‘Gasoline Alley’ Comic Strip, Frank King
Sequence
My take on combining both ideas of Ware’s and King’s work,
where I incorporate the simplicity of colour and characters, visually showing
the red character going through the reality of office work and reflecting the
themes of Ware’s idea of social isolation etc., while combining King’s idea of
using the entire panels and illustrate it as an office building as a whole,
where the viewer would look into these panels as ‘windows’ of the office
building, as the red character over time goes through problems as you read
along from top to bottom.
Another experiment but focusing on King’s idea of using the
panels to create a large scene where a building is being built over time.
References
(1) Fear No ART, 2012
Bibliography
Fear No ART, 2012, Graphic
Novelist, Chris Ware [Online] [Accessed: 17th October 2015]
Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4MOYCvgEmw
Images
Gasoline Alley. Frank King. [Online] [Accessed: 17th
October 2015] Available from: http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/2011/11/your-wednesday-sequence-32-frank-king/
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