CHAPTER 5 - SCOTT McLOUDS UNDERSTANDING COMICS THE INVISIBLE ART

CHAPTER 5 - Living in Line

After reading this chapter i found that you can express emotions & Actions through the use of line work and symbols.

Generally darker lines represent emotions such as anger, fear, anxiety, madness etc whilst soft thin lines represent emotions such as calm, reason, honesty, innocence and youth etc. Below are two examples of different line work. One is darker and the other uses a softer line type.

(Comic taken from http://www.comics.com/)

As you can see this comic comes across as innocent and honest due to the simple drawings and thin lines that have been used. Where as the picture below has bolder lines with a lot more detail which gives off the impression that the comic is probably for older readers and slightly aggressive.

(image taken from http://hem.passagen.se/fm4/sincity.html)

Symbols also play a part in showing emotion. One of the most commonly used symbols would probably be the love heart. It represents love, attraction, lust, happiness etc. Below are some examples of Symbols which are commonly used in comics today.

(The image above was taken from http://www.dreamstime.com/jpeg-comics-symbols.-image4048668)

After reading this chapter it made me realise how important symbols and line weights/types are in the comic world. They really help sell an emotion or a theme to a reader.