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Presents instructions for aspiring cartoonists on the art form’s key techniques, sharing concise and accessible guidelines on such principles as capturing the human condition through words and images in a minimalist style.
Table of Contents
Introduction (1)
Writing with pictures (8)
Clarity and persuasion (9)
The five choices (10)
Choice of moment (11)
– Connecting the dots (12)
– The six transitions (15)
Choice of frame (19)
– Distance, angle and P.O.V. (20)
– Establishing shots (22)
– The reader’s camera (24)
Choice of image (26)
Choice of word (30)
Choice of flow (32)
– Directing the eye (33)
– Beyond the page (36)
Five choices checklist (37)
Working methods (38)
Panel-by-panel improv (39)
Clarity versus intensity (45)
Intensity versus persuasion (53)
Notes and exercises (54)
Stories for humans (58)
It takes two … (58)
Symmetry and recognition (59)
3 steps to believable characters (62)
Character design (63)
– Inner life (64)
– Visual distinction (70)
– Expressive traits (76)
Facial expressions (80)
– Emotional communication (81)
– Kinds of expressions (83)
— The emotional primaries (83)
— Mixing and matching (84)
— Physical states (87)
— Direct, specialized signals (88)
– Facial muscles (92)
– Drawing expressions (94)
Body language (102)
– Differences from expression (103)
– Types of relationships (104)
— Elevation and status (105)
— Distance and relationship (107)
— Imbalance and discontent (109)
— Other relationships (111)
– Hand gestures (112)
– Figure drawing (114)
— Anatomy suggestions (114)
— The importance of gesture (115)
– Body language in action (116)
Digging deeper (120)
Notes and exercises (122)
The power of words (128)
Balance and integration (128)
The 7 types of W/P combination (130)
– Word-specific (131)
– Picture-specific (133)
– Duo-specific (135)
– Intersecting (136)
– Interdependent (137)
– Parallel (138)
– Montage (139)
Using the 7 types (140)
Word balloons (142)
– The “desperation device” (142)
– Balloon to mood matching (143)
– Emphasis and cases (144)
Sound effects (146)
Writer/artist collaborations (148)
Picking your story (150)
Heritage and strengths (152)
Notes and exercises (154)
World building (158)
Being there (158)
Revisiting the establishing shot (160)
Regional variations (166)
Comic strip minimalism (169)
– Comics about place (169)
Perspective (170)
– Non-western alternatives (171)
– Western perspective (172)
– Perspective and comics (173)
– Improvisation (174)
Reference and research (176)
Not just “backgrounds” (178)
Notes and exercises (180)
Tools, techniques and technology (184)
The only essential tools (184)
Drawing on the cheap (186)
Traditional tools (188)
– The basic equipment (188)
– Brushes, pens and markers (190)
– Traditional lettering (195)
Digital transitions/this book (196)
Digital to print (198)
Digital to screen (200)
Lettering and fonts (202)
Equipment (204)
Publishing alternatives (206)
Who’s the boss? (207)
Notes (208)
Your place in comics (212)
Discovering your style (212)
Understanding manga (215)
Understanding genres (224)
Understanding comics culture (229)
Wandering far and wide (238)
Notes (240)
Making comics (244)
Nice work if you can get it (244)
Old and new markets (246)
Your turn (249)
“The blank page” (252)
Notes (255)
Bibliography/suggested reading (256)
Art credits (258)
Index (260)
Added by: joachim Last edited by: joachim
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