Framed ink: drawing and composition for visual storytellers

Foreword

Introduction

Chapter 1: General Thoughts On Narrative Art

Think, feel, What is the whole story, the specific, the shot about?

How do we bring an audience into our world?

General tone of the story / consistency

Not telling the audience things, but making them feel things

Chapter 2: Drawing And Composing A Single Image (Basics)

Atmosphere

Lighting

Drawing in chiaroscuro

Studying reality as it appears in front of us

Working the flat surface / a basic checklist

Quick word on lenses

Chapter 3: Composing Shots With A Purpose

Introduction

Part 1: Visual message within a still composition (analyzing examples)

Restaurant (a general case)

Establishing shots

Animating the scene

Looking down, feeling down

Overpowering upshots

Using the negative space

Order vs chaos

Complex vs simple

Big vs small

Angular vs curved

Tree vs forest effect (numbers)

Big, medium, small

Landscape as a character

Conceal and reveal (emotions)

Weird beats, weird shots

POV (point of view)

Daytime /nighttime

Keeping the focal point

Scale progression

Knowledge vs unawareness (intercutting)

Beyond the standard points of interest (icons)

Action shots

Part 2: Working with motion

Camera move within the set / camera motivation

Horizontal pan (the train station)

Vertical pan (epic shot)

Changes in the mood (the visit)

Reveal (a new land)

Locking the camera (road diner)

Locking the camera (high desert meeting)

Chapter 4: Composing For Continuity

How one thing affects the next: thinking in continuity

Why build up to a climax?

Ramping up (1) - Train flat from the side

Ramping up (2) - Train in perspective

Using the same elements we can deliver very different messages

"The Cowboys Part 1: Keeping the camera on the same spot

"The Cowboys" Part 2: Changing the camera position with a purpose

Using the same elements we can deliver very different messages / transitions

Bikers Part 1: Mystery house

"Bikers" Part 2: Mobsters in the attic

Line

Chapter 5: Graphic Novel

Introduction

Part 1: Characters

Overall silhouette / the head

Overall silhouette / the body

Dynamics of expression / the face

Dynamics of expression / the body

Part 2: Panel and the page

Panel

Page

Balloons and onomatopoeias

Last thoughts

Index.