Wasabi Punk

amyreeder:

Perspective in Storytelling 0

This is the final (and introductory) post to my “perspective in storytelling” series!  If you would like to link to the posts, either reblog this, or send them here.  That link should lead to everything I’ve done on the matter.  I’d recommend reading them in order—that is, earliest to latest.

I made these because I think that there are a lot aspiring comics artists out there who get advice on their work that’s bent more on accuracy (like anatomy or perspective) than it is on actual storytelling.  This bothers me, and it seems lazy.  Accuracy is so obvious…it’s much harder to learn the storytelling skills that accuracy should be serving.

So this is not a how-to…it’s a when-to: When to use certain perspectives or angles to serve which storytelling purposes.  If you are confused how perspective works, get a book and read it!  It’s math, people!  And there are a lot of books out there.

Keep in mind I mostly explain how *I* approach perspective.  That’s really all I’m an authority on…and there are so many options out there.  So it’s my hope these posts will free you rather than create rules you think you need to follow.

Actually, what I REALLY hope, more than that you’ll use my techniques, is that my thinking will get you thinking.  I feel so strongly that art can be analyzed, learned—even solved.  I hope that comes through and becomes addictive.

Finally, if you enjoyed these posts, please spread the word.  I appreciate your support!

destroycomics:

I give you Paul Pope’s OMAC! with extras.

(via huamachuco)

rulani:

Wait

wait this is a thing???

Artist: Nico

(via evangelizer)

adriamercuri:

dogs

(via fevertrick)

tdylanart:

Hello fellow tumblr-ers. You all have been incredibly awesome and supportive of me, and as a token of my appreciation I’m giving away art! One lucky winner will get a custom drawing of whatever they’d like.

Two different ways to enter: 
1. Reblog this post here on Tumblr 
2. Comment on this picture on Facebook 

What you win: A custom drawing, subject matter of your choice, drawn by me, and mailed to you to have and to own forever and ever. I’ll draw whatever you want; whether that’s a portrait, an animal, a portrait as an animal, a superhero, a portrait as an animal-superhero riding a dinosaur, etc… it’s up to you.
(Whether the drawing is black and white or color is up to me and depends on how complex of an image you’d like.)

Contest closes on Wednesday Mar. 27th at midnight EST

coreena:

satanandlace:artblogcity:

Hellen Jo

role models

I have the bottom image in button-form

The fabulous Hellen Jo! 

(via fevertrick)

kekai-k:

More Samurai sketches (and a centaur-rai)

(via huamachuco)

neo-rama:

samehat:

A scene from Warriors as drawn by Little Thunder

d’aw

amyreeder:

Perspective in Storytelling 26

I’ve got some more examples of curvilinear perspective for you!

First, we have a Madame Xanadu spread—Xanadu’s sister surprises her with an attack! And we as the audience weren’t prepared at all, which is why we have to “turn our heads” in order to follow the action.  It also helps lead to the next panel, which is always the big challenge with double-page spreads.

Next, we have a Rocket Girl panel.  The curvilinear perspective is really subtle here, to the point that the reader might not be conscious of it, but I think it’s still effective.  It has the effect of making the panel last longer, as if she’s been there a while.  It’s the opening of the scene, and the slightly curved lines lead us into that scene.

Third is some Little Nemo goodness by Windsor McKay (thanks to Kaluta for the find!).  He’s in a hot-air balloon, viewing the stockyards in Chicago.  This type of perspective is GREAT if you want to draw a cool, expansive view.  Nemo can see in every direction, and what better way to show that than curvilinear perspective?  It has the added bonus of making the reader feel extra queasy.

The last image: probably the best use I’ve seen in comics is this panel from Joe the Barbarian, drawn by Sean Gordon Murphy.  It’s an interior of a school bus, only now it feels longer and empty—Joe is totally isolated in the back of the bus by being literally on a different plane.  If you ever want good inspiration on perspective, rendering, or anything awesomely drawn, for that matter, he’s a great guy to follow.  Not that you aren’t following him already!

What I think is great about ALL of these, is they all convey different moods.  That said, anything can be done too much.  If your panels constantly use fisheye or panoramas, you will slow the story down.  Your readers will have to process your panels in order to follow them, and that takes them out of the story.  It also divides the focus of any one image.

That, and it’s difficult to use.  I would think it’s best to get the hang of other perspectives before you dive into this one, because you will have to rely on your own intuition in order to get it right.

theartofanimation:

Luke Mancini

mtvgeek:

Quick break from filming!

amyreeder:

Perspective in Storytelling 25

I’ve attempted to do these posts going from simple to complex and I don’t think you can go much more complex than curvilinear perspective.

Curvilinear perspective is basically reality, before we’ve processed it.  If you stand in one spot and turn around in a circle, you’ll realize you’re in an infinite world that changes back and forth from what we generally recognize as 1-point and 2-point perspective.  Our brains take in what we see and organize it into something that isn’t technically true—in our heads we turn curvature into straight lines.

Draw that sort of perspective on a flat piece of paper, and your mind is officially blown, because you’re used to turning your head in order to view something like this.  Now it’s all in front of you at once.

But it’s more than just “cool”—it’s a storytelling tool!

I admit I am new to using this sort of perspective, so take what I say with a grain of salt.  But what I think is great about it is that it makes you feel like you, the reader, are turning your head.  That means there can be multiple focal points in one panel…I can give you time to pause and walk through my image.  It also means it feels like the image is moving, almost like an animation sequence.  And depending on how I compose it, the action can be fast or slow.

The above Batwoman image would be an example of a time I tried curvilinear perspective.  Batwoman is blocking bullets, and she splays out like an explosion, so I wanted the perspective to match that.  It makes her seem larger than life, and it makes us feel like we as readers are in the thick of it!  We have to work; we have to turn our heads to see what’s going on.  And, I think it makes it feel more like you can picture where she started her jump and where it’s about to end…again, because it feels like an animation.

How does one make a grid for this perspective?  I wish I had the actual grid I made for this but I lost the file—I think I actually combined two 2-point grids that split in the middle.  This is why it feels a little wonky in the middle of the page.  Little did I know that in that “Transform” section of Photoshop, there’s also a “Warp” thing, which makes it all waaaaaay easier to calculate.  So the grid here is one I made with Warp.  I have Photoshop CS2, so if you have an earlier version, it’s possible it’s not there.  Anyway, just play with it, and i’m sure you’ll figure it out.  But try to get the horizon as flat as possible.  And get friendly with your french curve!

As I said, I’m just starting to get into this sort of perspective, and I’ve been using it increasingly in my latest can’t-show-you-yet work.  I find it’s more useful than I thought it would be, and that you can be really subtle about it…but that it’s also time consuming because you can’t use a ruler as much.

Special thanks to my dad Robert Reeder for the cool panoramic photo.

ulisesfarinas:

http://ulisesfarinas.com/original-art/

I just got my  bill for slicing my thumb open. It is over a thousand dollars. I ain’t got that type of money lying around, but i do got a lot of art lying around. Go buy some ! And please reblog :D

amyreeder:

Perspective in Storytelling 24

Here’s a gallery of possible 3-point perspective compositions.  Think of 3-point perspective as just a souped-up version of what you already do with 1-point or 2-point—meaning, the storytelling choices are basically the same.

The first image is much like last post’s image—an establishing, slightly aerial shot using 2-point perspective, where the horizontal lines are distorted.

The second is a classic 2-point perspective but the vertical lines converge toward the top, ever-so-slightly.  It’s also a wide angle.

The third is actually a 1-point perspective grid, that has been distorted horizontally and vertically.  I did this because I wanted it to feel like the Halloween store SHOULD be straight-forward but something’s not quite right.

The fourth image is a close up, to remind you that this is a great way to feature objects.

The last image doesn’t have its grid counterpart because I accidentally deleted a bunch of my Batwoman files, including thumbnails.  But I thought I’d include it because the angle is unlike most of what I’m showing.

Notice on the first and third images that as those horizontal lines approach the HORIZON, they become increasingly level.  I try and keep aware of the horizon when I’m distorting a grid.  Of course, it doesn’t HAVE to stay level.  If it isn’t, it just looks like you tilted the image, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

amyreeder:

Perspective in Storytelling 24

Here’s a gallery of possible 3-point perspective compositions.  Think of 3-point perspective as just a souped-up version of what you already do with 1-point or 2-point—meaning, the storytelling choices are basically the same.

The first image is much like last post’s image—an establishing, slightly aerial shot using 2-point perspective, where the horizontal lines are distorted.

The second is a classic 2-point perspective but the vertical lines converge toward the top, ever-so-slightly.  It’s also a wide angle.

The third is actually a 1-point perspective grid, that has been distorted horizontally and vertically.  I did this because I wanted it to feel like the Halloween store SHOULD be straight-forward but something’s not quite right.

The fourth image is a close up, to remind you that this is a great way to feature objects.

The last image doesn’t have its grid counterpart because I accidentally deleted a bunch of my Batwoman files, including thumbnails.  But I thought I’d include it because the angle is unlike most of what I’m showing.

Notice on the first and third images that as those horizontal lines approach the HORIZON, they become increasingly level.  I try and keep aware of the horizon when I’m distorting a grid.  Of course, it doesn’t HAVE to stay level.  If it isn’t, it just looks like you tilted the image, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing.