Comics and visual priority
Visual priority
When we view a piece of art, what is it that we remember, or what is it that moves us? Imagine you’re now at the Louvre Museum in Paris and standing in front of the Mona Lisa, arguably the most well-known painting in the world. Do you remember what the background is behind the Mona Lisa? Chances are probably not! But I bet you can picture her eyes. Why is that? This is because we visually prioritise the most important parts of the artwork, in this case, the features of her face.
When creating illustrations, it’s often beneficial to focus our time and attention on the meaning of the work and its soul rather than distracting the viewer with all the visual details of the periphery. Consider the following:
· What elements, story, or visual cues do I want the viewer of my illustration to remember?
· Do I want the viewer to remember all the details of my artwork so that all parts are given equal attention?
· What can I keep out of the artwork that could distract the viewer from the focus of my illustration?
Comic Art
There is much we can learn from other creative artists. I’ve personally found that comic artists, in particular Japanese manga, are masters of visual priority. Manga have some incredible artists, and personally, I feel they are some of the most creative illustrators the world has to offer. Take, for example, the artist Haruhisa Nakata and his panels taken from the manga Levius and Katsuhiro Otomo taken from his manga, Akira.
Akira vol. 2 – Katsuhiro Otomo
Levius vol.1 – Haruhisa Nakata
Notice the sense of movement and emotion that’s conjured up when we follow these panels, almost like we are watching a movie. Pretty impressive for just some ink on paper! Please note these panels are read in standard Western reading format, from left to right (as opposed to traditional Japanese manga, which is from right to left).
We can learn so much about creative illustration from comic artists. Examine other manga and western comics as well and analyse how they use visual priority in a straightforward manner while also conveying a story in an unobstructed, yet detailed manner.
Thank you!
I hope this article has been helpful for your creative journey so far! If you enjoyed this post, consider signing up for my mailing list, and you’ll be the first to know about my creative process and when artwork is available for sale.