Understanding comics by Scott McCloud was a truly insightful
look into the psychology of comics and how comics work. This guide broke down
and explained concepts and terminology in easy to digest comics (I would expect
nothing less). Even as a fan of comics I had never given much though to why
comics worked so well. I especially enjoyed McCloud’s explanation of abstraction
as the means to making what is said more important than who is saying it.
While this was an interesting point but what resonated the most
to me was the break down of the six steps in an artist’s path. The steps are:
the idea/purpose, form, idiom, structure, craft and surface. McCloud explains
these steps as part of an apple, with the surface being the skin and the
idea/purpose being the core. These steps are all components of creating art,
not a linear guide on how to make art. He explains that there are many types of
artists who will take certain steps but not others, i.e. an artist could have
the idea and craftsmanship but nothing else which could lead to having
lackluster art, style over substance.
This concept really hit home for me, as this has always been an
internal struggle as an illustrator. There are times where what I create could
be technically strong but conceptually lacking, or vice versa. I have still yet
to bridge that gap or go through all the steps. Although this was discussed in the context of
comics, McCloud put into words (and icons) the artists’ struggle, and how even
though you may be satisfied with your work there are still numerous ways to command
your art and to understand your relationship with art. You just have to reach
beyond the surface.
