#technicalaspects

Colour is extremely influential when it comes to our emotions, it can enhance and change our moods. When it comes to art, colour allows us to express our personalities and help evoke a particular mood/emotion towards our audience.

           Drawing and painting software has become easier to use and accessible to almost everyone over the last decade. As a result many comics, illustrations, and graphic novels have been presented to us in colour rather than black and white. These types of artists would have had to hand draw and hand colour their work which was extremely time consuming and also involved quite a bit of skill to properly render the colour. I found this to be extremely interesting because I don’t know much about illustration and I assumed if one could draw that one could also colour; however, often times with lack of experience the choice of colour could make the work appear amateur and feel carelessly completed.

           This is why I find Miriam Katin’s illustrations in We Are On Our Own to be extraordinary because of the tremendous amount of detail and effort behind them. The entire book was hand-drawn and shaded with pencil, which truly shows how raw and personal this memoir is. I feel very connected to her experience emotionally, while reading her experience during WWII the illustrations summoned a deep-rooted sadness within my gut. The monochromatic colour scheme intensifies this turmoil throughout the variations of dark and grey values. This decision–to limit colour really brings to life the truth, authenticity, and rawness of the horrific encounter both Miriam and her mother went through as they escaped Budapest during Hitler’s reign. I thought it was very clever and engaging of Katin to use black and white sketches to resemble her past (childhood in WWII) and pair this with coloured sketches to represent her life as a mother. Not only does the reader get a sense of time passing but we also feel a little light-hearted (we feel connected) when viewing the coloured illustrations because of how she strived to provide an environment for her children. I also found that the coloured sketches scattered throughout the memoir helped established this story as a reflection rather than a re-telling; which ultimately lets the audience know that this is a memoir, not a comic, autobiography, or graphic novel.

           As a photographer, we are constantly regarding colour while we are composing a shot. We like to say that when you strip a photograph/image of its colour what you are actually doing is encouraging the viewer to focus on the subject and what is unfolding within the scene instead of focusing on the distraction and bias of colour. Initially I thought maybe this was what drove Miriam to make most of the book in black and white while also primarily setting the time of occurrence. After reading an interview with Miriam Katin and Professor Nicolas Verstappen conducted by du9, she revealed that her choices were “inspired by photographs from those years, especially the pictures of her father during the war” (Katin, 2009). Of course this made a lot of sense, but I still like to think that she intentionally chose a black and white aesthetic to give her audience a truthful emotional experience of her experiences as a war child.

Works Cited

Color vs Black & White: Five Reasons Why Color Comics Are Popular. 8 Feb. 2019, https://onedogcomics.com/2018/09/26/color-vs-black-white-comics/. Accessed 4 Nov. 2019.

This website opened up the world of technique for me when it comes to comics and colour. I had absolutely no idea that just because an individual can draw beautifully doesn’t mean they can also render colour in the same fashion, especially hand-drawn. This is why most mediums we experience today are provided to us in colour– because of advancements in painting and drawing software. Before this advancement artists would have to hand-drawn and hand-colour their master pieces, which not only was immensely time consuming but also required a lot of skill.

Miriam Katin. Jan. 2009, https://www.du9.org/en/entretien/miriam-katin1151/. Accessed 4 Nov. 2019.

This link provides an article published in du9 of an interview with Miriam Katin and Professor Nicolas Verstappen. In this interview we get a sense of some of the decisions Miriam made while working on her memoir We Are On Our On and why she made them. Verstappen and Katin discuss what led her to the medium of comics, what triggered her to write this memoir, and even how she feels about her citizenship. It was extremely helpful to gain an insight on what she is like as an individual but also as an artist and writer.

We Are on Our Own: A Memoir.15 Sept. 2006, http://umanitoba.ca/cm/vol13/no2/weareonourown.html. Accessed 4 Nov. 2019.

         I was absolutely enthralled with the entire graphic memoir We Are On Our Own by Miriam Katin, and was especially captivated by her illustrations. It was hard to narrow down specific scenes that I believe to be outstanding because I think the entire book was very well done. On page 22 Miriam’s mother is burning important documents and sentimental pictures in order to fake their death and escape Hitler’s reign of terror from Budapest. This particular scene is extremely full of details and is beautifully rendered, the harsh transitions from shadow to highlight are very realistic and place the viewer right into the scene. I also absolutely love the fact that it is one big comic panel that is filled with multiple perspectives of the same scenario happening.  

           Page 47 depicts two panels side by side surrounded by a black border illustrating the fall of the Nazi Flag, I find this to be very powerful and impactful– there is no need for text or dialogue to understand what is occurring/what is about to occur. The pop of colour really draws in the viewers eye along with how the sequence is framed on the page. Closely following the fall of the Nazi Flag, pages 48-49 reveal the bombing and invasion of Russian soldiers, the action and motion is incredibly well done and is very impressive with its intricate detail.

           Pages 108-109 of the graphic memoir is the moment when Ka’roly calls David and retrieves the address to his house in order to be reunited with his wife and daughter. Within this comic strip there is very little text or dialogue because the illustrations really speak for themselves, you can see and feel the intense emotion both David and Ka’roly are feeling. Lastly, I wanted to point out the scenes on pages 119-121 because it really gives the viewer an idea of how the war effected Miriam as a young child, in these scenes she is being very violent and aggressive with her toys by stabbing them while also showing her naivete by her wanting her dead dog to come back home as a response to her estranged father returning.

Works Cited

Miriam, Katin. We Are on Our Own: a Memoir by Miriam Katin. 2006.

There are several scenes in Miriam Katin’s memoir where she draws parts of the character, such as their limbs or hair outside of the frame or panel in order to illustrate motion. She uses this technique where one panel bleeds into another to express sound, like the dog Rexy howling or when bombs are dropped on the town. All of the wildlife featured in the memoir seem to be slighting drawn outside of the framing and comic strip; for example the crows feeding off of the dead as they scavenge for belongings.  

            I really enjoyed the illustrations that were drawn without any framing or panels but still show a sequence of events unfolding, for example when the neighbours were gossiping about the death of Miriam and her mother. I thought this gave the viewer the perception of multiple points of view simultaneously occurring, which exaggerates the gossip for the viewer. In the very beginning of the graphic memoir Miriam Katin uses close-ups or a zoom effect with the scenes of the Biblical scripture and the Swastika on the Nazi Flag, creating a juxtaposition between the two.

           The line work is extremely delicate and elegant to mimic the soft natural movements of nature, in contrast Miriam uses harsh and dark lines to emphasize the violence and savagery endured during this time in history. There is a play with scale (evil Nazi Commander) where Katin draws the faces of her characters much larger and longer to show the action of true terror. All of the characters have a very clear line of action, which is basically an imaginary line drawn that follows the movement of the character’s actions which intensifies the motion. Miriam also uses the squash and stretch technique, where she draws her characters by adding flexibility paired with weight to evoke the effect of motion, this helps make the illustrations more engaging and realistic. Overall, I would say that Miriam Katin’s memoir We Are On Our Own is immensely dynamic with compelling illustrations that feel very real and genuine.

Works Cited

Cabral, Carlos Gomes. Cartoon Fundamentals: How to Create Movement and Action. 4 Dec. 2013, https://design.tutsplus.com/tutorials/cartoon-fundamentals-how-to-create-movement-and-action--vector-19904. Accessed 18 Nov. 2019.

This link helped to provide information on design characters and how to use proper techniques to depict action and motion within the comics design.

Transition and Gutters. (2013, December 16). Retrieved November 18, 2019, from https://understandingcomics177.wordpress.com/about/1-2/2-2/.

        After doing some research into characterization and character design, I would say that majority of Miriam Katin’s graphic memoir We Are On Our Own would be considered indirect characterization. This means that information about the character(s) is given to us in a subtle nature rather than the author telling us. This is depicted through illustrations of actions (how the character acts), effects (how other characters perceive the character), and their design (the actual rendering of the character).

        Miriam’s horrific story of her experiences as a child during WWII is already very touching and moving but I believe the readers fully become invested in her story through her characters and how they are delivered. Many illustrators state that a successful character design should be kept simple, the first thing we look at is the character’s facial features/expression and their eyes. It is important to keep expressions clear and precise so that the reader knows how they should be feeling and remain interested/immersed within the content. Something as simple as a slight tilt of an eyebrow can make all the difference in a character expressing happiness, sadness, shock, or confusion.

        The characters in Miriam Katin’s memoir have very distinct characteristics, individuals (mostly adults) have elongated and angular faces where most of the children have circular and soft faces. By simplifying these facial features, the reader unconsciously recognizes and separates characters (adults) that understandthe gravity of situation (WWII, Hitler’s Reign) and the characters (children) that are innocent and naïve to what is reallyhappening around them. It is severely important that when developing a character, the artist only pays attention to the most essential details while leaving out the rest because this will be the information your audience depends on while connecting to your story. We may not connect to a character that is lovingif they are rendered with sharp and jagged edges, which is precisely why Katin choose the shapes she did when drawing her characters.

Works Cited  

YourDictionary. Examples of Characterization. 24 Jan. 2019, https://examples.yourdictionary.com/examples-of-characterization.html. Accessed 4 Nov. 2019.

Character Design Illustrators.https://www.agoodson.com/search/character-design-illustrators/. Accessed 2 Nov. 2019.

The agency was a really great resource for viewing different illustrators and their individual styles; which was super interesting when comparing different techniques and designs used to create characters. The agency also provides some helpful tips when developing characters and what is considered a successful design and why.

Melling, Emily. 10 Principles of Character Illustration. 2 Nov. 2019, https://yesimadesigner.com/10-principles-of-character-illustration/. Accessed 8 Nov. 2019.

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After reading “We Are On Our Own” by Miriam Katin, the first thing that really stood out to me were the illustrations. The imagery depicted in this graphic memoir is extremely alluring and jarring. It provides the audience an entrance into the world of the author’s experiences and struggles as she escapes on foot from the Nazi invasion of Budapest.

           These illustrations can be considered to be more traditional vs. modern in technique. Their quality and aesthetic feel more hand-drawn (pencil and paper) rather than digitally drawn with software. This effectively pulls the audience into her past– by establishing a setting and a time of occurrence (WWII). This hand-drawn style is fitting for telling a story that takes place in the era of global war, the imagery design/appearance helps guide the audience into a heavy story with intimate and detailed scenes. Even the way the images are drawn; the beautiful transitions from shadows to highlights are created by methodical line work which can be linked to the overall memoir’s intricacy.

           If we take a step back and take a look at the history of hand-drawings we could easily recognize that it’s pre-existence to language was a simple way to communicate and tell stories to one another. For example the cave painting may have been used to document hunts or significant events. Story-telling has been a part of humanity since the very beginning where we can begin to trace and connect its lineage to the process of creating imagery. The illustrations in “We Are On Our Own” are extremely powerful in propelling the story forward, you could almost remove most of the dialogue/text throughout the memoir and still have an understanding of the events Miriam and her mother experienced. Their sketch-like appearance of the imagery could resemble her memory as a child during these events and the overall anguish during such a horrific time in history.

Works Cited

Art History: The History of Drawing. (n.d.). Retrieved October 28, 2019, from http://www.beginnersschool.com/2015/05/04/history-of-drawing/.

This website/blog on GraphicMama explains the several different types of illustration, including different styles and techniques used for the art of illustration. It provides great information on describing exactly what illustration is and the difference between being a designer and an illustrator. The blog also briefly discusses how illustration evolved and its importance throughout history, this was extremely fascinating however lacked specific details. There is extensive research done with traditional and modern types of illustration that include videos and external links of profound artists using various techniques. This was very resourceful in identify Miriam Katin’s imagery within her memoir “We Are On Our Own”.

Types of Illustration - Styles and Techniques. (2019, August 2). Retrieved October 28, 2019, from https://graphicmama.com/blog/types-of-illustration/.

The Da Vinci code is a critically acclaimed 2006 American mystery horror thriller film directed by Ron Howard. The film, as much as the book, is considered very controversial especially by the Roman Catholic Church. This riveting storyline entices audiences with every choice in sound, lighting, and camera angle. The author Dan Brown’s work The Da Vinci Code (2003) is brought to life by the essential work of the director.

Throughout the film, the world’s grandest museum, the Louvre - located in France, is often depicted in all it’s glory. Here there are several rooms that follow any period from ancient to modern, containing various national heritage items and perhaps the national heritage of several other countries. Cough cough. Stolen artwork. The director and film crew were fortunately granted permission to film by the Louvre. They clearly used this opportunity to its full advantage; making for some of the most memorable scenes at this magnificent location.

In one particular scene at the beginning, the protagonist Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks) is taken by French police to the Louvre, where Jacques Saunière’s dead body has been discovered. After some research, it appears that David White of Altered States FX, a prosthetics and special makeup effects company, was tasked with creating a naked photo-realistic silicone body for the scene. Lighting effects were utilized to conceal the body’s genitalia. This scene was planned with such utmost precision, it’s nearly impossible to look away.

Finally, the soundtrack created for the film is a fresh and wonderfully effective soundscape that involves an intense orchestra, creating much of that ‘stained glass cathedral’ feeling. At the final scene of the movie in which the answer about the Rose Line suddenly dawns upon Langdon, the background composition renders many powerful emotions. It’s no wonder that the music was nominated in 2007 for a Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score.

Robert Langdon then kneels and says “She rests at last beneath the starry skies.” The camera smoothly goes through the glass floor through the small pyramid to hover upon the sarcophagus. The light falls on the dust in the air giving a mystical aura to the sarcophagus and the withered rose beside it. The camera zooms out from the underground vault and focuses on Langdon. This specific direction is vital and critical for the movie to have been as successful as it was, it is evident that every shadow and harmony was precisely employed to create the effect intended and bring the story to life.