# sequential art ### multiple images By definition, Sequential Art refers to the art from of using a series of images deployed in a sequence to tell a story graphically or convey information. ![[Pasted image 20221129103602.png]] ### time based Sequential art can be animated as in cartoons and movies or it can be still as in comic strips. Either way, sequential art is always time-based. It takes time for the story to unfold using moving or fixed images. ![[Pasted image 20221129103622.png]] ### has a narrative flow A typical sequential art story has a definite flow from the start of the story where characters are introduced and some level of tension is created to a resolution of the tension and character response. --- ## motion in a single image Alternatively, it is possible to indicate motion in a single image. ![[Pasted image 20221129103743.png]] An artist in a cave in northern Spain thirty-thousand years ago added extra legs to his drawing of a boar to trick the viewer into believing the animal was running. ![[Pasted image 20221129103808.png]] In 1847, during the Renaissance, Leonardo Da Vinci illustrated the proportions of the human figure in his famous “Vitruvian Man” image. This work shows how the limbs of an ideal male figure would appear in various positions. Doesn’t look like he’s doing jumping-jacks? ![[Pasted image 20221129103845.png]] Marcel Duchamp’s “Nude Descending a Staircase , No 2” was an attempt to capture the sense of movement over time in one single image. Although it was panned in 1912 when it was exhibited, it became a foundation piece for the artistic movement known as “Cubism”. ![[Pasted image 20221129103920.png]] Although a still from an animation, this image is a modern interpretation of the cave painting shown above. Multiple legs and motion lines indicate a sense of movement and speed. --- ## narrative in a series of images Typically, Sequential Art is made up of a series of images. These can be shown individually in animation or displayed together as in these historical examples. ![[Pasted image 20221129104051.png]] Ancient Egyptian art was a precursor to the modern comic strip. Stories were told over a series of images that were designed to show the entire sequence over time. This image, for example, is a wrestling match between two athletes and is read from left to right and top to bottom. ![[Pasted image 20221129104258.png]] Trajans Column was built in 113 in Italy to commemorate the Roman emperor Trajan. Wrapping around the column is an ongoing and unfolding frieze depicting two of his victorious military campaigns. --- ## comics, cartoons, graphic novels ![[Pasted image 20221129104425.png]] This is a great example of contemporary comic design, especially when compared to the Egyptian wrestlers in the section above. Although more recent, the concept is essentially the same. ![[Pasted image 20221129104505.png]] Comic strips tell a story as a combination of pictures and dialogue built in a series of box panels reading from left to right and top to bottom. ![[Pasted image 20221129104537.png]] Longer length stories are told through comic books. These are called serials and are issued on a regular basis, usually monthly or weekly. For a long time comic books were considered childish and dealt with lighter topics. They were usually cheaply made and were considered disposable. Recently, however, comic books have been recognized as a viable art form. Higher quality work, called “graphic novels”, are now produced that deal with bigger themes and are often issued as a single book instead of being part of an ongoing serial story. --- tags: #animation #resources home: [[! animation]]