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How can I communicate ideas visually?

For your digital narrative to work, you'll have to communicate your ideas clearly, using both written and visual storytelling. Comics share certain conventions-- or agreed-on ways of doing things--to help readers follow what's going on. Check out the conventions below to learn some of the language of comics.

A picture of Pepper and Carrot

Characters
The stars of the show. Since this project is a drawing, your characters can be anything: cavemen, iguanas, or a talking toothbrush.

From Pepper & Carrot by David Revoy, www.davidrevoy.com under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license.

A setting of a floating world with a big tree

Setting
Where the action takes place. Your setting should help tell the story by creating a tone or mood that matches your style.

From Pepper & Carrot by David Revoy, www.davidrevoy.com under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license.

An illustration showing different comic speech bubbles

Speech bubbles
Any words your characters say or think can be placed inside speech bubbles to help readers understand the flow of conversation.

A comic showing a person buying items

Text boxes
Sometimes, comic authors want to speak directly to the audience. This is usually done with text boxes. Use these for establishing settings, filling in missing details, or having an aside with your reader.

xkcd by by Randall Munroe, www.xkcd.com under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 2.5 license.

A comic showing a person buying items

Emotional cues
From heart-shaped eyes to scribbly clouds of anger, comic artists use dozens of techniques to tell how their characters are feeling.

From Pepper & Carrot by David Revoy, www.davidrevoy.com under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license.

A comic showing a person buying items

Panel size and placement
The little windows in comics are called panels, and artists can vary the size, shape, and placement of each panel to support the story.

tip stamp icon Comic Connoisseur

The cover of Understanding Comics

If you want to learn more about the "hidden art" of making comics, there's no better place to start than Scott McCloud's masterpiece Understanding Comics. McCloud demystifies the special vocabulary that comic artists use to tell stories, and explains the history and impact of this unique communication medium.