XaiJu
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Step-by-Step (8) | Three-Panel-Strips

Three-Panel Strips as an illustration style are a fun but sometimes difficult concept, depending on how much information get's incorporated.
They're a good way to try out narration based illustration, without getting lost in the complex structure of mapping out full on (short-)comics. In my case they're usually based on written material, too, so while they are meant to visually work on their own, the broader picture and its context is still left to the source material.


The narrative limit helps to really try and focus on the most important aspects of a moment and helps decide on what visual information is needed to get its point across. They're also quite cinematic compared to classic illustrations, which means they somewhat adhere to cinematic rules in terms of the 180 rule, detail and scenic composition. I also refrain from adding any dialogue, too, simply to keep the focus on the drawings and keep that cinematic look of film stills.

The number of three makes for a simple structure: opening, middle and closing image. Depending on the narrative that gets portrayed, the middle or closing image defines the focal aspect of a moment, be it a narrative turning point, an emotional development or a form of character/relationship growth. 


These two particular  scenes carry two very different moods while playing out in the same environment and a similar time of day, so most of the information has to be carried by the characters' body language and expressions.
Since most written material is written from the point of view of a single character, the panel strips tend to have a similar visual focus, which means the character who's point of view we're taking as viewers tends to get a bigger focus in my panel strips as well. In this case we're following Hinatas emotional journey more than Kageyamas, which means we're getting a better insight on his part; his fondness while falling in love as well as his devastation when losing it.

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If you want to find out more about their origin, please check out "As I look at you, right here in front of me" by Aranwen on AO3, which these two panel strips are based on https://archiveofourown.org/works/37631233

Step-by-Step (8) | Three-Panel-Strips Step-by-Step (8) | Three-Panel-Strips

Comments

It's been such a treat to see you develop these 🥰

Rute_Aranwen


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