The Clarity that Art can Provide!

The aspect that I find most interesting in the Fables would be the artwork that coincides with each frame. The artwork provides a clear and simple understanding of what is going on in each frame. Every frame has had a thoughtful decision behind it in order to show a particular moment that the authors felt was necessary. I also find the art work to be important because when there is a character in the frame it is usually pretty clear as to the emotions of that particular character which helps to bring clarity to the story.

The artwork in each frame has a great composition of being detailed and yet simple enough that the viewer isn’t overwhelmed. I went to pick out an example but almost any frame is a good representation of this. The detail really appears where it is needed. Generally it is the characters face or actions that are drawn out in great detail, while the background is left rather simple and plain. This is a great technique used by the artist because it allows the viewer to focus their attention exactly where they want it. Why bother looking at a boring background when you have a panther attacking a lion (page 44, bottom left)?!? This goes to show that the artist was very intentional with these drawing and thoughtful.

What is interesting about this sort of “comic book” is that it only allows the reader to actually see what is happening in particular moments, and the in between time is left to imagination. For example, when you watch a movie you are viewing scene by scene exactly what is happening and exactly what it looks like. When you are reading a novel it is almost all entirely left to imagination because you have no pictures to reference or movie clips, it is all based upon the author’s description. I believe that this is a good happy medium because it still allows the mind to wander and the imagination to fill in the blanks with what isn’t drawn on paper. This means that when there is a frame it is an important moment that was selected in order to provide clarity and details to that particular moment.

Finally, I have enjoyed these frames because it really provides important details to each character. For example, on page 55 on the top right it is a picture of Snow holding up some type of weapon. It is clear to see from this frame that she is confused as to what the weapon is. Because the viewer is able to look at and ponder her facial expression, opposed to in a movie, they are most likely to make an accurate prediction. The viewer is able to look at a facial expression and know exactly what the character is thinking or feeling based upon the details given in the artwork and the fact that they actually have time to contemplate each frame.

This has been the main reason why I have really enjoyed reading these books and I thought I would pass that information along…