Copy of Theresa Morris - GRAPHIC NOVELS _ ELEMENTS

Panel

Individual frames that consist of a single image depicting a moment accompanied by text.

Splash

A panel that stretches along the whole width of the page.

Bleed

When an image runs outside the frame to the edges of the page.

Frame

Borders that go around the panel.

Gutter

The space between the framed panels.

Foreground

The closest visual plane to the viewer.

Midground

The central visual area, a resting point for vision.

Background

Elements behind the main subject that provide context.

Voice Over/Narration

A box at the top or bottom that gives you narration to provide context of information.

Speech Bubble

A frame that looks like a bubble with a tail, containing dialogue from the character where the tail is pointing from.

Thought Bubble

A bubble-like frame that is used to show a character’s thoughts.

Special Effects Lettering/Onomatopoeia

The formation of a word to imitate the natural sound of something associated with it.

Emanata

Teardrops, sweat drops, question marks, or motion lines that convey a character’s emotions or movement.

Style

Refers to the artistic approach of the artist (realistic, simplistic, etc.).

Color

Used to show different moods.

Facial Expression

A form of nonverbal communication using the movement of facial features such as eyes, cheeks, and mouth.

Gesture

The movement and positioning of the hands and arms to communicate or undertake action; tells us about a person's mood.

Posture

The position in which someone holds their body.

Gaze

Where the person is looking and who or what the person is looking at.

Moment-to-Moment

Shows a single action progressing in small steps.

Action-to-Action

Illustrates different stages of a single action.

Subject-to-Subject

Shifts focus between subjects in the same scene.

Scene-to-Scene

Moves between different times or locations.

Aspect-to-Aspect

Shows different details of a scene to set tone or mood.

Non-Sequitur

Juxtaposes unrelated images requiring interpretation.