Visual Storytelling
Words are a common means of communication, but images can also be a powerful tool to tell stories. This art is called storytelling and it can be used through those two means and so many more. The part we are concerned about is visual storytelling, also called visual narrative, which was already used by prehistoric men drawing their life on their caves’ walls. Since then, it was proven that brain naturally reacts better to an image than to a text or a video.
Storytelling is a key element in concept art where the idea is the central goal of the piece. In the entertainment industry, this type of painting is used to set the mood for a future game through environment shots and characters. Illustrations require a high level of technical skill and details to tell a story. How to improve this skill in your artwork? The artist has several techniques at his disposal. No words needed here, separating the overall structure of the painting and its details we will figure out how to draw a story.
There are several starting points to imagine a story. Maybe you already know what you want to show, or you begin with an unclear idea what to paint. To help you deliver a powerful image, you need a theme, a good composition, details and, most of the time, characters. When sketching, setting hierarchy between your various elements can be done by trying various compositions as you would cut into chapters your future book. Composition and its many tools are essential to create efficient shots. For example, taking advantage of the rule of thirds to bring harmony to your painting. Your piece will be more attractive for any viewer eyes. You build the mood thanks to colors, light and contrasts, creating a special weather and time of the day. Choosing between vibrant or pastel tones, cold or warm ones will orientate our first impression about the painting. Know more about it in our related blog post here. Setting up motion in your painting is important to make the action works. It can seem paradoxical, but it guides the viewers, making them “read” your story. Their eyes follow a line or a good perspective, they keep watching the clues you drew.
When you detail the components mentioned before, you reach a next level of storytelling. You can deliver emotions through your characters, for example. The way you draw them, proportions, facial expression and clothing, can give many hints on their past, age, current activity... We will talk deeper about this in a future post. Integrate powerful characters to a dynamic composition is the best way to animate your 2D illustration. Details give clues about every part of your story. If possible, hide them in the illustration to make them more
intriguing. Careful, too many elements can make the viewer give up on your illustration. Once the artist highlights a great overall structure with details, it reveals a wonderful story to our eyes.
Here some examples from our portfolio to illustrate this post:
