Relate what is said in this chapter to a work/artist/designer you have seen in lectures. Image, brief description, link to a source of information on the web.
In this chapter, McCloud explores the realm of the 'Icon', which he describes as "...any image used to represent a person, place, thing or idea."
He goes on to divide icons into "Non pictorial" and "Pictorial", which consists of categories of icons including symbols, icons of the practical realm, words, pictures and cartoons. Icons can range from simple, black and white, flat images to complex shapes that could even look 3-D or animated.
[Ref: http://www.forrestwalter.com/icons/graphics/icons_vol6_white.jpg]
Rather complex pictorial icons.
[Ref: http://www.kombine.net/images/icons_pro.png]
Icons usually used on computers.
[Ref: http://www.mohawksign.com/images/img-symbols.jpg]
Icons used as pictorials elements to communicate ideas easily to people.
[Ref: http://www.ucc.ie/en/hr/HealthWelfare/MentalHealth/Religion/imgcol,32904,en.png]
Religious symbols recognized all over the world.
McCloud also examines "Cartooning as a form of amplification through simplification [pg.30]'. What he means by this is that by abstracting and simplifying an image, the cartoonist is not eliminating details; rather he is making the viewer focus on specific details.
"By stripping down an image to its essential "meaning" an artist can amplify that meaning in a way realistic art cannot" [pg. 30"]
[Ref: http://neatorama.cachefly.net/images/2007-01/smiley-face.jpg ]
The main components of the smiley icon above consists of 2 dots and a curved line. However, due to continuos use of this icon, as well as the exposure all of us have had to this particular icon since we were children, it is recognized as a smiling face, and personifies a human's face with regards to emotion. For example:
[Ref: http://www.icons-land.com/images/products/VistaEmoticonsPreview.jpg ]
"Universality of cartoon imagery...The more cartoony a face is...the more people it could be said to describe" [pg.31]
Another concept McCloud explores in this chapter is the fact that we "humans are a self-centered race. We see ourselves in everything" I find this very true; in fact in one of our classes we had to explore our surroundings and find 100 faces in objects all around us! In a way, the previous idea of stripping down all the details to make the viewer focus on specific details ties into this point, where we are able to see a human face personified in anything that consists of two dots and a line.
"Icons demand our participation to make them work. There is no life here except that which you give to it" [pg.59]
This explain the basic concepts of comics and hence cartoons, as most cartoons are simplified to represent realistic, and abstract, concepts. So in order for the comic to make sense, it really all depends on the readers point of view.
Most form of cartoons could be said to be simplified versions of realistic images. Cartoons range from being really simplistic (for e.g. "Southpark") to being relatively realistic (for e.g."Family Guy) These cartoons were shown to us during the week 3 class and the form and content of these cartoon were explored. Icons and simplification make up a large part of today's comics and cartoons, and simplification brings a certain universality, in that more people understand the ideas and concepts the cartoonist is trying to portray.
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