Throughout the chapter, McCloud explains how art is a by product of the human lifestyle and our need for survival. Art is a method that allows us to express ourselves, whether it about your inner emotional or past experiences, and serves for an exercise for the mind and body (It keeps us from going crazy). It also allows the artist to be in complete control, giving them a sense of power and can also be used to discover things about ourselves as well as that which is practical. McCloud also details how each piece of artwork, from comics to the high art of the Renaissance, are constructed from six ‘steps’ and only by applying to all of these in a detailed fashion will any piece of artwork’s message truly and consistently be transmitted to another clearly. These steps are idea, form, idiom/genre, structure, craft and surface.
I have found many examples of artwork that approach these six steps differently, and interestingly enough how well they have applied to these six steps has greatly influenced how I feel about them and how much I enjoy viewing them. I’d like to start with this example:
Oh Family Guy, it used to be such a great show. But lately, the writers of the show have been waning on coherent storylines going more for cut-away gags, improvisation to get laughs, musical numbers that come out of no where and having a throw away plot that can easily be resolved in 5 seconds. Also more of the lines now are ad-libbed and consist of the voice actors like Seth McFarlane jabbering incoherently for several seconds and making it seem like its funny. Granted it looks good on the surface, mainly due to the quality of the Korean animators. But some of the camera angles used in the earlier series are now seldom used, and the characters are largely seen in the same 3/4 position (Shown above) for the entire episode. It’s like a Flash animation where the animator is to lazy to create more than one type of symbol for the characters body. In short, Family Guy has become a show that looks like it’s been created by amateurs, looking good on the surface, throwing out the idea and structure and going for mindless wit instead.
Once again, I’m going to reference Neon Genesis Evangelion as a piece that exhibits all the right things about art. NGE has in fact been called art by many publications due to its progressively deep storyline and characters, not to mention some extremely artistic and exploratory sequences that reflect the consciousness of the characters. And I’d have to agree with these claims (If you can’t tell from all the times I talk about it). Although it has a deceptive surface that stereotypes it as a typical Japanese mecha all about action with cut-out characters. It’s a typical example of the old phrase ‘don’t judge a book by its cover’. It’s a strong and coherent combination of all the six steps that make up good art. If anime could ever be considered fine or high art of the 20th century, Neon Genesis Evangelion would certainly be the top contender (Aside from maybe Cowboy Bebop)
And even I myself, as I’ve come to learn more about art over the years have seen a progression in my work that is similar to what McCloud has detailed in the chapter. One of my main characters, called Charlie, was invented back in 2004 as a character I doodles on front of my file in whiteout. He and no background and little character but had a unique style, typical of the budding artist whose work only looks good on the surface. But as I picked up Flash I began to draw him more and shape him as a being. By 2005 he looked better and had a little story, building on the surface and craft as well as starting looking into idea and form. In 2006, the surface was nearing his final design as I perfected my form trying to remove most of the Simpson’s elements of his look to create a more original style. The story was there, but it lacked direction, and I began creating a more coherent and strong storyline for my craft (Which was animation). Now in 2007/2008, Charlie is looking more original and better than ever. I have his back story down and an idea for the series for him to star in and I know in which style I wish to present it in. As I have learn from both art in school and personal experience I have constructed an idea that applies to all of the six steps and, hopefully, when I get the time I shall finally put that which I have spent so much time crafting into motion.
First picture of Charlie in Flash
Charlie today
Overall, the six steps are in all pieces of art no matter how strong or weak. They help build art, that which is used to communicate with others and express our inner selves to the outer world. And the more strongly you apply to these steps, the sturdier the artwork remains and makes it easier to transmit your meanings to others through it.
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