Week 5: similarities in Eisner's approach to graphic storytelling and Thompson's

I think even though these two artists use very different drawing styles, there are still many similarities in their artworks. First, both of them like to use very dramatic lightings. They like to put character under a high contrast lighting. There will be clear dark side and light side on the characters' faces. This is a good way to depict the characters' personalities. High contrast lighting always make the story more intense and interesting. So we will see a lot of high contrast lighting in the climax part. They both like to use lines to draw shadows. Usually this way will make the drawings look very rough and messy. Rough drawings will feel not so intense. However, they are not only use lines. They always paint a large black shape beside the lines. By doing this way, there will be a focal point in the drawings, so the reader won't feel the drawings are too messy. Also, both of them like to design the font of the dialogues. They usually let the font be a part of the drawing. I think by doing this way, audience can feel more related to the story. When you read the text in the drawing, you can feel what the emotion is. The layout they use is also very similar. They also do a few small panels to show the setup of the story. Then there will be huge panel to show the climax. There will be more details in the big panel. In the small panels, there are only simple backgrounds and characters.