![]() ![]() I started studying Hergé’s work and noticed that he staggered the gutters of his comics. I rarely use four panels horizontally across a page because they are so thin, but I will often use two panels per row. Greater horizontal proximity encourages the reader to group each row of panels for easier reading. I keep the vertical gutters thinner than the horizontal gutters. Next, I divide the horizontal area in half two times - creating four potential panels across. Gutter: The space that separates panels in a comic. I also add an extra gutter notation in the middle in case I ever want to do a half-page panel. I did this by overlapping two squares so that the top square terminates at the middle of the bottom square - making the inverse true of the bottom square.Īfter I draw the squares, I align my horizontal gutters on the axis where the squares overlap. This grid is equally divided into 3rds across the vertical axis. Some blue-line comic pages that I’ve looked at aren’t spaced-out quite evenly. In this article I will take you through how I built the grid, and how I use these visual systems to create harmonious compositions across multiple pages of a comic. This grid differs from most blue-line pages you might buy from the local comic shop because:ġ) it utilizes a consistent system of 3rdsĤ) uses circular/linear systems for composition This system uses a 1.5 ratio which is quite common in the comic world. Santoro’s articles encouraged me to develop my own blue-line grid using similar notations, but not by utilizing the Golden Ratio of 1.61803398875. One could say “well, that already happens in comics through the use of text and image,” but this was on another level. I saw an opportunity to combine my interest in design and illustration. Many scientists have studied the reasons for the appeal of the Golden Ratio, but have yet to find a logical explanation.Īs I have a background in graphic design, I was immediately drawn to the grid system because we use a similar system called the Typographic Grid. It has since been used by artists and architects as a basis for the compositions and structures that are naturally pleasing to people. Golden Ratio: A numeral value studied by ancient Greek mathematicians that reappears in geometry and the natural world. Santoro used grid overlays to explain comic composition with geometric shapes in a way that could be easily understood by a graphic designer, like myself. Announcing our FREE Golden Ratio Workshop designed to expand on the concepts introduced in the article below!Įxcitement would understate how I felt when I read Frank Santoro’s articles on the first appearance of the Golden Ratio in Hergé’s TIntin comic pages.
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