PART OF MY COMIC STRIP PAGE LAYOUT SERIES
Photo Booth Sketch Series
I’ve recently started sketching triptychs. Rather than having the three images next to each other, I’m creating a vertical trio of sketches in the style of a photo booth series of sketches.
Creating my 3-sketch panels
Initially when I started these, I was sketching three different portraits of the same person at different angles, but this approach is only interesting if the person is moving around and posing differently. Like in the example below of the three difference poses I sketched of Danny Gregory.
Sometimes when I was sketching at an angle where the pose didn’t change much, I wasn’t that inspired to sketch a third portrait, and looked for a different way to complete the triptychs. As in the examples above of the Uber driver, and the person holding a speed sketching pose.
So I began looking at different ways to create interest with the third panel sketch, that wasn’t just another zoomed-in version of the same portrait.
- In the Uber driver example I sketched a reflection, which provided a great opportunity to sketch the portrait from a completely different angle.
- And in the speed sketching portrait I actually ran out of time to sketch a third portrait, and opted to capture the simple shapes of the elements in the background.
Rather than diluting the impact of the triptych series by only having two portraits instead of three, these different final panels actually increase the story telling impact.
- In the Uber example, rather than sketching the back and side of a head it’s more impactful including a front view with the eyes.
- And in the speed sketching series, the background view helps to give a strong sense of place.
This awareness got me thinking about the use of panels in a sketchbook layout and how you to use them effectively to create a structured page that unveils a story.
I’ve recently been focused on sketchbook layouts and studying how to create interesting and dynamic layouts, but since starting this three-panel series I’m wondering how I can use panels within a sketchbook spread, without creating a page that confusing or overwhelming.
The page layout journey of discovery continues…
