TITLE: Picture This: How Pictures WorkAUTHOR: Molly Bang
STARTED: May 21, 2009
FINISHED: May 21, 2009
PAGES: 96
GENRE: Non-Fiction
FIRST SENTENCE: I was quite happily making my living as a writer and illustrator of children's books.
SUMMARY: [From barnesandnoble.com] Everyone knows that a picture tells a thousand words. But what about the elements that make up a picture? Using the tale of Little Red Riding Hood as an example, Molly Bang uses boldly graphic artwork to explain how images--and their individual components--work to tell a story that engages the emotions: Why are diagonals dramatic? Why are curves calming? Why does red feel hot and blue feel cold?First published in 1991, Picture This fans will welcome the new edition's striking redesign and introduce its insights to many other artists and art appreciators alike.
THOUGHTS: This is a fantastic introduction to breaking down images and why they work the way they do. Bang's book was a required read for my Media for Children class - we used it to help us understand how all the illustrations in the plethora of children's books we're reading. Bang takes a very simple approach to crafting a single image. She walks through its construction step-by-step, showing how and why things work or don't work. She follows up that section by laying out principles of illustration.
The book is simple but incredibly informative.
RATING: 7/10 [Very Good]
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