Picture This
By Molly Bang
How Pictures Work. 25th anniversary ed., Chronicle Books, 2016.
Summary of Picture This book by Molly Bang
The classic, consummate guide to producing artwork that uses color, shape, and imagery to tell a story and evoke emotion, shaping our perspective on making, viewing, and analyzing art.
Chapters in Picture This book summary
What do you get from this book? A solid foundation for generating emotion through artwork
The compositional facets of an image are what drive emotional connection between art and its observer
Gravity influences our perception of horizontal, vertical, and diagonal shapes, creating different feelings of stability and movement
Positioning an image in the upper, lower, or center section of a frame will evoke emotions ranging from freedom to anxiety
Colors, curves, and size are often associated with either fear or safety, depending on context
Humans relate colors and shapes to specific emotions based on our real-world experiences
Patterns, contrast, and space are important visual elements that can change how we perceive a picture
Generating emotion in a picture is easy—generating the right emotions means careful consideration of how you represent your characters
Using abstract symbols to represent the story of Little Red Riding Hood, we can evoke feelings of anxiety and danger
When Sophie Gets Angry uses pictures to demonstrate a child’s emotional arc from uncontrolled fury to stability
Simple exercises can expand your visual artistry skills and help you learn to convey emotion through image
Summary of the key insights
Selected critiques in brief
Final word
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Picture This — Book Summary Snapshot
Who should read Picture This book
- Art students
- photographers
- illustrators
- master artists looking to spark their creativity
- any kind of visual storyteller
About the author of Picture This
Molly Bang
Molly Bang is an American illustrator and author with numerous awards under her belt. She is the recipient of the 2016 Phoenix Picture Book Award and a three-time runner up for the American Caldecott Medal, which recognizes excellence in picture books. Bang’s illustrations have also been nominated for the British Greenaway Medal.
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