I chose to look at a Peanuts (Charlie Brown) cartoon strip for this introduction exercise.
The reference for the image above is:
Kidd, C. (2015) Only What’s Necessary : Charles M. Schulz and the Art of Peanuts. New York: Abrams, p.250. Available at: https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/ucreative-ebooks/detail.action?docID=4013119&pq-origsite=summon# [Accessed 21 May 2021].
Pick one of the parts of the story and briefly describe it.
The strip is a nine panel layout, although the first panel covers two of these. The main emphasis of each panel is the characters’ facial expressions and body language/movement. Where used, the dialogue is succinct. There are no other captions. The style is very minimalistic and loose. It is humorous in nature.
Using the same piece, briefly write about how you relate to this work.
The simplicity of Schulz’s comic strips strongly appeals to me. That the strips are still reprinted in newspaper today demonstrates how popular they remain. The cartoons are based on humour and human characteristics that most people can relate to. The intent of the cartoons is clearly communicated with minimal words and detail.
Self Reflection on Exercise
I found it quite difficult to analyse the image using such a limited number of words and without simply describing the story. This is an area I need to continue to develop.