Sequential art, like jazz, is a language which expresses ideas and stir emotions. To communicate, comic books use shapes, symbols, signs and pictures – as well as the letters of the alphabet.

Comic book syntax is a systematic, orderly arrangement of panels, composition, typography, illustration, design and economy of prose.

Grids, used to form structural relationships, are the grammar of sequential art; the stress and emphasis of punctuation is achieved through the size and shape of each panel.

Sequential art is a marriage of words and pictures; by their union a story is given life.

And rhythm is the fulcrum of life. Sequential artists must be most sensitive to rhythm and its important role in their ability to tell a story through the language of sequential art. One’s “pronunciation” must be always articulate, and one’s “diction”, precise.

An illustrator’s concepts must also be clear – a demonstration of the ability to organize ideas, collect and combine ingredients, and tell an interesting story. One can overcomplicate an illustration, or underwhelm their audience with a banal composition.

Illustrations can captivate an audience with a single moment adapted from the flow of the story. Illustrations invite viewers to walk through the picture frame and onto the canvas upon whose surface the artist has dutifully applied textures, brush strokes, pastel and pigment. In a controlled burst of imagination, an illustrator hypnotizes the viewer, placing them in a moment of full concentration on a picture.

A sequential artist must get to the point and move on. Each drawing, which should be simple and direct, is a component of a much larger story. A sequential artist cannot afford the luxury of giving their audience an unduly extended pause between the moments of a sequence. They must always ask themselves, “Have I moved the story forward?”

An artist’s style lies in their approach – this is the same whether you self-identify as a sequential artist or as an illustrator. It is your thought process, how you choose to tell your story, how you use the language of your medium to express yourself, that is most interesting for your audience.

Illustration: Arthur Rackham