Why is it you don't draw people anymore? I love your anthropomorphic characters, but I'm curious as to why you don't use minimalist human characters in your comics.
That makes little sense to me, but is very interesting. I expected you liked them because they're LESS expressive, like the non-actors in Robert Bresson movies. How do you mean they're more expressive and humane?
The fact that they're not expressive makes them more expressive... if that makes sense! Instead of being told what to feel the reader has to put his own thoughts and feelings into the characters. The non-acting of Bresson and Kaurismäki is sort of what I hope to achieve.
That makes sense - they allow the readers to fill in more on their own. Do you think the animal aspect helps more with that than minimalist human characters would by distancing them further from the reader? I think I understand the minimalism more than the animals (I know it's a long tradition with comics and others, like Trondheim, do it, too, but...). I'm not familiar with Kaurismäki, I'll have to look him up. I've just started getting into Ozu, who has a similar sensibility to Bresson.
Ariel and Man Without A Past could be a good place to start. I've written some stuff on Kaurismäki earlier that can be found by using the search motor on this site.
Why is it you don't draw people anymore? I love your anthropomorphic characters, but I'm curious as to why you don't use minimalist human characters in your comics.
ReplyDeleteMichael Avolio
I find the animal characters to be more expressive and, strangely, more humane. So I'm keeping them for now.
ReplyDeleteThat makes little sense to me, but is very interesting. I expected you liked them because they're LESS expressive, like the non-actors in Robert Bresson movies. How do you mean they're more expressive and humane?
ReplyDeleteMichael Avolio
The fact that they're not expressive makes them more expressive... if that makes sense! Instead of being told what to feel the reader has to put his own thoughts and feelings into the characters. The non-acting of Bresson and Kaurismäki is sort of what I hope to achieve.
ReplyDeleteThat makes sense - they allow the readers to fill in more on their own.
ReplyDeleteDo you think the animal aspect helps more with that than minimalist human characters would by distancing them further from the reader?
I think I understand the minimalism more than the animals (I know it's a long tradition with comics and others, like Trondheim, do it, too, but...).
I'm not familiar with Kaurismäki, I'll have to look him up. I've just started getting into Ozu, who has a similar sensibility to Bresson.
Michael Avolio
(What's a good film or two to start with for Kaurismäki?)
ReplyDeleteAriel and Man Without A Past could be a good place to start. I've written some stuff on Kaurismäki earlier that can be found by using the search motor on this site.
ReplyDelete