26 - Radial Balance

Radial Balance is a design were all the elements radiate or circle around a central theme of point. A classic example of radial balance is a snowflake with it's crystals coming from a point in the middle, or the sun with it's rays emanating around it.

I couldn't find anything in the realm of comics that could really show off radial balance so here's a wagon wheel!

They can't all be winners.

27- Crystallographic Balance (aka All Over Pattern) 5-2548

Crystallographic Balance is not as well known but more commonly referred to as all over pattern. Here there is no focal point. The pattern is uniform all over with a common theme and very little variation.

in comicdom, this is the closest I could get to crystallographic. This collage of the multiple faces of batman has a uniform pattern, with very little variation in the images. All of them are close-ups of the Bat.

3 - Line as Emotion

Line can convey a certain level of emotion as well. depending on the type of line you draw can affect how it's perceived. long flowing lines seem more whimsical and laid back, while short quick lines can help in conveying action or anxiousness.

This Fables painting shows a wide range of lines that convey emotion. The main girl on the lift wears a long flowing robe, that seems very relaxing with the long lines of the garment. Contrasting this are the wolves around her. The lines in the fur are very short and precise helping to add to the unease of them surrounding the girl.

8 - Naturalism

Naturalism is the raw and exact representation of the images found in nature. The image can convey mass and volume and gives the illusion of three dimensional space. They are hard to master completely and when a skilled artisan creates a natural pose, they should be commended.

Glenn Fabry, the cover artist to "Preacher" excels at naturalism. The comic business doesn't deal in a natural look at things often, so when an artist such as Fabry makes an art piece it stands out on the comic racks. Notice the attention to detail in the hands and the reflection of the face in the lighter.

9 - Distortion

Distortion is a departure from an accepted perception of a form or object, according to my design book. It usually manipulates established proportional standards and turns them on it's head. The long and short of this is that distortion accents something by making it a bit out of place.

Reed Richards is a prime example of distortion. Thanks to a blast of cosmic radiation, Reed can elongate any part of his body. Distortion takes a spotlight here when showcasing his powers.

10 - Idealism

Idealism shows the world as it should be and not as it is. Natural settings are improved and the human figure is shown in it's peak condition. All the flaws, accidents, and mistakes of the visual world are made right.

Idealism is seen throughout the comic world. This group shot of the Justice League by Alex Ross shows the idealistic form in all the characters. The men are barrel-chested with strong square jaws, while the women have softer features but still powerful and in perfect shape and condition.

11 - Abstraction

Abstraction is the simplification of natural shapes to their base character. Details are ignored as the shapes are reduced to their simplest terms. However. since no painter can get every last detail on canvas, most painting can be argued as being abstract. The abstraction and simplification can vary from artist to artist and still be abstract.

This cover of Fables is a form of abstraction. Here the details of the tiger and the woman are simplified to more basic shapes (notice the shape of the tigers head is almost a circle) This is a light form of abstraction but abstraction nonetheless.