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Home > Notes > Art & Illustrations

Art & Illustrations
Dr. Linda M. Perry

Functions of Illustrations

  • Should accomplish one or more of the following:
    • 1. Attract attention
    • Use dominant picture as key element on a page, two-page spread or Web page.
      • Large photos attract attention.
    • To tell a story with pictures, need key or lead picture (just as articles need leads).
    • Title illustrations
      • Lead picture symbolizes an article's theme; given prominent position and size.
      • Add color or a special finish (such as outline).
      • Catch reader's eye--bring to caption, title, text.
      • Titles should be treated as illustrations.
        • Illustrations can be treated as titles.
    2. Illustrate a point made in text
    • Mug shots (head & shoulder portraits),
    • A place (travel),
    • Action (sculpting);
    • Illustrate figures, with charts, diagrams, bar graphs, maps, pictographs
    • Informational graphics (charts/graphs):
      • Keeping graphics simple allows quicker, more comprehensive understanding

3. Single image tells story

  • Message with minimum verbal explanation.
  • Effectively tells story or arouse emotions:
  • Recognize single-image situations and resist impulse to add unnecessary text or illustrations that detract from impact.
    • May need a few words in caption to reinforce what reader believes image is saying.

4. Tell a story with illustrations in sequence

  • The picture story—photojournalism.
    • Effective for "how to" articles— redecorating, repairing a car.
      • When the goal is to "show" rather than to "tell."
      • Best is skillful merger of both.

5. Give visual relief to a design

  • Illustrations as decoration is weakest reason.
  • Justified to
    • Help break up large masses of words.
      • Refresh readers,
      • Help them continue.
    • Create a favorable impression.
  • Aesthetics

Types of illustrations

  • All forms have their place
  • Photographs reproduced as:
    • black halftones (BHT)
    • duotones (DT)
    • 4-color process halftones (4CPHT)
    • line conversions.
    • Disk output
      • TIFF
        • Web:
          • JPG, GIF, PNG

  • Drawings—line drawings, watercolors, paintings
    • some reproduced as line art (LA)
    • some reproduced as HTs, or
    • combination HT & LA
    • Disk output
      • TIFFs
      • Web
        • GIFs, JPGs, PNGs

Art Reproduction

  • Portable Network Graphics (PNG)
    • Format for lossless, portable, well-compressed storage and exchange of raster images (bitmaps), replacing GIFs for Web.
    • Features rich colour control (RGB).
      • Allows better colour precision and smoother fades.
    • Designed for Web, but not print (no CMYK).
    • Does not support animation.
    • Better compression than GIF but not JPG.
      • Except pictures with text or line art.

  • Halftones

    • Reproduction of illustrations that contain tones between extremes of white and black.
    • Necessary for all photographs, wash drawings, oil paintings, water colors (4CPHT, DT).
    • Any illustration containing continuous tones (mid-range tones, or "grays").
    • Black halftone (BHT)
    • Grayscale in disk output.
    		•
    Grayscale composed with pixels--->
    grayscale pixels

    Duotones
    • A two-colour halftone made from a screened photograph
    • A colour and one other, usually black.
      • Colour should relate to subject of art.
      • Colours that conflict with the subject are for shock value.
    • Look for white of paper showing through.


    Tint blocks

    • Black halftone overprinted with a tint block of colour.
      • White of paper does not show through.

  • Line Reproduction,
    ... or line art     (LA)
    • Drawings (pen & ink),
    • Composed of only solid tones, solid lines
      • Ink is there, or not there.
      • No mid-range tones or "grays."
      • Usually drawn large, reduced to minimize flaws.
     

    Creating middle tones

    • Artists can produce middle tones by drawing hatch marks — lines or hand drawn dots.
    • Mechanical shading for middle tones
      • Mechanical, or Benday, screens
      • Most common method.
      • Includes 4CP (not 4CPHT)

    Special Effects

      • Line art
        • Reversing tones.
          • Black made to show as white, and white areas made to print as black.
      • Line Conversion
        • Line reproduction of a photograph
          • High contrast — no middle tones
    Halftone Finishes
    • Square Finish
      • Basic finish (rectangle).
      • Any other special finish requires special effort and time for dummy & production.
    • Special geometric shapes
      • Circles, ovals, triangles, stars, etc.
        • Oval for old-time photo.
    • Vignette (feathering)
      • Softened edges.
        • Reproduction edge fades into background (irregular shape).
        • Feeling of age and beauty.
        • Remove dot pattern from edges.
    • Silhouette — or Outline
      • Background of photo eliminated so central subject is outlined or silhouetted against white or color background.
      • Dot pattern completely removed from halftone negative before it is exposed on metal for press.
    • Mortise halftone
      • Has a cutout.
        • Made for insertion of type or other illustrations.
        • From outside, called a notch halftone.
        • Usually rectangular.
    • Surprints
      • Surprint combination
        • Illustration with text printed over in black. 
          • Overprint, overburn, or double burn
    • Reverse combination or dropout
      • Illustration with type appearing in white.
      • Dropout used for color titles (dropped out, surprinted in color).

    Bleeding Halftones

    • Bleeds appear to run off edges of pages
      • Sometimes illustrations should expand and seem to be endless, unbound by a frame.
      • Gives visual relief after many margined pages.
      • Bleeds seem larger than they are.
      • Action pictures, panoramic scenes and other subjects often gain added visual dimension.
    • Bleed allowance
      • A pica must be added to any dimension on original photo.
      • A full-page bleed requires an extra pica of width (outside margin) and two picas of depth (one at top and one at bottom).
      • Take care that variations in folding and trimming do not leave ribbon of white at edge of pages of some runs.

    bleed allowance

    What makes a good photo?

    • Function
      • Essential basis for selection is the ability of a photo to perform its function.
      • Form follows function.
      • Content is king. It is the meaning that counts.
      • Free and for-sale art and reasonable price: http://www.istockphoto.com/
    • Covers
      • Instantaneous impact, arousal of curiosity
        • More ability to communicate than most photos
      • Symbolic of best content.
      • Usually run large,
        • must be especially good technically
    • Lead photo
      • Similar to cover photo
        • Get instant attention and
        • Representative of article's subject
    • Illustrative
      • Must clearly make its point.
    • Form & technical considerations important.
    • Content that has reader appeal:
      • People, emotion and action.
        • People first.
          • Babies first.
      • Babies, beauties and beasts.

    Composition--Only limit is function.

    • Technical qualities
      • Photos should have a wide range of tones
        • Prints that have high contrast, but with a full range of middle tones, are best for reproduction.
          • Too dark? Will lose detail when screened.
      • Better to reduce than enlarge.
    Improving photos
    • Cropping.
      • Like editing, eliminates nonessentials
      • Concentrates on the central theme,
      • Adds to impact by dramatic presentation.
    • Retouching.
      • To eliminate undesirable background.
      • Consider ethics of retouching photos.

    Tips

    1. The content value of an illustration outweighs its importance in design or form. Presentation of information fails when weak content is glossed over by flashy design.
    2. You must demand strong technical work, especially in photography.
      • Content rules, but a lack of technical expertise will hurt your product.
      • Important for editor or manager to have good relationship with illustrator or photographer. Give maximum creative freedom.
      • Use reader interest and corporate objectives to make assignments and evaluate work.
      • Illustrator should have full input during selection process. Final selection is editors'.
    3. When searching for content, examine the illustration according to its context. See if it matches the intent of the copy.
    4. An illustration does not always have to be used. Content is your criterion.
      • Strong design and creative typography can make a more effective presentation than weak illustrations.
    5. Most photographs can be cropped.
      • Look inside each photograph frame and find the simplest, most direct information.
      • The same is true for sizing.
        • Strong pictures deserve large sizing (enlargements).
    6. Watch out for
      • defamatory pictures (libel),
      • pictures used without consent to promote a product or service (privacy), and
      • photos with ownership hassles (copyright).

    Art to Avoid

    • Upper management loves, but not news:
      • Group shots,
      • ground-breakings,
      • hand-shaking,
      • check-passing,
      • speakers at podium.
        • Unless......
    • Avoid
      • Unusual shapes (stars, etc.)
        • unless have strong design reason to use.
        • Rectangles and squares best.

    • Use sparingly and with care
      • Outlines
        • for change of pace.
      • Mortises. 
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