Chris Ware

Raccord

Raccord is an style that Chris Ware uses, it is a page made up of 12 boxes which show major time changes in one place. This can be achieved by change of seasons, day or night, or one that Chris Ware uses which is growth.

Below is one of his works ‘Big-Tex’ in which he shows the change of a tree over many years, first growing from a sapling into a large tree where many things have happened over time giving the image significance. The narrative in the images makes it clear that time is passing.

Below is my attempt at creating something similar to Chris Ware’s work. I like the way in which I have used colour to show the passing of time and the way the gouache made different textures when I layered them.

Slow time

Chris Ware is famous for creating pieces which clearly show the passing of time. This technique is how he shows time moving slowly, he does this by making  the images slightly change each time so that the change is subtle but it shows that time has passed. The reason he does this is to make the reader look at the comic properly instead of skimming past it with just a glance, this forces the reader to look at see what they missed. I believe this is a smart way to show the passing of time and also getting the viewer to take a step back to appreciate the work produced.

Below I have two images I produced to show the passing of time:

The subtle changing as he shaves his beard makes it clear time is passing while he completes the task. In Chris Ware’s case this image would be a part of a much larger comic to try and catch the viewer out.

Below is Chris Ware- Jimmy Corrigan The Smartest Kid on Earth:

The simple tasks being done in this comic show how much Chris Ware has slowed down time. Because he is known for comics in which everything happens very quickly, it shows how skilled he is to be able to make it in almost slow motion.

Below is another quick sketch I did:

Diagrammatical

This technique is the last that I explored for Chris Ware, the diagrammatical piece we looked at on our course was a unique works. He uses shapes to create a diagram in which multiple things are happening but the way it works is the fact all these images must be linked in some way. For example, if it started with an image of a girl getting her hair cut then it would venture on into other things such as hair colour, style, etc.

Below is an example of this:

As we can see Chris Ware has filled the image with many scenarios which could cause the viewer to become confused, but there is  no set way to look at this image, your eye will lead you round the image exploring all the links.

Here is my version of Chris Ware’s technique: It is a butterfly and its circle of life.

Bibliography and References

Cates, I. 2010. The comics of Chris Ware. [Online]. [Accessed 6 October 2016]. Available from: http://oxfordindex.oup.com/view/10.14325/mississippi/9781604734423.003.0007

Rayburn, D. [2004] Chris Ware, London: Laurence King Publishing Ltd 

Heer, J. 2014. Chris Ware, The art of comics No. 2 – Paris Review. [Online]. [Accessed 6 October 2016]. Available from: http://www.theparisreview.org/interviews/6329/chris-ware-the-art-of-comics-no-2-chris-ware 

Stamp, J. 2012. Designing lives and building stories, Chris Ware’s comic book epic. [Online]. [Accessed 6 October 2016]. Available from: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/designing-lives-and-building-stories-chris-wares-comic-book-epic-81172688/

Ware, C. [2012] Building stories. New York: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group.

Ware, C. [2003] Jimmy Corrigan: The smartest kid on earth. London: Jonathan Cape.

Irving C. 2012. Chris Ware on building a better comic book. [Online]. [Accessed 6 October 2016]. Available from: http://www.nycgraphicnovelists.com/2012/03/chris-ware-on-building-better-comic.html

Ball, David M. Kuhlman, Martha B. [2010]. Comics of Chris Ware: University press of Mississippi. Available from: http://site.ebrary.com/lib/alltitles/docDetail.action?docID=10396000

Parker, C. 2006. Chris Ware (F.C. Ware). [Online]. [Accessed 7 October 2016]. Available from: http://linesandcolors.com/2006/02/19/chris-ware-fc-ware/

Ware, C. 2016. Cover story: “Stop,” by Chris Ware. [Online]. [Accessed 7 October 2016]. Available from: http://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/cover-story-2016-03-14

Cavna, M. 2015. With New Yorker animation, has Chris Ware just influenced the future of the magazine cover?. [Online]. [Accessed 7 October 2016]. Available from: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/comic-riffs/wp/2015/12/02/with-new-yorker-animation-has-chris-ware-just-influenced-the-future-of-the-magazine-cover/

Borelli, C. 2012. Cartoonist Chris Ware is in his own category. [Online]. [Accessed 7 October 2016]. Available from: http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-09-26/entertainment/ct-ent-0926-chris-ware-profile-20120926_1_jimmy-corrigan-charlie-brown-acme-novelty-library

Popova, M. 2012. Building stories: Cartoonist Chris Ware explores the architecture of being human. [Online]. [Accessed 7 October 2016]. Available from: https://www.brainpickings.org/2012/11/05/building-stories-chris-ware/