Analyzing Visual Images and Design in Picturebooks

Begin by considering the format of the images and their placement in the picturebook.

We walked home in silence.

1. Where is the text located? Within the image? Separated by borders or white space, Why?

The text is located to the right of all the images separated by white space.  I feel the author did this so he didn’t distract the reader from the images and animation.

2. Are the illustrations double page spreads, single page images, collages, overlapping images, or portraits?

The illustrations are double page spreads with the image on the left and the text on the right.

3. Consider the series of images in the picturebook. Do the images change over the course of the book? Do they get bigger, smaller, change?

The size of the images stay about the same throughout the course of the book the only I noticed that changed with each voice was the format of the text. 

Select an image from Voices In The Park to consider. Use the following questions to guide your analysis.  Take a Screen Shot of the Image and embed the image in your blog. 

1. What is fore-ground and in the background?

The fore-ground is Charles, his mother, and their dog walking out of the gate at the park.  The background is the park, trees in the park, and the city at a distance.

2. Consider the path your eyes follow as you approach the image. What catches your eye first? Why is that element salient?

The lady in the red hat and blue coat walking the dog catches my eye first.  She is colorful and very noticeable.  The tracks from her boots also lead a trail to her which guides your eyes to focus on her and the dog.

3. What colors dominate the image? What effect does this have on you as reader?

I think green dominates the image for the most part.  It creates a warm feeling of the park and sense that it may be summer when everything is still alive and has leaves.

4. Consider the use of white (negative) space. Are the illustrations framed or full bleed? How does this position you as a viewer?

Most of the illustrations are full bleed.  There are a few that have a frame.  I think it doesn’t hold my focus to the picture being full bleed.  It lets my eyes wonder on the page and see not only the image but the text as well.

5. What is the reality value or level of abstraction? Are the images life-like or stick figures?

The images are life-like to a certain extent.  The picture of the park is realistic but monkeys wearing clothing, shoes, hats, and walking dogs isn’t very realistic.

6. Are there any recurring patterns in the images?

I think everything in the background seems to have a round shape.

7. Are there any anomalous elements? Things that stick out, or seem out of place? Are these important to consider?

The two tall city buildings in the background kind of stick out and seem a little out of place.  These may be important to consider since Smudge seems to be from the opposite side of town and lives in the city.  They are in the background of her dad walking her to the park and are very close up in those images.

8. What is the artist trying to get you to look at through leading lines, colors, contrast, gestures, lighting?

I think by the lighting it looks like it is about sunset on a summer or possibly fall day with the trees being an orange color and drew tracks to follow Charles’ mother to bring the focus to her walking the dog out of the park.

9. Are there any reoccurring symbols or motifs in the images?

I do not see any reoccurring symbols or motifs in the image.

10. Consider the style or artistic choices? Are they appropriate, and how do they add to the meanings of the picturebook?

I think the artists choices of monkeys being humanistic is a little silly but may be interesting and entertaining to a younger audience.  The rest of the images seem appropriate and carrying meaning if monkeys really did act and talk as humans.

11. How are the images framed? Are there thick borders or faded edges?

Some of the images have a thin line frame, some have none, some have rough uneven edges, and others just have shadows around the image.

12. Consider the setting of the story. How is this realized in the images? Realistically? Metaphorically?

The setting is at a park for the majority of the story.  Most of the images take place in a park setting.  The park is drawn to look realistic but monkeys talking and taking their kids and dogs to the park is metaphoric.

13. Consider size and scale. What is large? Why are certain elements larger than others? Does this add to meanings of power, control?

There is a large stone fence with big pillars around the park, a large metal gate at the entrance of the park, and large trees in the background at the park.  I don’t feel they are larger to be powerful or controlling but just to create the scenery of the park setting.

14. Consider the viewer’s point of view. Do characters directly gaze or address the viewer? Are the characters close up or distanced? How does point of view add to relationships with the characters?

The characters are not looking directly at the viewer.  They are viewed from a side stance.  They are in the fore-ground of the image closest to the viewer.  The point of view could determine the viewer’s idea of importance of the character or assumption of what is going on exactly in the specific image.

Weekly Reading 6 - Voices In The Park

1.      Explain why Voices in The Park is an example of a postmodern picturebook.

Postmodern picturebooks blend visual images and design elements with written language in a cohesive structure that simultaneously unfold in both visual and verbal narratives.  Voices in The Park has animated images that tell the story.  It isn’t just a story though, there are different characters and voices.  In this story each character tells the same story but how it went from their perspective and with their voice.  It was very neat to watch and hear how each story was similar but also how each character had a different viewpoint of how the day at the park went.  The sounds and pictures accompanied as the story was told by the different characters and voices.  It has an artistic style of illustrations and an interrelationship among the various elements that create the energetic aspects of a multimodal ensemble.  I think students of all ages would enjoy reading/watching picturebooks, not just elementary students!

2.      Give examples of how at least three of the picturebook codes listed on pg 78 are used in Voices In The Park.

One example I noticed was codes of position and size.  The character that was telling the story was larger and brought to the front and centered.  When Charles’ mom was telling the story she is large in most of the animated pictures and centered on the bench was her and Charles when they were sitting at the park.

photo from word press

The second example I noticed was when Smudge’s dad was telling the story.  There is a picture of him sitting in a chair with a dark shadow behind him.  This thick shadow I think represents codes of line.  I could almost feel as though he was sitting in a dark room in front of a fire or television with the large shadow of the chair reflecting on the wall behind him.

photo from word press

The third example I found was when Charles was telling the story.  He is standing in the park on the sidewalk watching Albert chase Victoria.  He is again larger and kind of centered in the picture but I believe the code of perspective is represented in this photo.  The dogs and kids playing in the background are much smaller and I could interpret the scene as though he was standing on the side of a hill looking up at the horizon watching everyone have fun.

photo from word press

3.      Identify and explain the type of "interplay" between the written word and visual images on one of the pages in Voices In The Park.

One type of interplay I noticed was the picture/scene where Charles’ mom was telling the story and she said, “We walked home in silence.”  There was enhancing interplay animating the photo because although she says they walked in silence there were birds cowling and her high heels clicking loudly with every step she took.  This is something I wouldn’t have imaged just reading the text myself but with the animations and enhancing interplay it made me think she was just a snooty old lady prancing home.  Who wears high heels to walk their dog to the park?

4.      Identify the art movement or technique that is being used in Voices In The Park. 

The artists seem to draw on techniques and devices taken from folk art surrealism in Voices In The Park.  I feel the images are drawn to a folk art perspective but the animated monkeys are a type of surrealism because they act and talk as if they were human.  They express their feelings and speak English as they are real humans.

5.      Conduct an Ideological Analysis and Structural Analysis of Voices In The Park. What is the message? Provide evidence from the images to support your opinion. Use the examples on pg 86, 87, 89. I do not expect your analysis to be as indepth but I would like for you to make two or three insightful observations about the perspectives and social context conveyed through the books words and images. 

Structural Analysis- There is a mother monkey taking their pedigree Labrador retriever and son Charles to the park.  The lady is dressed in a hat, long dress coat, scarf, and high heel boots.  They leave a nice white two story house.  Does this mean that she is well off because they have a nice home and own a pedigree dog?  Does she have money and dress nicely to show off or is it just cool outside that day?  Is she a single or widowed mother or is her husband just at work?  After listening to her tone and attitude she doesn’t like anyone and thinks others dogs are pests. 

photo from word press

Ideological Analysis- The cover of the story shows trees with a little boy and girl monkey standing together amongst a bunch of trees.  Would this refer to a story about kid monkeys in the park? 

photo from word press

The next photo I refer to is one where Charles and his mother are sitting on the park bench.  She is sitting with her arms crossed, eyes shut, and turned away from the others on the bench.  Would this suggest that she is a rude and snooty woman who is too good to socialize with the others visiting the park?  

photo from word press

The photo of Smudge’s father sitting in the chair by himself at home looks as though he is really sad or depressed.  Maybe he is just watching a sad television show or bored because nothing interesting is on television.  He may even be watching the fire burn in his fireplace thinking to himself.  After listening to his tone and words I feel he’s depressed over not having a job and wants to give up on finding one.

6.      Embed a picture of the cover of Voices In The Park in your blog.

Weekly Reading 5

1. Copy and paste a quote from each of the chapters that causes you to have a strong reaction (agreement, disagreement, confusion...) and explain your reaction.

Both of these changes, from language to image and from page to screen, represent fundamental shifts in how we perceive the world and communicate meanings, and the modes and resources available for representing what we know (Serafini, pg. 30, 2014). 

To me this was just a little reality check.  We have to open our eyes and realize what fast paced world we are living in today.  Our children are going to perceive the world and communicate in ways we never imagined when we were children.  I agree with this statement because we use images to express ourselves, our thoughts, our moods, and others interpret how we are feeling.  I realize more now that we have to not only have to be ready for the shift we have to get on board with the change and be comfortable with this new perception and means of communication within our classrooms and instruction! 

The use of one mode or another is “guided by socially determined intentions and realizes group interests, subjective points of view or ideological stances” (Serafini, pg. 45, 2014). 

                I was a little confused with all the terminology at first.  Modes, multimodal, and multimodality threw me for a loop.  I understand that we post things intentionally targeting specific audiences, for a purpose, and to get our thoughts or feelings across to others.  We aren’t verbalizing our thoughts particularly but using images as food for thought and representation. 

A symbol is not a symbol until someone interprets it as one (Serafini, pg. 62, 2014). 

                I know that when we see certain symbols we automatically relate them to specific places or people.  I suppose I agree that these symbols were meaningless until someone made them a logo, advertisement, or sign to signify representation.   We relate the golden arches to McDonalds, red roses to love, and crosses to Christians.  These symbols have been conventionalized and we make the assumption of the connections and their meanings to one another. 

2. Find an image, symbol or motif and upload it to your blog.

 

Photo captured from: en.wikipedia.org

3. Conduct a content analysis: 

What do you see?

I see two circles with the letters V and W inside.

What is the image about?

It is an emblem representing the Volkswagen make of automobile.

Are there people in the image? What are they doing? How are they presented?

No, there are no people in the image.

Can the image be looked at different ways? Explain how the image might be interpreted from two diffferent socio-cultural perpsecitves. Which perpective is dominate?

Yes, I think the image could be construed as just a design consisting no letters just lines and spaces.  If I were from a country that did not make or sell Volkswagens I may not know what the symbol meant.  I may think it was a design someone had drawn and it wouldn’t have a meaning to me.  I do know what that symbol represents and I believe that majority of American’s and others across the world where Volkswagen cars are made and sold would be able to tell you what this symbol represented.  So I feel my cultural perspective would be dominate in this case scenario.   

How effective is the image as a visual message.

This image is a visual message.  It signifies to you that this specific automobile with this emblem symbol was made by Volkswagen.  The image has a direct connection to it’s maker.

4. Conduct a visual analysis: Use the Chapter on Elements of Art, Design and Visual composition to assist your visual analysis.

How is the image composed? What is in the background, and what is in the foreground?

The image is composed of circles and lines.  The background is the blue and the foreground is the white.

What are the most important visual elements in the image? How can you tell?

The most important visual elements in the image I would think are the V and W in the inner circle.  I can see those letters just looking at the symbol they pop out to me. 

How is color used?

There are two colors blue and white.  The white is the inner circle and the letters indicating the make of the automobile and the blue is just the contrast color to make it appealing.

Can the image be looked at different ways?

No. 

What meanings are conveyed by design choices?

The Volkswagen was built in Germany in 1938.  Volks means people and wagen means car, therefore the English translation is “people’s car”.  The letters VW were put in a circle design and signify the automobile maker “Volkswagen”.   

References

Serafini, Frank.  (2014).  Reading the Visual: An Introduction to Teaching Multimodal Literacy.  Teachers College Press:  New York, New York.

My Illuminated Text

BGreer Illuminated Text

More PowerPoint presentations from Britney Greer

My Three Brain Networks

Recognition Network

Items I recognized:

A man wearing a coat, a lady standing by the door wearing an apron, an older lady by a chair, a child sitting at a table, and photos hanging on the wall.

Strategic Network

How old are the people in this picture?

The man in his late 30's, the lady in the apron looks in her 20's, the lady by the chair looks in her 70's, the child looks maybe 6, the lady behind him looks maybe 30, the person over behind the door 35, the person way in the back that I can hardly see maybe 50?

What historical period and geographical location do you think this picture represents? Why?

Back in the early 1900's because they are dressed in older clothing from that time period.

How might the people be feeling in this picture?

Surprised?

Affective Network

What in particular strikes you about this picture?

The man in the coat, the older lady walking towards him, and the child sitting at the table.

Note something about yourself that might have led you to focus on these particular aspects:

Those are the main three people that I see the clearest when I look at the photo. they seem to pop out at me the most.

Revised Multimodal Presentation

Weekly Reading 4

If children are to understand how images represent and construct meaning, they need knowledge of the visual meaning-making systems used in their production (Serafini, pg. 17, 2014).

 

I agree with this statement because at an early age children are introduced to picture books.  By early primary grades they are reading small words in large print but still with many illustrations and pictures accompanying the text.  Then, by middle school and high school years they move on to higher level readings and writings and are expected to focus more on written language and much less on visual images.  I have to admit I haven’t always been a strong reader myself.  I enjoyed picture books and even elementary reading that had pictures that went along with the stories.   I started falling behind when I had to comprehend the text solely based on understanding what they were trying to convey just by reading and looking at written print.  I was in college before I became a “good” reader and developed the reading comprehension skills I needed to be successful academically.  I truly believe that not only those who are visual learners but all learners need knowledge of the visual meaning-making systems they use in order to understand that images formulate meaning. 

Before teachers can help support students as creators and interpreters of multimodal ensembles, they first have to become more familiar with these terms and concepts themselves and develop a more extensive knowledge base from which to expand their literacy curriculum (Serafini, pg. 18, 2014). 

I had to include this statement as well in this posting.  I couldn't agree more with it and it is the main reason I took this course even though I have already completed my Master’s degree!  I felt it would be helpful to learn more ways to incorporate technology into my ways of teaching.  I am uneasy at giving students assignments that I myself am not an expert at.  So this is a huge step for me to learn and do trial and error runs with my students to see what works best with them and just what exactly they are capable of doing with the abundance of technology and available resources at their fingertips!  I want to be able to support my students’ ability to design, interpret, and utilize multimodal texts not only in my classroom but anytime I possibly can.  In order for this to take place, I have to learn all about what is out there and be willing to accept new ideas and technology into my classroom so I can be a teacher of the future and not of the past!      

Serafini, Frank.  (2014).  Reading the Visual: An Introduction to Teaching Multimodal Literacy.  Teachers College Press: New York, New York.

How is your definition of literacy different or similar to the definition of literacy presented in the book? Or how did the reading change or expand your definition of literacy?

            The book’s definition:  Traditionally, the word literacy has referred to a set of cognitive skills that individuals acquire to function in society, primarily the ability to read and write to a specified degree of proficiency.  However, more recent definitions of literacy suggest it is as much a social practice as it is an individual cognitive skill.  This change in how literacy is defined suggests that literacy is something individuals do in particular social contexts, rather than simply something that individuals acquire (Serafini, pg. 19, 2014).

            At first, my definition of literacy would basically be the ability to read and write.  After reading chapter two I realize that literacy is much more than reading and writing.  There are different types of literacy and that each is associated with particular settings, actions, identities, and social practices.  I completely understand this though because I am very capable of reading and writing most anything for even college level courses, but when it comes to a technology class I am just getting my feet wet.  This is the first time I have ever had a blog!  I thought I was up on technology and multimedia but I’m afraid I was wrong!  I am learning new ways to communicate and socialize with the online world every day.     

How can visual literacy support the development of the kinds of reading and writing we want children to learn through schooling?

            Expanding the theoretical perspectives teachers bring to the exploration of visual images, various digital and print-based media, and multimodal ensembles will help teachers as they support student’s literate development in the context of contemporary society (Serafini, pg. 28, 2014).  We, the teachers, have to adjust to this change and shift in teaching so we are able to help our students and assist them in learning not only how to read and write, but communicate and network in a variety of ways and settings while they are in school. 

Find an online resources that addresses issues of visual literacy in education link to it or embed it your blog posting and provide a brief explanation of how it relates to this week's reading.

http://www.edutopia.org/lucas-visual-literacy

            This is a great article about visual literacy.  James Daly, a filmmaker, argues that students must learn a new language of image and sound in order to succeed.  He states that the way we are educating is based on nineteenth-century ideas and methods and that we are now in the twenty-first century and wonders why we are we doing things the ancient way?  He continues by expressing that our system of education is locked in a time capsule.  That there are new ways of teaching and learning and his opinion of what visual literacy our students need to be learning!

                                                              

Images that relates to the ideas presented in this week's reading:

                                                               Pinterest Image

                                                Link to above photo of Visual Literacy

Understanding Metonymy and Metaphors

What is metaphor? 

Metaphor designates a relation based on substitution; in a multimodal work, one mode can metaphorically represent or stand in for another, as when an animation of a word dynamically represents its meaning. It is a relation based on similarity between elements in different modes (Sorapure, N.D.).

What is metonymy? 

Metonymy designates a relation based on combination; modes can be metonymically related when they are linked by an association, as when lines from a poem are combined with a melody from a song. It is a relation based on contiguity between elements in different modes (Sorapure, N.D.).

Using metaphor and metonymy in this way gives us a language for talking to students about the relations they are composing between modes and a way of explaining where a multimodal project is effective or weak (Sorapure, N.D.).

How did you apply the concepts of metaphor or metonymy? How well did you apply them? Give an example from your presentation of information.

I made slides with photos and minimal words to convey the game of Chess.  I used “Checkmate” as a metaphor to indicate that is what terminology is used when the game is over.  That is the only metaphor I used in my multimodal presentation of information.  

Classmates Good Examples of Metaphors and Metonymies

Cara Pinti's

    Very cute example of getting comfortable using a metaphor of a lazy “couch potato”!

Joyce Harris-Thacker's

 This is a good example of a metonymy from my "Recycling" presentation. When we think of the word recycling, this is what we see in our minds.

 

References

Sorapure, Madeleine.  (N.D.)  Between Modes: Assessing Student New Media Compositions.  Retrieved from http://english.ttu.edu/kairos/10.2/coverweb/sorapure/between_modes.pdf  on June 5, 2014.