Visual Literacy In Skim

482 Words2 Pages

Mariko and Jillian Tamaki display a strong sense composition of visual literacy in Skim. In Skim the first area in the composition noticed is the contrast between lights and darks, the black gutters on some pages, the frameless panels, and cropped images. Each opening chapter or part is a double page spread that introduces you to the next section or diary entry. Skim is about a teenage girl named Kimberly, aka Skim writing in her diary. The story line is redundant of a teenager girl looking for love, trying to fit in, with self-image and self-esteem issues. What made Skim interesting are the black and white drawings and the use of perspective to show depth, which adds to the visual narrative. For example, on page twenty-four and twenty-five, …show more content…

The uniqueness of this pages is Mariko’s words or lack of words illustrated by Jillian to create a visual narrative. This is a void of space with stark blackness and the white bubble with the words, “That was totally stupid” (133). The words jump out along with the light coming out of the school’s door and you see Skim and Katie’s gray shadow against the white snow. This illustration allows the viewer to see into the darkness of the night and of the frustration of the two girls. Jillian could have left the two-page spread all black, but on the left side, she adds three panels. Two of the panels are rectangles and the third box is a square below them. One of the rectangle panels overlaps the school door as if is it intruding the black space. As art educator, comics usually have color, however the blackness of the background against the white snow, the arched doorway and gutters space between cubic shapes add dimension and mystery to the narrative.

Throughout the book, narrative art is a major factor in the visual storytelling of the life of a teenage girl’s fantasies, desires, peer pressure, spirituality, sexuality, and death. The illustrations in Skim, is a good example for drawing outside the box in forms and composition. The Tamaki’s challenge the notion that visual literacy is not only written but also