Research Task 4.2

Brandon J Wallace


I took a look through in the Instagram account @bwallzdraws. 

The first post I studied 'A local recipe' posted on the 26th March 2018. 

Wallace very cleverly takes the viewer through the stages of 'Maryland Crab Boil' in a storyboard, cartoon strip way. 

The illustrations are in black and white, white adds a striking and obvious appearance. 

The stages offer simple instructions, with few but key and carefully selected words. 

The drawings are direct, bold and fun. No fuss and straight to the point, very engaging with  clear visual language. An innovative way to display a recipe. 

I enjoy the use of positive ad negative space on the page. Even though the drawings are limited to black and white, by switching up the background colour from white to black, it adds a new intensity to the scene and offers separation on the page.  

'The Shining' posted on on the 5th of February 2018. Here Wallace illustrates a number of key scenes from the film, 'The Shining'. 

There are no words, only visual storyboard boxes. 

Again black and white in tone with an intense red appearing in the third box to suggest blood splatter, a key trait in horror. The use of this red stands out on the page and it is where the viewer is drawn initially. 

The illustrations are drawn also from various angles which add in interest particularly evident in the 5th box where the character is looking down a corridor full of doors, there is distance to the drawing. In box 7, the viewer is stood directly in front of one door looking upwards, this upwards angle feels intense. 

Again the use of positive and negative space is interesting. In some of the drawings, there is a sense of them being incomplete, particularly in box 6 where the background is largely white. however this use of white space does emphasize the character stood centre, looking directly at the viewer, again such intensity. 

There is a sense of danger throughout the storyboard, the atmosphere of 'The Shining' has been successfully captured and injected into the page, therefore a successful and expressive storyboard that captures the scene and message. 

How could I bring elements of the way Brandon J Wallace into my own work? 

  • I would love to create the visual literacy that Wallace can communicate. To try to achieve this I could: 
  • Use positive and negative space to intensify the scene and highlight characters. This can also create a new look to an illustration by switching the background from white to black. 
  • Draw from different angles to create interest on the page. 
  • Use black and white. 
  • If a third colour is bought into the storyboard, insure it stands out from the page and communicates something else, like a spatter of red leads to the assumption of blood. 
  • Use visual reference. 
  • Keep the drawings bold and direct, carefully choosing there the focus of the drawing should be for the viewer. 
  • Capture the key moments of scenes, limited in number but carefully selected. So that when they are positioned together they interpret the story in a strong and clear way. 
  • Use words, however be selective in what words are necessary and include them within the drawing as if communicating a recipe. 
Reference: 
@bwallzdraws

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