What is art? Does art include comics? This is a question that is being asked by professionals around the world. Some answer yes and some answer no, but what makes comics art? As we all know art has been around for a very long time, and most artists, actually every artist does this to express themselves, and to connect their thoughts to the modern world. Scott McCloud has a very broad definition of comics and art, and in his eyes comics are part of the art industry. He also believes that everything we do in every single day of our lives is a form of art in one way and another. Which is true, we may not be able to draw, or create masterpieces, but we all have our own ways of expressing our thoughts and feelings towards any type of subject. McCloud see’s art as any type of human activity that has no intention of growing out of our natural state, which includes two basic instincts; survival and reproduction. Even though those are the basic instincts that we live by, there are also times when we don’t have anything to do. Once this happens, we can create many forms of art, some people write, sing, draw, or make music. These are all forms of art, so it’s up to us to create our own way of self-expression. The six steps that McCloud incorporates into his book are; idea/purpose, form, idiom, structure, craft, and surface. These are the very essentials for creating an amazing comic. The first step is putting all your ideas or any kind of purpose onto paper, this can be a starting point, or it can be the ending point of any writer. The form step, decides which medium will the idea take, this includes books, a chalk drawing, a chair, a song, or a comic book. Idiom is the step that involves the writer in making the decision on what kind of genre he/she is taking on. The structure is the point where you gather all your information, ideas, and genres, to put together the storyline. Having different crafts while construction a comic book is essential to the quality of the comic being constructed. Most people only see the last step of the path, and this step is the surface. The surface is the finished production of the work; it has superficial exposure to the outside world.
While I was reading this chapter, I kept nodding my head to several of McCloud’s key points. I loved how he believes that art should be expanded to include ways of expressing thoughts. Many classical artists didn’t have an instant reaction to their art pieces; some never got recognition till their death. This chapter was an eye opening one; McCloud shows that its takes more than just having a good story line, you must incorporate the six steps in order to have a great piece of any type of art form. Not only does this make me think more about comics, but it also gives me a new outlook on different art forms. So its simple, follow the six steps, and you should be set.