In the second episode in the Character season of Elements, I talk to Tara Black about character and how it relates to her work. We use René Magritte’s ‘The Treachery of Images’ as a starting point for this discussion.

Some of the things we talk about are:

Here is a link to Tara’s website

We talk about the books of Scott McCloud Understanding Comics, Making Comics, Reinventing Comics. Here is a link to Scott McCloud’s website

Exercise:

This is an oldie but I love it and it seems relevant for this conversation. Think of a person you know, but not well (you can also use a character you’re writing at the moment). Get a piece of paper and a pen or pencil. Close your eyes and draw the persons face. When you’ve done this open your eyes and see what you’ve done. Now, write this person in action. Pop them in a shop or cafe or space craft and see what they want to do.

Thank you Copyright Licensing New Zealand for funding the Elements series.

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