Nell Brinkley and the placement of the vanishing point

I was looking through an online edition (through my library) of The Flapper Queens: Women Cartoonists of the Jazz Age curated by the incredible Trina Robbins. It’s a wonderful collection.

I was really struck by the art of Nell Brinkley. Not so much her figures and faces, but her composition and use of color. Then I noticed this opening panel to her Sunday strip, “Sunny Sue.”

The vanishing point in the panel is to the far right. This means that the lines of the composition draw toward the right, the same as the reading direction. The panel opens into a lush world of trees, fences, and hills. The choice of vanishing point placement helps to draw the reader’s eye into and through this world. It calls our attention to the scenery and Brinkley’s wonderful color work. It also pulls the reader’s gaze from the figures on the left to the narration on the far right.

So this is another concept to consider when thinking about how to draw a reader’s gaze through a panel: the placement of the vanishing point.

Nell Brinkley links:
Billie Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum collection
“Sunny Sue” and other Nell Brinkley work at OSU