Posture

Posture is the body language of the characters that helps the reader understand their feelings moods or reactions. It can include not only full body language, but also subtle details like facial expressions or eye contact. Sometimes illustrators even use motion lines (also called action lines) to reveal emotions or show reactions.

Example 1: How does big sister, Catrina, feel after her family moves to California in this set of images from Ghosts: A Graphic Novel by Raina Telgemeier?

Spot how posture reveals how she is feeling.
Describe her body language and notice the direction her eyes are looking.
What do we learning about how Cat is feeling from the visuals?

Example 2: How does Greg feel when Rowley asks him to come over and "play" in this page from Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Greg Heffley's Journal by Jeff Kinney?

Identify how facial expression reveals how he is feeling.
Describe how body language is emphasized by the wavy motion lines around Jeff.
What do we learning about how Jeff is feeling from the visuals?

Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney Image 1.png

Example 3: In American Born Chinese written and illustrated by Gene Luen Yang, main character, Jin, moves to a new school.

Spot how posture reveals how he is feeling when being introduced to the class.
Describe how body language and facial expression reveal character emotion.