Reading a Picture

Pictures talk. They tell you who is important, how someone feels, and what the picture wants you to think. Visual literacy is learning to hear them.

Three questions work on almost every picture. Who is in it? Where are they and what is happening? And how do they feel? For that last one, look at the face, the hands and the body, not just the smile.

Colour carries meaning. Red means danger or love, or sometimes hurry. Green feels calm, natural, safe. Dark blue and grey feel cold, sad or frightening. Artists choose those on purpose.

Size matters too. Here a small child stands at the bottom of the picture while a huge shadow stretches above her. Nine times her size. The artist made her small on purpose, so you would feel how frightened she is.

Here is the rule that earns marks. Never write it is nice. Say what you see, and then say why it matters. The red poster feels urgent because red warns us. See the difference?

You can now ask who where and how, read what colour and size are doing, and say what you see and why it matters. Let's try it on adverts and cartoons.