I'm in the middle of the creative composition class and learning a ton. However, what I'm not sure about is how speech bubbles and thought balloons work from a design standpoint. Do they count as relief areas? Focal points? I'm not sure how to factor them into the overall design.
@davidrickert They are focal points. The reader's eye will immediately go to them to read the text before they even look at the art, and if you don't lay out your bubbles properly they might even skip over the art entirely! Trace the path from bubble to bubble: that is the path of the reader's eye. It's good to lay it out so that this path cuts through the art to make sure the reader misses nothing.
Here's an example:
@NessIllustration Thank you! That is helpful.
@NessIllustration ; Great point! Thanks for the tip!
