Manga Radial Line Effects on Food Drawing Evaluation

Abstract

Two experiments were conducted to investigate manga radial line effects on rated impressions of food drawings. For the first, we used adjective pairs to assess differences among four manga background effects (radial lines, soap bubbles, black gradients, and no background) on impression ratings of food drawings. Results demonstrated that food drawings with radial lines were perceived as larger and more voluminous than food drawings with other manga background effects. In addition, food drawings with soap bubbles elicited more positive impressions (e.g., softness and warmth) compared to food drawings with other manga background effects. By contrast, food drawings with black gradients elicited more negative impressions (e.g., hardness and coldness). For the second experiment, we used the same pairs of adjectives to assess radial line density effects on impression ratings of the food drawings. Results demonstrated that the food drawings’ size and quantity impressions improved for drawings with added radial lines showing greater density. Findings also suggest that higher radial line density is associated with impressions of a food drawing’s specialness, fanciness, and elaborate arrangement. The manga radial line effects observed in this study concur with findings from speed line studies, suggesting that this phenomenon might be interpreted through motion perception.