Story-telling technique where the drawing style briefly gets much simpler?


I'm a big fan of web comics, and have a question about a drawing or story-
telling technique that I've seen. It seems effective, but I'm not quite sure
what it's effective **_for_**.

Here's an example, from the most excellent [Questionable
Content](http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3667) by Jeph Jacques.
First, a frame in his usual style:

![Jeph Jacques usual style, January 30,
2018](https://i.stack.imgur.com/XrCq2m.png)

He's usually quite consistent, but once in a long while there's a frame where
he uses a much simpler drawing style:

![Jeph Jacques simplified style, January 30,
2018](https://i.stack.imgur.com/bOUt5m.png)

Another example, from [this
strip](http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3663); compare...

![Couple, usual drawing style](https://i.stack.imgur.com/sFQbkm.png)

... to...

![Couple, simplified drawing style](https://i.stack.imgur.com/XrNqym.png)

It's an interesting and entertaining motif, but I'm not clear on just what
he's communicating with it, and why it feels effective. Is it an ironic aside?
Or is it a pause in the action to let the characters (and reader) consider?

And, what is the history of this? Did Jeph make this up, or have previous
cartoonists used it as well?

Any ideas?




It's called an [Art
Shift](http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ArtShift), traditionally
used in western media for homages, parodies, or flashbacks; _e.g._ [Tracer
Bullet](http://www.gocomics.com/calvinandhobbes/1991/02/26) or when Calvin and
Susie [play house](http://www.gocomics.com/calvinandhobbes/1989/7/9) in
_Calvin and Hobbes_. These art shifts usually last for one or more scenes,
often for the duration of a specific subplot. The Japanese use art shifts in a
very different way-- single-shot/panel shifts are quite common in anime and
manga, and are used for comedic emphasis. _Kimi ni Todoke_ , for example, uses
this [quite frequently](https://i.stack.imgur.com/LN0KF.jpg) ( _Kimi ni
Todoke_ vol. 10 / ch. 42 spoilers). It is often used in conjunction with other
anime/manga tropes ([Cross Popping
Veins](http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/CrossPoppingVeins), [Dull
Eyes of
Unhappiness](http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/DullEyesOfUnhappiness),
[Giving Up the
Ghost](http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/GivingUpTheGhost),
[Nosebleed](http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/NoseBleed), [Snot
Bubble](http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/SnotBubble), [Sweat
Drop](http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/SweatDrop), [Visible
Sigh](http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/VisibleSigh), [Kewpie Doll
Surprise](http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/KewpieDollSurprise),
etc.) to convey emotion humorously, or on a [specific
character](http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/NonStandardCharacterDesign)
to show that they're acting in a way that's different from the rest of the
world. It can also be used on a group of characters to show a sudden (and
usually temporary) shift in tone. Shifting into a
[chibi](http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/SuperDeformed) art style
usually implies a comedic or
[moe](http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Moe) tone.

As to your specific examples, the art shift creates an emphasis on joke-- in
the first example, how Faye is forced to
[subvert](http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/SubvertedTrope) her usual
[threats of
violence](http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/IneffectualDeathThreats),
and in the second example, how Faye [completely misssed the
point](http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ComicallyMissingThePoint).




It's called an [Art
Shift](http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ArtShift), traditionally
used in western media for homages, parodies, or flashbacks; _e.g._ [Tracer
Bullet](http://www.gocomics.com/calvinandhobbes/1991/02/26) or when Calvin and
Susie [play house](http://www.gocomics.com/calvinandhobbes/1989/7/9) in
_Calvin and Hobbes_. These art shifts usually last for one or more scenes,
often for the duration of a specific subplot. The Japanese use art shifts in a
very different way-- single-shot/panel shifts are quite common in anime and
manga, and are used for comedic emphasis. _Kimi ni Todoke_ , for example, uses
this [quite frequently](https://i.stack.imgur.com/LN0KF.jpg) ( _Kimi ni
Todoke_ vol. 10 / ch. 42 spoilers). It is often used in conjunction with other
anime/manga tropes ([Cross Popping
Veins](http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/CrossPoppingVeins), [Dull
Eyes of
Unhappiness](http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/DullEyesOfUnhappiness),
[Giving Up the
Ghost](http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/GivingUpTheGhost),
[Nosebleed](http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/NoseBleed), [Snot
Bubble](http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/SnotBubble), [Sweat
Drop](http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/SweatDrop), [Visible
Sigh](http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/VisibleSigh), [Kewpie Doll
Surprise](http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/KewpieDollSurprise),
etc.) to convey emotion humorously, or on a [specific
character](http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/NonStandardCharacterDesign)
to show that they're acting in a way that's different from the rest of the
world. It can also be used on a group of characters to show a sudden (and
usually temporary) shift in tone. Shifting into a
[chibi](http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/SuperDeformed) art style
usually implies a comedic or
[moe](http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Moe) tone.

As to your specific examples, the art shift creates an emphasis on joke-- in
the first example, how Faye is forced to
[subvert](http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/SubvertedTrope) her usual
[threats of
violence](http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/IneffectualDeathThreats),
and in the second example, how Faye [completely misssed the
point](http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ComicallyMissingThePoint).

