What do we see?

"Cartooning isn't just a way of drawing, it's a way of seeing!"

This particular statement is quite a bold one, in my opinion. It's a way of seeing, but it's also a way of interpretation. I think it is more of an interpretation than just what we see or what the reader sees. Yes, cartoons are drawings, so it is automatically a visual sensor, but it's creator, context, and formality all contributes to the way that the audience receives the cartoon. Cartoons have played a large role in our society- some characters have even become well, "famous" as if they are real people. Popular cartoons are used in ads, endorsements, etc. The use of cartoons in our every day lives is because of their ability to attract an audience and make the readers feel that this imaginary world can indeed be realistic, if you just imagine. The example with the random shapes is a great example of your imagination and that visuals are present as what they seem, but as a whole can be turned into anything you imagine. The random shapes, you know are random shapes to begin with, but then once you are told you can see them as faces with simple additions, you see them as faces. But, you still know that they are just random shapes, not faces.

Where does the origin lie? Do we see what is physically drawn first and then use our imagination to create and image or character? Or do we already have an expectation in our minds and see only what is presented to us? I think that our mind has the capability to do many things. Although, I do believe that what we see first, as a visual, is what we will always see. Back to the random shapes examples, you will always see them as random shapes turned into faces, not just faces.