those whooshing lines when somebody attacks

[Durvin]

You know what I'm talking about. In anything but the most realistic anime/manga, when somebody runs, flies, or attacks suddenly or rapidly, the background is replaced by whoosh lines, usually white or yellow with black over a monochrome, usually blue and sometimes red. Do those have a name? I've seen them a million times, but now that I'm trying to use them in my own comic, I can't remember exactly what they look like, and I can't find an image of them.

[The_Hankerchief]

I think they call them "Action lines" or "Motion lines"

I couldn't find any pre-made ones, either. I either have to draw them in myself or use a blurring effect in place of them. Usually does the trick.

[HABE]

"Speed lines" is the common term for that full-on manga effect. "Motion lines" usually refers to those isolated lines that follow a moving object.

[blankd]

You know what I'm talking about. In anything but the most realistic anime/manga, when somebody runs, flies, or attacks suddenly or rapidly, the background is replaced by whoosh lines, usually white or yellow with black over a monochrome, usually blue and sometimes red. Do those have a name? I've seen them a million times, but now that I'm trying to use them in my own comic, I can't remember exactly what they look like, and I can't find an image of them.

Some comics and various animation (both east and west) actually use them as well, the others have already named them but I'm going to offer some advice-

Be careful about your usage of them and understand WHY they are used so that you can better employ then. Typically it's to convey motion "too fast" for the "camera", but you can still convey speed and motion without resorting to universal "action lines". Try looking around to see who does motion and who uses them!

[The_Hankerchief]

If you have GIMP, you can also use Line Nova to create this effect, too. (thanks for the link, HABE)

[Durvin]

Thanks, everybody. I'd tried making my own, but it never quite came out right; I hadn't found Line Nova yet, but it's just what I needed. And as for using them sparingly, I just need them for one panel where one guy's flying using the jets in his feet (I'd say boot-jets, but he's wearing sandals) and another's climbing up his leg, and it seemed like such an absurd action scene that a good anime reference was in order. I don't plan to ever use them again, since they're so over-used, and hardly ever used well.

[Aivilo]

I think they're called motion lines

[Sonic-ock]

There's a great chapters in Scott McCloud's Understanding Comics that deals with different ways to convey speed and motion that gives some good insight on this issue. And If I can find it I'll post it, but there's this tutorial that Adam Warren did for Wizard I think back in the 90's where he demonstrates how to use motion and speed lines.

[Ealynn]

Neil Cohn also has a good article explaining speedlines in manga, it is freely downloadable at his site: Emaki.net - direct download link: http://www.emaki.net/essays/japanese_vl.pdf
He also has a lot of other interesting articles on comic / visual language timing etc. Do check it out!