Illustration & Visual Narrative/Final Project: Comic cover and Animated one page intro

on
12.10.2022 - 29.11.2022/Week 7 - Week 13
Sim Jian Xiong (0356498)
Bachelor Design (Hons) in Creative Media
Final Project: Comic Cover and Animated One Page Intro
LECTURES

Week 7: Original Comic Pilot Briefing
For our final project, we are now tasked to create an original comic pilot that showcase our illustration and visual narrative skills in the form of:
  • Comic cover 
  • One page introduction with animated panel(s)
Project Requirements:
Comic cover
  • Size: A4
  • Full coloured illustration with Adobe Illustrator
  • Visuals must be PG-18 and Safe For Work
One page introduction
  • Number of panels: Min: 3 - Max: 15
  • Size: A4
  • Full/partial coloured illustrations with Adobe Illustrator/Photoshop
  • At least one animated panel
  • Visuals must be PG-18 and Safe For Work
Three-Acts Structure, Week 7 (12.10.22)

Week 8: Introduction to Chiaroscuro
Chiaroscuro: an Italian term which literally means light-dark
Fig 1.1 Chiaroscuro Exercise 1, Week 8 (19.10.2022)

Fig 1.2 Chiaroscuro Exercise 2, Week 8 (19.10.2022)

Week 9: Transitions
Fig 1.3 Scott McLoud's Transitions, Week 9 (26.10.2022)
INSTRCTIONS
Final Project: Comic cover and Animated one page intro
For our final project, we were instructed to design a comic book cover and a one page introduction. Before we begin designing our story, we have to first structure it by writing it down.

Three-Acts Structure
  1. Setup - Once upon a time, there was a small cowardly knight named Sir Small. Other knights would tease and laugh at him. Everyday, he would train hard to improve his skills.
  2. Rising Action - One day, a giant dragon attacked the kingdom, killing knights and townspeople. Being the kingdom's only surviving knight, Sir Small is determined to defeat the dragon. On his way, he befriended a dog.
  3. Climax - Sir Small rides the dog towards the dragon's cave. Together, they gathered up their courage defeated the dragon. 
Logline: A small cowardly knight teams up with a dog to defeat a giant dragon that destroyed his kingdom.

I like to sketch characters out on paper before I start to digitalize them. For the protagonists, I googled a few visual references and sketch them together.
Fig 1.4 Visual references & Sketches, Week 9 (26.10.2022)

I had a clashing thought whether the knight should ride a horse or a dog. I've chosen the dog to emphasize on his smallness. He is so small that he can ride a dog, hence the name.

Comic Cover
Attempt #1
To start, I begin sketching possible book covers for my comic.
Fig 1.5 Comic Cover Sketch,  Week 10 (31.10.2022)
  1. A small knight riding his dog is reflecting a shadow of a bigger knight on a horse
  2. The knight is cowering behind his dog while facing a dragon
  3. Two knights on their horses are staring down at Sir Small
Fig 1.6 Comic Cover Progress #1, Week 10 (1.11.2022)

Step by step progress (Left to Right)
1. I have chosen the second one because it has the protagonists and the antagonist all shown in the cover.
2. Whilst tracing my sketch, I stopped, took a step back and told myself that the dragon looks horrible. It looks more like a giraffe.
3 - 5. To make my life easier, I decided to trace the dragon and the dog via online images, except the knight.
6. I coloured the characters according to the references and added the title.
7. Finally, I enlarged the characters so it's easier to see them.

Fig 1.7 Comic Cover Process #1 Outcome, Week 10 (2.11.2022)

During a feedback session, I became dissatisfied with my comic cover. There's too much negative space and the title feels out of place. So, I decided to start all over.

Attempt #2
Through more research, I've found a source of inspiration for my book cover rework.
Fig 1.8 Scale Progression in Framed Ink, Week 10 (3.11.2022)

I like this panel because the large creature acts as an arrow, pointing down towards the smaller human. I thought I could apply this similar concept for my dragon and knight. I also thought to change my comic style from cartoon to chiaroscuro to save time.

Fig 1.9 Comic Cover Progress #2, Week 11 (10.11.2022)
  1. Before I start to trace, I arrange all the elements using the rule of thirds.
  2. After tracing, I add some shapes to the person to make him look like a knight and a brick texture for the castle wall for the dragon to pop out.
  3. Then, I fill the background with a black gradient, suggesting the dragon has bad intentions.
  4. To show a sense of perspective, I add a grey floor so the characters doesn't seem like they're floating in midair. 
  5. After that, I incorporate the title into the dragon's body.
  6. Lastly, I realize the colour of the castle and dragon are clashing with each other so I add a white fill to the wall to create contrast.
One Page Introduction
After finalizing my comic cover, now it's time to structure my comic story. I sketched my story panels out quickly.
Fig 2.1 Story panels planning, Week 12 (15.11.2022)

Looking at my plan, I've decided to remove the first three panels where Sir Small is getting spooked his knight comrades while training. This allows my story to jump straight into action by making a few corrections.

Action Sequence
1. Kingdom burning down
2. Crown, armour on floor
3. Dragon's leg slams on floor
4. Dragon stares down at small knight
5. Knight shivers in fear

Fig 2.2 Adobe Illustrator Screengrab, Week 12 (20.11.2022)

To my summarize my page progress, I traced certain parts of online images that I want and add some extra elements like a boot and a belt. I also reuse some shapes I used for my comic cover. I didn't set fire to the kingdom as I planned to animate it in Adobe Photoshop anyway.

Fig 2.3 Adobe Photoshop Screengrabs, Week 13 (27.11.2022)

I've animated three panels in total:
  1. Sir Small shivering and sweating in fear.
  2. Sir Small's arm bleeding.
  3. Kingdom on fire. Notice that it has the fewest frames out of the three. I was struggling to animate a smooth fire flow so I stretched the fire up and down instead.
Final Submission
FEEDBACK

Week 7
Specific Feedback: None
General Feedback: Write down your story first before designing it

Week 8
Specific Feedback: None
General Feedback: Find your own style

Week 9
Specific Feedback: None
General Feedback: In an introduction, establish only one or two things. No need to cram everything

Week 10
Specific Feedback: Good font but not suitable for your cover. The red title comes out too suddenly of the orange background. Too much negative space.
General  Feedback: Make the title part of the composition. See Mike Mignola and Sandman covers.

Week 11
Specific Feedback: The castle colour and dragon is clashing
General Feedback: None

Week 12
Specific Feedback: Falling behind, lack of time management
General Feedback: None
REFLECTIONS

Experience
There's one point during this task I was frustrated and impatient. I felt that I should've completed this task a long time ago. I'm slightly disappointed I couldn't go for a cartoonish style due to the lack of time. With that said, I always wanted to create my own comic.

Observation
I've seen some of my classmates comic. Their comic style appears to be simple and they seem to focus on their narrative. I noticed I may have gone too far by trying to design cartoons and forgetting the main goal of telling a story. If I known that earlier, I wouldn't have wasted a week on the first cover.

Findings
I realized that I've gone too far as I made my life harder by going quantity over quality. I've sketched so many character designs, only to abandon them at the end. Next time, I will arrange my goals as well as my thoughts to avoid wasting time.
FURTHER READING

Week 10

Fig 2.4 Framed Ink

This week's book distills Marcos Mateu's twenty-plus years career in animation and graphic design into a clear, visual illustrative manual.

Fig 2.5 Scale Progression

I read up this page where I found my source of inspiration.

Comments

Post a Comment