Illustration and Visual Narrative - Project 3 & Final Project: Graphic Novel & Motion Comic

13.10.2022 - 02.12.2022 / Week 7 - Week 14
Lim Rui Ying / 0358986
Typography / Bachelor of Design (Hons) in Creative Media
Project 3: Graphic Novel
Final Project: Motion Comic

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LECTURES

WEEK 7

- Ms Anis briefed us on Project 3: Original Comic Pilot Story

- 3-Acts Structure lecture conducted by Ms Anis

- Apply our triptych design on HONOR templates

- Mr Hafiz taught us on applying texture to the chiaroscuro by making a mask

3 Acts Structure

Storytelling Basics

1. Central theme: major theme and minor theme

2. Conflict: creates tension and builds suspense, which are the elements that make a story interesting

3. Characters: protagonist and antagonist

4. Three-Acts Structure 

    Setup - Rising Tension - Conflict - Resolution

3-Acts Structure

WEEK 8

*Independent Learning Week

WEEK 9

- Consultation session with Ms Anis on narrative writing

- Finalise our narrative writing

- Mr Hafiz shows a good example of artwork done by a senior, which he planned well to create his comic

- Demonstration of some tools in Illustrator

1. Pen tool: hold opt key to adjust curves instead of the direct selection tool (still remains using the Pen tool)
2. Brush tool: adjust the number of anchor points before using the Brush tool (accurate: more points; smooth: fewer points)
3. Simplify: adjust the number of anchor points
4. The shape of the Brush tool: uniform, rounded cap, tapped
5. Width tool: resize the width of the stroke
6. Draw inside: temporarily create a clipping mask

WEEK 10

- Consultation session with Ms Anis and feedback session with Mr Hafiz on our cover page design

- Mr Hafiz give us a short lecture on comic transitions

WEEK 11

- Consultation session with Ms Anis on our comic panel sketches

- Mr Hafiz conduct a lecture on comic transitions continuing last week's lecture

Transitions

- how was continuity maintained? frames? background? characters? closure?

- participation of readers: let readers imagine

WEEK 12

*Public Holiday

WEEK 13

- Consultation session with Mr Hafiz on our cover page and comic panels

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INSTRUCTIONS

Project 3 & Final Project: Graphic Novel & Motion Comic

Project requirements:

Project 3: Graphic Novel - Original Comic Pilot Story

NARRATIVE WRITING

Act 1: Setup
Olas was a “disaster” in the Kingdom of Guardians, a fairy kingdom in the sky. There was an enchantment between the Kingdom of Guardians and the world of humans.

Olas was a hyperactive and troublesome kid. One day, he saw adult fairies lining up to go to the human world to meet their mortals. Olas was so excited to discover the human world but he is only 11 years old and he failed to break the enchantment. Suddenly, he felt his body drop down. The enchantment broke and he went into the human world.

Act 2: Conflict
Olas couldn’t adapt to the atmosphere of the human world. He noticed a moving glimmer and was attracted to it. His wings were getting weak. He fainted and his body dropped down.

Olas was woken up by the sound of a quarrel. He looked around and found himself in a house where a couple was fighting seriously for divorce and a girl was leering in the corner, looking very frightened, but she had a power that attracted him. Olas flew to the girl and he found his power restored and could fly freely. He wondered if the girl was presumed to be his mortal. He flew around the girl a few rounds, trying to get her attention. The girl spotted him but didn't want to pay him any attention, finding him as annoying as an insect, so she ran out of the house.

Olas followed the girl out and kept questioning her about her situation. The girl was annoyed with him and tried to get rid of him. However, Olas offered her to follow him to a place.

"Come with me." He took the girl to a big tree in the park and told her to close her eyes.

He summoned the fireflies to the tree and the whole tree lightened up. He told the girl to open her eyes and she was shocked by the scenery in front of her.

"They are all my friends, you can come here and play with them when you're not happy"
"What the hell are you?"
"A friend who knows you best in the world, you can tell me anything."

She told him her situation and that she was frustrated and upset with her parents fighting for divorce and her custody. She felt relieved after saying it to Olas.

Act 3: Resolution
The girl offered her hand to let Olas stand on it and she stroked him gently with her finger. Suddenly, Olas felt his body floating up. It’s time to say goodbye. They waved to each other. Olas was sent back to his kingdom and got scolded by his grandfather. He went to school and made up his mind to study well to guard his mortal forever.

SETTING

Theme
Major theme: redemption
Minor theme: Guardianship, family
Concepts applied

the game of Angels and Mortals, the fact of fairies are afraid of iron (from the film Maleficient)
The Kingdom of Guardians

A kingdom full of cloud buildings
The fairies
- Mission: Guard their mortals
- Go to school to learn how to recognize their mortals’ emotions and calm them down
How fairies meet their mortals
- Only adult fairies (over 18 years old) can meet their mortals
- Adult fairies' bodies are strong enough to adapt to the human world
- A glimmer will lead the fairies to find their mortals
- Fairies and their mortals can see and talk to each other
- How to go back: fairies should stand on the mortals’ hand(s) and they will gain back their power and fly back to the kingdom

CHARACTERS

Olas
- Male, 11 years old
- Lives with his grandfather
- Naughty, playful but curious
The girl (Olas’s mortal)
- Female, 11 years old
- Living in an unhappy family

Project 3: Graphic Novel - Cover Page

Visual Research

Fig. 1.1 Spirited Away, Chinese movie posters by Huang Hai

Fig. 1.2 left: The Alchemist, redesigned book cover by Jenny Volvovski (source: From Cover to Cover);
right: Misery, book cover design by Mai Ly Degnan (source: Behance) 

Cover Page Design

My story is about a fairy, Olas bursts into the human world and meets his mortal. Olas entered the human world accidentally. Thus, I intend to create the way Olas enter the human world by dropping down into the human world. The clouds are implying The Kingdom of Guardians as I imagine the kingdom was built with cloud buildings. The buildings at the bottom indicate the city where the girl lives and also indicate the human world. The hand in red trying to catch Olas indicates the girl, Olas's mortal.

Fig. 2.1 Cover Page attempts; left: Attempt #1; middle: Attempt #2; right: Attempt#3, Week 9 (2/11/2022)

Fig. 2.2 Cover Page attempts; left: Attempt #4; right: Attempt #5, Week 13 (28/11/2022)

Final Cover Page

I chose attempt #5 as the final cover page design. Olas is a fairy who lived in The Kingdom of Guardians and the kingdom had cloud-like buildings. One day, Olas accidentally dropped into the human world through a hole and meet his mortal. 

Fig. 2.3 Final Cover Page Design, Week 13 (28/11/2022)

Final Project: Motion Comic - One-Page Introduction

I plan to illustrate the scenes in which Olas met the girl and saw her terrified of her parents’ fight. So Olas brought her to a big tree in the park and surprised her with fireflies. Olas guarded his mortal, the girl by comforting her and surprising her. 

Fig. 3.1 Panels sketch of One-Page Introduction, Week 10 (16/11/2022)

I first illustrate in frames but not considering the layout panel yet.

Fig. 3.2 Progress work, Week 13 (24/11/2022)

Comic Panel Layout

Fig. 3.3 Panel layout sketch, Week 14 (30/11/2022)

Fig. 3.4 left: Panel layout #1; right: Panel layout #2, Week 14 (30/11/2022)

One-Page Introduction

Fig. 3.5 left: Attempt #1; right: Attempt #2, Week 14 (1/12/2022)

Final One-Page Introduction

Fig. 3.6 Final One-Page Introduction, Week 14 (1/12/2022)

Final Project: Motion Comic - Animated One-Page Introduction

I plan to animate the first panel, Olas is flying around the girl, the transition panel where the girl is walking and the last panel where the lights from the fireflies are dimming.

Fig. 4.1 Panel 1: Olas is flying around the girl, Week 14 (1/12/2022)

Fig. 4.2 Transition panel (panel 6): the girl is walking, Attempt #1, Week 14 (1/12/2022)

Fig. 4.3 Transition panel (panel 6): the girl is walking, Attempt #2, Week 14 (1/12/2022)

Fig. 4.4 Last panel (panel 7): lights of the fireflies are dimming, Week 14 (1/12/2022)

Final Animated One-Page Introduction

Fig. 4.5 Final Animated One-Page Introduction, Week 14 (1/12/2022)

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FEEDBACK

WEEK 9 / Narrative Writing

My story is interesting but the conflict part of my narrative writing is too hollow. 

WEEK 10 / Cover Page

Ms Anis commented my title is too small. The silhouette I created could not indicate a fairy. I should have referred to the typical fairy silhouette for my fairy silhouette. The idea of my cover page design is acceptable but I have to improve the narrative communication of my cover page in expressing the comic story. There is a hierarchy in my cover page design.

WEEK 13 / Cover Page & Comic Panel

Mr Hafiz's suggestion on my progress work (Fig.3.2)

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REFLECTION

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QUICK LINKS

Task 1: Exercises

Project 2: Digital Triptych

Final Compilation & Reflection