Illustration and Visual Narrative | Task 2 :Decisive Moment
02.05.2022 - 23.05.2022 | Week 6 - Week 9
Yap Sze Ying | 0349172
Bachelor of Mass Communication (Hons) Digital Media Production
Typography | Task 2 Decisive Moment
LECTURES
Week 6 | Composition Theory 2_Perspective
In this week's session, we'll be learning color basics using Adobe Illustrator. Mr Hafiz taught us several techniques including line tool, pen tool, warp tool, outline stroke, expand, expand appearances, pathfinder merge, isolation mode, blob tool, draw inside, draw behind, effect, distort, and zig zag which could be useful when creating illustrations for upcoming projects. The following are illustrations of my work:
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| Figure 6.0 Color Basics Exercise (7th May 2022) |
Ms Noranis then gave us a lecture on 'Composition Theory 2 Perspective,' which is the art of representing three-dimensional objects on a two-dimensional surface to give the right impression of their height, width, depth, and position in relation to each other. Besides that, an isometric view allows you to present three sides of a design without distorting perspective or obscuring details. While perspective is very useful and can be applied to almost any illustration or scene, it doesn't have to be rigid or boring and doesn't have to strictly follow the perspective method.
3 Types of Perspectives
- One-point perspective - entails drawing your objects emerging from a single point on the horizon to produce three-dimensional imagery. As images approach the vanishing point, they become smaller, and all objects recede toward the vanishing point
- Two-point perspective - vanishing points on either side of the horizon. Establish two sets of overlapping perspective lines fanning out from two vanishing points on the horizon, allowing objects to recede toward two separate points
- Three-point perspective - consists of two vanishing points on opposite sides of a horizon (as in a two-point perspective), but with the addition of another vanishing point high above or below the horizon. The intensity of the angle will be less if the vanishing point (which is not connected to the horizon) is placed further away from the horizon than if it is placed close to the horizon. A third vanishing point on the vertical axis gives a far broader range of angles and allows one to "look down."
-Week 6 Composition Theory 2_Perspective-
Lecture Report 5_Visual Study
Encanto | Antonio Madrigal
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| Figure 6.1 One-point perspective (7th May 2022) |
Zootopia | Nick Wilde & Judy Hoops
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| Figure 6.2 Two-point perspective (7th May 2022) |
Big Ben | Elizabeth Tower
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| Figure 6.3 Three-point perspective (7th May 2022) |
We'll learn about gradients with Adobe Illustrator in this week's session. Mr Hafiz taught us how to create textures by adding shading to our illustrations by using the Grain Effect combined with linear, radial, and freeform gradients, which can be useful when creating illustrations for minimalist posters. The following are illustrations of my work:
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| Figure 7.0 Difference Gradients | Linear, Radial, Freeform (13th May 2022) |
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| Figure 7.1 Gradients Exercise (13th May 2022) |
Ms Noranis then gave us a lecture on '3 Acts Structure' which is the classic storytelling in most narratives including movies, books, and also comics, and mangas. Storytelling is part of the soft skills that designers must build throughout time, with a three-act structure as a beginning point.
Storytelling Basics
- Setup, rising tension, conflict, and resolution all are part of the three-act structure
- Central theme is what the story is really about which is the main idea or underlying meaning from the storyteller's personal opinion on the subject matter
- Conflict is what drives the story along, creating tension and suspense to make a story interesting
- The protagonist is the main character in a story who has a clear goal to achieve or a conflict to overcome, whereas antagonists oppose protagonists which can be presented in the form of any person, place, thing, or situation that represents a tremendous obstacle to the protagonist
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| Figure 7.0 Traditional three-acts structure chart (13th May 2022) |
-Week 7 3 Acts Structure-
Lecture Report 6_ Short Narrative Exercise
Once upon a time, there lived a magical mermaid princess under the Atlantic Ocean. Her mission is to use a magical necklace to protect the ocean against destruction. Every day, she'll go to the shore and play cheerfully with the humans. However, there is a group of wicked pirates in the ocean who want to use the mermaid princess's magical necklace to take control of the entire ocean. The mermaid princess has several human friends and agrees with the human kingdom on the need to eradicate pirates.
One day, the mermaid princess was caught by wicked pirates, and the magical necklace was ripped from her neck. Because of that, the ocean that had lost its magical protection suffered a catastrophic natural disaster and lost its vitality in an instant. Because of that, the human kingdom also began sending people and ships to seek the mermaid princess.
Until finally, the human kingdom's prince uncovered the pirates who kidnapped the mermaid princess. The prince's heroic defeat of the wicked pirates also succeeded in the rescue of the mermaid princess and the recovery of the magical necklace. Since then, the mermaid princess and the human kingdom have successfully guarded and restored the ocean's vitality. The human kingdom's prince and the mermaid princess eventually get married and live happily ever after.
Week 8 | Independent Learning Week
Week 9 | Transition & Gutters
In this week's session, we learned about transitions and gutters, as well as comic-making strategies that will be useful in the upcoming task. Below are the references provided by lecturer:
-Week 9 Transitions and Gutters-
-Week 9 Transitions with Making Comics-
INSTRUCTIONS
<iframe src="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Vy9etdLfISzBrPXxb0v4VCoGgWmfagko/preview" width="640" height="480" allow="autoplay"></iframe>
Task 2: Decisive Moment
Think of a moment in time that changed a narrative for the better or worse. Or a scene in a movie that turned the tide of the story. Or a particular part of a video game that makes you rejoice or cry along with the character. Or a memorable chapter in your favorite book that made you return to read it again and again.
Notes:
- Use any known narrative from published media like movies, animation, books, comics, manga, etc
- Capture the unique, fleeting, and meaningful moment of that time, ideally, one involving movement and action
- Create a sophisticated background to the subject that interacts both visually and psychologically with the subject in a synergistically meaningful figure/ground relationship
- Exercise anticipation, ambiguity, and uncertainly of the moment as a visual gap, interval, or suspension of some kind through the animation loop
- Provide a logline to describe the moments, but not enough to reveal the whole story behind the picture
Visual Research
Before beginning the project, I conducted some research on minimalist movie poster design and examined how they convert the film into basic art. I observed that the crucial components are usually depicted with lines, silhouettes, simple text, and shadows to indicate the light source. Here are a few resources from which I obtained the ideas:
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The movie that I've chosen was 'The Maze Runner', is a 2014 American dystopian science fiction film directed by Wes Ball and it is the first episode in The Maze Runner film series. The story follows by a sixteen-year-old Thomas, who awakes in a rusted elevator with no memory of who he is, only to discover that he has been delivered to the middle of an intricate maze, along with many other boys who have been trying to find their way out of the ever-changing labyrinth – all while attempting to establish a functioning society in what they call the Glade.
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| Figure 1.2 Chosen Movie Poster 'The Maze Runner' (7th May 2022) |
Thomas is a teenage boy who enters the Glade with no memories other than his first name. Thomas arrives at the Glade afraid and confused, but when he saves the Gladers Alby and Minho's lives, he shows his bravery, resourcefulness, and willpower. Thomas works with Teresa to connect his memories and discover the truth about his identity. By the end of the story, Thomas discovers that his identity is defined by his actions in the present, not his memories. While many of the boys are content to live in The Glade and follow the rules, Thomas sets out to plan an escape plan right away. Thomas also rebels against the Glade's stringent regulations, introducing new perspectives and ideas that the Gladers eventually accept as they help them escape the Maze.
Figure 1.3 Movie Clip: Thomas leads the way through The Maze <Resources> (7th May 2022)
Thomas leading the way through The Maze was the scene I chose and I decided to draw Thomas in action as well as Thomas with the weapon (Figure 1.4). "I'd rather risk my life out there than spend the rest of it here," he says. He takes a scientific approach to the problem, generating potential theories and attempting to test them to determine whether they work. He believes that if he works hard enough, he would be able to escape.
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| Figure 1.4 Thomas Running and with weapon images (7th May 2022) |
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| Figure 1.5 Thomas leads the way through The Maze (7th May 2022) |
I began sketching the poster ideas after researching the movie scene. I decided to trace the original movie poster by creating the silhouette to make the character look more authentic and recognized. Besides that, I also sketched the title of the movie which is 'The Maze Runner.'
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Figure 1.6 Sketching 'Thomas' Silhouette Character (9th May 2022)
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Following that, I started sketching the Griever, which resembles a giant spider as it is also the main creature that lives in the Maze. Its purpose is to harass and even kill Gladers who enter the Maze. Their sting creates uncontrollable aggression and the appearance of black veins.
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| Figure 1.8 Sketching 'Griever' Creature (12th May 2022) |
After completing certain parts, I began sketching my ideas on the Minimalist Poster. Firstly, I attempted to incorporate all of the elements including different actions of the silhouette character, the title of movie as well as the griever. The following are illustrations of my sketches:
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| Figure 1.9 Draft Poster -01 (15th May 2022) |
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| Figure 2.0 Draft Poster -02 (15th May 2022) |
I chose Draft Poster -02 (Figure 2.0) after considering each sketch and deciding on the animation aspect. To begin, I made the character smaller in contrast to the griever and placed him in the middle of the maze. I then dismantle the griever and allow the griever's head and some of its legs to emerge from the maze, indicating that the griever is about to attack Thomas. In addition to this, I sketched some vines on the walls and utilized some darker colours to this Minimalist poster since the scene was inside the maze.
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| Figure 2.1 Rearranged Poster (17th May 2022) |
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Once I finished the Minimalist poster, I proceeded to animate it. First, I created the frames in Adobe Illustrator and then used the frame animation function in Adobe Photoshop to convert them into Gifs.
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| Figure 2.3 Timeline of Animated (21st May 2022) |
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| Figure 2.3 Create Animation Timeline (21st May 2022) |
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| Figure 2.4 First Draft of Gifs (21st May 2022) |
Unfortunately, it appears weird because the Thomas character and the Griever moved too quickly. Therefore, I added the seconds of each image to smooth it out in this Gif. Finally, I created an 8 frame GIF animation shown below in Figure 2.7 Finalised Gif Animation.
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| Figure 2.6 Recreated Animation Timeline (2th May 2022) |
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| Figure 2.7 Finalised Gif Animation (27th May 2022) |
Final Submission
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| Figure 2.8 Final submission of Decisive Moment (28th May 2022) |
-Final submission Task 2 Decisive Moment (30th April 2022)-
-Final submission Task 2 Decisive Moment GIF (30th April 2022)-
FEEDBACK
Week 6
General Feedback:
We were instructed to fill in the color using a hands Freepik image as a color basics exercise. Besides, we were also instructed to find visuals in any comic, graphic novel, or other visual media that capture the three different types of perspectives: one-point, two-points, and three-points, and then draw lines to trace the perspective directions and note on the vanishing points.
Specific Feedback: N/A
Specific Feedback: N/A
Week 7
General Feedback:
We were instructed to create gradients on the Vormator Challenge shapes. Besides, we were also given the task of writing a short narrative story on characters based on a three-acts structure.
Specific Feedback: N/A
Week 9
General Feedback:
We were instructed to complete our Task 2 Decisive Moment | Minimalist Poster & GIF.
Specific Feedback: N/A
REFLECTIONS
Experience
It was an interesting yet challenging task as we had to create visual communication that was both simple and impactful. Besides that, it provided me with great learning opportunities to study visual art. To effectively communicate the story behind a poster, extensive research of the scene we've picked is essential, and strong conceptual abilities are required for effectively transmitting a message. The main components in this task that make the poster stand out are composition, layering, and applying effects and texture. Even more difficult was displaying the poster with animation that must create an impression on viewers by capturing the decisive moment while also conveying the message.
Observations
In these few weeks, I felt my pen tool skills had improved, and I was also surprised by how detailed my work on the appearance of Thomas's character and Griever was. I felt like I'd progressed from my previous Illustrator artworks. Besides that, I also utilized a little chiaroscuro technique I learned from Mr Hafiz's practical session, and I was satisfied with the outcomes. It is possible to create a design depth and dimension using simply a modest visual effect. The part that I struggled with was the animation. When I saw the background was misaligned, I became frustrated because I had to adjust each frame individually. Surprisingly, it didn't take long because I didn't have as many frames.
Findings
Throughout this task, it taught me that good designs take time to create. I realized that the more I use Adobe software, the more familiar I become with it, making it much easier for me to create designs and assisting me in the future. Besides that, I noticed that I was improving with Adobe Illustrator, particularly with the Pen tool, Pathfinder, and Gradient tool, and with Adobe Photoshop, particularly with the animation parts. I think that imagination and creativity play an important role in the creation of good illustrations and designs. Therefore, be more creative in exploration and experimentation with various methods to achieve the desired results.
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