Digital Graphic Narrative

Development

Chris Bailey

Shape Task 1

Evaluation

What did you like about your image?I really like the simplicity of my image, the basic but bold block colours really stand out in the image. The curved shape of the penguin assists the cartoon feel, as it does not include much detail at all. The yellow and white of the penguin contrast deeply against the harsh black in the image, making it easy to take in the entire image rather than taking in 20 different colours and shades. I like the very subtle shading of the penguins white, as it gives the image more depth. The background is very basic with slight shading into the top right corner, I like this because it’s simple and leaves the environment to the imagination.

What would you improve if you did it again?If I were to do this again I would improve the shaping of some parts of the animal, such as the penguins feet and tail. I think this would improve the image as the feet and tail look slightly odd as misshapen. This is due to them not being 100% visible in the original image, so I had to improvise with the shaping. Next time I would also create a very fine outline around the main subject to make it stand out more against the background. Although the background is enough to understand the environment, I think that slighly more detailing would give the image more depth.

Shape Task 2

Evaluation

• What did you like about your image?• I really like the colours that I have used in my image. They look very natural and

relaxing, the aurora of light blue light falling through the image, and the soft bubbles rising around the main subject. I like the boldness of the black and white Orca against the soft background of blues. Even though the blue fades to darkness the blacks of the Orca still stand out deeply against the background. I like this because it makes it easier to focus on the subject, as well as the contrasting bright whites which bring brightness to the image.

• What did I improve from my first image?• In my second image I have shaped the orca almost perfectly, to match the original

image. I have done this by referring to the original often to make sure the shapes were in line. I also created a very fine line around the white lower front of the Orca to make it stand out as boldly as the rest of the black body. I have given the background much more detailing than the first image. This has allowed me to introduce much more depth into the image, by placing bubbles in front and behind the Orca, and by giving the water different shades of blue from light piercing the water from above.

Rotoscope

Evaluation

What did you like about your image?I really like the detailing in the image, especially on the face. It provides the viewer with lots of visual information so that they can easily identify the character, as in this case, Mr Bean. I love the simplicity of the colours I have used, lots of shades of brown, an offset white and the pink lips and bold red tie. I think the inconsistent amount of detailing is really good in the image, as it helps the viewers attention be guided to the face, yet there is still plenty of detail in the clothing to make keep it interesting.

What would you improve if you did it again?If I was going to do this again I would spend longer making my lasso selections, as I often missed parts of it which meant I had to choose the colour with the pipette and then draw over the gaps which was even more time consuming and often didn’t look great. I think next time I could include more light gradients to give the image more depth.

Text Based

Evaluation

What did you like about your image?I really liked having so much control over the text, as it really makes a difference in how it is interpreted. For example the “CHRIS BAILEY” that is squished together appears more exciting and energetic where as the “CHRIS BAILEY” with larger spacing appears more calm and relaxed. The ability to place an image behind the text, in addition to the previous spacing edits was great as it allowed me to make the text much more personal and visually interesting by including control of spacing, fonts, size and imagery all in one word.

What would you improve if you did it again?If I was to do this again I would definitely try to make the visual image edit look more professional as it appears almost like a pre-set. I would do this by relating all the aspects, such as italic fonts to suit the speed and movement of the race car, or motion blur and definitely a more streamline font as the current looks chunky and slow.

Comic Book

Evaluation

What did you like about your image?I really like the simplicity of this image, the simple shapes and especially the very narrow colour range. The entire image is made up from dark blacks and shades of brown which is enough to show us the characters, objects and environment. I also like that there is quite a lot more detail in the person and his face, compared to the surroundings.

What would you improve if you did it again?

If I was going to do this again I would try to make the main subject stand out a bit more from his close surroundings, such as the black Porsche behind him that his clothing almost merges into. I would do this my reducing the threshold to bring out more definition between the car and the person.

Comic Book

Evaluation

What did you like about your image?

In this image I have included a high amount of detail by using the threshold edit on top of the cut-out filter. This has allowed a lot of the smaller details become visible, such as the facial expressions of people in the image, and the textures in the ground. I also like being able to look deeper into the scene, to look at every individuals stance and expression is something that would be impossible if I had a low amount of detail in the final image.

What would you improve if you did it again?

If I was going to do this again I would adjust the threshold slightly, as the current settings appear to make the image quite grainy and unattractive. I would do this by reducing the threshold, although that would cause me to lose some minor details. Losing some of the details could be a good thing, as if I was to do this again I would not like so much detail in the bike tyres and in the curtains hanging in the back as it is quite distracting.

Comic Book

Evaluation

What did you like about your image?

To me this image appears to contain an almost perfect mix of threshold and cut out filter. This is because there seems to be a great balance between the important, and unimportant details in the image. For example, the soldiers, the ammunition, the faces and the guns etc are all visible. Where as the background of the helicopter they are standing in is almost completely black, which is great because it doesn’t contain any important details.

What would you improve if you did it again?

If I did this again I would maybe reduce the threshold slightly in order to get more colour in the soldiers clothing, as it is part of the image that could gain interest, yet unfortunately it’s not visible. The background is so empty that reducing the threshold should not make it change much at all.

Photography

Evaluation

What did you like about your images?I like how saturated and sharp the images are, especially the one of the tree with the deep blue sky behind the winding branches. I also like that the entire frame of the second image is taken up with objects, leaving no space without interesting detail. The image is also very well exposed, the bright blue sky shows greatly whilst the trees and slightly darker sections are illuminated by the warm sun tone.

What would you improve if you did it again?

If I was going to do this again I would focus on a more interesting subject, as the images have a lot to look at, but nothing that is likely to hold the attention for long.

Illustration

Evaluation

What did you like about your image?

I like the simplicity of my image, as it makes the subject very easy to focus upon. The subject (the dog) has the most detail, making it stand out amongst the simple colours and shapes of the background. I also like the layers of colour, starting with the picket fence, to the field, to the hills, to the sky, all different colours and shades through out the image.

What would you improve if you did it again?If I was to do this again I would use a wider range of contrasting colours as the greens do not stand out much against each other, to achieve this I would consider using pens instead of pencils for a deeper, more saturated colour.

Initial Ideas

Mood board of inspiration:

Characters & Location:

This mood board shows some of the possible image styles I would like my illustrations to be similar to. There are a mix of simplistic images and some much more detailed ones. For a children’s book I am much more likely to choose the simple images, so that the child can quickly see the image and then move onto the text. The simple images are a lot bolder too, and will stand out well against any simple background. I have included images of the main characters in the story for inspiration when I begin making my story book. I have also included images of the grandmothers cottage as a reference when I am creating my own.

Fonts: These fonts are all aimed at young children, they are all very fluid and appear fun and exciting. These fonts could be used on the front cover as well as in the book, as they are all bold and easy to read.

Idea Generation

ProposalDimensions

18.3 x 18.9 cm

Story OverviewLittle Red Riding Hood it told by her mother to bring a basket of cakes and fruits to her ill grandmother. But to be ware of the wolves. Little Red Riding Hood comes across a wolf in the forest and tells him where she is going. The wolf then goes to the house and eats Little Red Riding Hoods grandmother. He then dresses up as her and awaits Little Red Riding Hoods arrival, as she will be his desert. Little Red Riding Hood questions her grandmothers strange appearance, provoking the wolf to attack her. Little Red Riding Hood escapes and a lumberjack kills the wolf and removes the granny from the wolfs belly, alive, saving the day and making the forest a safer place.

Export Format

PDF

Advantages: Quick to make, easy to view, secure, can be viewed on all windows and Mac.

Disadvantages: Not well integrated into web pages.

Deadline

20th March 2015

Audience

I will be targeting children as my stories audience, aged 7-9 for my story. These children will be girls and boys, as the story is not specific to a certain gender. The children will be from a middle class family in western civilisation, as that is where the story is popular. The children that will enjoy this book are likely to be ones that have been brought up being told the current versions of traditional fairytales and moral stories, such as ‘The Boy Who Cried Wolf’ and ‘Goldilocks And The Three Bears’ rather than those who have come to prefer modern children's books such as ‘Giraffes Can’t Dance’ and ‘The Dinosaur That Pooped The Past’.

Production Methods

I will create my pages on a Photoshop document, keeping each page to the specified dimensions. I will then place the text on the lower portion of the page, leaving room for my illustrations to make up the rest. By doing this I will be able to read the text and make illustrations that suit it perfectly, rather than trying to suit the text to the illustrations. My illustrations will not stretch to the exact corners of the pages, they will fade into the surrounding white border that the text is written on. To make it look less harsh and more relaxed.

What are the strengths of the proposal? What areas of the proposal need further work?

This is a good overall proposal with really strong ideas and you seem to know what you are doing and how the story will be set out. I think you have taken into account of a child well by thinking about the images being basic and the text size you will use.

Your basic outline may need a bit more work to understand more about your story.

What are the strengths of the idea generation? What areas of idea generation could have been further developed?

You have some really good main points in your idea generation which is good to look at and you have further explained these with more subjects.

You could further explain your points you have made with more detail.

What are the strengths of the proposal? What areas of the proposal need further work?

I noticed you went into a great amount of detail which will stand you in good stead when going into the actual part where you make your work. I also like the use of the little red rising hood story and the main character saving the day. This is a great idea for a children's book and kids will enjoy this.

In audience you used the word ‘came’ instead of ‘come’ this is the only thing I can really pick you up on, apologies for being so petty.

What are the strengths of the idea generation? What areas of idea generation could have been further developed?

I like the use of the different background on your mood board to fit within the theme of the fairy tale. You got a good amount of text but not much explanation behind it.

All I could say it you would need more images for your story, maybe more of little red riding hood as a real person and some of her as a cartoon. Also some more images of the setting in real life and in cartoon form. I’d also say to add some more detail to your mood board as it is lacking explanation behind things.

What are the strengths of the proposal? What areas of the proposal need further work?

Most of the proposal is very well detail and it clearly a shows the story you are doing, how you will be creating your illustrations and the audience you will be targeting.

The only think that could be beneficial to add into the proposal is to add a few more advantages and disadvantages on a PDF file.

What are the strengths of the idea generation? What areas of idea generation could have been further developed?

All of the ideas you generated go into a lot of depth and show what you want your children’s book to be like and the kind of characters you want in it. The mind maps go into a lot of detail which can be useful later on in the project for if you need to look back at your ideas to get some inspiration.

Overall your ideas are very strong and you don’t need to do much to develop them but it could be a good idea to maybe add one more mood board to show what the main scene will look like in the children’s book to get some ideas for the background and how you could create it.

Feedback Summary

Sum up your feedback.

It often mentions that I could add more images to my mood board, with more definition between image types, such as sketch, cartoon, real life etc. And to include more explanation in my mood board analysis.

Which parts of your feedback do you agree with and why?I agree with the images and the fact that I used ‘Came’ instead of ‘Come’ which is now corrected, and I will soon improve the mood boards image variety. I also agree that I could include more reason behind why I chose particular images for my mood board.

Which parts of your feedback do you disagree with and why?

I disagree with including more description in my idea generation mind map as it has been made to include sub sections of information rather than huge chunks of un-definable information.

Children's Book Final Script

& Digital Flat-Plans.

Original Script:

Once upon a time there was a dear little girl who was loved by everyone who looked at her, but most of all by her grandmother, and there was nothing that she would not have given to the child. Once she gave her a little cap of red velvet, which suited her so well that she would never wear anything else; so she was always called 'Little Red- Cap.'One day her mother said to her: 'Come, Little Red-Cap, here is a piece of cake and a bottle of wine; take them to your grandmother, she is ill and weak, and they will do her good. Set out before it gets hot, and when you are going, walk nicely and quietly and do not run off the path, or you may fall and break the bottle, and then your grandmother will get nothing; and when you go into her room, don't forget to say, "Good morning", and don't peep into every corner before you do it.''I will take great care,' said Little Red-Cap to her mother, and gave her hand on it.The grandmother lived out in the wood, half a league from the village, and just as Little Red-Cap entered the wood, a wolf met her. Red-Cap did not know what a wicked creature he was, and was not at all afraid of him.'Good day, Little Red-Cap,' said he.'Thank you kindly, wolf.''Whither away so early, Little Red-Cap?''To my grandmother's.''What have you got in your apron?''Cake and wine; yesterday was baking-day, so poor sick grandmother is to have something good, to make her stronger.''Where does your grandmother live, Little Red-Cap?''A good quarter of a league farther on in the wood; her house stands under the three large oak-trees, the nut-trees are just below; you surely must know it,' replied Little Red-Cap.The wolf thought to himself: 'What a tender young creature! what a nice plump mouthful--she will be better to eat than the old woman. I must act craftily, so as to catch both.' So he walked for a short time by the side of Little Red-Cap, and then he said: 'See, Little Red-Cap, how pretty the flowers are about here--why do you not look round? I believe, too, that you do not hear how sweetly the little birds are singing; you walk gravely along as if you were going to school, while everything else out here in the wood is merry.'Little Red-Cap raised her eyes, and when she saw the sunbeams dancing here and there through the trees, and pretty flowers growing everywhere, she thought: 'Suppose I take grandmother a fresh nosegay; that would please her too. It is so early in the day that I shall still get there in good time'; and so she ran from the path into the wood to look for flowers. And whenever she had picked one, she fancied that she saw a still prettier one farther on, and ran after it, and so got deeper and deeper into the wood.Meanwhile the wolf ran straight to the grandmother's house and knocked at the door.'Who is there?''Little Red-Cap,' replied the wolf. 'She is bringing cake and wine; open the door.''Lift the latch,' called out the grandmother, 'I am too weak, and cannot get up.'The wolf lifted the latch, the door sprang open, and without saying a word he went straight to the grandmother's bed, and devoured her. Then he put on her clothes, dressed himself in her cap laid himself in bed and drew the curtains.Little Red-Cap, however, had been running about picking flowers, and when she had gathered so many that she could carry no more, she remembered her grandmother, and set out on the way to her.She was surprised to find the cottage-door standing open, and when she went into the room, she had such a strange feeling that she said to herself: 'Oh dear! how uneasy I feel today, and at other times I like being with grandmother so much.' She called out: 'Good morning,' but received no answer; so she went to the bed and drew back the curtains. There lay her grandmother with her cap pulled far over her face, and looking very strange.'Oh! grandmother,' she said, 'what big ears you have!''The better to hear you with, my child,' was the reply.'But, grandmother, what big eyes you have!' she said.'The better to see you with, my dear.''But, grandmother, what large hands you have!''The better to hug you with.''Oh! but, grandmother, what a terrible big mouth you have!''The better to eat you with!'And scarcely had the wolf said this, than with one bound he was out of bed and swallowed up Red-Cap.When the wolf had appeased his appetite, he lay down again in the bed, fell asleep and began to snore very loud. The huntsman was just passing the house, and thought to himself: 'How the old woman is snoring! I must just see if she wants anything.' So he went into the room, and when he came to the bed, he saw that the wolf was lying in it. 'Do I find you here, you old sinner!' said he. 'I have long sought you!' Then just as he was going to fire at him, it occurred to him that the wolf might have devoured the grandmother, and that she might still be saved, so he did not fire, but took a pair of scissors, and began to cut open the stomach of the sleeping wolf. When he had made two snips, he saw the little Red-Cap shining, and then he made two snips more, and the little girl sprang out, crying: 'Ah, how frightened I have been! How dark it was inside the wolf'; and after that the aged grandmother came out alive also, but scarcely able to breathe. Red-Cap, however, quickly fetched great stones with which they filled the wolf's belly, and when he awoke, he wanted to run away, but the stones were so heavy that he collapsed at once, and fell dead.Then all three were delighted. The huntsman drew off the wolf's skin and went home with it; the grandmother ate the cake and drank the wine which Red-Cap had brought, and revived, but Red-Cap thought to herself: 'As long as I live, I will never by myself leave the path, to run into the wood, when my mother has forbidden me to do so.'

Once upon a time there was a dear little girl who was loved by everyone, but most of all by her grandmother, and there was nothing that she would not do for the child. Once she gave her a riding hood of red velvet, which suited her so well that she would never wear anything else; so she was always called 'Little Red Riding Hood.'

One day her mother said to her: 'Come, Little Red Riding Hood, here is a piece of cake and a bottle of wine; take them to your grandmother, she is ill and weak, and they will do her good. Set out before it gets hot, and when you are going, walk nicely and quietly and do not run off the path, or you may fall and hurt yourself. 'I will take great care,' said Little Red Riding Hood to her mother, and off she went.

The grandmother lived out in the wood, 2 miles from the village, and just as Little Red Riding Hood entered the wood, a wolf met her. Little Red Riding Hood did not know what a wicked creature he was, and was not at all afraid of him. 'Good day, Little Red Riding Hood,' he said. 'Thank you kindly Mr. Wolf.’ ‘Where are you heading so early, Little Red Riding Hood?’ 'To my grandmother's.’ 'What have you got in your basket?’ 'Cake and wine; yesterday was baking-day, so now poor sick grandmother will have something good to make her stronger.'

'Where does your grandmother live, Little Red Riding Hood?’ 'A good mile farther on in the wood; her house stands under the three large oak-trees, the nut-trees are just below; you surely must know it,' replied Little Red Riding Hood.

Mr. Wolf thought: 'What a tender young creature! Will be better to eat than the old woman. I must act craftily, so I can catch both.' So he walked for a short time by the side of Little Red Riding Hood, and then he said: 'See, Little Red Riding Hood, how pretty the flowers are around here, why don’t you look round? Little Red Riding Hood raised her eyes, and when she saw the sunbeams dancing here and there through the trees, and pretty flowers growing everywhere, she thought: ‘I could take grandmother fresh daisies, that would please her too. So she ran from the path into the wood to look for flowers. And whenever she picked one, she saw an even prettier one farther on, and ran after it, and so got deeper and deeper into the wood.

Meanwhile the wolf ran straight to the grandmother's house and knocked at the door. 'Who is there?’'Little Red Riding Hood,' replied Mr. Wolf. ’I am bringing cake and wine; open the door.’ 'Lift the latch,' called out the grandmother, 'I am too weak, and cannot get up.’ Mr. Wolf lifted the latch, the door sprang open, and without saying a word he went straight to the grandmother's bed, and ate her up. Then he put on her clothes, dressed himself in her cap and laid in her bed.

Little Red Riding Hood was surprised to find the cottage-door standing open, and when she went into the room, she had such a strange feeling that she said to herself: 'Oh dear! how uneasy I feel today, and at other times I like being with grandmother so much.' She called out: 'Good morning,' but received no answer; so she put the basket of wine and cake down, and went to the bed. There lay her grandmother with her cap pulled far over her face, and looking very strange.

'Oh! grandmother,' she said, 'what big ears you have!’ 'The better to hear you with, my child,' was the reply. 'But, grandmother, what big eyes you have!' she said. 'The better to see you with, my dear.’ ‘But, grandmother, what large hands you have!’ 'The better to hug you with.'

'Oh! but, grandmother, what a terribly big mouth you have!’ ‘The better to eat you with!’ And suddenly as Mr. Wolf said this, he leaped out of bed and swallowed up Little Red Riding Hood.

A huntsman was just passing the house, and thought to himself: 'How is the old woman doing? I must just see if she wants anything.' So he went into the room, and when he came to the bed, he saw that the wolf was lying in it. ’Finally I’ve found you, Evil Mr. Wolf!' He said. 'I have hunted you for so long!' Then just as he was going to fire at him, he thought that the wolf might have eaten the grandmother, and that she could still be saved, so he did not fire.

He took a pair of scissors, and cut open the belly of the wolf. Little Red Riding Hood sprang out, crying: 'Ah, how frightened I have been! And after that the grandmother hopped out shaking. Little Red Riding Hood however, quickly fetched great stones and filled the wolf's belly, so when he tried to run away, he fell straight over.

Little Red Riding Hood thought to herself: 'As long as I live, I will always do what my mother tells me, and never run off into the woods.’

Digital Flat Plans

Once upon a time there was a dear little girl who was loved by everyone,

but most of all by her grandmother, and there was nothing that she would not do for the child. Once she gave her a

riding hood of red velvet, which suited her so well that she would never wear

anything else, so she was always called 'Little Red Riding Hood.'

One day her mother said to her: 'Come, Little Red Riding Hood, here is a piece of cake and a bottle of wine; take them

to your grandmother, she is ill and weak, and they will do her good. Set out

before it gets hot, and when you are going, walk nicely and quietly and do

not run off the path, or you may fall and hurt yourself. 'I will take great care,' said Little Red Riding Hood to her

mother, and off she went.

The grandmother lived out in the wood, 2 miles from the village, and

just as Little Red Riding Hood entered the wood, a wolf met her. Little Red

Riding Hood did not know what a wicked creature he was, and was not at all afraid of him. 'Good day, Little

Red Riding Hood,' he said. 'Thank you kindly Mr. Wolf.’ ‘Where are you

heading so early, Little Red Riding Hood?’ 'To my grandmother's.’ 'What have you got in your basket?’ 'Cake

and wine; yesterday was baking-day, so now poor sick grandmother will have something good to make her

stronger.'

'Where does your grandmother live, Little Red Riding Hood?’ 'A good mile

farther on in the wood; her house stands under the three large oak-trees, the nut-trees are just below; you surely must know it,' replied Little Red Riding

Hood.

Mr. Wolf thought: 'What a tender young creature! Will be better than the old

woman. I must act craftily, so I can catch both.' So he walked for a short time by the side of Little Red Riding Hood, and

then he said: 'See, Little Red Riding Hood, how pretty the flowers are around

here, why don’t you look round? Little Red Riding Hood raised her eyes, and when she saw the sunbeams dancing here and there through the trees, and

pretty flowers growing everywhere, she thought: ‘I could take grandmother fresh

daisies, that would please her too. So she ran from the path into the wood to look for flowers. Searching deeper and

deeper into the woods.

Meanwhile the wolf ran straight to the grandmother's house and knocked at the

door. 'Who is there?’'Little Red Riding Hood,' replied Mr. Wolf. ’I am bringing cake and wine; open the

door.’ 'Lift the latch,' called out the grandmother, 'I am too weak, and

cannot get up.’ Mr. Wolf lifted the latch, the door sprang open, and without

saying a word he went straight to the grandmother's bed, and ate her up. Then he put on her clothes, dressed

himself in her cap, closed the curtains and laid in her bed.

Little Red Riding Hood was surprised to find the cottage-door standing open,

and when she went into the room, she had such a strange feeling that she said to herself: 'Oh dear! how uneasy I feel today, and at other times I like being

with grandmother so much.' She called out: 'Good morning,' but received no answer; so she went to the bed and

drew back the curtains. There lay her grandmother with her cap pulled far

over her face, and looking very strange.

'Oh! grandmother,' she said, 'what big ears you have!’ 'The better to hear you

with, my child,' was the reply. 'But, grandmother, what big eyes you have!' she said. 'The better to see you with,

my dear.’ ‘But, grandmother, what large hands you have!’ 'The better to hug you

with.'

'Oh! but, grandmother, what a terribly big mouth you have!’ ‘The better to eat you with!’ And suddenly as Mr. Wolf said this, he leaped out of bed and swallowed up Little Red Riding

Hood.

A huntsman was just passing the house, and thought to himself: 'How is the old

woman doing? I must just see if she wants anything.' So he went into the

room, and when he came to the bed, he saw that the wolf was lying in it. ’Finally I’ve found you, Evil Mr. Wolf!' He said. 'I have hunted you for so long!' Then just

as he was going to fire at him, he thought that the wolf might have eaten

the grandmother, and that she could still be saved, so he did not fire.

He took a pair of scissors, and cut open the belly of the wolf. Little Red Riding Hood sprang out, crying: 'Ah,

how frightened I have been! And after that the grandmother hopped out shaking. Little Red Riding Hood

however, quickly fetched great stones and filled the wolf's belly, so when he tried to run away, he fell straight over.

Little Red Riding Hood thought to herself: 'As long as I live, I will always

do what my mother tells me, and never run off into the woods.’