Illustration and Visual Narrative / Task 1

27/08/2021 - 24/09/2021 / Week 1 - Week 5
Nurul Adlina Rizal / 0345429 / Bachelor of Design in Creative Media
Illustration and Visual Narrative
Task 1: Exercises

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LECTURES

Week 1: Introductory class to IVN and what we have to prepare. Ms Anis and Ms Jennifer briefed us about the first Exercise - the Vormator Challenge. 

Week 2: 

Introduction to Character Design

Principles of Character Design

1. Shapes

- defines a character's silhouette

- used to identify a character from one another. 

- sets the ICONIC LOOK !

- explore !

Fig 1.0: Shapes in Character Design (10/9/2021)

2. Colour

- determines who are the heroes/protagonist or villains/antagonists

- different choices of colors also give an impression on a character

- colors can cause certain emotions in people (Color Psychology)

Fig 1.1: Color in Character Design (10/9/2021)

3. Emphasis & Contrast

- pick one visual element in a character and exaggerate it, making the character outstanding and memorable

4. Harmony

- all shapes, lines, colour, motifs, patterns must be put together in a tasteful manner.

- every element used in the design must work together / compliment each other 

- balance of visual elements that has visual hierarchy 

5. Expressions/Poses

- win the heart of an audience with their behavior/quirks/personalities that are visually shown

- that way, you don't need to tell them, your audience can interpret them

Fig 1.2: Expression/Poses in Character Design (10/9/2021)

Week 3:

Visual Techniques: Composition (1)

Types of Shots/Compositions

- Establishing

- Bird's Eyeview

- "Framing"

- Medium Shot

- Close-Up

- Worm's Eyeview

Fig 1.3: Types of Shots/Compositions (10/9/2021)

Composition Rule No. 1 

- A balanced distribution of Positive Vs Negative Spaces !

Fig 1.4: Balance in Positive and Negative Spaces (10/9/2021)

There is no Right or Wrong in composition. Only Bad / Tasteful composition.

Six Compositions with Jazza

What is composition?

Composition essentially refers to how your image is put together. 

The Rule of Thirds

A guideline artists use to compose imagery, the aim being to ensure a piece is visually appealing and balanced.

Top Left : Primary

Bottom Right : Secondary

Fig 1.5: Rule of Thirds in Illustration (10/9/2021)

Background, Midground and Foreground

- communicate a sense of scale to the viewer

Create Environment Art

- establish depth

Fig 1.6: Environment Art (10/9/2021)

Contrast

- using a dramatic shift or change of aspects the visuals to guide the viewer's eyes through the piece

Detail

- pick between one to three areas of interest and freely add details to those areas

- depth of field in cinematography, where focal points are sharp detail and everything else is slightly blurred

Symmetry vs Asymmetry

- human brain likes symmetry

- keep your design symmetrical for an aesthetically pleasing piece

- asymmetrical image can be a useful way to add drama

Week 4: 

Visual Techniques: Composition (2)

Perspectives

Paintings before the 14th century had no attempt in creating the illusion of depth and space until Fillipo the Architect came along. 

Perspective in Art

- to create depth / a sense of space

- an illusion 

- from a 2D surface to create a 3D optical illusion

Types of Perspectives

• 1 Point

Fig 1.7: One-point Perspective (24/9/2021)

- The point, where all the lines converge, are reffered to as the vanishing point

- the closer an object is to the VP the smaller they become until they vanish !

• 2 Point 

Fig 1.8: Two-point Perspective (24/9/2021)

- two vanishing points on either side of the horizon 

- draw your grid lines emerging from your VP

• 3 Point

Fig 1.9: Three-point Perspective (24/9/2021)

- two VP on opposite sides of a horizon with the additon of another VP high above or below the horizon 

- useful to achieve a sense of drama and scale

- looking down / looking up at something 

• 4-5 Point (Fisheye)

"Parallex Effect" 

- use layers to depict depth

- mimic 3 dimensions

Fig 2.0: Parallax Effect (24/9/2021)

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INSTRUCTIONS

Task 1: Exercise 1 - Vormator Challenge

We are tasked to design one character by using the given sets of shapes.

Fig 2.1: Vormator Challenge Shapes (3/9/2021)

With these 8 shapes I brainstormed of many different ideas. What I mainly wanted to do was an adorable character that has a lengthy and deep backstory. 

Fig 2.2: Exercise 1 Sketches (3/9/2021)

I set my eyes on creating a ghost/spirit type of character since I liked the idea and had an interesting story surrounding the character. However, I did try to experiment on making humanoid characters such as in Fig 2.2, I wanted to make a whole different type of character. I attempted these sketches on Adobe Illustrator since it was very hard for me to visualize the shapes together unless I try it out.

Fig 2.3: Exercise 1 Digitalized Black & White #1 (3/9/2021)

Happy-dancing-muscular man did not work for me. I had no other ideas for him other than he was a happy-go-lucky man that loved dancing. I did not know where to go from there. With that, I moved on to a different character.

Fig 2.4: Exercise 1 Digitalized Black & White #2 (3/9/2021)

Instantly, I am in love with this character which is now named Sako and her tiny companion Pau. To explain her design, she is a evil fire spirit that humans hire to do deeds for them whether its evil or fire related like setting a house on fire. Sako is not very good at being evil so most of the time she does a bad job or get too scared to do anything. Despite this, she is very determined to do the best she can. To summon her, humans must light up a candle and say special words. 

For a deeper description:

Fig 2.5: Sako description (3/9/2021)

I clearly thought a lot about her story and the world she lives in. (best part of character design to be honest)

Next, I had to find a color palette for her. This process was a little difficult because I made three different versions of Sako and it became harder to choose the best one. I need to learn more about color theory and how to apply it to character design because I did not want to experience the same amount of struggle as I did.

The three colored versions of Sako: 

Fig 2.6: Sako colored #1 (10/9/2021)

Fig 2.7: Sako colored #2 (10/9/2021)

Fig 2.8: Sako colored #3 (10/9/2021)

Figure 2.7 may be my most favorite and the most visually interesting one. Figure 2.6 is the initial color palette plan that I had for Sako, and now it looks like her goth version. The last one on Fig 2.8 was my attempt on having a more pastel cute color palette for Sako. It looks okay but it is a little dull and plain.

Chosen Color Palette

Fig 2.9: Chosen Color Palette (10/9/2021)

The color palette in Fig 2.9 was put together in Adobe Color.

Final

Fig 3.0: Exercise 1 Final JPEG (17/9/2021)

RATIONALE

For Exercise 1, I was able to apply what I learned during the lectures on character design such as creating a silhouette for my character which can showcase its personality. A rounded character with soft edges like mine showed that Sako is not a terrifying character (despite being a spirit) and has a soft and kind personality. 

In this design, the principles that exist are balance, harmony and unity. 

Task 1: Exercise 2 - Vector Illustration

For Exercise 2, we are tasked to make a game card for the character designed in Exercise 1. Since I never designed a game card before, I set out to find inspirations and ideas.

Inspirations 

Fig 3.1: Inspiration #1 (17/9/2021)

Fig 3.2: Inspiration #2 (17/9/2021)

This two became my inspiration for the design because I loved the way they organized the information on the card while not being too swamped with information. I also liked that they have detailed illustrations to express the card's purpose and theme.

Sketches

Fig 3.3: Sketch Card Front (17/9/2021)

Fig 3.4: Sketch Card Back (17/9/2021)

In Fig 3.3, the background is a haunted house to give a creepy feeling to fit Sako being an evil spirit that occupies these abandoned places. It was difficult to organize information, I did not know whether to fit in her backstory or game stats. 

In Fig 3.4, it is to show the agency that Sako works for the one that helps human hire spirits to do tasks for them that only the paranormal can. It is called the Evil Agency or previously Evil Co. and the back of the card is its logo. 

Drafts

Front Design

Fig 3.5: Front Draft #1 (17/9/2021)

Fig 3.6: Front Draft #2 (17/9/2021)

I had two Drafts of the same design because I could not decide on what to have the text write at the bottom whether it should be related to the game or her backstory. I was sure that I wanted to keep the quote. 

Chosen Color Palette 

Fig 3.7: Chosen Color Palette (23/9/2021)

Found this color pallete online when I was searching for dark color palettes. I used this for the background of the card's scenery instead of keeping it grayscale. 

Fig 3.8: Front Draft #3 (23/9/2021)

Based on the chosen color palette I designed my third draft in Adobe Illustrator. It is different from Draft #1 and Draft #2's ideas because I wanted to try a tarot card design that emphasizes the character more. 

Fig 3.9: Front Draft #4 (23/9/2021)

Back Design

Fig 4.0: Back Draft #1  (23/9/2021)

Final

Fig 4.1: Exercise 2 Final Front Card (24/9/2021)

Fig 4.2: Exercise 2 Final Back Card (24/9/2021)

RATIONALE

For the Final, I removed the elements from the last draft that I found were too distracting and took the focus away from the character such as the clouds in the background and the red section at the bottom. I also tried to make Sako pop out by adding a shadow behind her. For the back part of the design, since it look too plain, I added a pattern at the border that I was inspired by the pattern on leather made items. It is also to symbolize how professional Evil Co. is.

In this Exercise, I learned and utilized the design principle - emphasis and contrast - to make sure my Vormator character stood out. Since Sako was bright in color, her dark background not only showcases the background of the world she lives in but also contrasts well with her color palette. I have also used utilized information hierarchy by having the name of the character be in larger text compared to the other less important information. Overall, the Exercises were enjoyable and I developed many skills and comfortability in using Adobe Illustrator while gaining experience as a designer. 

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FEEDBACKS

Week 1

General Feedback: Give story and a name to your characters!

Week 2

Specific Feedback: Ms Anis and Ms Jennifer said that my character design looks good and to attempt to use color instead of black and white. 

General Feedback: Try to use gradient for color. Make sure the expression/pose of the character fits the personality/story behind the character.

Week 3

Specific Feedback: Ms Anis and Ms Jennifer agreed of my choice for the final color palette and liked my explanation behind my choice. I asked if it would best to use a dark. background since my character is very bright colored and Ms Anis says that it is definitely a challenge I have to try out.

General Feedback: For the layout/background design, attempt to do it in black and white first. This is to make sure you have a good composition.

Week 4

Specific Feedback: Ms Anis said that the moon is not as distracting as I thought and I can add clouds to bring out my character. 

General Feedback: Remember that the submission should be 600 px x 600 px for Exercise 1 and 897 px x 1479 px for Exercise 2.

Week 5

Specific Feedback: Remove the cloud and add graphics for the back design of the card.

General Feedback: -

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REFLECTIONS

Experience

There were so many fun experiences for this module not only in class with Ms Anis and Ms Jennifer but also during the process of designing my character and game card. Classes were enjoyable with fun banter thrown around and Ms Anis' cat always up to no good. There would never be a dull moment during an IVN class. 

Next, during my process, I had a good time designing characters and the game card because I felt like I was in my element and doing something I truly enjoyed. I had so many ideas flowing into my brain when I got into the groove of using Adobe Illustrator. It is definitely one of the memorable projects I have done in my life. 

Observation

One thing that I observed while designing characters was that adorable tiny characters can be easy to make yet very hard to make it interesting and draw attention. I also observed that I have a hard time understanding color palettes and how colors work together despite learning color theory before. Adobe Color really helped me in lot in that aspect. A strength that I want to take note of is my ability to absorb knowledge from lectures and practical class and integrate them into my design. I also think that I am good at world building and making a story for even the simplest of characters. 

Findings

Colors are hard. I struggled on this for both Exercise 1 and 2. From this issue that I realized I have, I know that I should learn how to compile colors together and how to apply them on the designs I make to create visual interest. For example, colors that can emphasize a point and characteristics of a character. Next, I learned a lot during my lectures and practical classes. Ms Jennifer demos and calm music certainly made the learning process easier and I learn how to use many different tools in Adobe Illustrator. 

To strengthen my weakness, I should do more studies on color so I can be more natural in design and not struggle or stuck at choosing color palettes.