Illustration and Visual Narrative - Exercises and Vormator Challenge

01 Sept 2022 - 01 Dec 2022 (Week 1 - Week 14)
Vincent Lee // 0359386
Illustration and Visual Narrative // Bachelor of Design (Hons) in Creative Media // Taylor's University (TDS)
Task (Exercises/ Project)

LECTURES:

Class Summary

Week 1

Introducing - selection tool and direct selection tool
Guide us on the features and functions of Adobe Illustrations.
Remind to be very careful in selecting the proper margins of the document size and resolution
Renaming and filing
Introduce of tools and its respective function
Simple shortcuts like adjusting the shapes

Week 2

Quick recap of last week classes such as the dimensions - A4 for printing to avoid distort, guides and grid, shortcut, section tool - rectangle tool - adjust size click one corner, width and height
Bezier game (pen tool)
Characters design basics, character design is based on a dominant shape and shape do a lot conveying the appeal of the character. For instance, reverse triangle are always meant to be a superhero or a character with a huge strength.
Construct a character with using the shapes given and submitted by next Thursday. He emphasise on the character's silhouette
notify us on our first assignment held by HONOR

Week 3

Individual feedback on character constructing design.
briefed by Ms. Anis on Project 2: Digital Triptych
Lecture on Character Design Basic - analyse the colour and shape used when constructing characters
consulted with Ms. Anis on the Project 2 due to some confusion

Stylised Design 1

Stylised Design 2

Principles of Character Design

Shapes

Colour

Week 4

Shape Builder (Shift + M) and Icons
Use one shape to create icon
Gradient, Fake Shadow
Technique for Typography class
Adobe Color

INSTRUCTIONS

Module Information Booklet

Tutorial/ Practical:

Week 1

Learning Outline

using shapes and type tool to create an illustration - LEMON.

Figure 1.1 - First Attempt on using Adobe Illustration, Week 1 (01 Sept 2022)

Figure 1.2 - Self-Attempt to merge text and shapes tool, Week 1 (01 Sept 2022)

Week 2

Learning Outline

Vormator Challenge, we are not allow to distort the size of the shapes and we are order to outline the shape with a brighter colour
Mr. Hafiz teaches us to use AI - Tracing, pen tool, curvature tool to smoothen the curve and corner.

Figure 1.3 - Mainly used pen tool to construct the Vormator shape, Week 2 (08 Sept 2022)

Figure 1.4 - First Attempt on Character Design, Week 2 (08 Sept 2022)

Figure 1.5 - Vormator Challenge - Character Designs, Week 3 (15 Sept 2022)

Week 3

Learning Outline

Blending Mode and Pathfinder to Divide, Unite, Merge, Crop and etc.
Shortcuts keys such as option and drag to duplicate, rotate and reflect
Do rotation, creates an icons and done all this conveniently by pressing command + d to duplicate it.

Figure 1.6 -Pathfinder, Week 3 (15 Sept 2022)

Week 4

Learning Outline

Converting text to type expression, by creating outlines and tools such as direct selection tool, shape builder tool and knife tool

Figure 1.7 - Type and Shape, Week 4 (22 Sept 2022)

Figure 1.8 - Icons and Shape Builder, Week 4 (22 Sept 2022)

Week 6

Learning Outline

Introduce the concept of Chiaroscuro
Do Chiaroscuro with a pear and a skull
An exercise to work (Fig 1.10) during weekend is given and need to be submitted on this Sunday

Tools used for Chiaroscuro:

Pen tool
Eraser tool
Recolour
Pencil tool
Pathfinder
Saturation
Knife
Object > path > simplify > make things curvy if the line is edgy.

Below are the in-class exercise and homework given.

Figure 1.9 - Tutorial_Chiaroscuro_Pera, Week 6 (06 Oct 2022)

Figure 1.10 - Practical_Chiaroscuro_Men, Week 6 (06 Oct 2022)

Week 7

Learning Outline

Tutorial Activity

Adding texture to artwork - Chiaroscuro

to allow tiny pieces become one compound path - Object > Compound Path > Make
double click the layer then can adjust the texture

Figure 1.11 - Adding Texture to a Chiaroscuro, Week 7 (13 Oct 2022)

Week 11

We were distributed an exercise where we need to select and describe/ depict one section of Jimmy Corrigan's comic that posted in Google Classroom.

- Part by Part Analysis

Figure 1.12

From this image, it tells that the unborn child's parents known each other in their school day. Then the girl was pregnant out of a sudden, the child's dad abandon the mother and start a new relationship with other girl.

Figure 1.13

From the image above, it is informing the growth stages of the child.

Figure 1.14

From this image, I can said that the child was abandoned since she was born. Then around 3 - 4 of the age of the kid, she was adopted and then her adoptive mother was married after a year later and they become a family.

Figure 1.15

From this image, I think it tells that the women in the orange coat, lost her child as the report shows that her child has wellness issues thus she has to take away (abort) her child. To compensate the loss, she decided to adopt a child then the child was the teenagers'.

Figure 1.16

This image informed the readers that the child has grown into an adult.

Summary

Figure 1.17 - A section of Jimmy Corrigan Comic, Week 11 (10 Nov 2022)

I can tell that it was a common issue that happened frequently in Millennials and Generation Z where teenager had unprotected sexual intercourse during their school days. Unfortunately, the girl was abandoned as the guy was not prepared to the up the responsibilities. Then on the second part of the story is the women in orange coat, desperating for a child found that she had to abort her child as her child has severe wellness issue. Thus, the women decided to adopt the child of the teenagers from the country adoption services. Last, it also tells the growth process of the little girl and years later, the girl has turns into an adult.

FEEDBACK

Week 3

The silhouette of the first attempt on character design is a little bit, as the upper body is huge but the waist is tiny. It does not looks as what it is. It does not show power or strengths.

REFLECTIONS

I couldn't keep up with the pace of the class at first because I didn't know how to use Adobe Illustration. I recall the first session where we were taught to combine text with shapes; I was completely lost, blurred, and had no idea what Mr. Hafiz had taught us. Fortunately, I received assistance from a classmate. Then, in the following weeks, I sought assistance from my lecturers, Mr. Hafiz and Ms. Anis, in carrying out and completing the tasks and projects for this module.

Aside from receiving good guidance from lecturers, I also find myself enjoying learning character design, Adobe Illustration shortcut keys that speed up the process of completing projects, as well as, Chiaroscuro. Although I did not have total confidence in my ability to do Chiaroscuro, I found it enjoyable when we were asked to create our own comic or poster because it emphasises and illuminates important figures in a painting or drawing.

For our most recent exercise, in which we were asked to depict a section of Jimmy Corrigan's comic, I realised that we needed to be very observant to the composition and minor details, as the devil is in the details. It took me a while to realise what the comic is telling. Furthermore, I learned that we can tell the audience about the characters by using similar elements such as shapes and colour, especially in comics that do not show the sequences in a logical order.

QUICK LINKS

Task 1: Exercises and Vormator Challenge

Project 2: Digital Triptych

Project 3 & Final Project: Graphic Novel and Motion Comic