ILLUSTRATION & VISUAL NARRATIVE | TASK 2 — DECISIVE MOMENT

Art Style: Art Deco.
What to Illustrate: The turning point / decisive moment / climax of the story.
Purpose of the Illustration: To sum up the scene.

3-ACT STRUCTURE:

Act 1: The Set-up

Definition: The 1st turning point.
Purpose: To provide background (i.e. plot, character histories, setting, theme) to the audience.

Act 2: The Confrontation

Definition: The 2nd turning point / rising action.
Purpose:

The characters attempt to resolve the problem.
Character development.

Act 3: The Resolution

Definition: The 3rd turning point / climax.
Purpose:

Questions are answered.
Bad guys are owned (cue gunshots).

1.2 WEEK 7 — COMPOSITION THEORY 3

Figure 1.2-1: Foreground, Midground & Background

TYPES OF PLANES:

Foreground:

Objects that are closest to the viewer.
E.g. Figure 1.2-2 — Using size difference and colour contrast to highlight the subjects in the foreground.

Figure 1.2-2: Foreground — Adventure Time (Cartoon Network, 2010)

Midground:

Objects that are between the foreground and the background.
E.g. Figure 1.2-3 — Using size differences and light / shadow contrast to highlight the subject in the midground.

Figure 1.2-3: Midground — Adventure Time (Cartoon Network, 2010)

Background:

Objects that are furthest to the viewers.
E.g. Figure 1.2-4 — Using shapes and light / shadow contrast to highlight the subject in the background.

Figure 1.2-4: Background — Adventure Time (Cartoon Network, 2010)

DESIGN FLOW:

Good arrangement of foreground, midground, and background should indicate a sense of movement and rhythm in the design.
Purpose:

To lead the viewer's eye throughout the layout of a design, moving from element to element with ease.
To influence the way the viewer digests the content.

Very important in interface and information design.

1.3 WEEK 9 — 3-ACT STRUCTURE

STORYTELLING BASICS:

Central Theme: The storyteller's personal opinion on the subject matter.

Major Theme: An idea that is intertwined and repeated throughout the whole narrative.
Minor Theme: An idea that appears more subtly, and doesn't necessarily repeat.

Conflict:

Purpose:

It drives the story, creates tension, and builds suspense.
It keeps the audience engaged.

Characters:

Central Characters:

These characters are vital to the story.
The plot revolves around them.

Protagonist:

The main character of the story.
They have a clear goal to accomplish / conflict to overcome.
The audience must be emotionally invested in them.

Antagonist:

They oppose the protagonist, standing between them and their goal.
Types of Antagonists: People, places, things, and situations.

3-ACT STRUCTURE:

Set-up:

Introduces the protagonist and the world they live in.
Usually ends with the conflict being revealed.

Rising Tension:

The series of obstacles the protagonist must overcome.
Each obstacle is usually harder and has higher stakes than the previous one.

Conflict / Climax:

The highest point of tension.
The major turning point for the protagonist.

Resolution:

The conflict's conclusion.
The protagonist overcomes the conflict / learns to accept it / is defeated by it.
The journey ends.

Figure 1.3-1: 3-Act Structure

2.0 INSTRUCTIONS

3.0 TASK 2 — DECISIVE MOMENT

Instructions:

Interpret an urban legend.
Determine the climax / decisive moment of the urban legend.
Create an editorial illustration in the Art Deco art style of the decisive moment.
Create a looping GIF of your design.

3.1 RESEARCH

Before starting proper research, let's define the terms "Art Deco", "editorial illustration", and "urban legend".

According to Britannica,

Art Deco is a popular design style of the 1920s and '30s characterised especially by sleek geometric or stylised forms and by the use of man-made materials.
Characteristics:

Reflect admiration for the modernity of the machine and for the inherent design qualities of machine-made objects.
E.g. Relative simplicity, planarity, symmetry, and unvaried repetition of elements.

Shapes: Clean and simple, usually with a "streamlined" look.

According to the Association of Illustrators,

Editorial illustrations are produced for newspapers, magazines and websites to add a visual dimension to a piece of writing.
Purpose:

To grab the attention of the reader as they browse the publication.
To add a new perspective to the article.

And lastly, according to Merriam-Webster:

Urban Legend = An often lurid story or anecdote that is based on hearsay and widely circulated as true.

With that out of the way, I began my research.

3.1.1 UNDERSTANDING ART DECO & EDITORIAL ILLUSTRATIONS

Figure 3.1.1-1: Art Deco & Editorial Illustration Mood Board, Week 6 (03/11/23)

Based on my observations, the Art Deco art style tends to be flatter (?) than other art styles, however, it heavily relies on texture, gradients, and layers to bring itself to life.

In most "classical" Art Deco illustrations, the colour palette tends to be more natural and less exaggerated (such as the Ceylon poster in Figure E6.1). In contrast, a lot of editorial illustrations use brighter, less natural colours to attract readers (I personally prefer brighter colours too lol). The colour palettes also tend to be limited, only using 2–3 highly contrasting colours.

3.1.2 PICKING AN URBAN LEGEND

In the beginning, I was leaning towards choosing a local urban legend for this assignment because I could think of many interesting ones off the top of my head, such as the Yellow Volkswagen of Karak Highway and Mak Cik Karipap. However, I wanted to learn more about foreign urban legends and specifically find less well-known, non-horror ones, so a deep dive into many urban legend websites later, I found the Inuit Legend of the Cloud Scraper.

Long ago, two Inuit boys got caught in a violent storm while away from home. Fortunately, they found a snow house to take shelter in. The old woman inside was very kind and invited them to sit down and rest. After giving them something to eat, she told them she would be going outside, and warned the boys not to follow her. She took her stone skin scraper with her before leaving.

Naturally, the two boys were very curious. They mustered up the courage and took a peep outside the door. There she was, way up in the sky, scraping away at the clouds. Half the sky was void of clouds and as blue as it can be, while the other half was still covered with thick black clouds.

When she saw the two boys peeping at her, she let go of the sky and fell down in surprise. When she returned to the house, they had already scampered back, hoping she hadn't really seen them.

"You rascals!" she cried. "You did the one thing I told you not to do. If you hadn't looked for me, I would've cleaned away all the clouds by now, and we wouldn't have any more storms. But alas! I cannot go up there again, so now we shall have both clear and cloudy weather."

Ever since then, when the weather is sometimes clear and sometimes stormy, it is said that the old woman only had time to clean off one half of the sky.

I enjoy seeing how humans try to justify nature. It's one of the things humans across all cultures do, and it makes the world much brighter and whimsical to live in.

3.2 IDEATION & SKETCH

I used ChatGPT to come up with some inspiration for my composition. I think splitting the illustration in half, with one side bright blue and the other side black, would make for a striking contrast. The old woman would be situated in the middle, and I think I'll make her fur coat a bright yellow to stand out against the blue and black (she looks like the sun!).

Figure 3.2-1: ChatGPT's Take on the Cloud Scraper, Week 7 (07/11/23)

Figure 3.2-2: Old Woman Mood Board, Week 7 (07/11/23)

Major changes to the colour palette during the sketching process. Instead of blue and black, I shifted the colours to fluorescent green and violet to create a greater sense of mystery and wonder. I think I'll use the original colours for the texturing. I also changed the old woman's coat to violet so that she stands out better against the green part of the sky.

Figure 3.2-3: Sketch, Week 7 (10/11/23)

Figure 3.2-4: Colour Palette, Week 7 (10/11/23)

3.3 DIGITISATION & ARTIST'S STATEMENT

3.3.1 DIGITISATION

Figure 3.3.1-1: Background Elements (Without Texture), Week 8 (16/11/23)

Figure 3.3.1-2: All Elements (Without Texture), Week 8 (16/11/23)

Figure 3.3.1-3: Decisive Moment (Final Submission), Week 8 (18/11/23)

3.3.2 ARTIST'S STATEMENT

Figure 3.3.2-1: Artist's Statement, Week 8 (19/11/23)

3.4 ANIMATION

I'm having some trouble animating in Photoshop. Whenever I use the Transform function to turn the old woman's arm in one frame, her arm shifts in the other frames. If I don't use Transform, it's fine, so maybe it's a Transform problem.

Figure 3.4-1: Animation Attempt in Photoshop, Week 9 (25/11/23)

I think I've found a way to bypass this problem by not rotating her hand, only making it move up and down.

I kept her motions slow and steady, as though she's being careful and thorough with the cloud.

Figure 3.4-2: GIF Animation — WIP, Week 9 (26/11/23)

I wanted her hand to hover a bit in the middle, so I increased the time for frames #3, #4, and #5 to 0.5 seconds. It seems a bit slow and janky though, so maybe 0.2 seconds is best.

Figure 3.4-3: GIF Animation — WIP Timeline, Week 9 (26/11/23)

Ahh, much better.

Figure 3.4-4: GIF Animation — Updated Timeline, Week 9 (26/11/23)

Figure 3.4-5: GIF Animation (Final Submission), Week 9 (26/11/23)

4.0 REFLECTION

4.1 EXPERIENCE

I think this is the assignment I've been most excited about so far. I like that we can choose our own urban legends, it makes me more invested in the assignment. That being said, it's been a very hectic experience, having to balance this with other big assignments.😅 I thought animating the GIF would take longer but hey, when you're running on adrenaline from rushing deadlines, everything goes by quicker.

4.2 OBSERVATIONS

I noticed that the longer I put off doing a task, the more I procrastinate and the more I have to rush near the end. Not a fun time and my work isn't as good, so I have to follow my homework to-do list better next time.

4.3 FINDINGS

Minimalism and Art Deco are very interesting illustration styles. I think I captured the look of Art Deco well, though I don't think I did too good on the gradients since the colours I used were dark-on-dark. I have the chance to redeem myself, though, since Task 3 is basically a continuation of Task 2 and I'll have the chance to use brighter colours instead.

QUICK LINKS

TASK 1 — EXERCISES

TASK 2 — DECISIVE MOMENT

TASK 3 — DIGITAL TRIPTYCH

TASK 4 — SELF-TITLED

FINAL COMPILATION & REFLECTION

Emily Soh Ching-Ling 0359478

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ILLUSTRATION & VISUAL NARRATIVE | TASK 2 — DECISIVE MOMENT

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1.0 LECTURES

1.1 WEEK 6 — TASK 2 BRIEFING & 3-ACT STRUCTURE