Illustration & Visual Narrative | Task 1 : Exercises
2023.09.27 - 2023.11.01/ Week 1 - Week 6
Tracy Angeline Tio / 0362222 / Bachelor of Design (Honours) in Creative Media
Illustration & Visual Narrative / Taylor's University
Task 1 ( Vormator Challenge | Game Card Design )
LECTURES 1 (Character Design Basics : STYLIZED DESIGN)
- Why stylized design ? To make the character appealing (interesting) and it only has 3 characteristic which is :
- ICONIC : Think Sillhoutes
- SIMPLICITY : Think Purpose
- UNIQUE : Think Memorable
- Principles of character design is :
- Shapes : used to identify a character from one another and to add some weight to their personality.
- Colour : an important role in determining and separate the basic characteristics of heroes, villains and even background characters. Different colours give impressions of different emotions and is easily relatable by the viewers.
- Emphasis, Contrast : a good character exaggerates on the emphasis and contrasting visual elements to make the design stand out by using colours and different shapes.
- Harmony : all shapes, lines, colour, motifs, patterns must be put together in a tasteful manner and reflect with the narrative of the characters
- Expression, Poses : clear visualization of your characters behaviours, quirks, personalities make it easier to appeal to your viewers.
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| Fig 1.1 principle of character design from left to right, 1,Shape, 2.Colour, 3.Contrast, 4.Harmony, 5. Expression, Pose Week 1 27/09/2023 |
LECTURES 2 ( Vormator Shape)
- Vormator is the ultimate challenge of your creativity: the aim of project is to give each student the chance to show their ability to create a stunning piece with limited means.
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| Fig 1.2 Example of Vormator Shape Week 2 04/10/2023 |
- In this lectures, we're given eight (8) elements shape that we need to redraw first using adobe illustrator pen tool. After that we are challenged to create our own unique design, within the limitations provided like no filter or effect, only rotate, flip and duplicate.
- Type of Chiaroscuro :
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| Fig 1.3 The Eight Shape Week 2 04/10/2023 |
LECTURES 3 (CHIAROSCURO - light dark )
-It is the use of light and dark to create the illusion of three - dimensional volume on a flat surface. In paintings, the technique refers to clear tonal contrast to suggest three dimensional volume and modelling of objects and figures.
-The purpose is to increase the scene's dramatic tension by exaggerating the subject's importance using color or light contrast.
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| Fig 1.4 Example of Chiaroscuro |
- TENEBRISM : A certain type of painting method in which significant details and illuminated by highlights which are contrasted with a predominantly dark setting. It is the focus point or subject of a scene is brightly colored or contrasted with a dark background.
- LOW - KEY LIGHTING : A style of lighting for photography, film, or television which is to accentuates the contours of the subject by throwing areas into shade while a fill light illuminate the shadow to control contrast.
- Another purpose of chiaroscuro is to create emotional and impactful scenes. Mostly you can see this in lighting for movie.
- Chiaroscuro is used in visual narrative because this method is an excellent lighting choice to differentiate positive vs negative spaces. (Negative space : Refers to the filled space or background that surround subject matter or object of interest in visual.
- More reason Chiaroscuro is used in visual narrative because :\
- Increase Dramatic Tension. Gives thrilling emotive depth on the look and feel in the scene.
- Create Sensational Effect. Helps elevate fantastical viewpoints to emphasis on the narrative.
- Attract Attention. Estabilish visual hierarchy, the main point of the scene.
- Make Tasteful Composition. The play on negative VS positive spaces creates attractive scenes.
LECTURES 4 (Colour and Blending Mode)
- Blending modes are useful for changing the objects colour by adding blending effects and colors to the chosen objects. Blending modes works depending on the posittion of the object on the layer or group.
- There are many type of blending modes which is :
- Normal : The default blending mode in Illustrator which produces no change in the appearance of objects.
- Darken : Produces a darker color by choosing the darker color out of the base and blending color.
- Multiply : Produces a darker color by multiplying the base color with the blend color.
- Color Burn : This blending mode darkens colors and increases contrast.
- Lighten : Produces a lighter color by comparing the base and blend colors, and selects the more golden color as the result.
- Screen : Produces a lighter color by multiplying the base’s inverse and blending colors.
- Color Dodge : Produces a brighter color by brightening the base color to reflect the blend color.
- Overlay : Multiples or screens colors on top of each other, while preserving highlights and shadows.
- Soft Light : Produces the effect of a diffused spotlight on objects with darker or lighter colors
- Hard Light : Produces the effect of a harsh spotlight on objects by multiplying or screening blend colors.
- Difference : Subtracts blend and base colors dependent on brightness.
- Exclusion : Creates an effect with lower contrast.
- Hue : Produces a change in hue.
- Saturation : Produces a change in saturation.
- Color : Produces a change in color.
- Luminosity : Produces a color with the hue and saturation of the base color and the luminance of the blend color.
- To understanding blending modes, you shall know this :
- The original color of the selected object of all the group is known as the Blend color.
- The Base Color refers to the colors lying underneath the artwork book.
- The color resulted after applying the blend is Resulting Color
- How to apply Blending mode in Ilustrator :
- Windows - Transparency / Shift + Ctrl + F10
- Create two circles with different color and select them
- Choose Blending mode from blending mode dropdown menu
LECTURES 5 (REPLACEMENT ON WEEK 8)
--- Lectures Continue on : Task 2 Decisive Moments
2. INSTRUCTIONS
TASK 1 VORMATOR EXERCISES - 20%
- Create a character using the eight shape given.
- Draw one background that matches your characters then put it in the pokemon card template.
- Final should be done in PNG/PDF.
Practical 1 : "The Pen Tool" In this activities, we're assigned to play little game in website named "The Bezier Game" . This game is really useful for us to learning how the pen tools work. There are so many stages and the lectures said that we need to clear until stage car.
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| Fig 3.1 The Bezier Game Practical 1 Week 1 27/09/2023 |
Practical 2 : "Vormator Shape" Tracing the eight (8) shapes that given above and start build your own character using only 8 elements. Feel free to rotate, duplicate and flip. Scaling is allowed, but proportionally, so skewing or free transform. Add, subtract, intersect and group elements as you see the use of color is unrestricted; you can create your own color schemes (e.g. use adobe Color)You allowed to use gradients. The Elements may be filled, the use of strokes is allowed. You are allowed to use filters or effects.
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| Fig 3.2 Vormator Shape Tracing Practical 2 Week 2 04/10/2023 |
Practical 3 : "Chiaroscuro" Try to practice light and shadow by using the photo of pear and digitally explore your idea by cutting or different coloring style. After you done, give your character in week 2 some light and shadow.
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Fig 3.5 Light and Shadow Practical 3 Week 3 11/10/2023 |
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| Fig 3.6 Result of Light and Shadow Practical 3 Week 3 11/10/2023 |
Practical 4 : "Colour and Blending Mode" Try to practice the blending modes and apply textures in the shadow of pictures given. Any textures is free.
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| Fig 3.7 Behind The Scene of Practical 4 Week 4 18/10/2023 |
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| Fig 3.8 Result of Practical 4 Week 4 18/10/2023 |
Practical 5 : In Task 2 (Because Mr Hafiz can't teach and Replacement in WEEK 8)
This project is a combination from practical 1 - 4. We're assigned to create one character only using eight vormator shape. After that, you can create the shadow or adding some texture as many as you can. Lastly, Draw one background based on your character and finalize it with vormator pokemon card.
4.1 Research
Firstly, I opened pinterest to find what character that i could made. I had idea to draw mixed of baby dragon and little pony using pastel colour as my favourite.
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| Fig 4.1.1 References used to create character Week 2 04/10/2023 |
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| Fig 4.1.2 Colour Palette Week 2 04/10/2023 |
4.2 Work Progress
I began by sketching my idea using digital apps before using adobe. Firstly, Mr Hafiz told us to showed the vormator shape used and the silhoutte of the character.
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| Fig 4.2.1 Character Sketch Week 2 04/10/2023 |
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Fig 4.2.2 Character Sketch Week 2 04/10/2023 Fig 4.2.3 Vormator close-up Week 2 04/10/2023 |
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| Fig 4.2.4 Digitisation and Final Result Week 5 30/10/2023 |
I Finished the character and really satisfied of the result. When i was working, I found a little struggle to used a gradient tool and the pen tool is quite troublesome. In week 3, We also learned about the light and shadow so i tried to gave the character shadow to make it look real.
Mr Hafiz told us to draw one background based on own character because we are gonna use it in game card design. I started to do the background in week 4. Based on the references, I had idea to draw the night sky with the moon and also cloud. I also put a little light and rain to representative the luminous feeling.
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| Fig 4.2.5 Adding Background Week 6 03/11/2023 |
Before finalize it, I also want to put texture for the background to make it look more detailed. I used watercolor paper texture to gave it more contrast.
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| Fig 4.2.6 Texture Sample Week 6 03/11/2023 |
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| Fig 4.2.7 Final Background After Texture Week 6 03/11/2023 |
4.3 Final Outcome
Fig 4.3.1 Final Outcome Vormator Challenge (PDF)Week 6 3/11/2023
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| Fig 4.3.2 Final Game Card Design (PNG) Week 6 3/11/2023 |
5.1 Experience
From this exercises, I got a new experience to operating adobe illustrator. I never used this apps previously, so i have limited knowledge to making artwork on it. After i done the vormator task, I learned about how to using pen tool, Adding texture and shadow, and also to gradient.
5.2 Observation
Because this is the online module, I firstly find it hard by just following the tutorial Mr Hafiz given, so I need to search in Youtube for more detailed procedures. Moreover, I browsed the previous student portfolio to gave inspiration for doing this task.
5.3 Finding
Illustration is not just to express the meaning of the art. It is about the combination from principle of art. There are shape, texture, light and shadow, dot, blending, etc. From the vormator task, I found that only the 8 shape, we could made various character like every student had every different characters.
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