Illustration and Visual Narrative/TASK2+3

Assignment 1 Editorial Illustration (Decisive Moment)

30/10/2023-29/11/2023

Job requirement 

Editorial illustrations are produced for newspapers, magazines and websites to add a visual dimension to a piece of writing. This serves two main functions – it helps to grab the attention of the reader as they browse the publication, but can also help to add a new perspective to the article.

For this assignment, you must find a related article/story that discuss Urban Legends. The legends maybe local or international. The artstyle must be derived from Art Deco.

• Weight: 20% of the final grade
• Duration: 3 weeks

In this assignment, you will create a minimalist editorial illustration based on an urban legend of your choice using Adobe Illustrator. Your illustration will be designed for a digital media publication and should include minor animations to enhance engagement.

• Choose an urban legend that interests you and aligns with the editorial theme.
• Research the chosen legend thoroughly and gather visual references.
• Create a concept mood board to explore the style, color scheme, and overall visual direction.
• Write a brief description of your chosen urban legend and how you plan to interpret it in a minimalist style.
• Begin sketching your editorial illustration. Focus on creating a clear and compelling composition.
• Develop your illustration in Adobe Illustrator. Pay attention to clean lines, simple shapes, and minimalism.
• Experiment with the use of color and typography, keeping the editorial context in mind.
• Start planning the minor animations you intend to incorporate.
• Refine your illustration, paying close attention to details, balance, and visual impact.
• Add animations to your design using Adobe Illustrator or other animation software.
• Test the animations to ensure they enhance the overall narrative without being distracting.
• Write a short artist statement explaining your design choices, including how your illustration reflects the chosen urban legend and the editorial context.
• Submit your completed editorial illustration as a high-resolution digital file (preferably vector format).
• Include a link to a presentation or video demonstrating the animations.
• Submit your artist statement and any process documentation.

Your assignment will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

• Concept and interpretation of the urban legend (20%)
• Design quality and minimalist style (30%)
• Effective use of color, typography, and layout (20%)
• Integration of minor animations (15%)
• Artist statement and process documentation (15%)

Remember to refer to the provided resources and reach out for assistance if needed. Good luck with your assignment, and have fun exploring the world of editorial illustration and digital media!

Assignment Brief: Digital Triptych - Exploring Scott McCloud's Transitions

27/11/2023-8/12/2023

Job requirement 

The objective of this assignment is to apply Scott McCloud's theory on transitions to create a digital triptych, comprising three panels: one before, one during (climactic turning point), and one after a significant event. Each panel will represent a different transition type from McCloud's theory.

Referencing Scott McCloud's analysis of transitions in "Understanding Comics," you will select one panel before and one panel after the climactic turning point, surrounding a panel representing the turning point itself. Each panel will exemplify a different transition type, creating a digital triptych that showcases various narrative transitions.

• Review Scott McCloud's transitions: moment-to-moment, action-to-action, subject-to-subject, scene-to-scene, aspect-to-aspect.
• Select one transition type for each of the three panels: before, during (climactic turning point), and after the turning point.
• Identify specific moments or elements in the narrative that align with the chosen transitions.

• Create a digital triptych with three panels that clearly illustrate the chosen transitions.
• Use any digital medium (illustration software, graphic design tools, etc.) to craft the panels.
• Ensure coherence and narrative flow between the panels, capturing the essence of the transitions selected.

• Submit the completed digital triptych via the designated platform.
• Include a brief explanation for each panel, detailing the chosen transition and its significance in the narrative context.
• Ensure that each panel distinctly represents its respective transition type.

• Understanding and application of Scott McCloud's theory on transitions in creating the digital triptych.
• Clarity and effectiveness in using each transition to depict the sequential narrative.
• Coherence and visual storytelling across the three panels.
• Artistic execution and presentation of the digital triptych.

Submission deadline for the completed digital triptych is at the end of Week 11.
Moment-to-MomentAction-to-ActionSubject-to-SubjectScene-to-SceneAspect-to-Aspect


This assignment contributes 20% towards your final grade. Grading will consider adherence to instructions, effective application of transitions, narrative coherence, and artistic presentation within the digital triptych.

Narrative Structure

Donna's mother bought the Annabel doll for her in a toy store in 1970. Donna, who was already a college student and shared a room with her roommate Angie, didn't feel anything wrong with the doll at first. But as time went on, they found that Annabel seemed to be moving all the time, gradually moving away from the position where she had just been, and as if tearing off the other dolls, but it was only a slight phenomenon. But a few weeks later, it was obvious that the doll would move on its own, and Donna and Angie would always see Annabel on the bed or on the sofa. Donna and Angie's friend Roy hated the doll. He thought the doll was evil, but the girls in college didn't believe it. They thought there must be some explanation for these phenomena. But soon Annabel became more and more weird, and Donna began to find a lot of parchment written in the room, which would read "Save us" or even "Save Roy"! The weirdest thing is that there is no parchment in this house. Where on earth did this paper come from?! Things continued to escalate when Donna returned to the house one night to find Annabel lying on the bed with blood, or red marks, on her hands, like the doll's own blood. Finally, Donna decided to hire a psychic to investigate. As a result, a long time ago, when the apartment was not completed, a little girl named Annabel was found dead, her soul still wandering here, she was attached to the doll, spying on the girls living here, and finally found that Donna and Angie were trustworthy. Annabel just wanted to stay with the girls and meant no harm. Donna and Angie both majored in nursing and had a professional conscience, so they were willing to accompany Annabel, so the doll stayed with them, which led to all the chaos that followed. Roy began to have nightmares about Annabel climbing into his bed at night and grabbing his throat with her little hand. Roy woke up in a cold sweat, and he began to feel thoroughly frightened. A few days later he was going to hang out with Angie, but he heard someone walking around Donna's room. who was the intruder? Roy crept to the door, flung the door open, and found that no one was there, the room was empty, everything was all right, and the doll stayed quietly in the corner. As he approached Annabel, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his chest, tore open his shirt and found a paw print-like scar that had torn his flesh. He knew that Annabel had done it. The scar like paw prints healed quickly and almost completely disappeared in two days, as if it had never appeared on Roy's chest. Donna and others felt they needed help. They turned to an Episcopal church whose two priests were named Ed and Warren. Warren quickly came to the conclusion that there was an evil spirit attached to the doll, and the doll did not have human characteristics, but just a pile of rags, so the ultimate goal of the evil spirit was to rob the real flesh. It is possessed by Annabel, close to human beings, and its actual goal is Donna. A priest performed an exorcism ceremony in his apartment, and then Warren and Ed put the doll in a bag and took the car back. They did not choose the highway for fear that evil spirits might be possessed by high-speed trucks, causing a terrible traffic accident. So, they chose to take the path, and strange things happened. The engine kept flameout, the steering wheel was blocked again and again, and the brakes later failed. In a hurry, Ed took the doll out of the bag and sprinkled holy water before everything calmed down again. When Ed got back to his house, he put the doll on his desk. As a result, Annabel floated gently, happened several times, and finally became quiet. But a few weeks later Annabel began to repeat her old trick, and it appeared in different rooms. Soon a priest ordered to the doll: "you are just a doll, you can't hurt anyone!" As a result, the priest was involved in a car accident because of brake failure on his way home. Fortunately, he survived. Eventually Warren and Ed locked Annabel in a locker and they have been babysitting the doll to this day. The imprisoned doll no longer seems to move, but secretly it still seems to be connected with some unknown forces. They seem to be waiting, waiting to see the light of day again.

Story research

By learning more about this urban legend, I decided to depict the strange things that happened when Annabel was possessed, highlighting the weirdness and horror of the story.

Research and Mood boards

I looked for a classic illustration of Annabel, which looked complex and scary, satisfying the first feeling of this urban legend, unpredictable and terrifying.Another important element about Annabel is the wooden window. According to legend, Annabel can change her position but eventually has to be locked in the window to prevent evil spirits from doing evil.

The choice of color is partial to the dark red of the creepy element and the dark brown of the wooden window, and of course the skin color of the doll itself is also essential.

Sketches

This is the original drawing, a picture of blood suddenly appearing in Annabel's hands. In the original story, only Annabel's hands appeared at this time, but in order to make the picture more infectious, I expanded the area of blood. At the same time, it can also be a metaphor for the disaster behind.

Considering the realization and emphasis of the drawing, I will delete the details about the cabinet, which may also simplify the shape of the doll.

Storyboards

This is my brief overview of the story.

Assets in Illustrator

I used the pattern I drew myself.

However, when operating in the software, a lot of ideas came to my mind.

I adjusted the composition to reduce the proportion of Annabel in the picture and add some other furnishings.

The bright red vase on the table is the brightest part, eye-catching, and the unusually bright color is more likely to suggest that it will be knocked down the next second.

The window with Annabel closed is like a cage, but Annabel's translucency makes it feel as if it has been closed and escaped.

Not only that, but the translucent state is also my doubt as to whether the incident about Annabel really happened.

In the later stage of motion drawing, I will add patterns of blood and some scratches to indicate what happened.

After careful consideration, I made a wide range of changes to my picture, which returned to my draft composition, adding a sense of space to some rooms and creating a relatively repressed closed environment. at the same time, the appearance of the doll has also been partially improved (using the previous pattern material for making small monsters)

Animating in Photoshop

Annabel moved from the cupboard to the front of the cupboard and fell into the cupboard, which shows that the doll is special. It can move itself.

The moment it fell to the ground, the changing pattern and unusual light behind the cupboard heralded something to happen.

The motion picture I made should be put on the second one.