Illustration and Visual Narrative | Project 3

on

9.06.2023 - 30.06.2023 (Week 10 -Week 13)
Caitlin Ong Lynn Dee / 0343801 / Bachelor of Design (Honour) in Creative Media
Illustration and Visual Narrative
Project 3

CONTENTS

1. Lectures

2. Instruction 

3. Submission

  • Project 3: Digital triptych
    • Storytelling Basics
      • 3 Act Structure Template
      • Story: The Black Cat
      • 3 Act Structure of "The Black Cat"
    • Triptych
      • Sketches
      • Visual Research (Draft 1)
      • Draft 1
      • Visual Research (Draft 2 - Final Outcome)
      • Draft 2
      • Draft 3
      • Final Outcome

4. Feedback

5. Reflection

LECTURES

Week 10
 We learnt how to put a skull on the Chiaroscuro pear. Mr Zamri showed step by step on how to insert a skull picture found in a Google Photos link into the Chiaroscuro pear. We also learnt how to make a Chiaroscuro man. It is a same process as the Chiaroscuro pear but for the Chiaroscuro man we were taught how to insert an image in multiple shapes.

Pear, Skull & Man image link: 
Chiaroscuro Exercise

Chiaroscuro Pear with Skull Exercise:


Fig 1.1 Image Used

Fig 1.2 Final Result

Chiaroscuro Man Exercise:

Fig 1.3. Image Used



Fig 1.4. Final Result


Week 11
We leant how to make a pattern illustrator by using basic shapes and we have to press Object > Pattern > Make. The pattern we made can be add to the swatches menu. With the pattern in the swatches menu it implemented in a any shape. We learn that use the Blob brush allows us to draw in fill rather than in strokes. Mr. Zamri show us that we can draw within shapes by selecting a differ drawing mode.


Fig 1.5 Making a Pattern 

Fig 1.6 Adding pattern in shapes.

Fig 1.7 Using the blog brush tool within the shape


Week 12
Mr Zamri reviewed our current project 3 progress.

Week 13
Pubilc Holiday, We are given a video on a Brief of Final Project. 

INSTRUCTION


Project 3: Digital triptych

 
Fig 2.1 Introduction to the 3 Act Structure (24/6/2023)

We learn about the basics of storytelling. A story needs a central theme, conflict, characters. And every story is divided in Three Acts Structure.

Storytelling Basics

  • Central Themes
    • Major Theme
    • Minor Theme
  • Conflicts
  • Characters
    • Protagonist 
    • Antagonist
  • Three Acts Structure:
    • Setup
    • Rising Tension
    • Conflict 
    • Resolution
3 Act Structure Template

We have to pick one of Edger Allen Poe short stories from a website Ms Ismail provide us. Once we read the story, we have to highlight the Central Characters, Setup, Conflict, Resolution. Next, we have to write a three-act structure fill-in-the-blank summery within the limit of 300 words. Lastly, we have to make a triptych based on the three-act structure.


Fig 2.2 Template Ms. Ismail gave us (24/6/2023)

Story: The Black Cat

Themes:
Major Themes - Guilt, Madness, Justice, Illusion vs reality
Minor Themes - Supernatural Beliefs 

Central Characters: 
Narrator, Wife, Pluto the black cat and Pluto's Doppelganger

Setup:
The author was an animal lover. He married at a young age. His wife is also an animal lover.

Conflict: 
The author started on his drinking habits and in his range killed Pluto. He met another cat that resembles Pluto. He got back into his drinking habits and one day wanting to kill the cat, accidentally killed his wife.

Resolution:
 He plastered his dead wife onto the wall. The police came to investigate, and only to find his cat howled and gave the grave of his wife away.



3 Act Structure of "The Black Cat"

Act 1:
Once upon a time, there is a gentle and kind young man who was married happily with his wife together with pets They had birds, goldfish, a monkey, a dog, rabbits, and a black fat cat named Pluto. Every day, he will take care of the animal and he would love them dearly.

Act 2:

One day, he became a different person. He has changed to an angry and irritable person. He drank his life away, Because of that he uses vulgarity and inflicts violence upon his wife. Because of that too, He would also ill-treat his pets. One night, drunk he abused his cat Pluto, he slit its throat and cut off one of its eyes. A few days later in his range he killed Pluto and hung him onto the tree outside. That night, his house caught fire and neighbors swung the dead cat to alert him from his sleep.

Act 3:

Until finally, he stumbled upon another black cat so much alike Pluto. The only difference was this black cat had a white patch on its stomach. This cat followed him everywhere. One day his wife wanted to go down the cellar. The cat as usual followed and he nearly tripped at the stairs. In his anger he swung his axe upon the cat, missed and accidentally killed his wife. In despair, he plastered his dead wife into the walls of his cellar. Days later the police came to investigate and as they were leaving the man knocked off a portion of the wall, and an inhumane scream came from the wall. He has accidentally plastered his cat which is not dead with his dead wife. The scream gave the grave away. He had two cats in his life, one saved him from a fire and the other delivered him his death.


Triptych

I did a rough sketch of the triptych. I find it hard to pinpoint on what to show on Act 1 and Act 2 because there are a lot of event occur that is crucial to the story within Act 1 and Act 2. In Act 1 I draw the auother with his family and in Act 2 I draw a spit image of Pluto's being cut and the doppelganger.

Act 1 Events:

  • Narrator Living happily with wife and pets. 
  • Narrator got drunk cut Pluto's eye.
Act 2 Events:
  •  Narrator Hangs Pluto 
  • Narrator House burn down, reveled a mark of pluto on a plaster wall
  • Pluto's Doppelganger appears


Sketches
Fig 3.1 Sketch 1 (24/6/2023)

In Sketch 2 I decided to skip showing the Narrator's family and the cutting of the eye since it is the start of everything in the story, In Act 2 I draw a spit image of Pluto being hung and the doppelganger.

Fig 3.2 Sketch 2 (24/6/2023)

Visual Research (Draft 1)
My 3rd Sketch I want my drawing to be influenced by Tim Burton. And I tried to go with the non - literal apporch but insted I added in sutter detail that crucail to the story. Example: In Act 1 Pluto's eyes in the shape of beer bottles to represent the cause of it eye loss and the skull in Act 3 to represent the death of the Narrator's wife. 

Fig 3.3 Tim Burton Sketches (24/6/2023)


Fig 3.4 Sketch 3 (24/6/2023)

I tried drawing the Tim Burton insprade style in Illtrator but unforcunatly It turn out what I hope due the fact I can't fit the cat's head in First panel and I no idea know how to execute the idea using that style.


Draft 1

Fig 4.1 Draft 1 Unfinish (24/6/2023)


Visual Research (Draft 2 - Final Triptych)
After some further Visual Research I decided to go with the minimalist art style inspired by minimalist posters from the movie "The Dark Knight". Also, I use the actual Dark Knight Trilogy Triptych poster as inspiration for the usage of background color to establish the story themes.

Fig 4.2 Minimalist Dark Knight Posters from Pinterest and 9GAG (24/6/2023)


Fig 4.3 Dark Knight Trilogy Triptych (24/6/2023)

I research for other minimalist poster for inspiration to help me indicate the composition for the panels and character models. Those work are created by Lim Heng Swee, Alexis Nikou and Tang Yay Hoong (the each of the creator's work is from left to right 

Fig 4.4 Minimalist Poster created by Lim Heng Swee, Alexis Nikou and Tang Yay Hoong (24/6/2023)
 
I mainly use this cat Illustration by Merle Gollas a character model for Pluto and help me draw the pose for Pluto.
Fig 4.5 Cat Illustration by Merle Goll (24/6/2023)

Draft 2

1st Panel:
  •  I as reference of Fig 2.4 (photo on the right) I use the wine bottle as a Pluto's eye pour on a bloody knife to symbolize that the narrator alcoholism is the cause of Pluto's lost eye.
2nd Panel:
  • I made the cat the focal point, the noose around its neck represents Pluto's cause of death and its doppelgänger's because in the text the narrator mentions the white spot on the doppelgänger's chest resembles the gallows.
3rd Panel:
  • The Skull with the crack on top represents that the narrator kill his wife with an axe
  • The skull and Pluto's doppelgänger the centre of the wall's hole as the focal point 


Fig 4.6 Draft 2 (24/6/2023)

Draft 3
1st Panel:
  • I change the 1st panel to match the sketch. 
2nd Panel:
  • No change
3rd Panel:
  • I change the composition of the brick wall to make it look like it is handing the skull and the cat.
Fig 4.7 Draft 3 (24/6/2023)


Final Outcome

1st Panel:
  • The color yellow for the background represents happiness and Irritation. It displays the narrator mood shift before and after he was an achocal
  • The word "Humble Beginnings" creates a sense a ambiguity to the viewers. It makes them questioned is the situation pleased at the beginning.
  • The crack wine bottles shape eye represents that the cause for Pluto lost eye is by the narrator stabbing it using a knife under the influences of alcohol.

2nd Panel:
  • The noose represents on cat's neck represents Pluto's cause of death and it's doppelgänger. As refence by the narrator that the white spots on its chest resemble the gallows.
  • The color red and the fire represent the burning of the narrator's house and his guilt consume his life.
  • The Word Crime and Punishment reference that by killing Pluto. Pluto's lookalike continues to Hant him.

3rd Panel:
  • I use the color blue the represent a sad ending for the narrator as he was caught by the police for his crime.
  • The word the "Dead-end" reference the narrator's crime for killing his wife and the fact he dungs his own grave. 
  • The skull is reference to by the fact that the narrator kills his wife with an axe
Fig 5.1 Final Triptych (24/6/2023)
Fig 5.2 Final Triptych Outline (24/6/2023)


FEEDBACK

Week 12
  • Mr. Zamri suggest doing a spilt image for panel 1 and panel 2 
  • Show the contrast drawing a hand use the care for the cat or to harm it in panel 1 
  • draw a cat being hung and a burning house in the background for panel 2

REFLECTION

Experience 
One of the most frustrating parts in this task is that the story I pick out was in old English which makes it hard to understand the context of the story. Overall "The Black Cat" story was interesting to read. I struggle to do it a specific art style since it the first time I done something like that. In addition, I am no experience on drawing body proportions, so I have no I idea how to draw the charter in a specific style. 

Observation
Since there are certain of the subject in the story, I don't how to draw. I go for the minimalist approach in the art style. Not only it helps to save time it also benefits from a design perspective, the goal is show not tell. So, my minimalist drawing I give sublet hints that occur throughout the 3 Acts.

Findings
Highlight the important part of the story is the tricky part. There are so many things that occur in the first act and second act. Drawing different sketches help me to see the clear picture how the 3 Acts are mean to portray. From there I improve the panels' composition as I draw couple of drafts 

REFERENCE


Esther Lombardi (Ang, 2019) "The Black Cat" Study Guide. Available from: 'The Black Cat'—Plot, Symbols, Themes, and Key Quotes (thoughtco.com) (Accessed: 3/7/2023)

GradeSaver. n.d., The Black Cat Themes. Available from: The Black Cat Themes | GradeSaver  (Accessed: 3/7/2023)

https://pin.it/7Hx2S68



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