Having reached the end of Part 3, I reflected on the Assessment Criteria Points. Demonstration of technical and visual skills – materials, techniques, observational skills, visual awareness, design and compositional skills. One of the most significant realisations that I had upon reaching the end of this Unit was that I now almost always, at least initially,… Continue reading Reflection: Part 3
Category: Part 3: Narrative Illustration
Assignment: A Graphic Short Story
Choose a short story and turn it into a mini graphic novel. The length of the graphic novel will largely depend on the story you choose, so pick something manageable. Aim to work over two or three pages only. Be creative with how you approach this. Think about how you edit the story, the kinds… Continue reading Assignment: A Graphic Short Story
Exercise: Animal Farm
Minnie Mouse, Danger Mouse, Tom and Jerry, Gromit, Watership Down, it’s often hard to name an animation which is about people rather than animals pretending to be people. The term anthropomorphism describes this process of superimposing human characteristics onto animals, and animation seems to do it a lot. With this in mind, develop an animal… Continue reading Exercise: Animal Farm
Exercise: Flick-books and Animated Gifs
Loosely playing within the genre of action movies, create some basic flick-books, QuickTime or animated gif animations that involve chases, shoot-outs, or any other staple of the action film. Think 007 films that only take 10 seconds or less! Initial Thoughts I would love to be able to work in animation. I am so keen… Continue reading Exercise: Flick-books and Animated Gifs
Research Point: Animation
Pick a range of different animations and try to identify how they have been made. Are they digitally created or do they use claymation, live action or a combination of technologies? You may want to do this historically, picking animations that chart its development, or aesthetically by choosing animations that interest you. Can you identify… Continue reading Research Point: Animation
Research Point: The ‘Illusion’ of Animation
Athanasius Kircher began experimenting with magic lantern slides and projections in Rome during the 1640s. Magic lantern shows combined the magic of theatre and legend with the illusionary quality of the projections themselves. How has animation maintained this connection with the idea of ‘illusion’? The ‘illusion’ of animation is created by persistence of vision. This… Continue reading Research Point: The ‘Illusion’ of Animation
Exercise: Girl Meets Boy
Create a sequential illustration that creatively re-tells the story of girl meets boy, girl loses boy, girl wins boy back, in whatever way you want. Make the re-telling entertaining. You’ll need to think about how you construct the different twists and turns of the story and decide on how you’re going to draw the characters… Continue reading Exercise: Girl Meets Boy
Research Point: Comic Books, Cartoons and Graphic Novels
There’s a wealth of comic books, cartoons and graphic novel artists about there. Pick some examples of work that you find interesting. What’s the relationship between the narrative and the style of drawing being used? Which is most important in making the story work? Before undertaking the Graphic Fiction unit at Level 1, I had… Continue reading Research Point: Comic Books, Cartoons and Graphic Novels
Research Point: Basic Elements of a Story
Pick a film, read a book or look at a comic strip. Can you boil the story down its most basic elements? What’s driving this narrative and how is it resolved at the end? What genre is it or is it an amalgam of more than one? Reflect on your findings. You might want to… Continue reading Research Point: Basic Elements of a Story
Exercise: Once upon a time
Produce a series of black and white illustrations in response to a popular fairy story or folk tale of your choice. Your illustrations will sit alongside the text to enhance the reading experience. Think about the best point(s) in the narrative to place your illustrations. Your illustrations need to bring the characters, locations and plot… Continue reading Exercise: Once upon a time