ILLUSTRATION AND VISUAL NARRATIVE / PROJECT 1 / Task 1

on

23/9/2024 - 13/10/2024 / Week 1 - Week 3

Aricia Man Yi Xuan / 0375026

Illustration and Visual Narrative

Bachelor of Design (Hons) in Creative Media

Project 1 / Task 1: Vormator Challenge

Google Drive Link

TABLE OF CONTENTS


LECTURES

WEEK 1
This week we have no lecture class, but Mr. Hafiz let us take a look at the materials that we are going to learn in our course in the Google Classroom.


WEEK 2
Lecture - Mr. Hafiz Zamri

This week, Mr. Hafiz assigned us a practice where we were to use the pen tool, reflection, and curvature tool in Adobe Illustrator to trace out all the Vormator elements he posted in Google Classroom. After that, we need to create our own character using these elements. Plus, Mr. Hafiz also let us play the Bezier Game for practice. Below (Fig.1.2.3) is my work of the Vormator elements. It was quite challenging in the beginning as I'm not familiar with using Adobe Illustrator, but after I keep practicing and ask my friend about the confusing point that I do not understand, I've gotten into the swing of it very quickly.

Fig.1.2.1 Result of Bezier Game



Fig.1.2.2 Vormator elements

Fig.1.2.3 Result of Vormator elements
WEEK 3
Lecture - Mr. Hafiz Zamri

Today (9/10/2024), Mr. Hafiz demonstrated tracing out the adidas logo in the class using pathfinder and shape builder in Adobe Illustrator, and let us trace out the Twitter logo as a practice. After that, we were assigned to complete our Vormator character design with outline, maximum 3 colours, and basic shadow, using these skills, and submit it to the Google Classroom.

Fig.1.3.1 Tracing logo practice
Tutorial How to draw Twitter logo
I've watched the tutorial on how to draw a Twitter logo after classes, and above is my result, it's quite interesting, and I've learned a lot about using the shape builder tool and using shapes to trace a silhouette.

INTRSUCTION

Document 2.1 Module Information Booklet (MIB) of Illustration & Visual Narrative (IVN)

Exercises 1 / Vormator Challenge

1.1 Visual Research

Reference #1

Fig.1.1.1 Totoro / Character of "My Neighbor Totoro"
https://rainkittenassessment.blogspot.com/2013/04/the-characters-of-my-neighbor-totoro.html

"My Neighbor Totoro" is my favourite Japanese anime movie, and Totoro is my top favourite character, so I decided to use it's elements as my reference to create my character. Totoro is a spirit of the forest who dwells in a very large camphor tree on the Kusukabe's new property. I love Totoro because he's such a comforting character with his goofy personality, and he is very fluffy and clumsy, I love cutesy things a lot. Talk about his character; he'll always have a big grin on his face when he wants to do something, which is really hilarious in the movie, he can help to create the wind over the grass and helps trees to grow, which is such a mythical figure.
Plus, who wouldn't want to take a nap on Totoro's belly ~


Reference #2

Fig.1.1.2 Baymax / Character of "Big Hero 6"
https://www.newsweek.com/baymax-prequel-sequel-big-hero-6-disney-plus-1720153#slideshow/2068100

I believed everyone was familiar with this movie, it's also my favourite character. Baymax is a Disney animated film Big Hero 6 character. He is depicted as an inflatable robot built by Tadashi, the older brother of the protagonist Hiro Hamade, to serve as a healthcare companion. I like Baymax because his soft, chubby body and calm personality are comforting, almost like a living hug. He's not a typical superhero, as he doesn't fight, he is more like a "protector" of a character. His signature catchphrase, "Are you satisfied with your care?" is a small but powerful reminder that empathy and care can make a big difference in people's lives. He's a really endearing character since he does more than just solve problems; he ensures people feel seen, heard, and supported. I might use this reference to create a character that has a similar heartwarming impact, which is a character that focuses on healing and support.


Reference #3

Fig.1.1.3 Stitch
https://www.alamy.com/disney-stitch-cartoon-character-set-vector-illustration-isolated-on-white-background-image559651038.html

Fig.1.1.4 Stitch / Lilo & Stitch: The Series

Stitch, originally named Experiment 626, is one of the titular protagonists of the Lilo & Stitch franchise. It was one of my childhood movies that left a lasting impression on me with its adorable appearance. He is an illegal genetic experiment created by the mad scientist Dr. Jumbe Jookiba. Designed to be abnormally strong, virtually indestructible, and super-intelligent, Stitch was built with the purpose of spreading chaos and misery across the universe. The design of Stitch is simple, which is recognizable, with his blue colour skin, big eye, sharp teeth, and large ears. It provides me some inspiration for my character of how a character can stand out and be memorable.


Reference #4

Fig.1.1.5 Sky Character / Sky: Children of the Light
https://x.com/thatskygame/status/1284977330994077698


This is a social adventure game by Thatgamecompany, which is the longest period game I've been playing with my friends in high school. The game's world is visually stunning, with its soft colours and fluid animations that create an immersive experience for me. I love this game because it allows us to personalize our character with various outfits, capes, masks, and hairstyles. It's a very interesting game. Therefore, I'm going to use this customization options elements to be my character inspiration.

CHARACTER DESIGN

2.1 Sketches

Fig.2.1.1 Rough Sketch of character / (Week 2, 4/10/2024)
The concept of my character design is a panda-like creature that looks fluffy and smart, with big eyes and flurry hair. For the head, I referred to the inspiration of Stitch, especially his eyes, and combined it with the hairstyle of the characters from Sky's: Children of the Light. As for the body, I draw it like a panda with a cape and scarf on it. 

It took me some time to begin with the head part because it's hard to achieve the right balance between cute and smarty look. Plus, there are limits to the Vormator shapes for us to use with our character design; it's tough to think about the shape of the entire look. I started up with the Vormator shapes and combined them together before I refined them. 

2.2 Character Design


Fig.2.2.1 Refined Sketch of character design #2 / (Week 2, 4/10/2024)
This is the refined sketch of my character. I've taken reference from a similar panda character in a game “Game for Piece", which has a healing ability, so I decided my character to be that way. Plus, I've draw three different arrangement of the cape, I like #1 the most, it looks more elegant. As a result, I've chosen Design #2 (Fig.2.2.2 #1) as my final character design.


Fig.2.2.2 Final Sketch of character / ( Week 2, 4/10/2024)

2.3 Digitalisation

Fig.2.3.1 First Draft in Adobe Illustrator / (Week 3, 7/10/2024)

This is my final character design in Adobe Illustrator. To begin, I used the Vormator shapes provided to trace out the silhouette of each part of my character. The most Vormator shapes I used were tentacle shapes, I connected the Vormator shapes one by one repeatedly and finally came out with the outlines. Honestly, it was not that hard to do it, but it needed a lot of patience as it took a lot of time to trace out the silhouette.

Vormator shapes I used for each part of the character :

- Face: I used the shape "Badge" by duplicating to make it wider. I also used the shape 
             "Tentacle" to draw the whiskers besides his cheeks.
- Eyes: I used the shape "Drop" by duplicating and reflecting to draw the white of the eye 
            phrase and "Badge" to draw the eyeballs.
- Eyebrows : I used the shape "Wurst" by rotating it.
- Nose: I used the shape "Badge". 
- Bangs: I used the shape "Tentacle" and " Drop" by duplicating and rotating them.
- Hair and Tails: I used the shape "Tentacle" and "Drop" by duplicating and rotating them.
- Body: I used the shape "Wurst" and "Tentacle" by duplicating and rotating them.
- Scarf: I used the shape "Wurst" and "Tentacle" by duplicating them.
- Cape: I used the shape "Tentacle" by duplicating it.
- Symbol: I used the shape "Zerk", "Drop" and "Tentacle" by combining and reflecting them.

Fig.2.3.2 Further Development / (Week 3, 7/10/2024)

After that, I combined each part of the character to become a complete appearance, and this would be my final creature shape with its details.

Fig.2.3.3 Further Development / (Week 3, 10/10/2024)

Later on, I used the shape builder tool in Illustrator to combine the Vormator shapes, and I also added a rough colour scheme idea for my character. I wanted my creature to have the ability to heal those around it, emitting a gentle pink glow that surrounds and soothers, so I chose to use pink. Meanwhile, I added black as a prominent colour to reflect its cool and arrogant nature while still holding onto the gentle, healing qualities of a fairy-type character.
Also, I gave her the name Curellon; it combines "cure," representing its healing abilities, and a playful and powerful feel.

2.4 Colour Study

Fig.2.4.1 Colour Variations / (Week3, 10/10/2024)

After that, I moved on to colour variations. I used the gradient tool for almost the entire body, especially the eyes, and I was satisfied with it. I also use the pathfinder tool to create the shadow of the creature's tail. I've slightly changed the colour to a more softer pink, it looks more comfortable for the character.

2.5 Final Character Design

Fig.2.5.1 Final Vormater Character "Curellon" - jpeg / (Week 4, 18/10/2024)

Fig.2.5.2 Final Vormater character "Curellon" - pdf / (Week 4, 18/10/2024)

Link to Google Drive

REFLECTIONS

Experience

I've learned a lot of skills from Mr. Hafiz when using Adobe Illustrator, especially when I'm creating my own character; it was challenging and rewarding. I explored various tools like the pen tool, shape builder, pathfinder, and so on. I'm willing to learn more in the future and keep exploring new things.

Observations

I noticed that using simple shapes as a base made the design process smoother. Also, a separate layer is important when creating a design, such as organizing and controlling the different parts of the design. This would make the process more clear and easier to distinguish.

Findings

Through this project, I became more proficient with Illustrator's tool, especially the pathfinder for combining shapes as I used it a lot, and gradient tools for giving my creatures a more dynamic appearance, especially the eyes. Overall, I was satisfied with my creatures but there's still a lot to learn and improve.














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