Illustration and Visual Narrative | Task 1: Vormator Challenge

4/10/2023 - 1/11/2023 | Week 2 - Week 6

Iman Mikudim | 0338004 | Section 4

Illustration and Visual Narrative | Bachelor of Design (Hons) in Creative Media

Task 1: Exercise 1 (Vormator Challenge)

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SECTIONS

|  Lectures

• Lecture 1: Character Design Basics
  
• Lecture 2: Chiaroscuro

|  Tutorials

• Tutorial 1: The Pen Tool
• Tutorial 2: Light and Shadows
• Tutorial 3: Blending Modes & Clipping Path

|  Instructions

• Exercise 1: The Vormator Challenge

|  Feedback

|  Reflections

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LECTURES

Lecture 1 | Character Design Basics

Lecture 2 | Chiaroscuro

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TUTORIALS

Tutorial 1 | The Pen Tool

In this exercise, we were given a link to a website called The Bézier Game, which is essentially a game designed to help you master the pen tool. It offers a series of exercises that progress from drawing straight lines to basic shapes like circles and so on.

It demonstrates commands such as the:

• Shift key: Constrains the angle of the path you're drawing to either 45-degree increments or a perfect vertical or horizontal line, making it easier to create straight lines or perfect angles. 

• Alt key: Allows you to toggle between creating corner and smooth anchor points, convert between different anchor point types, and independently adjust direction handles for precise path control.

The final exercise, which extensively involved using the alt key, concluded with the drawing of a car. The tricky part was my initial attempt with 14 nodes, but upon completion, I learned that the ideal solution required only 9 nodes. Undeterred, I embraced the challenge and ultimately succeeded in completing it with precisely 9 nodes.

Fig 1.1 1st attempt (14 nodes) | Week 1 (27/9/23)

Fig 1.2 2nd attempt (9 nodes) | Week 1 (27/9/23)

Tutorial 2 | Light and Shadows

In this exercise, we were introduced to new tools such as the pencil tool, pathfinder tool, and knife tool. We were instructed to use these tools to create the shape of a pear and a skull using the Chiaroscuro technique.

1. Chiaroscuro (Pear)

Fig 2.1 Pen Tool (Silhouette) | Week 3 (11/10/23)

Fig 2.2 Pencil Tool (Shadow) & Pathfinder Tool (Divide) | Week 3 (11/10/23)

Note: With the Pathfinder Tool (Divide), any lines drawn outside the bounds of the pear's original shape will be cut.

Fig 2.3 Knife Tool (Slice) | Week 3 (11/10/23)

Fig 2.4 Pen Tool (Depth) & Knife Tool (Shadow) | Week 3 (11/10/23)

2. Chiaroscuro (Skull)

Fig 2.5 Pathfinder Tool (Unite) & Pencil Tool (Shadow) | Week 3 (11/10/23)

Fig 2.6 Pathfinder Tool (Divide) | Week 3 (11/10/23)

3. Final Compilation

Fig 2.7 Final Compilation | Week 3 (11/10/23)

Tutorial 3 | Blending Modes & Clipping Path

In this exercise, we were introduced to different blending modes and the use of clipping paths.

Resource links provided:

• Blending modes in Illustrator
• Super Cool Abstract Vectors in Illustrator and Photoshop
• The Blending Mode for Powerful Patterns in Illustrator

1. Silhouette

Fig 3.1 Process | Week 4 (18/10/23)

Steps: 

1. Tracing (Pen tool)
2. Shadows (Pen tool)
3. Select both Tracing + Shadows > Click Pathfinder (Divide)
4. Select figure > Shape builder tool (hold alt) > Delete excess shapes
5. Isolation mode > Use shift key to select parts for shadow > Fill with desired colour
   
   

2. Textured Background

We then had to choose a textured background and use the clipping mask in order to blend the background with the shadow.

Fig 3.2 Clipping Mask Textured Background | Week 4 (18/10/23)

Steps: 

1. Select shadow only (same fill colour) > Object > Compound path > Make 
2. Arrange background to back > Highlight both object and background > Clipping mask
   
   

3. Final Compilation

Fig 3.3 Final Compilation | Week 4 (18/10/23)

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INSTRUCTIONS

Task 1 | Exercise 1: Vormator Challenge

In this exercise, we are given a set of shapes and with these shapes, we are challenged to create our own unique design on Adobe Illustrator, within a strict set of rules.

Rules:

• Allowed to rotate, flip and duplicate the elements.
• Have to use all the elements.
• Scaling is allowed, but proportionally, so skewing or free transform.
• Can add, subtract, intersect and group elements as you see fit.
• The use of colour is unrestricted; you can create your own colour schemes (e.g. use Adobe Color).
• Allowed to use gradients.
• The elements may be filled, and the use of strokes is allowed.
• Allowed to use filters or effects (e.g. drop shadows).

(i) Character Design

1. Tracing Shapes

Our first instruction required us to trace the Vormator shapes that we would later use to create our character's silhouette.

Fig 1.1 Vormator Shapes (Tracing) | Week 2 (4/10/23)

2. Research / Inspiration

I have always loved mythical and fantasy characters. Hence, when thinking for inspiration, I suddenly recalled one from a game I had played a few years back: Jörmungandr from God of War, who was a World/Sea Serpent.

Fig 1.2 "Jörmungandr" from God of War - Inspiration #1 | Week 2 (4/10/23)

I then decided to do further research, studying the different orientations and features that sea serpents have.

• Serpentine Body: Sea dragons have long, snake-like bodies.
• Scales: They often have scales covering their bodies in various colours and textures.
• Aquatic Adaptations: Sea dragons may have fins, flippers, webbed feet, or gills for underwater life.
• Heads and Faces: They can have reptilian or dragon-like heads with horns and sharp teeth.
• Size: Sea dragons are typically depicted as large and imposing creatures.
• Breath Weapons: Some myths attribute breath weapons associated with water-related elements.
• Cultural Variation: Characteristics vary across different cultures and traditions.
• Symbolism: Sea dragons symbolize the power of the sea, chaos, and the unknown.
• Mythological Role: They can be guardians, navigational hazards, or adversaries to heroes.
  
  

Fig 1.2 Inspiration #2 | Week 2 (4/10/23)

Fig 1.3 Inspiration #3 | Week 2 (4/10/23)

Once I had concluded my research, I decided to combine the idea of a sea-dragon serpent, as I also have a liking for dragons in fantasy folklore (and also because I had a tough time deciding between the two).

3. Orientation

I then proceeded to figure out the orientation for my character by arranging the shapes in a curved, sea-serpent-like manner.

Fig 1.4 Draft #1 (Orientation) | Week 2 (4/10/23)

4. Colour Palette

Once I had roughly laid out the design of my character, I began selecting the colour palette I wanted for my character.

Fig 1.5 Draft #2 (Colours) | Week 2 (4/10/23)

5. Additional Details / Final Character Outline

I added more depth to my character's body and additional details such as fins on the body, as well as additional facial features like a moustache and extended scales.

Fig 1.6 Draft #3 (Additional Details) | Week 3 (11/10/23)

Fig 1.7 Final Character (Outline) | Week 3 (11/10/23)

6. Light & Shadows

Once I was satisfied with the overall design of my character, I began adding light and shadow gradients to the parts of the body that I thought were best suited.

Final Design (Character)

Fig 1.8 Final Character Design (Light & Shadows) | Week 4 (18/10/23)

(ii) Background Design

1. Background Outline & Fill

For my background design, I wanted something simple to portray my character's habitat, which is deep under the sea. Hence, I used light-to-dark gradients to emphasize depth.

Fig 1.9 Background (Outline) | Week 5 (25/10/23)

Fig 1.10 Background (Fill) | Week 5 (25/10/23)

2. Additional Details & Colour Fill

I added some plants and, in particular, jellyfish to the background, with no other creatures nearby except for them, as my character's weakness is electricity.

Fig 1.11 Plants/Jellyfish (Details) | Week 5 (25/10/23)

Fig 1.12 Plants/Jellyfish (Fill) | Week 5 (25/10/23)

Using the knife tool, I added some extra details, such as bubbles flowing through the sea and emanating from my character's mouth.

Fig 1.13 Bubbles (Details) - Knife Tool | Week 5 (25/10/23)

Fig 1.14 Bubbles (Details) - Removed Background | Week 5 (25/10/23)

Lastly, I added some light rays to represent the sunlight's glistening effect from the sun, just to add a finishing touch to the design.

Fig 1.15 Light Rays | Week 5 (25/10/23)

Final Design (Background)

Fig 1.16 Final (Background) | Week 5 (25/10/23)

I decided to have a bit of fun with my Pokémon card design. I stuck to using blue to match the background setting of my character while keeping the yellow/gold borders to make the card stand out and give it a rare feel. I also chose to use a combination of Futura's light and medium condensed font, which closely resembled the original Pokémon card font. Additionally, I included symbols to represent the different types related to my character's weakness and resistance, which, in this case, were lightning, water, and colourless.

For my character, I chose the name "Leviathdra" as a combination of the term "Leviathan" (which is often used in literature and mythology to refer to a large and powerful sea monster or sea serpent) as well as ending it with the word "-dra" to represent the word dragon.

Final Design (Pokemon Card)

Fig 1.17 Final (Pokemon Card) | Week 6 (1/11/23)

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FEEDBACK

Task 1 | Vormator Challenge

Week 2

General feedback:

• E-Portfolio:
• We were instructed to set up our E-Portfolio in which we would document all of our tutorials and task progression.
  
  

Week 3

Specific feedback:

• Task Progression:
• Mr. Hafiz liked and approved my character and told me to start working on adding light and shadows to improve the visuals of my design.

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REFLECTIONS

I really enjoyed this task, although it was challenging as we were only allowed to use limited shapes to create our character. I was overall happy with the outcome in the end. Despite not being proficient in Adobe Illustrator, the exercises done during the tutorials played a significant role in the completion of the task. The Pokémon card exercise at the end was a really fun way to conclude the task.