Illustration and Visual Narrative | Task 2: Editorial Illustration (Decisive Moment)
1/11/2023 - 29/11/2023 | Week 6 - Week 10
Iman Mikudim | 0338004 | Section 4
Illustration and Visual Narrative | Bachelor of Design (Hons) in Creative Media
Task 2: Editorial Illustration (Decisive Moment)
SECTIONS
| Lectures
- Tutorial 4: Transparency
| Feedback
LECTURES
Lecture 3 | 3 Act Part
Lecture 4 | Limited Animation Guide
TUTORIALS
Tutorial 4 | Transparency (Gradient and Noise)
Resource Links:
In this tutorial, we learned about texture gradients following the videos and demonstrations provided by Mr. Hafiz in class. The purpose of this exercise is to assist us in creating gradients with noise effects, which we'll apply to our art deco style illustration for task 2. The two exercises below show the before and after effects of adding texture (noise) gradients.
Fig 1.1 Exercise 1 - Before & After (Gradient / Noise Texture) | Week 7 (8/11/23)
Fig 1.2 Exercise 2 - Before & After (Gradient / Noise Texture) | Week 7 (8/11/23)
INSTRUCTIONS
Brief:
Editorial illustrations are works that appear alongside newspaper, journal articles, etc to illuminate some element of the concepts for the reader. For this task, we are to find a related article/story that discusses Urban Legends. The legends may be local or international.
- Interpret a passage of text (story); illustrate the decisive moment (climax).
- The end must be animated (limited animation).
- Art Deco Stylized.
- The outcome must be portrait.
1. Research
Editorial illustrations are works that appear alongside newspaper, journal articles, etc to illuminate some element of the concepts for the reader. For this task, we are to find a related article/story that discusses Urban Legends. The legends may be local or international.
 |
| Fig 2.1 Slenderman | Week 7 (1/11/23) |
Physical Characteristics:
- Supernatural creature with nebulously defined characteristics and abilities.
- Appears as a tall humanoid figure in a black or grey suit, white shirt, red or black tie.
- Face is featureless and completely white, lacking facial features, hair, with long, bony fingers.
- Height varies in depictions, ranging from 6 to 15 feet.
Behaviour and Traits:
- Behaves in a passive-aggressive manner, often stalking targets for extended periods before attacking.
- Tortures targets mentally over time, inducing fear and paranoia to drive them to insanity.
- Generally portrayed as malevolent and not in a benign or good light.
Original Abilities:
- Selective invisibility, potentially invisible to adults or those without a camera.
- Ability to change height and body shape.
- Ability to shape arms into tentacles or sprout tentacle-like appendages from back and shoulders for various purposes or to instill fear.
Relationship with Children:
- Has an odd connection to children, a prominent trait in the original mythos.
- Seeks friendship with children, as they might trust him, unlike adults who fear him.
- Stalks children for years to nurture fear before attacking them as adults.
- Brainwashes children to serve his own unspecified ends or uses them as Proxies.
- Children might simply be easier for him to hunt.
Preferred Locations:
- Often found in deserted, derelict, forested areas where victims can't easily seek help.
- Shows a preference for forests and dense woodlands, blending with trees and causing confusion and terror in victims.
2. Moodboard & Sketch
 |
| Fig 2.2 Moodboard | Week 7 (1/11/23) |
3. Digitalization
(i) Illustration
 |
| Fig 2.6 Background | Week 7 (5/11/23) |
 | |
|
(ii) Animation
Additional notes to take into account when animating:
- Try to keep the file size under 5MB.
- Concentrate on secondary action, emphasizing subtle movements to add depth to the illustration.
- The best resource for reference on secondary action is Disney's 12 principles of animation.
- Avoid the mistake of accidentally focusing on the primary action and prioritize the secondary action.
- In animation, more frames result in slower motion, while fewer frames result in faster motion.
- Animating Slenderman's tentacles in a wave-like motion.
- Animating a gentle sway on the child's toy, indicating a subtle breeze in the scene.
- Incorporating subtle background effects:
- Adding various highlights on tree barks.
- Adding mystical orbs or fireflies in the forest as background elements.
Before starting the animation process, I revised the colors and incorporated a few more elements into my illustration. I referenced artist Alexandra Dvornikova, as I admired the way she illustrates and adds subtle animations to her work.
 |
| Fig 2.9 Reference for Slenderman's tentacles | Week 9 (22/11/23) |
 |
| Fig 2.10 Revised illustration | Week 9 (22/11/23) |
 |
| Fig 2.11 Draft of Slenderman's tentacles | Week 9 (22/11/23) |
 |
| Fig 2.12 Total frames for animation | Week 9 (22/11/23) |
 |
| Fig 2.13 Final animation | Week 10 (28/11/23) |
Final Editorial Illustration
 |
| Fig 2.14 Final Editorial Illustration (PNG) | Week 10 (28/11/23) |
Final Editorial Illustration (Animation)
 |
| Fig 2.15 Final Editorial Illustration (GIF) | Week 10 (28/11/23) |
FEEDBACK
Week 9
- Mr. Hafiz commented that the final look of my illustration is good.
- He also mentioned that I provided very nice references for the animation and said could incorporate some additional shapes to my illustration before animating.
- The samples I showed have a variety of shapes for the background, and he suggested I could perhaps use the same approach for my background as well.
