Digital Graphic Narrative

Development

Emma Crampton

Shape Task

EvaluationWhat did you like about your image?I liked that I could use a gradient effect in my shapes as this gives it a better look than it just being all one colour. I liked how I used shadows to create a 3D look and my animal didn’t just look like a 2D image but it looked more like a cartoon. I also liked the way that I could add lines to shape the lions face, it gave the plain shape some definition, this meant that I could make it look like a completely different shape by just adding a few lines in. What would you improve if you did it again?In both original images they have a lot of texture and that was hard to make it look like that in Photoshop, if I was to do this again I would choose an animal with less detail and a simpler look. I could have used gradients in some of the other shapes, I would add more stops and colours to make it look better, this would make the image look more interesting than the plain block colours that I’ve used.

Rotoscope

EvaluationWhat did you like about your image?I like that I could use the lasso tool go around each part individually, this meant if I needed to get any shape with a specific angle or small detail I could do it easy. I chose an easy image this time as I had previously struggled with small detail. I also liked how I could make the image look more detailed by just making a few simple shapes on a new layer, this made it look more like a cartoon. I also like how using the gradient made it have a detailed look and I could create depth by doing this which is why I only did it on the part of the face that should look elevated compared to the rest. As the animal was mostly all the same colour I could make all these things merge into one layer to make it easier to use. What would you improve if you did it again?I would choose something that had a different range of colours to see how it looked, I would also chose something that didn’t have as much texture as it is hard to make it look like it has texture when using block colours this meant that I couldn’t use gradients in the main part of the animal because the animal only consists of a few colours, because my animal has detail originally it looks plain as it doesn’t have any now. I use gradients in my image when something needs to look elevated compared the rest which is why I cant use it to create a textured look.

Text Based

EvaluationWhat did you like about your image?I liked how I could try different ways to create different looks to the text to keep it saying the same but it would look entirely different. I like the way that I used the image in the text, it makes it look better than if it had just been a plain colour as it has texture. I also like how you can still add things like shadows and strokes to your text even with an image in it, I think it makes it look interesting and different. I liked that I showed a clear difference in the texts instead of only changing them slightly and I also used a variety of the layer style tools to show that you can change the text in many different ways. What would you improve if you did it again?I would choose an image that had more detail in it to see what sort of look it would give the text, I would also try this with different settings and different texts, I would see what tracking and leading settings looked better with what font types and compare them, for example: would a larger bolder font work well with higher settings than a slim smaller font and what layer settings work well with these? After doing the comparisons I would then know what settings I would use in my future work.

Comic Book

EvaluationWhat did you like about your image?I liked how the images looked different but still shows all the necessary detail to know who is in the picture, I could alter how much detail would show by changing the threshold setting. I like how I have used two examples with different settings/effects used on them, I did one with a slight bit of colour and one in black and white. I also used a different filter on both of them to see if there was much of a difference. I did this because if I prefer this method I will know which filters I have tried and if I like one more than other. What would you improve if you did it again?I would use different settings on the same image to make sure I can see the differences clearly which will help me to decide if I prefer one or the other, I used two different images with different settings but as they have a varied level of detail it meant that the end result would have been different even with the same settings.

Photography

Happy

Excitement

Sad

Lonely

EvaluationWhat did you like about your image?I liked the photographs because its easy to be able to show the emotion as you can capture actions and facial features in them and I like how we have done that to show the four emotions: happy, sad, excitement and lonely. I like that we used different actions to show the emotions instead of just facial features. I like that our images show a clear difference between the emotions even though it is hard to show a difference between happy and excited and sad and lonely in photographs, this is why I like our images because I think we found a way to clearly show the differences. What would you improve if you did it again?I would make sure we had better lighting or changed the settings as some of our images came out very dark as we had little natural light because it wasn’t a bright day. We could have changed the settings (for example white balance) to make sure we had the best look to our photos, but we just used auto settings on all of the photographs apart from the excitement image, in this one I changed the shutter speed to a faster speed to be able to catch a clear shot of them whilst they were jumping. I would include more emotions and different ways of capturing them as we only took one of each and having a larger variety of images would make deciding whether this process was better than any others, easier.

Illustration

EvaluationWhat did you like about your image?I liked that because I was drawing it I could chose how I wanted to do it, I didn’t have to go around any specific details and shapes and I could add them in my own way, I liked how I could add facial detail easily like I did on the shape task to create a different look to the drawing. I didn’t add the fur detail on the whole of the face because that would take a long time and it may also not go right resulting in wasted time, so I just went around the edges and tried to give it a fur look that way, this meant that it would save time and give an equally as good look. What would you improve if you did it again?I would use a picture with less detail and texture to make sure I could draw it looking more like the original because my original image had lots of fur detail all over which made it hard for mine to look like it without spending a long time trying to add it, I would also have a picture with colour as mine had no colour other than black and white, this makes my image look boring and dull. I would not choose to draw in my final work as I do not think my drawings look better than the other work I have produced using Photoshop because that work looks better is is a nicer quality.

Initial Ideas

The top two front covers look like they have been hand drawn, one of them has lots of detail which isn't seen a lot in modern children’s books, they usually have a simple style like the bottom two covers. I would like to use a simple style that looks slightly cartoon-ish because I think this will look nice and will follow the style of other children’s books.

The inside of the top book has lots of writing compared to the amount I would like to do. I like the page on the bottom because it has a small amount of text and it also changes size to make the story interesting. Fonts are serif and they are easy to follow for early readers. I will research fonts to find any that I think will look nice in a children’s book.

The images of the real ducks will help me get ideas on what to make mine look like because I don’t think I will use those images in my book, just for inspiration. I found four images of illustrated ducks that appealed to me. One of the images is very detailed and has been drawn or painted, this image looked nice but I think that children find large shapes and bold colors more appealing and don’t take attention to small detail making it pointless to include. The top illustrations are good examples of what I would like to do in my book as they are plain, simple and have a cartoon look to them.

This font is a fancier font compared to the others, I chose this because it looks like a nice font I could use on the front cover to make it look good and fun but I would not use it for the text in the book because it’d be too hard to read for first readers.

This is a serif font which is common in children’s books, it is a nice italic font but I think it would have to be a large size in my book to be seen well and be the right size for young children to be able to read.

This is also a serif font, I like this one as it is slightly different to many of the others but I feel like it would only look good for the front cover on the title page. I do think this font would look nice used inside the book for the story but it is all in capitals and children may find it harder to understand.

This is a sans serif font. Sans serif fonts are not commonly used in children’s books as it can be hard to work out what letters are what for a young child but I like the look of this font as it is neat and I can make it a larger size enough for the children to be able to read.

These fonts are all ones that I think will look good in my book, I looked for fonts that would look good for each specific page like the front page for example. If I use a fancy font on the front cover I would have to choose a different font for the text inside as it would be hard for a small child to read a whole story in a complicated font. I like the sans serif font even though it isn't commonly used in children’s books, in previous research I found a children’s book that used a sans serif font and I liked the style of it, it gave a modern look with the font and the shape task illustrations it used. I think this would be good because the style it used is popular and made it look very modern.

ProposalDimensions

30cmx30cm large square book. 6 pages. Text will be placed over images.

Story Overview

Mother duck is waiting for her eggs to hatch. One by one they hatch but she realises there is one left that hasn’t hatched, she doesn’t remember it being there but she thinks that she just counted wrong. When the last egg hatches they all get a shock. The duck was not like the rest and gets the name ‘the ugly duckling’. The ugly duckling would always get left out and picked on for being different so he decides to go and find other animals like him. While he is on his search he has to stop for the night as it gets too dark and cold to carry on, he hides in the tall grass but then gets found by a farmer who wants to take him home and show his children. While the ugly duckling is at the farmers house he find out why he is so different. He finds out that he is not a duckling he is actually a parrot, this shocks him and thinks the animals will still call him ugly but his mother finds him and sees how beautiful he is. He became the centre of attention whenever anyone passed.

Export Format

PDF

Advantages: Cannot be edited so your work will not be changed without you knowing.

Disadvantages: Large file sizes.

Deadline

18th December

Audience

The book will be for young children, it is a book that can be read to children by parents or good for a young child who has just started reading, this means that there isn't a specific age range. I don’t think that there is a certain gender the book will be aimed at either, it doesn’t have anything in it that will make it more popular to one gender over the other, other than personal opinion. It isn’t a book that concentrates on what a certain gender as the genders of the characters are not important and do not make a difference to the story. The story is a traditional fairy tale which seems to be more appealing to higher class families, they don’t usually to take interest to the books that are based around characters from TV shows as much as fairy tales.

Production MethodsI am going to use the shape task method because I think that this was the easiest method for me. I think it was easy to use because you can change a simple shape to how you want it by changing it in many ways like rotating, warping and changing the scale. I also think that it is the best for trying to create neat shapes. I will also use rotoscoping if I need to add any small detail that I cannot do with the shape task. This may be clothes or facial detail, I will only use it for the small detail only and it will not be the main method used in production. I chose shape task because I wanted to create simple cartoon-looking characters and scenes, by practicing the methods I found that the shape task method did that best.

What are the strengths of the proposal? What areas of the proposal need further work?

- Each part of the proposal is very detailed and every aspect has been looked at with consideration. Your ideas are clearly explained and specific on what you want to do.

-Go into a bit more detail on your story overview as it is quite simplistic.

What are the strengths of the idea generation? What areas of idea generation could have been further developed?

-You have explored all the different sections of what will go into your book and your intentions are easy to see. You could alter the colours of your mind map or space the bubbles out a little more so they are easier to read.

-Talk about which specific font will suit your book, and for what reasons. Could you use a certain font in a different way for something that happens in your book to make it stand out a bit more?

What are the strengths of the proposal? What areas of the proposal need further work?

This proposal has a lot of detail involved and is easy to read. I understand what this persons initial ideas are and where and how they are wanting to take this further to create a great looking, simple yet affective children’s book.

I my opinion I think the story line shouldn’t be bullet pointed. I prefer a synopsis to read, with a question or a certain piece of detail that will make the reader want to buy the book. I think bullet pointing the story line will take the interest out of the book especially as we have been told what happens. Too much detail has been given away.

What are the strengths of the idea generation? What areas of idea generation could have been further developed?

It is very well set out. I understand what is going on and I like that the text has been looked in to very well with a lot of detail.

I think more information could have been spoken about when talking about how this person is going to complete this task. It has been said that this person will use the shape task as this is the one they prefer but what if there was a problem with the work? Would there be another method to be able to undertake e.g. photography?

What are the strengths of the proposal? What areas of the proposal need further work?

Each section of the proposal you have produced is very well detailed and explains what you will be doing for your project really well.

The story overview could be explained a bit more.

What are the strengths of the idea generation? What areas of idea generation could have been further developed?

The mood board is very well laid out and is very easy to follow. I also think that the mood board is laid out well too, with more than one version of each section. You have done well in explaining your choices of images.

Could have included more space e.g. another slide so that is clear which image on your mood board you are explaining.

Feedback Summary

Sum up your feedback.

I have detailed all my work well but there is some parts that I need to expand on and I need to make sure all the decisions I have made and written about have explanations and reasons to make sure people understand them. My story overview needs improving as I only bullet pointed it. My mind map is detailed and shows all my ideas and how I would expand on them.

Which parts of your feedback do you agree with and why?I need to explain my story overview as I only broke it up into small points and did not add any detail. I need to expand my ideas on the text as I only wrote a small explanation and didn’t go into any detail at all. I could have made my mood board clearer because it was quite squished up and hard to tell which text was with each picture.

Which parts of your feedback do you disagree with and why?

I don’t think the colours of my mind map makes it hard to read as each colour shows different ideas in my mind map then the other colours show developed ideas created of those and so on. I don’t agree with the feedback that said that I should add more methods into my production because I only want to use one method and do not think that I will use any others.

Original Script- http://www.kidsinco.com/2008/07/105/

Narrator: Once upon a time on an old farm, there was a duck family, and Mother Duck had been sitting on a clutch of new eggs. Mother Duck: It was about time that my eggs hatch! … 1,2,3,4,5,6 ducklings I have!Narrator: But something was not right.Mother Duck: Mmmm… that egg didn't hatch, and it is bigger than the rest… I don't remember laying that seventh egg… I wonder how it got here… or did I count the eggs wrongly?Narrator: But before she had time to think about it, the last egg finally hatched. A strange looking duckling with gray feathers that should have been yellow gazed at a worried mother. The ducklings grew quickly, but Mother Duck had a secret worry.Mother Duck: I can’t understand how this ugly duckling can be one of mine!.Narrator: The gray duckling certainly wasn’t pretty, and since he ate far more than his brothers, he was outgrowing them. As the days went by, the poor ugly duckling became more and more unhappy. His brothers didn’t want to play with him.Six Brothers: Stay away from us! We don't want to play with you. You are so ugly, you are not one of usNarrator: And all the farmyard folks simply laughed at him.Pig, Cow, Goat: Ha, ha, ha.. you look so funny! Where did you come from? Did you get lost? Stay away from us, you don't belong here.Narrator: He felt sad and lonely, while Mother Duck did her best to console him.Mother Duck: Poor little ugly duckling! Why are you so different from the others?Narrator: And the ugly duckling felt worse than ever. He secretly wept at night. He felt nobody wanted him.Ugly Duckling: Nobody loves me, they all tease me! Why am I different from my brothers? sniff, sniffNarrator: Then one day, at sunrise, he ran away from the farmyard. He stopped at a pond and began to question all the other birds.Ugly Duckling: Do you know of any ducklings with gray feathers like mine?Narrator: But everyone shook their heads in scorn.Birds: We don’t know anyone as ugly as you.Narrator: The ugly duckling did not lose heart, however, and kept on making inquiries. He went to another pond, where a pair of large geese gave him the same answer to his question.Ugly Duckling: Do you know of any ducklings with gray feathers like mine?Geese: We don’t know anyone as ugly as you. Don’t stay here! Go away! It’s dangerous. There are men with guns around here!Narrator: The duckling was sorry he had ever left the farmyard. Then one day, his travels took him near an old countrywoman’s cottage. Thinking he was a stray goose, she caught him.Old Woman: I’ll put this in a hutch. I hope it’s a female and lays plenty of eggs!Narrator: Said the old woman, whose eyesight was poor. But the ugly duckling laid not a single egg. The hen kept frightening him.

Hen: Just wait! If you don’t lay eggs, the old woman will wring your neck and pop you into the potNarrator: And the cat said.Cat: Hee! Hee! I hope the woman cooks you, then I can gnaw at your bones!Narrator: The poor ugly duckling was so scared that he lost his appetite, though the old woman kept stuffing him with food and grumbling:Old Woman: If you won’t lay eggs, at least hurry up and get plump!Ugly Duckling: Oh, dear me! , I’ll die of fright first! And I did so hope someone would love me!Narrator: Then one night, finding the hutch door ajar, he escaped. Once again he was all alone. He fled as far away as he could, and at dawn, he found himself in a thick bed of reeds.Ugly Duckling: If nobody wants me, I’ll hide here forever.Narrator: There was plenty of food, and the duckling began to feel a little happier, though he was lonely. One day at sunrise, he saw a flight of beautiful birds wing overhead. White, with long slender necks, yellow beaks and large wings, they were migrating south.Ugly Duckling: If only I could look like them, just for a day!Narrator: Winter came and the water in the reed bed froze. The poor duckling left home to seek food in the snow. He dropped exhausted to the ground, but a farmer found him and put him in his big jacket pocket.Farmer: I’ll take him home to my children. They’ll look after him. Poor thing, he’s frozen!Narrator: The duckling was showered with kindly care at the farmer’s house. In this way, the ugly duckling was able to survive the bitterly cold winter. However, by springtime, he had grown so big that the farmer decided:Farmer: I’ll set him free by the pond!Narrator: That was when the duckling saw himself mirrored in the water.Ugly Duckling: Goodness! How I’ve changed! I hardly recognize myself!Narrator: The flight of swans winged north again and glided on to the pond. When the duckling saw them, he realized he was one of their kind, and soon made friends.Swans: We’re swans like you! . Where have you been hiding?Ugly Duckling: It’s a long story.Narrator: Now, he swam majestically with his fellow swans. One day, he heard children on the river bank exclaim:Children: Look at that young swan! He’s the finest of them all!Narrator: And he almost burst with happiness.The End

Final Script

Narrator: Once upon a time mother duck was waiting for her eggs to hatch.Mother Duck: Its about time my eggs hatched, I cant wait for them! Narrator: And one by one the eggs hatched and there was her lovely ducklings. But there was still one egg left there that didn’t hatch, she didn’t remember laying another egg.Mother Duck: I was so excited I must have missed one out.Narrator: Then just as the last egg hatched everyone got a big shock!Mother Duck: This is not my duckling, its too ugly!Narrator: The other ducklings didn’t like him as he was different and Mother Duck had worries, she knew something wasn’t right.Other Ducklings: Why is our brother so different to us? He is a different colour, size and shape to us.Narrator: They would leave him out of games and whenever the other animals would see him they would just laugh.Rabbits: He is definitely an ugly duckling!Narrator: One day no one had seen him… Ugly Ducking: I am not like the rest of the animals here so I will try and find others like me, they have to be some where!Narrator: It became very cold and dark. So he decided to sleep in the tall grass until morning.Ugly Duckling: I will sleep here until morning.Narrator: Whilst the ugly duckling was hiding in the long grass he heard footsteps and became very scared.Ugly Duckling: Who could that be?!Narrator: It was the farmer who lived in the farm house down the road. He decided to take the ugly duckling home.Farmer: I should take you home, the children would love to see a baby parrot!Ugly Duckling: Am I really a parrot?Narrator: Days went by and the ugly duckling grew into a colourful parrot. This was when the farmer decided he should go back to his family.Mother Duck: I am so glad to see you! Narrator: They returned to the other animals and they were shocked by how he has changed. He would always get complimented which made him very happy. The End

Digital Flat Plans

Text will either be here or on the bottom. It will be over the image where there isn't anything to large happening such as the sky or ground.

Main text will still be at the top of page to make it easy to carry on story.

Single words will go alongside the images. These will be a different size to the rest and may be sounds or speech. This text should make children understand what is happening in the picture.

Images will go here with the text overlapping the background.

Images will go underneath main story text and alongside text with background being overlapped again.

The Mother Duck was waiting for her ducklings to be born.

One by one her eggs hatched but there was one left..

As the last egg hatched, everyone got a big surprise!

The other animals didn’t like the duckling because they thought he was ugly.

One day the animals had not seen the ugly duckling.

He decided to find other animals like him.

He decided to sleep in some tall grass until the morning.

While he was trying to sleep he heard a noise…

Stomp!

Stomp!

Stomp!

The farmer found the ugly duckling and decided to take him home.

The farmer decided that it was best for the ugly duckling to go back to his mother.

The ugly duckling became the centre of attention when everyone passes.

The ugly duckling got a surprise when the farmer called the children in.