Wee Jun Jie / 0375271
Illu's & Visual Narrative / Bachelor of Design (Hons) in Creative Media
Assignment 1 & 2
Practical and Instructions in Weekly Exercises, Task 1 & 2
Instructions
We are to choose one song from the list below, appreciate the song,
hear it through and understand the lyrics. You are then required to
sketch initial ideas, figure out storyline, illustrate and compose
and animate a ‘moment’ base of your understanding from the chosen
song. This moment will be the album cover. Illustrated typography
must be included. Foreground mid ground and background must be
considered and illustrated.
Then songs list is as below:
-
Fly me to the moon
-
The way you look tonight
-
Come fly with me
-
Girl from Ipanema
-
New York, New York
Assignment 1: Girl from Ipanema (non-animated
cover)
Fig. 1.1 Moodboard for non-animated album cover - Week 8 (12/6/24)
A moodboard is essential when designing a specific project. For this
60's song, I aim to create a retro-style album cover. Inspired by the
lyrics, I want to incorporate elements of mystery and illusion. Let's
scroll down and explore the design process.
Fig. 1.2 Initial Sketch & Idea - Week 8 (12/6/24)
I want to create a visual effect of an observer watching a girl from
a distance on the beach. The foreground features waves made of silt
and dust, and in the middle ground, there's the observer's glasses,
which can also be seen as the sun. This is because the girl comes to
Ipanema Beach regardless of whether the sun rises or sets, and
wherever the girl is, the boy will accompany her. There's a detail
where I reflected the girl's back in the lens, giving the impression
that the boy is watching from afar. I haven't yet figured out how to
animate this picture, but that's okay; I'll complete the composition
first. You can see that in the background of ATTEMPT 2, I chose an Op
Art styling. I want to give this picture a dreamy feeling because
maybe everything happening is just the boy's imagination.
Fig. 1.3 Details Refinement - Week 9 (16-17/6/24)
Feedback: Mr. Hafiz told me that the composition is good, but maybe
can try to place the op art below and remain the dark background on
the top it looks good. He let me to figure it out myself. I then put
the op art at the layering color there, but it feels so annoying,
instead of clip it on the sand, I just turn the opacity down and
remain it on the sky to make it an illusional feeling. As the 3rd
attempt you could observe that I didn’t put that describe much about
the Ipanema beach, because I would like to focus on the man and the
girl. I felt like placing the man’s legs can stories the album
better.
Fig. 1.4 Non-Animated Album Cover 1: 1 - Week 9 (19/6/24)
Fig. 1.5 Non-Animated Album Cover 4: 3 Version 1 - Week 9 (19/6/24)
Fig. 1.6 Non-Animated Album Cover 4: 3 Final Version, JPEG - Week 10 (26/6/24)
Let me briefly explain the details I incorporated into the
album cover. I used a hat as an accessory for the girl to
embellish the title and modified the end of the word "Ipanema"
into a heart, representing the boy's infatuation with the beach
and the girl. This love is subtle and distant. In the midground,
you can interpret it as a hill, which is one of Ipanema Beach's
famous landmarks, or as the boy's eyes. I intentionally added an
eyelid layer to the eye, hoping you understand my intention. The
girl appears blurry in the boy's eye to express his confusion
between fantasy and reality. This is why the background features
magical Op art rather than a simple monochrome or gradient. The
beach reflects in his eyes, illustrating his constant gaze at
the girl. Her tall, dark-skinned figure is also depicted in the
design.
Fig. 1.7 Layer those elements and make it into 3Dimension
I chose to convert all the elements to 3D. Fig. 1.7, you
can see that 3D objects have three different colored arrows.
These arrows help me conveniently adjust the position,
rotation, and depth of the object. In this part, I
specifically adjusted the position of the male character's
legs, the distance of the woman in the eye, and the rotation
of the hat.
Fig. 1.8 The flow of hat drop speed
I draw on the timeline to plan for the animation about the
hat falling and hooking onto the text. The more of white
bars there are, the longer the time. This is one of the most
common methods used in animation. It effectively helped me
solve the problem of how to allocate the hat's rotation
time. After the hat stops, I allowed some time for it to
buffer and hang on the word "GIRL." The purpose is to
highlight the importance of the title on this album
cover.
Fig. 1.9 Null Object Layer
Lastly, let me share an interesting technique. Every
time when you want to rotate or change the direction of
the elements simultaneously, you can create a Null Layer
in After Effects and make the elements parent and link
to the null layer. This way, you only need to make
changes to the null layer, saving a lot of time. This is
one of the reasons I use After Effects over Photoshop
for animation.
Fig. 1.10 Animated Album Cover 4: 3 Final Version, Gif - Week 11 (4/7/24)
You are allowed to download and view the GIF file in my
Google Drive.
Assignment 2 (Final Project): Comic cover and
Animated One Page intro
Fig. 2.1 Moodboard for comic - Week 12 (10/7/24)
This was my first time encountering a comic, as I rarely read them and had no idea what to draw. We were given a stories collection by Edgar Allan Poe, to choose a theme for our final project. I selected the suspenseful "Tell-Tale Heart." Initially, I didn't know what style to use, so I just drew in a black-and-white style. For more details, please see below.
Storyline
Panel 1: The Eye Description: Close-up of the old man’s pale blue eye, open and staring.Animation: The eye subtly pulsates, reflecting the old man’s heartbeat.Sequence Technique: Moment-to-Moment
Panel 2: The Narrator's ApproachDescription: The narrator’s shadowy figure moves closer to the old man’s bed.Animation: The shadow slowly creeps across the floor.Sequence Technique: Action-to-Action
Panel 3: The RoomDescription: The dark, shadowy room with a flickering candle casting eerie shadows.Animation: The candle flickers, and shadows move with the flame.Sequence Technique: Aspect-to-Aspect
Panel 4: The SmotheringDescription: The narrator holding a pillow over the old man’s face.Animation: The old man's struggle, slight movements of the pillow.Sequence Technique: Action-to-Action
Panel 5: Hiding the BodyDescription: The narrator lifting the floorboards to hide the dismembered body.Animation: Floorboards being pried up; body parts being hidden.Sequence Technique: Subject-to-Subject
Panel 6: The Confession Description: The narrator's face, sweating and nervous, as they begin to hear
the imagined beating of the old man's heart.Animation: Beads of sweat appear, and a faint heartbeat sound grows louder.Sequence Technique: Scene-to-Scene
Panel 7: The Heart Description: A stylized heart beating under the floorboards, symbolizing the narrator’s guilt.Animation: The heart beats louder and more frantically, synchronized with the growing sound.Sequence Technique: Non-Sequitur
Fig. 2.2 Final Sketch - Week 13 (17-19/7/24)
I started late and didn't know how to draw, so I skipped sketching and directly completed my final storyboard. I didn't even get a chance to show my work to Mr. Hafiz to check if it was okay because there were so many assignments. It took me three days and nights to finish it. I began by writing my storyline and simulating how each scene would be presented. Then, I searched online for the angles I wanted and used various images to create collages before starting to draw. I think this is a skill that anyone who can't draw can learn because imagining a scene from scratch is very challenging.
Fig. 2.3 Refinement Panel 4 - Week 14 (21/7/24)
Before starting the animation, I reviewed my story and felt that panel 4 needed a close-up shot to better highlight the signs of the old man being killed. So, I redraw it... 10 hours for one panel 😒😓
Fig. 2.4 Grouping Path - Week 14 (21/7/24)
Fig. 2.5 Prework Animate in After Effects - Week 14 (22-23/7/24)
Since we can only use Illustrator for drawing, the final work ends up with a lot of paths. The preparation before animating is really labor-intensive. I have to manage each panel's layers, ensuring all are released to the layer sequence. You can see the details in the image above Fig. 2.5.
Fig. 2.6 Composition Settings in After Effect - Week 14 (24/7/24)
Since I have 7-8 panels, creating everything on one artboard would make the file size too large to upload to Google Slides. Therefore, I separated the compositions and animated each panel individually to ensure that each panel's exported file size does not exceed 50mb. Setting the artboard size was quite a challenge. If the artboard size in Illustrator is too large, resizing it in After Effects would cause the image to shift. To solve this, I used a Null Object layer to parent all other layer's underneath it, making it easier to scale and reposition the content. You can see the details in the images below Fig. 2.7.
Fig. 2.7 Null Object Layer - Week 14 (24/7/24)
Final Artwork Compilation
We are to choose one song from the list below, appreciate the song,
hear it through and understand the lyrics. You are then required to
sketch initial ideas, figure out storyline, illustrate and compose
and animate a ‘moment’ base of your understanding from the chosen
song. This moment will be the album cover. Illustrated typography
must be included. Foreground mid ground and background must be
considered and illustrated.
Then songs list is as below:
- Fly me to the moon
- The way you look tonight
- Come fly with me
- Girl from Ipanema
-
New York, New York
Fig. 1.1 Moodboard for non-animated album cover - Week 8 (12/6/24)
Fig. 1.2 Initial Sketch & Idea - Week 8 (12/6/24)
I want to create a visual effect of an observer watching a girl from
a distance on the beach. The foreground features waves made of silt
and dust, and in the middle ground, there's the observer's glasses,
which can also be seen as the sun. This is because the girl comes to
Ipanema Beach regardless of whether the sun rises or sets, and
wherever the girl is, the boy will accompany her. There's a detail
where I reflected the girl's back in the lens, giving the impression
that the boy is watching from afar. I haven't yet figured out how to
animate this picture, but that's okay; I'll complete the composition
first. You can see that in the background of ATTEMPT 2, I chose an Op
Art styling. I want to give this picture a dreamy feeling because
maybe everything happening is just the boy's imagination.
Fig. 1.3 Details Refinement - Week 9 (16-17/6/24)
Feedback: Mr. Hafiz told me that the composition is good, but maybe
can try to place the op art below and remain the dark background on
the top it looks good. He let me to figure it out myself. I then put
the op art at the layering color there, but it feels so annoying,
instead of clip it on the sand, I just turn the opacity down and
remain it on the sky to make it an illusional feeling. As the 3rd
attempt you could observe that I didn’t put that describe much about
the Ipanema beach, because I would like to focus on the man and the
girl. I felt like placing the man’s legs can stories the album
better.
Fig. 1.4 Non-Animated Album Cover 1: 1 - Week 9 (19/6/24)
Fig. 1.5 Non-Animated Album Cover 4: 3 Version 1 - Week 9 (19/6/24)
Fig. 1.6 Non-Animated Album Cover 4: 3 Final Version, JPEG - Week 10 (26/6/24)
Let me briefly explain the details I incorporated into the
album cover. I used a hat as an accessory for the girl to
embellish the title and modified the end of the word "Ipanema"
into a heart, representing the boy's infatuation with the beach
and the girl. This love is subtle and distant. In the midground,
you can interpret it as a hill, which is one of Ipanema Beach's
famous landmarks, or as the boy's eyes. I intentionally added an
eyelid layer to the eye, hoping you understand my intention. The
girl appears blurry in the boy's eye to express his confusion
between fantasy and reality. This is why the background features
magical Op art rather than a simple monochrome or gradient. The
beach reflects in his eyes, illustrating his constant gaze at
the girl. Her tall, dark-skinned figure is also depicted in the
design.
Fig. 1.7 Layer those elements and make it into 3Dimension
Fig. 1.8 The flow of hat drop speed
Fig. 1.9 Null Object Layer
Fig. 1.10 Animated Album Cover 4: 3 Final Version, Gif - Week 11 (4/7/24)
Fig. 2.1 Moodboard for comic - Week 12 (10/7/24)
This was my first time encountering a comic, as I rarely read them and had no idea what to draw. We were given a stories collection by Edgar Allan Poe, to choose a theme for our final project. I selected the suspenseful "Tell-Tale Heart." Initially, I didn't know what style to use, so I just drew in a black-and-white style. For more details, please see below.
Fig. 2.2 Final Sketch - Week 13 (17-19/7/24)
Fig. 2.3 Refinement Panel 4 - Week 14 (21/7/24)
Before starting the animation, I reviewed my story and felt that panel 4 needed a close-up shot to better highlight the signs of the old man being killed. So, I redraw it... 10 hours for one panel 😒😓
Fig. 2.4 Grouping Path - Week 14 (21/7/24)
Fig. 2.5 Prework Animate in After Effects - Week 14 (22-23/7/24)
Fig. 2.7 Null Object Layer - Week 14 (24/7/24)
I chose to convert all the elements to 3D. Fig. 1.7, you
can see that 3D objects have three different colored arrows.
These arrows help me conveniently adjust the position,
rotation, and depth of the object. In this part, I
specifically adjusted the position of the male character's
legs, the distance of the woman in the eye, and the rotation
of the hat.
Fig. 1.8 The flow of hat drop speed
I draw on the timeline to plan for the animation about the
hat falling and hooking onto the text. The more of white
bars there are, the longer the time. This is one of the most
common methods used in animation. It effectively helped me
solve the problem of how to allocate the hat's rotation
time. After the hat stops, I allowed some time for it to
buffer and hang on the word "GIRL." The purpose is to
highlight the importance of the title on this album
cover.
Fig. 1.9 Null Object Layer
Lastly, let me share an interesting technique. Every
time when you want to rotate or change the direction of
the elements simultaneously, you can create a Null Layer
in After Effects and make the elements parent and link
to the null layer. This way, you only need to make
changes to the null layer, saving a lot of time. This is
one of the reasons I use After Effects over Photoshop
for animation.
You are allowed to download and view the GIF file in my
Google Drive.
Assignment 2 (Final Project): Comic cover and
Animated One Page intro
Fig. 2.1 Moodboard for comic - Week 12 (10/7/24)
Storyline
Panel 1: The Eye
Description: Close-up of the old man’s pale blue eye, open and staring.
Animation: The eye subtly pulsates, reflecting the old man’s heartbeat.
Sequence Technique: Moment-to-Moment
Panel 2: The Narrator's Approach
Description: The narrator’s shadowy figure moves closer to the old man’s bed.
Animation: The shadow slowly creeps across the floor.
Sequence Technique: Action-to-Action
Panel 3: The Room
Description: The dark, shadowy room with a flickering candle casting eerie shadows.
Animation: The candle flickers, and shadows move with the flame.
Sequence Technique: Aspect-to-Aspect
Panel 4: The Smothering
Description: The narrator holding a pillow over the old man’s face.
Animation: The old man's struggle, slight movements of the pillow.
Sequence Technique: Action-to-Action
Panel 5: Hiding the Body
Description: The narrator lifting the floorboards to hide the dismembered body.
Animation: Floorboards being pried up; body parts being hidden.
Sequence Technique: Subject-to-Subject
Panel 6: The Confession
Description: The narrator's face, sweating and nervous, as they begin to hear
the imagined beating of the old man's heart.
the imagined beating of the old man's heart.
Animation: Beads of sweat appear, and a faint heartbeat sound grows louder.
Sequence Technique: Scene-to-Scene
Panel 7: The Heart
Description: A stylized heart beating under the floorboards, symbolizing the narrator’s guilt.
Animation: The heart beats louder and more frantically, synchronized with the growing sound.
Sequence Technique: Non-Sequitur
Fig. 2.2 Final Sketch - Week 13 (17-19/7/24)
I started late and didn't know how to draw, so I skipped sketching and directly completed my final storyboard. I didn't even get a chance to show my work to Mr. Hafiz to check if it was okay because there were so many assignments. It took me three days and nights to finish it. I began by writing my storyline and simulating how each scene would be presented. Then, I searched online for the angles I wanted and used various images to create collages before starting to draw. I think this is a skill that anyone who can't draw can learn because imagining a scene from scratch is very challenging.
Fig. 2.3 Refinement Panel 4 - Week 14 (21/7/24)
Fig. 2.4 Grouping Path - Week 14 (21/7/24)
Fig. 2.5 Prework Animate in After Effects - Week 14 (22-23/7/24)
Since we can only use Illustrator for drawing, the final work ends up with a lot of paths. The preparation before animating is really labor-intensive. I have to manage each panel's layers, ensuring all are released to the layer sequence. You can see the details in the image above Fig. 2.5.
Fig. 2.6 Composition Settings in After Effect - Week 14 (24/7/24)
Fig. 2.6 Composition Settings in After Effect - Week 14 (24/7/24)
Since I have 7-8 panels, creating everything on one artboard would make the file size too large to upload to Google Slides. Therefore, I separated the compositions and animated each panel individually to ensure that each panel's exported file size does not exceed 50mb. Setting the artboard size was quite a challenge. If the artboard size in Illustrator is too large, resizing it in After Effects would cause the image to shift. To solve this, I used a Null Object layer to parent all other layer's underneath it, making it easier to scale and reposition the content. You can see the details in the images below Fig. 2.7.
Fig. 2.7 Null Object Layer - Week 14 (24/7/24)
Final Artwork Compilation
Fig. 2.8 Comic Cover and Intro A4 Google Slide, Gif - Week 14 (24-5/7/24)
FEEDBACK
Fig. 2.8 Comic Cover and Intro A4 Google Slide, Gif - Week 14 (24-5/7/24)
Week 9 - Assignment 1
-
Good ideation, try to place the op art on the sand. Try and look
in different methods.
Week 11 - Review Session
- Everything good. Take care about on the composition. And the depth of the man and the girl.
E-portfolio perfect. Finish with the animated cover and submit.
Week 13 - Meeting
- I have a quick meeting with Mr. Hafiz and get some valuable feedback from him about how to animate my scene and so on...
- Here is part of our conversation ... He guided me to animate the color and tell how to make continuity from scene to scene
- Good ideation, try to place the op art on the sand. Try and look in different methods.
- Everything good. Take care about on the composition. And the depth of the man and the girl.
E-portfolio perfect. Finish with the animated cover and submit.
- I have a quick meeting with Mr. Hafiz and get some valuable feedback from him about how to animate my scene and so on...
- Here is part of our conversation ... He guided me to animate the color and tell how to make continuity from scene to scene
REFLECTION
Creating both non-animated and animated album covers has been an
incredibly enriching experience for me. The non-animated cover allowed
me to focus on design direction, honing my skills in composition,
color theory, and typography. It was a test of my ability to convey a
message and mood through static imagery. On the other hand, the
animated cover introduced a dynamic layer of creativity, challenging
me to think about movement, timing, and how to capture attention in a
digital format. Balancing these two tasks not only expanded my
technical skills but also deepened my understanding of visual
storytelling. This project has shown me the power of different mediums
in evoking emotions and has inspired me to continue exploring the
boundaries of my future specialization.
I really dislike drawing because I'm not good at it, and it takes a very long time to complete. Despite this, I'm grateful that I was able to finish my assignment before the deadline. Through this comic assignment, I learned how to layout designs and became more proficient in expressing the foreground, midground, and background. I believe this will provide a strong foundation for my specialization. However, I am somewhat disappointed with the coloring aspect of my project. I feel that the use of color was not as effective as it could have been. This is an area where I believe I need to conduct more research. Additionally, the animation of lighting and shadows could have been more dynamic and lifelike.
Overall, while there were significant challenges, I managed to complete the task and learn valuable skills in the process. This experience has highlighted areas for improvement, particularly in coloring and animation, which I will focus on in the future development.
FURTHER
EXPLORE
REFLECTION
Creating both non-animated and animated album covers has been an
incredibly enriching experience for me. The non-animated cover allowed
me to focus on design direction, honing my skills in composition,
color theory, and typography. It was a test of my ability to convey a
message and mood through static imagery. On the other hand, the
animated cover introduced a dynamic layer of creativity, challenging
me to think about movement, timing, and how to capture attention in a
digital format. Balancing these two tasks not only expanded my
technical skills but also deepened my understanding of visual
storytelling. This project has shown me the power of different mediums
in evoking emotions and has inspired me to continue exploring the
boundaries of my future specialization.
I really dislike drawing because I'm not good at it, and it takes a very long time to complete. Despite this, I'm grateful that I was able to finish my assignment before the deadline. Through this comic assignment, I learned how to layout designs and became more proficient in expressing the foreground, midground, and background. I believe this will provide a strong foundation for my specialization. However, I am somewhat disappointed with the coloring aspect of my project. I feel that the use of color was not as effective as it could have been. This is an area where I believe I need to conduct more research. Additionally, the animation of lighting and shadows could have been more dynamic and lifelike.
Overall, while there were significant challenges, I managed to complete the task and learn valuable skills in the process. This experience has highlighted areas for improvement, particularly in coloring and animation, which I will focus on in the future development.
FURTHER EXPLORE