Assignment 2_Development Process (2)

Changes to Initial HEAVEN idea:
Since I had a lot of buildings to show the sign of overcrowding, I've decided to change my topic to overcrowding with the new-settlers are coming in.

In the final story,

• I generalised the new-settlers and represented them as "angles" and with different color clothes to signify different race/ ethnic groups. My story has changes to Overcrowding.
• With more settlers coming into Singapore, we faced with the increase of crowd and congestion. Even our transportsm for instance the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) have to increase its frequence to cater the rising crowd.

In the end, with the increasing new-settlers in Heaven, the place seems to be overloaded and unable to hold any more... it SINKS.

The issue in story of Singapore is implicitly shown.

Hope you will enjoy it :)

Assignment 2_Development Process (1)

For assignment 2, we were assigned with the theme: Issues people facing in singapore.

(We were also allowed to make use of TEXT)

In the initial process of thinking for storyline, I got most of my ideas inspired from Singapore Studies module since is a sociology module talking all about the "critical side" of Singapore.

My idea was to tap on how our Culture has been influenced and revolutionized by the new-settlers in Singapore over the years.

Topic: The changes in Singaporean.

I tried to illustrate my idea in a subtle and interpretative way, so it was less specific and direct. 
For this illustration, I actually wanted people to relate themselves with the Singapore context.

Well, here is my drawing for first submission- critique:

The text was just a rough idea.

In the critique session, I had a few comments from teacher & friends:

1) If Singapore had its own culture?

2) If the western is the only one influencing Singapore's Culture.

3) If my story should be more direct, to the point of critic the changes/ effects the new-settlers had brought.

However, after the critique I actually came out with a new storyline and a bit of changes to my initial story idea.

The another story idea:

It’s about certain people facing an issue of “unfairness”, where resources are not equally distributed to certain patient.

Well, here is my story; I hope you guys can understand. 

A really rough first draft sketch of my story.

In this story, I compared people who suffered from cancer due to smoking, and the HIV patients respectively.

So my idea is to illustrate how people don't accept HIV patient, even the "law/ policy", they think it’s their fault. Where else people who suffered cancer due to excessive smoking and drinking, they can receive subsides. It’s their choice/ faults to smoke and caused them to suffer from cancer… But, people don't blame them and still give enough subsides to help.

So when I compared them together, I guess HIV patients got treated unfairly. Smoker could have stop smoking and prevent from cancer. But I guess it is really hard to depict a cause. So Ms Jing suggested me into talking about the health care subsidies inequalities rather than its causes. However, I do not know much details towards the full Health Care policies. So i decided to drop the idea :( and go on to my HEAVEN STORY :) 

Lecture class exercise_wk5

In this week lecture, we were taught about the relationship between image and text. 

Usually, texts are like navigator, it has the ability to direct where and how the story will flow, and can be used to depict as a voiceless voice to express ideas. After doing assignment 1, not sure what my other class mates feel, but I’m sure that having text on image helps a story. It can easily bring out the flow of the image. 

The readings mentioned 7 categories of image/text interactive by Scott McCloud:

• Word Specific 
•  Picture Specific
•  Duo-Specific
• Additive
• Parallel
• Montage
• Interdependent

In this week class exercise, we were given these 4 identical images with empty speech bubbles to be filled in. After realising, it’s actually a practice for text-image relationships. We are supposed to fill in the speech bubbles in contrast with 4 different relationships:

• 1  Redundant - where the words and images say the same thing.
• 2  Contrasting - where the words and images portray different ideas.
• 3  Complementary - where the words and images add up to tell an idea that neither one alone can express.
• 4  Unrelated - where the words and images have no apparent connection.

This meaningful exercise had proven how text can change the meaning of a picture completely. It is important to take note that text can be misleading for the image if it is wrongly used.

And, here is my work:

After this exercise, it’s comprehensible that with text comes great depiction, either for the good or bad. Furthermore, to add on in regards to comic artist earlier on and like I’ve said, text-image relationship is pretty straightforward and simple. Dialogues in comic strip can be in speech bubbles, narrative in text box or their sound effects presented in special fonts. Comic book artists are best in making use of such text to create sound effects by taking up various shapes and sizes depending on the effect needed. 

Class Tutorial Exersice

DRAWING TIME!

During tutorial class, we were given the Jack and Jill nursery rhyme and asked to sketch a comic strip to illustrate the scenario.

This is my final product:

In this exercise, we all tried to play with panel-to-panel tactics.

For myself, I also used moment-to-moment, action-to-action and subject-to-subject.

It was quite fun.

Before we draw out our final story, we also tried to do up a few different panel layout.

Assignment1_Development Process

Two weeks ago, we were assigned with our first individual assignment; to illustrate a story with 5 frames of pictures. And I had came out with a storyline inspired from the Valentine's Day.

Before I review my story, do take a look at my first draft for group critique session :)

I had a couple of feedbacks from my tutorial class, and the main tip given was that photography is used to depict reality. Therefore, my story (photo) have to be believable. Hence, I realised my location choice was not ideal- the 4th frame

I had the presents placed in a location that may be not used in reality, and this was the main critique I received.










A few advice given was to make sure the alignment of photos are to be straight, which I did not realised my 1st frame was actually a little tiled. 


It is better to make sure our background is "clean", this will help audience to see where the focus point is. 

Last but not least, to help amplify the ending of the story, it is better to have shown the actor's facial expression of disappointment.

After taking all the feedbacks into consideration, I had adjusted my story and reshot all my scenes.

I actually came out with 2 scenarios to illustrate my story; a confession on Valentine's Day was backfired by the popularity of the girl.
1)                                                        2)

 

After considering and receiving some feedbacks from friends on which scenarios would deliver a better believable story... My final choice is 1 (with the girl throwing the gift away). 
That is because the mailbox was not a strong tool used to show the girl has received a lot of presents and to actually cause the guy to give up.

(I added color filter, hope it can give the story a warm feel)

After adjusting and doing final touch up... I decided to change my last frame.

I chose to show the face of the girl; being indifferent after receiving the present

That's for my assignment 1.

THANKYOU.

Wk3_Class Exercise 3

This week exercises we have to look through and state the technique use for time change on the comics- Some People by LUKE PEARSON

http://lukepearson.com/2009/09/some-people.html

Our group thinks of a few ways the artists had played with to show time change:

- Color changes from Red-Yellow to show the greater years of time change.

- No Gutter/ borders were used for time change

- Indication of character with same clothes and same hairstyle (consistence)

- Played with a color scheme of mainly brown and red

Other things noticed from the comic (shared by classmates):

- The image below, shown the background in brown color seems to indicate the time has freezed; and the girl at the foreground indicted to change with time.

- Red color used as background are generally for "angry/ unpleasant"

- Other kinds of object can also be use to split frame. In this comic, the trees are used to spilt the frame which are another way used.

The color used did really help to enhance the sense of transition for changes in time. The panels without gutter did help to bring the FEEL of time being stretches longer...

From this comic and lesson, I really learnt the difference in time (longer, shorter, time pass) can actually be created by the changes in gutter length and border.