Module Evaluation

This module definitely posed a challenge in balancing both practical and and written work. I went through a few different ideas when deciding on my practical, but in the end decided to do my original idea of a comic, which is more relevant to this project than just character designs since I don't focus too much on archetypes and characters, but rather the character's journey and story. After getting further through my research and exploring the differences between the Hero's and Heroine's journeys, I thought it would be ore relevant to my project to create different scripts or stories, perhaps showing the same story but following the Hero's Journey structure, one following the Heroine' Journey structure and one with both, but I would not have had time to create that many practical projects and by that point I was already too far into my current idea to change it.

Though I do like my idea of a comic, I think that just telling one story is not enough after looking at what I have written in my dissertation. It does show a female character undergo a Hero's Journey, and after receiving feedback from my peers I have heard that nothing seems out of place either - you can not tell that this is a journey only for males to undergo, because it seems completely normal with a female character too. I've realised after analysing a few different animations that the best stories tend to have a mix of both journeys; they may lean more towards one, but elements of both is what make the characters deeper, and the story feel more resolved. None of them seem to follow the structures completely which I am glad to have noticed; I feel like my story writing will be much stronger in the future now that I am aware of these structures and also their downfalls. I can decide if one structure may help me tell a certain story better, and I can see where and how to add other elements if I so choose. This will also make me more aware of possible ideas and opinions people could have of my work if I did choose to write it in a certain way, as both structures receive criticism for parts/or the use of these structures, and I am also more aware of how different audiences have different opinions if this.

I enjoyed drawing my comic, but I am not completely happy with how it turned out. This is in part because of time management; I spent a lot more time researching comic panels and layouts than I should have, as well as Hero's Journey research earlier on. I feel like I have learned more from this than if I had finished the comic, but it would have been nice to actually have it drawn out and finished, even more so if I could have spent more time on the thumbnails and story.

I didn't plan to write so much on the Heroine's Journey or have it feature so much in my essay, which is why I think it spent more time on the essay in the latter part of the project, and partly why I am not happy with my practical piece. If I'd have written the essay much earlier and had it near finished before beginning my practical, the whole project would have turned out very different. Because of this, I would like to get as much research and writing done in the future as I can before starting my practical pieces when I can.

Comic Pages

Finishing Pages

Robert Valley Influence
I know that I can not finish my whole comic in colour (or even in grey scale) which is a shame, but I wanted to do at least a couple of images to an almost finished standard to show what the comic could look like when completed.

I wanted to take inspiration from Robert Valley's use of gradients, making every scene much more dramatic, especially since they work just as well in both his colour and grey scale work. I needed to use blacks and more dramatic contrast still, which I often find a little intimidating because it's not too hard to go overboard with gradients. I would like to edit these more if I have time but if not, then this is something like what my final comic could have looked like.

Changing Panels

While actually drawing out some of the pages of my practical, I realised that I may have been a little ambitious and point, and other parts just didn't work compared to the thumbnails, so  made minor changes on some. Page 15, below, probably got the most changes; the panels at the bottom went in the other direction, with a different fight sequence. I thought that a throw would work out better, but I had to use some reference from that.

I tried to pick out some of the more dramatic poses that, together, would give the viewer more of a sense of what was happening. I don't think I did too badly on this, although I think the last panel needs a bit more 'oomph' which I might try to fix if I have time.

Rough Pages

I'm drawing the comic pages on my tablet because, though my drawing can often be better traditionally, I do not have as much time as I would like to finish all of the pages; drawing digitally allows me to finish off the lines as I draw the images. Usually I wouldn't do this as moving my drawings from traditional to digital helps me to see and fix more mistakes, but I just don't have time for that so digital will be the most efficient way more me to finish these pages right now.

Academic Poster

I didn't want to have any unfinished pages on my poster since I didn't like how they looked yet and I don't feel as though just designs would be quite as relevant to the subject of my essay so I decided to go with a sewuwnce of actions with my heroine to show her in action and to lead the viewer's eyes through the text. I added the Hero's Journey diagram so that anyone unfamiliar with the concept could understand the ideas behind and point of my poster.

Lighting Reference

Superhero comics enjoy being dramatic, which is why I want to incorporate dramatic lighting into my comic. For the stages of Crossing the Threshold and later on, I have planned the time of day to be around sunset to best make use of lighting. The warehouse where the final fight is staged has a large window at the end of the walkway, behind where the villain will be standing. This means that the villain will be backlit, allowing me to show off their silhouette and make the scene more ominous. This also lets me use red lighting, to signify danger, evil, bloodshed etc. to really build up the scene. As the fight progresses, the sun will continue to set and will eventually let the sky outside turn dark, with only the moon in view. The moon's light will be much more neutral and cast white light onto the scene, which signifies innocent, rebirth, purity which all work for the scene after the villain is defeated, and the innocent civilian has been rescued.

I think that gradients will definitely help me achieve this lighting, as well as maybe some use of layer/blending modes. I need to make sure that I do not spend too long on the colouring in order to get all pages done, but this may just mean colouring in grayscale first, before going back and adding colour which should help me get the right amounts of contrast anyway.

Lecture Two; Resolving your Research Project

Intro - outline question, argument, how that will develop your point. 'Critical knowledge of your practice'.

Evidence that you understand practice and opinion of other evidence of apply theory theory to practice.
Apply knowledge to art and other things too. Evaluate ideas, strengths/weaknesses.
Reflect.
Deep and surface learning; not superficial/limited engagement. Spring into extended w/a deeper understanding etc.

Creating - evaluating - analysing - applying - understanding - remembering

Evaluation - synthesis - analysing - applying - understanding - remembering

evaluation - synthesis - analysis - application - comprehension - knowledge

Independent engagement, opinion, critical and thoughtful about idea and information, relates ideas to own ///// experience and knowledge sees the big picture

Relates evidence to conclusion examines logic of arguments interested in wider reading + thinking /// ongoing preparation and infliction.

Specialist vocabulary (use and learn!) Formal. Based on solid evidence and logical analysis, and presented as a concise, accurate argument. Academic writing can allow you to present your argument and analysis accurately and concisely,

No more than 500 words - intro para on each chapter
Each chap w/own intro and concluding paragraphs. aim for precision, no unnecessary words.

Uncertainty = cautious language ---> may, might etc. Avoid repeating words and other long sentences.

Avoid repeating words + overly long sentences.

Avoid abbreviations and contractions, slang words and phrases. Avoid conversation terms. Avoid vague terms. Preliminaries - title/acknowledges contents/list of illustrations.
Intro - abstract, statement of the problem/methodological approach.
Main - Review of literature/logically developed argument/chapter/results of investigation/ case study
conclusion - discuss + summarise conclusions of the chapters.

Bechdel Test

The Bechdel Test, coined by writer Allison Bechdel is a test for the presense of female characters in media, and if they are there for any meaningful reason. Applying the Bechdel test to anything involves asking the following questions:


1. The movie has to have at least two women in it,
2. Who talk to each other,
3. About something besides a man.

Many of the most popular films around do not pass this test, as women do not have that many speaking roles, especially significant speaking roles in films and media today. A piece of media could have a great, well written female character in it that would surely seem like they would pass any test of sexism/feminism - but if they are the only female character, or speaking character in that, then they would immediately fail. A piece of media may pass the test but still have underdeveloped characters and misogynistic themes throughout it, which shows the limitations of the test. It is still an interesting concept to consider when looking at feminism in media and the presence of female characters. As the feminist discussion is becoming a larger part of my essay, I think that looking into this in the animations I am discussing might be a good idea.

Thought Bubble Artist Comments

Though I have gone into more detail elsewhere in my blogs about the Thought Bubble panels, I thought it would be good to note down some of the comments about writing from the Decompressed/Worldbuilding panel in case anything can be used in my essay.

Scott Snyder - can create a world that is a projection of how you feel in a certain place or situation
What connects your own thing with everyone else? Characters are conduits to explore himself. Suffocating, knowing/using structures unless it's your own and

Noelle Stevenson - Not all of [the story] had so much thinking but knew the core of the story and where it was going

Kate Leth - a lot is improvised; mostly just knew how it was going to end.

Al Ewing - Likes to do prep + very tight outline, but will gladly deviate from it if it feels right. f it doesn't surprise you it doesn't surprise anyone else. Likes writing in a 5 act structure instead.

Rick Remender - no right or wrong way to do it, but does like to have an outline and know where he's going.

Kieron Gillen - using the same structure is like is every song in the world is using the same beat ----> boring and predictable. Worldbuilding is a tool, not an end product.

Lecture One

Methodologies and Critical Analysis
Evidence logic, judgement, sources etc

Methodology - necessary; every project will have it in some way.
- Straight forwards.
- Logical, systematic and structures way of organising a research project and gathering necessary info.
- Evidence that you have reflected critically on various research methods and chosen ones that are most appropriate for your research program.
; set/system of methods.

Thinking about how you look at the world. Theoretically honest.
Avoiding being like that is my worldview.
What kind of methods will you use?
Qualitative, quantitative, both?
What kind of research methods are the most appropriate ----> problems you may encounter

Methodology may include;
 Literature review - libraries, journals, internet
A particular theoretical approach
- Questionnaires - sample size, reliability + validity
- Interviews - structures or unstructured bias?
- Sketchbooks, critical diaries, reflective logs

- Where am *I* coming from?
How will you turn making into a part of researching

- Outline your methodology at the start of the dissertation in the intro + contextualise the question. 500 words max for introduction. Explain which chapter is which, perhaps talk about looking into feminism etc. Can talk about what the theory does not talk about - critical self refection + could suggest WHY certain things are not being talked about. Each chapter explaining a concept. Look for the agenda of the authors (incl. when they wrote it - affect judgement?)
Argument; what do I want to say? Have I got the evidence to back it up? Could you find more evidence to support your conclusions? Where else do I need to look to find more evidence? Am I expressing myself clearly and logically?

Triangulation
Pitting alternate theories against the same bodies of data - 3 min. sources etc. Need to show the reader that you are evaluating the evidence for it's relevance + reliability
Evaluation - looking at and coming to conclusions about the value of your evidence.

Villain Design 2/2

I definitely liked the collars and smaller details on the villain designs, but I needed the mouth to be visible for some panels, and I didn't want to risk the character getting too much into pirate outfit territory like the third design here is. The endlges do work very nicl though.

I tried making the design a bit closer to the Superhero's, and a bit more casual but giving them shoulder pads to add a bit more power to it. I feel like this is a little too close to he Heroine's design, and doesn't look too villainous either. I do like the idea of using parts of her design and inverting it for the villain though; this could even add something to their backstories. If their designs were similar in some way, that could imply that they were on the same Superhero team or worked together at some point, which would make the betrayal in the story and the villain taking the role of shadow worse. I don't think I could fit that into the story, but fitting it into the design is still an interesting idea.

I inverted the belt and the shoe triangles to contrast with the hero and made the end of the coat more angular, and almost more showman-esque, since the villain is orchestrating the whole end scene of the comic. I think the closed coat seems a bit more serious, and works better with a dramatic collar, as a lot more piratical elements have disappeared now. I feel like this is a good contrast against the heroine, and definitely looks more villainous.

Villain Design 1/2

I wasn't entirely sure of the gender of my villain at the start, so I decided to just design with the vague ideas I had in my head of the villain and see how my design worked out.

I knew that I wanted sharper edges on my characters, since these would make the character much more villainous and threatening, but I thought it might also be an interesting idea to give the villain a few more casual elements if I could as well. I think that parallels between the Hero and Villain are always an interesting thing to think about, especially with Vogler's idea of the Shadow archetype, which is this villain's archetype, representing repressed emotions or idea.

I liked the idea of a long coat, which works in the design almost as a cape would, but feels more practical and less cheesy. I looked a little bit into the Japanese musical movement of 'Visual Kei' as the fashion is very dramatic and could work for villains. Androgyny is common with this style, which I thought might be good to incorporate into these designs.

Thumbnails

My thumbnails turned out very messy as I had to finish some pieces quickly for the exhibition we're having on the tenth. I tried to keep with the idea of less panels for faster/action filled sequences, so that they go faster to the viewer, and more smaller panels for the slower parts with more dialogue, which stops the dialogue for going on for too many pages,

I am not going to make myself stick to these thumbnails 100% as I may encounter problems when drawing, including time management; I haven't drawn a comic before or many of these poses, and I would rather make sure that I can draw all of the comic rather than force myself to finish a few awkward poses just because I wanted to. I know that if I was working with someone else these would have to be a lot cleaner, precise and be definitely possible for the artist to draw, but I have a little bit more flexibility since it is my own project. The main thing is that I know what I am intending to draw, which I do from the thumbnails however messy they look.

Comic Panels Book Research 2

[Continued]

Panel shape can affect our perception of time;  panel border is our guide through time and space when a panel runs off the edge of the age, time is no longer contained and escapes into 'timeless space' motion lines are helpful for showing movement in static images - multiple images of the same thing [like keyframes] also work.

Polyptych, moving figure or figures are imposed over a continuous background. [Understanding Comics - Scott McCloud]

Comic Panels Book Research 1

I decided to do some research on panels and layouts while doing my thumbnails, to make sure that I know what message my images will give and how best to tell my story.

How to Layout Your Comic Pages - Palle Schmidt
First panel should be establishing the shot
- Variation - shape/size of the panels ---> including inside panels
- No more than 9 panels, 3 or less speech bubbles in each
- Image with one panel is best for showing single objects/characters
- Think about printing etc when it comes to pages where the art bleeds over the margins

How to Plan and Layout Your Comic
- 180 degree rule - imaginary line the camera will not cross, keeps characters etc on the same side

Composition 101 – Laying Out Your Comic Page- Silver/Golden Age Comics - grid format. White gutters define each panel
- Artists began to push boundaries - European and Japanese influences ---> can be bad if not planned properly
- 9 panel rid - good for placing lots of information. 6 panel, traditional well used western style, lets dialogue and action both happen.
- Skewed grid - dynamic motion and reader's eye moves faster, works for action.
- Long, horizontal panels - cinematic effect, illusion of extended time.
- FOCAL POINT - area that will avoid visual confusion from one panel to the next. Square panels are hardest for this because they have more option for where to put the focal point. Should lead eye to the next panel - otherwise disrupt flow and loses immersion
- Think about line of sight, background cues, speech placement and focal points.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/warrenellis/4043479776/in/photostream/

Golden Ratio: A numeral value studied by ancient Greek mathematicians that reappears in geometry and the natural world. It has since been used by artists and architects as a basis for the compositions and structures that are naturally pleasing to people. Many scientists have studied the reasons for the appeal of the Golden Ratio, but have yet to find a logical explanation.

"I rarely use four panels horizontally across a page because they are so thin, but I will often use two panels per row. I started studying Hergé’s work and noticed that he staggered the gutters of his comics. I came to the realization that this was to prevent what designers called “rivers.” A river occurs when there is a gap in information that coincides with a gap below. The danger is that a reader might drop down to the next line of info before completing the first one. -http://www.makingcomics.com/2014/05/07/panel-layout-golden-ratio/#sthash.Vc1XN6AJ.dpuf"

McKelvie Panel Research

Jamie McKelvie is a comic artists that uses very creative page layouts that often work just as well as an illustrative piece than a comic page.

A lot of his images can break usual panel rules and ideas because of the content; they are often heavy in fantasy or superhero powers that allow breaking of the fourth wall and other crazy ideas.

He can set a scene very well without dialogue and without even showing full scenes; the use of close ups and poses make many of his pages very effective with less information that most would have.

The fight scene above is made much more interesting and shorter by using a mix of close ups and maps, which also makes the whole sequence more coherent, and would actually work fairly well as a plan for animating. It stands out from usual superhero fights, and probably makes it easier for the artist to see where the fight is going as well.

Other pages involve different shaped panels and the placement helps to separate actions, and make it seem as though many things are going on at once, making the storytelling on the page less linear and more interesting. It would be very ambitious to try to do as many crazy pages as McKelvie does, but these do show that comic rules and conventions can be broken wile still creating interesting pages, and different panel shapes or orders could possibly be incorporated into my own comic.