Though I am nearly decided on my practical, I did also want to consider how what I have read could inform the creation of a comic as well as just character designs, since the idea of writing a comic is still very appealing to me. The main thing that made me consider character designs instead is a) writing short stories is harder than longer stories (for me!) and b) learning all of the different skills to draw a comic takes time. However, I think the fear from the second option is mostly from me never having drawn a comic before and probably wouldn't be as scary as I am making it out to be, and I think with the research I have done and the things I have learned from Campbell's and Vogler's book, writing a shorter story may also be easier than I feel. I have written 250+ words on how my readings would inform each of these ideas either way and hopefully thinking about this will help me decide for definite which direction to go towards.
[Comic]
Campbell’s Hero With a Thousand Faces and Vogler’s The Writer’s Journey are the two books that will inform my practical the most. Both go through the common steps in a story that bring it to a satisfying, resolved end. My other readings point out that all of these steps are not always needed, and steps can be rearranged to make a more interesting and slightly less predictable story which I will take into account, but the three basic steps - Departure, Initiation and Return are very important since they are the three act structure that everything should follow. These books have also informed me of character types, how they are used, and how they can be interchanged and combined. Archetypes can be a tool, rather than a structure for a character, and characters can slip into these roles as and when they need to to achieve certain effects in the story as long as this is not out of character. As these archetypes all symbolise different parts of the human consciousness/personality, they can be utilised in very different ways depending on the story that I want to tell. Some of my readings also talk about character arcs and how they may differ between characters and archetypes - one might not always have to change in order to develop, but their beliefs/ideals must be challenged in order for the character to move forwards. The Seven Basic Plots will also help serve as an outline for my story, helping me decide on a basic plot (i.e Quest, Rags to Riches) allowing me to then realise the three arcs, and then other Hero’s Journey elements that will make the story effective.
[Character Designs]
My readings on archetypes (from The Writer’s Journey and The Hero With A Thousand Faces especially) will inform my designs greatly - they will serve as a foundation to build the character off, with certain qualities that I can explore visually. These archetypes can be combined and used at different times, letting me try out different contexts for the design to work best in. Archetypes also represent different parts of the human consciousness/personality, which added together can create some interesting combinations. Vogler also pointed out that the ‘Hero’ types character is not always the main character - usually the character who changes/is developed the most should be considered the main character, so this should be taken into account when designing as it may be best for the main character and/or the protagonist to stand out the most. The DOTA Design Guide has also been very helpful for pointing out how contrast and detail should be handled within a design, with the ratio of plain:patterned and low contrast:high contrast affecting the readability of a design. Glen Keane’s design notes shown how characters can use animal/object attributes to achieve a certain effect - for example, the Trickster archetype and foxes or serpentine animals work very well together. The GamaSutra article “The Aesthetics of Game Art and Game Design“ demonstrates how the shapes of the characters and backgrounds work with or against each other to create the desired effect which is important for when I create backgrounds and show my characters in context. It also emphasises the importance of character shape and silhouette, and what they tell the audience about the character, making certain archetype and qualities easier to see.
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