In the brief period since my last post, I've decided that presenting the 10 full-scale illustrations is the best option for this project. I spent some time narrowing the 25 scenes down to a manageable 10:
1 // page 89;
Entering the submersibles for the first underwater exploration mission down to the Mariana Trench.
2 // page 113;
The larger female Meg kills it's mate (who has killed D.J Tanaka within his sub) - Jonas witnesses from within his submersible.
3 // page 118;
The mauled carcass of the male Meg is lifted by the Kiku's winch, breaching the surface of the water.
4 // page 171;
The Meg leaps from the water to attack Jonas and Mac, hovering above the ocean in Mac's helicopter.
5 // page 243;
The Meg kills Maggie - her partner Bud witnesses.
6 // page 273;
Jonas says goodbye to Terry Tanaka before boarding the submersible for the final confrontation.
7 // page 314;
Jonas guns the AG1 into Meg's open mouth.
8 // page 317;
Jonas is inside the AG1, within Meg's stomach.
9 // page 328;
Jonas attacks Meg's heart, trying to sever the cord/tube.
10 // page 335;
Jonas in the AG1 floats free of Meg's sinking corpse, emerging from her mouth to float towards the surface.
Now that I've decided upon the scenes, of which I already have some ideas for, it's time to start thumbnailing some compositions and designing characters.
Monday, 26 January 2015
10 // Building the Brief... Update
Since last week's post, I've finished the Meg novel and have marked out several scenes that I'd like to illustrate for this project. I've picked out quite a few that were visually dramatic, and several that were more narrative driven, allowing for more complicated compositions featuring multiple characters. Now it's time to narrow them down to no more than 10, before I decide on how many I can realistically expect to produce in time for the deadline.
I'd like to treat the illustrations as if I had been commissioned to illustrate the novel's key scenes. Therefore I should focus on picking scenes that are spaced relatively evenly throughout the story, as well as being the most visually dynamic/dramatic moments I can find. Besides that, I wish to present illustrations featuring the main character Jonas Taylor in a variety of situations, as well as depicting his dynamics with other characters from the plot such as his wife Maggie, the love-interest Terry Tanaka (female), or his old friend Mac.
Currently I have 25 possible scenes that I feel should be illustrated. They form a cohesive structure, following the storyline and picking out all of the key moments required to tell the story, based on illustration alone. However, I feel like some of the scenes are too tightly packed - particularly in the action-packed sections of the book - so I will have to think of a way to reduce this number, without losing important information.
This has gotten me thinking: should I change the output format of my illustrations into something more like a comic-book? By presenting several images upon one page, I could get across all of the information relatively successfully, though at the expense of full size illustrations.
Or perhaps, rather than trying to encapsulate the story as a whole, should I simply select the scenes that I feel might present more visual interest to a viewer? If that is the case, then there will still be quite a few to choose from, but I think it might be a more successful way of going about this project. I think I would rather present full-size illustrations, as this will test my ability to present narrative-based compositions on a larger scale.
OK, I will ponder this dilemma over the next few days and come to a conclusion by the end of the week, by which point I hope to have reduced the number of possible illustrations substantially - if necessary - and begin the research and design phase.
I'd like to treat the illustrations as if I had been commissioned to illustrate the novel's key scenes. Therefore I should focus on picking scenes that are spaced relatively evenly throughout the story, as well as being the most visually dynamic/dramatic moments I can find. Besides that, I wish to present illustrations featuring the main character Jonas Taylor in a variety of situations, as well as depicting his dynamics with other characters from the plot such as his wife Maggie, the love-interest Terry Tanaka (female), or his old friend Mac.
Currently I have 25 possible scenes that I feel should be illustrated. They form a cohesive structure, following the storyline and picking out all of the key moments required to tell the story, based on illustration alone. However, I feel like some of the scenes are too tightly packed - particularly in the action-packed sections of the book - so I will have to think of a way to reduce this number, without losing important information.
This has gotten me thinking: should I change the output format of my illustrations into something more like a comic-book? By presenting several images upon one page, I could get across all of the information relatively successfully, though at the expense of full size illustrations.
Or perhaps, rather than trying to encapsulate the story as a whole, should I simply select the scenes that I feel might present more visual interest to a viewer? If that is the case, then there will still be quite a few to choose from, but I think it might be a more successful way of going about this project. I think I would rather present full-size illustrations, as this will test my ability to present narrative-based compositions on a larger scale.
OK, I will ponder this dilemma over the next few days and come to a conclusion by the end of the week, by which point I hope to have reduced the number of possible illustrations substantially - if necessary - and begin the research and design phase.
Monday, 19 January 2015
09 // Picking A Narrative and Building the Brief
I've finally decided on a narrative to base my project on... Meg; a novel by Steve Alten.
Meg tells the story of a Megalodon shark, thought extinct, who has survived for millions of years by living in the Mariana trench. After a series of events, the beast surfaces and so begins a series of encounters where the enormous shark wreaks havoc upon mankind. Well, that's more or less what happens.
This book caught my attention and stood out from others that I've read recently due to the storyteller's ability to present action-packed scenes with imaginative direction. As I read these scenes, I found my imagination conjuring up vivid visuals, catching all the action from a multitude of angles. It is this inspiration that I desperately needed in order to gain ground on this module, and I'm glad I found it!
I'm currently 75% of the way through the story, with intent to complete it this week, and have already marked out several scenes which I'd like to illustrate. I'll not only be focussing on the action scenes, but also some that portray a much calmer atmosphere; "calm before the storm" types of scenes.
So for the week ahead my plan is thus: complete the story and begin on a second read-through, with note-taking and thumbnailing; begin on character design, incorporating the visual style I intend to apply to the project.
This plan of action should ensure that my creativity continues to run fluidly, setting me at good pace for the rest of the illustrative process.
Meg tells the story of a Megalodon shark, thought extinct, who has survived for millions of years by living in the Mariana trench. After a series of events, the beast surfaces and so begins a series of encounters where the enormous shark wreaks havoc upon mankind. Well, that's more or less what happens.
This book caught my attention and stood out from others that I've read recently due to the storyteller's ability to present action-packed scenes with imaginative direction. As I read these scenes, I found my imagination conjuring up vivid visuals, catching all the action from a multitude of angles. It is this inspiration that I desperately needed in order to gain ground on this module, and I'm glad I found it!
I'm currently 75% of the way through the story, with intent to complete it this week, and have already marked out several scenes which I'd like to illustrate. I'll not only be focussing on the action scenes, but also some that portray a much calmer atmosphere; "calm before the storm" types of scenes.
So for the week ahead my plan is thus: complete the story and begin on a second read-through, with note-taking and thumbnailing; begin on character design, incorporating the visual style I intend to apply to the project.
This plan of action should ensure that my creativity continues to run fluidly, setting me at good pace for the rest of the illustrative process.
Wednesday, 14 January 2015
08 // Regurgitating a Post on Composition
In this post - as the title suggests - I'm going to repeat a brief study I made of composition within illustration, for last term's Computer Arts Practice module. By analysing a couple of - what I feel are - successful narrative-driven illustrations, I found myself picking up a couple of new techniques for use in my own work.
As I feel the study is just as relevant to this project, I will present the images again...
As I feel the study is just as relevant to this project, I will present the images again...
07 // 2nd Term
Having spent the holiday season relaxing and recharging my creative batteries, I'm ready to attack this module head on and really figure out where I currently stand in relation to the end goal (to produce a narrative based illustration).
Towards the end of 1st term I found myself trying to develop my skills in producing environment artwork, using digital painting techniques that were new to me. From this experimentation came mixed results; on one hand, I learnt a great deal about using different elements within a painting to create interesting and dynamic compositions; on the other, I managed to confuse myself with trying to understand colour theory and eventually completely lost my way.
This term however, I intend to simplify things as much as possible for myself by sticking to what I know and am successful at; line-driven artwork. By accepting that this is currently my most comfortable art style, I should be able to consistently produce artwork of a caliber with which I'm happy, therefore progress will will flow a lot more smoothly for me.
Now that I'm happy to proceed with the project at full throttle, it is about time that I choose a piece of narrative to portray. At the moment my range of inspiration is fairly diverse; sci-fi, fantasy, disaster novels/films, monster movies/books, Japanese folklore, etc. are all fair game when it comes to giving me ideas with which to work. It is long overdue that I pick a genre/topic/novel and get to work. I intend to have made my choice by the end of this week.
In conclusion to this post, I will share some examples of the style of artwork I intend to produce for my own illustrations. I have a few pieces of art from some artists whose style is already similar to my own, but who also inspire me to take my own work to the next level; publish-worthy narrative-based illustrations.
Tim McBurnie
Towards the end of 1st term I found myself trying to develop my skills in producing environment artwork, using digital painting techniques that were new to me. From this experimentation came mixed results; on one hand, I learnt a great deal about using different elements within a painting to create interesting and dynamic compositions; on the other, I managed to confuse myself with trying to understand colour theory and eventually completely lost my way.
This term however, I intend to simplify things as much as possible for myself by sticking to what I know and am successful at; line-driven artwork. By accepting that this is currently my most comfortable art style, I should be able to consistently produce artwork of a caliber with which I'm happy, therefore progress will will flow a lot more smoothly for me.
Now that I'm happy to proceed with the project at full throttle, it is about time that I choose a piece of narrative to portray. At the moment my range of inspiration is fairly diverse; sci-fi, fantasy, disaster novels/films, monster movies/books, Japanese folklore, etc. are all fair game when it comes to giving me ideas with which to work. It is long overdue that I pick a genre/topic/novel and get to work. I intend to have made my choice by the end of this week.
In conclusion to this post, I will share some examples of the style of artwork I intend to produce for my own illustrations. I have a few pieces of art from some artists whose style is already similar to my own, but who also inspire me to take my own work to the next level; publish-worthy narrative-based illustrations.
Tim McBurnie
Jakub Rebelka
Matt Rockefeller
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