Illustration & Visual Narrative - Assignment 1 Editorial Illustration (Decisive Moment)

8/11/2023 - 21/11/2023 ( Week 7 - Week 9 )

Chong Wee Han / 0368863

Illustration & Visual Narrative / Bachelor of Design (Honours) in Creative Media / Taylor's University

Assignment 1 - Editorial Illustration (Decisive Moment)

---

LECTURE

Editorial illustrations are produced for newspapers, magazines and websites to add a visual dimension to a piece of writing. This serves two main functions – it helps to grab the attention of the reader as they browse the publication, but can also help to add a new perspective to the article.

For this assignment, you must find a related article/story that discuss Urban Legends. The legends maybe local or international. The artstyle must be derived from Art Deco.

• Weight: 20% of the final grade
• Duration: 3 weeks

In this assignment, you will create a minimalist editorial illustration based on an urban legend of your choice using Adobe Illustrator. Your illustration will be designed for a digital media publication and should include minor animations to enhance engagement.

• Choose an urban legend that interests you and aligns with the editorial theme.
• Research the chosen legend thoroughly and gather visual references.
• Create a concept mood board to explore the style, color scheme, and overall visual direction.
• Write a brief description of your chosen urban legend and how you plan to interpret it in a minimalist style.
• Begin sketching your editorial illustration. Focus on creating a clear and compelling composition.
• Develop your illustration in Adobe Illustrator. Pay attention to clean lines, simple shapes, and minimalism.
• Experiment with the use of color and typography, keeping the editorial context in mind.
• Start planning the minor animations you intend to incorporate.
• Refine your illustration, paying close attention to details, balance, and visual impact.
• Add animations to your design using Adobe Illustrator or other animation software.
• Test the animations to ensure they enhance the overall narrative without being distracting.
• Write a short artist statement explaining your design choices, including how your illustration reflects the chosen urban legend and the editorial context.
• Submit your completed editorial illustration as a high-resolution digital file (preferably vector format).
• Include a link to a presentation or video demonstrating the animations.
• Submit your artist statement and any process documentation.

Your assignment will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

• Concept and interpretation of the urban legend (20%)
• Design quality and minimalist style (30%)
• Effective use of color, typography, and layout (20%)
• Integration of minor animations (15%)
• Artist statement and process documentation (15%)

---

INSTRUCTION

 

<iframe src="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1zqU77vDefsCTRAO7uY281FRQo4Xgm9EP/preview" width="640" height="480" allow="autoplay"></iframe>

Assignment 1 - Editorial Illustration (Decisive Moment)

For this week, we are informed to do a new assignment which is editorial illustration.We have to choose an urban legend and illustrate its decisive moment in Adobe Illustrator. Our requirement of this assignment is the artstyle must be derived in Art Deco.The legends can be local or international. I chose The Red Crayon as my editorial theme. Since this urban legend came from Japan. I added some Japanese traditional clothes styles in it. Besides, I had also got some inspiration on Pinterest and did some kind of research. I made a moodboard of the research that I have to be more convenient in illustrating. 

The urban legend( THE RED CRAYON )

Figure 1.1 The Red Crayon

Art Deco and Japanese Traditional Style 

Figure 1.2 Moodboard

Sketches

Figure 1.3 Sketches

Chosen Sketches

Figure 1.4 Chosen Sketches

Work Progression

Figure 1.5 Work progression 01

I want to make it more realistic so I draw the word instead of typing it.

Figure 1.6 Work progression 02

Figure 1.7 Work progression 03

After Mr. Hafiz demonstrate the grain effect in the lecture then I apply it on my editorial illustration.

Without grrain effect:

Figure 1.8 Work progression 04

With grain effect:

Figure 1.9 Work Progression 05

Figure 1.10 Work Progression 06

Figure 1.11 Work Progression 07

Mr.Hafiz recommended that our GIF can be within 20 - 30 frames and I do for 32 frames in this animation. I did the images from Adobe Illustrator and exported them to Adobe Photoshop to make it as a GIF.

Final Outcome

Final PNG

Figure 2.0 Final PNG

Final GIF

Figure 2.1 Final GIF

ARTIST STATEMENT

The urban legend I chose is called 'The Red Crayon' from Japan. I incorporated some Japanese elements such as traditional clothing to enhance the story's cultural authenticity. The word on the wall was handwritten to create a more realistic feel, as it was supposedly written by 'the child.' This project spanned three weeks, and upon its completion, I felt a profound sense of achievement. Despite the final work not meeting my initial expectations, the learning experience was invaluable. The iterative process of revising and striving for the most satisfying result proved to be challenging.

Throughout the project, I drew inspiration from various sources, including Pinterest and Dribbble, as recommended by Mr. Hariz. I also explored a new art style, namely Art Deco and incorporated it into my assignment, employing grain effects and wallpaper designs inspired by the Art Deco. Engaging in research and brainstorming to develop my storyboard theme was an enjoyable process. In summary, this project was both interesting and educational, providing me with a new and enriching experience in my academic journey.