OUIL405 Visual Narratives | End of Module Self-Evaluation

1. Which practical skills and methodologies have you developed within this module and how effectively do you think you are employing them within your own practice?

• Due to the importance of narrative and storytelling in this module, my skills in storyboarding and creating sequences of images has improved. Having to make multiple plans, edit them, cut out unnecessary scenes, and refine them in a way that best tells the story.

• Not only do you have to consider image making, but qualities such as atmosphere and tone of voice have to play a role to create a stronger story in my opinion. You could have a book that looks amazing yet doesn't say anything.

2. Which approaches to research have you found most valuable during this module. How have you interrogated your research to identify appropriate ideas?

• The research aspect of this module is something that I have really enjoyed - gathering quite a breadth of information and having to comb through it for ideas. In particular, I have found that photographs, conversations, and physical visits to a place have been the most beneficial. Although drawings and other factual information were gathered, the other three seemed to inform my concept more, helping it take shape from personal stories.

• I didn't have a set way of picking out the most appropriate ideas, I seemed to side with concepts and stories that had an emotional impact or were unique to my own research. My research and subsequent concept were more interlinked as they were concerned with my hometown's background, and family members that had a role in that. They work together and inform each other in that way.

3. What strengths can you identify within your submission and how have you capitalised on these? What aspects of your submission are you satisfied with?

• A strength of my Visual Narratives project has been my research. I collected multiple forms of research, and managed to retrieve some very personal and unique information that I feel sits well with the project title of Tell an Untold Story. I learned the importance of research, but moreso research that you conduct yourself. Visiting places, getting bits of speech and conversation from locals, all of these things are wholly original and are something you can't always search the internet for.

• I suppose that my idea generation (particularly the use of mock-up books) was strong and, in turn, gave me a solid foundation for my project from quite an early stage. Putting forward multiple concepts meant I had more material to work from, so I could pick the most effective of the bunch.

4. What areas for further development can you identify within your submission and how will you address these in future?

• Crafting is something I feel my picture book lacked. I'm not so great with accuracy or precise measurements, so as a consequence my illustrations can often lack finesse and skill. I think I could solve this by working slower, and taking more time with my work. Measuring accurately, waiting for ink to dry properly, taking care with glue. All of those things.

• I could also have developed my work further by testing things out more - whether this is with traditional media or digitally. Although I think spending too much time on testing and experimentation can sometimes hinder a project by throwing up more hurdles and questions, at times it can help to discover approaches that would make a piece of illustration better or more finished.

5. How effectively are you making decisions about the development of your work? What strategies inform this decision making?

• In terms of decision making I'm often able to decide on something myself rather quickly, but I can easily fall into pondering and deliberating over trivial things in fear of picking the wrong one (which happened a bit in this module). This often occurs during the development of an idea and settling on a tone or what media to use.

• Strategies that inform decisions made during projects range from just testing things out myself, peer reviews, and talking to others and asking a lot of questions about how something looks. Seeing to decisions on your own 100% of the time can make yourself become tired of your own project (especially with lots of choices), so seeking advice and feedback from peers can be valuable as it offers fresh perspectives.

6. How effectively have you managed this project and organised yourself during this module?

• I feel that I have managed this project relatively well in terms of time and organisation. I haven't felt that there was something urgently outstanding that needed doing at any point, and I make sure that I blog on a regular basis so that I don't forget anything, and doing so means there are only small amounts of posts to be made each time.

• I think I've more or less steadily kept on top of work as I split the projects into sections that I tackle one at a time. However, one criticism is that I could have set aside more time for testing colours, effects, and typeface digitally. This probably would have made my overall project more well-rounded and considered.

Picture Book | Final Outcome

After going to the print room, facing difficulties with the folding machine and subsequently printing another copy, I made the final book. I chose to print on matte paper that was heavier than the standard gsm, so that the finished book would be pretty sturdy.

Although I'm not totally happy with the book itself, I can see that it doesn't look too bad and I would definitely like to print more things in future. Using the print resource elevates work, making it look that little bit more professional.

Picture Book | Editing & InDesign

When moving the illustrated pages into software, I knew that I wanted any digital treatments to be subtle and serve as a way of enhancing the original image.

I thought that anything too digital may look synthetic, and would detract from the very traditional, handmade methods I had used to create the pages.

On the left is the unedited scan, and beside it is the same image that has been slightly resized/cropped, with levels added to darken the areas of ink that were blotchy, and brighten the stars.

One thing I was worried about was any inconsistencies in colours, so an option I tried was to grayscale the images so they would adhere to the same colours across the board. 

However I thought that doing this flattened the image, and took away the really nice greens and blues that gave the illustrations the appearance of water. So I kept the original colour mode.

Next it was just a matter of placing the photoshop files into an inDesign document. Making sure they were in the correct order, and that they reached the bleed marks. This step was surprisingly straightforward.

Picture Book | Completed Pages & Peer Crit

Below is the completed artwork for the pages. They have all been created using collage and ink. What I found difficult was repeating the methods of ink and collage in a way that was varied and interesting to prevent the pages from looking too similar and boring.

However with that said, achieving consistency was also important as I didn't want the artwork to look disjointed and too different from one another - so getting that balance was something that I struggled with, and took a while to get right. I got really caught up in small details (do I keep a white outline on cut-outs? do I use black line? is the appearance too childish?)

I wanted to use certain collage types in effective ways without over-using them, as I think their impact would become diluted...

Peer Critique

The group crit was sort of a relief from looking at my own work for any longer. Fresh eyes were able to see the work I had generated, and in turn I could see how others had approached their books in different ways.

Aspects that people commented on were the different use of textures, the muted colour scheme, and the watery appearance of some surfaces. Atmosphere was also mentioned, which was a definite plus as I had wanted to conjure that in some way.

Picture Book | Making Pages

Okay, so I just decided to start making pages and see what certain methods looked like as I still wasn't 100% sure. That way, I can generate the pages necessary, maybe extras if possible, so I have an accumulation of work that I can arrange and edit digitally at the end of it all.

Decided on the page size 11cm (w) x 16.5cm (h). Not much of a process here, just A5 seemed a little clunky, A6 was too small, so these dimensions where something sort of in the middle. I think smaller books are more personal (?) as well as easier to read and hold.

Did a few (very messy) test pages in quink, a completely painted approach. Was going to refine smaller details with white paint or pen. Not too happy with these, I think they're very flat looking and lack some kind of depth?

Revisiting a method I tried on some earlier tests, I made a bunch of ink waves and cut them out to do some collage. Spent a while arranging them so that the space was filled, and the shape of the waves sort of interlocked without being too uniform.

Here's a double page spread of the above, with a small paper boat. The result isn't bad, and I'd be interested to see how I can apply similar textures to the other scenes in the storyboard, without it being too jarring and inconsistent.

How could I continue this aesthetic with scenes that have no water in them? By using brush strokes? Watery ink textures? I'll keep on making pages and see if the others are successful.

Picture Book | Feedback & Further Tests

Mini Tutorial Going into the group tutorial, I knew I had more or less mapped out my storyboard, and had materials and processes that I wanted to use in mind. I just needed confirmation that it was all in order, and if my storyboard/concept conveyed what I had intended it to.

After speaking with others, the feedback I received said I needed to:

• Change around a couple of panels to avoid repetitive or dull scenes (specifically the ones that depicted the person on the boat)

• Continue exploring materials, applying them to the scenes in the storyboard. See what the combination of collage and watercolours is like

I revisited my storyboard to change the required panels. Instead of having two scenes of the person on the boat immediately after one another, I changed one to a view of their hands on the edge of the boat, looking down at the water.

Not only would this create more variation in viewpoints, but it would make an opportunity for me to use more textures/collage on that particular image.

There was also a bit of a mix up as I had only created 18 pages, so I had to add in some more (so it was a multiple of 4). I added in the double page of the underwater view, which mirrors the aerial view of the boat that occurs earlier in the story.


Media Testing I did some more experimentation with various mediums, mainly to see how I could get the appearance of water. The medium would also influence my colour scheme, as I wanted quite a restricted number of colours to begin with.

Quink is good to work with, as it can be manipulated depending on brush, amount of water, and changes when the ink is dabbed or lifted away. When applied quickly with rapid, short brush marks, it creates a look of water that is moving or shimmering. With longer brush marks, the appearance seems more static.

Brusho is also a fairly versatile material. It can create surfaces that are unique and that change every time, depending on where the powder falls and how much is used. I do like the gradients and how the colours meld together, however it's much too bold and garish for the more subdued, moody tone I want to achieve.

Old ink napkins. Good for collage, some interesting surfaces that are reminiscent of water as the ink has bled across the tissue. May look too heavy and intense if used? Although the colours could be manipulated digitally if necessary, and if used sparingly it wouldn't appear too overwhelming..

Picture Book | Material Tests pt. 2

Making pictures to try methods, materials, and certain aesthetic traits.

Some drawings based off collected reference imagery. Objects were drawn quickly, and are loose in character. Although I made an effort to not place too much focus on accuracy, just by focusing on the shapes and components of the boat and not, for example, the straightness of the lines or angles, I think you can see they are based off something from real life.

Layers, texture, opacity, overlapping, colours. All of these things could be explored further digitally.

Carrying on with texture. Making large surfaces of textures that can be made into something else. Here I used ink and added water, let the ink bleed, removed some with tissue and other brushes.

Tracing paper template, with the separate cut out pieces.

Finished shape with small details added in a white pen. The complexity of the texture compensates for the simple outline of the whale. The inky surface stands out well against a background of solid colour. I wonder if this approach would work with other objects in the story.

Visual Journalist | From the Archives of Bob

Went back to visit my Grandparents, they managed to dig out some photographs that I was hoping to find. Some really nice snapshots of moments in my Granda's life which were amazing to see. Just posting them here because I love them, and I think they could act as a great visual resource.

Granda holding a Blue Skate, which he said weighed around 10 stone. He sounded really proud about being able to carry such a weight!

A record-breaking haul of cod, covering most of the boat. This was probably taken at the height of the fishing industry around 30 or so years back.

Members of the crew chipping ice off the boat. Around 14 Danish ships were lost that year, capsizing entirely due to becoming top-heavy from the ice that kept on forming.

The sea mine! From WW2, hauled up in the mid-eighties. When it was taken further out to sea to be detonated, a photographer captured the explosion in successive images..

Explosive charge was deployed near St Mary's Lighthouse, just off the town of Whitley Bay

Bob at the Caledonian Canal up in Scotland

Don't know if you can tell but I'm really proud of this cool ocean man..

Picture Book | Layout

Having sketched out a couple of storyboards, I wanted to plan out how they would transfer across the pages exactly. It's important that I plan this stage, as I made errors during the last book-based project that set me back!

Once I have sorted out these technical aspects, I can move on to generating the artwork for the number of pages required, and begin assembling.

I did a few really quick book mock-ups with the correct number of pages. In this example, I folded 4 lots of A5 paper (not to scale) which made around 16 pages, however after setting aside the front cover, and the inside page, I realised that content page #1 began by itself.

This completely offset the double page plans I had storyboarded. So I had to re-jig the ordering of the content so that they fell on the correct sides of the book (left or right).

Here's a fairly basic plan of the page layout, it's similar to how InDesign sets out pages so that's helpful. I had to add in an extra page of content so that the end half of the book also had an inside cover.

I think that everything with this is okay so far, however I may test a couple of alternatives as a back up before I get feedback from class. I may even try drawing out these pages in a more refined manner to see if they actually work in practice or not.

CONCLUSION FOR LAYOUT:

9 pieces of paper used in total

Front and back cover

2 inside pages

14 pages of illustrated content (thereabouts)

Picture Book | Storyboards

My aim is to have the story's content pages outlined very soon, as well as having front and back cover designs sketched out at the very least.

I decided to do a bit of storyboarding, building upon the first rough concept of the whale story and fitting it to the 12 page format.

Storyboard 1

1. Distanced shot of boat

2. Person by the boat's edge

3. Eyes close, noise occurs

4. Eyes snap open

5. Looks downwards

6. Something swims beside boat

7. Person runs inside

8. Aerial view of boat and shadow

9. Water spouts

10. Whale submerges

11. View of whale underwater

12. Close-up of eye

Storyboard 2

1. View of boat at night, starry sky

2. Upward view of mast with seagulls hovering above

3. Person by side of boat

4. Closes in on face

5. Close up of eye with stars reflected within

6. Shape approaches boat

7. Person leans over to look

8. Runs away

9-10. Double page of whale and boat

11. Water spouts

12. Close-up of whale's eye

I think that the first of these plans was just myself trying to make the original rough book span across 12 pages, so a lot of it seems repetitive and a little dull. However after doing one storyboard it became much easier, so the second example has greater variation and much more thought has gone into it.

I really like the idea of setting a scene with little snapshots, as well as using a double page to showcase a particularly nice scene.

Seagull on a buoy, starry sky, water pattern, seagulls above

I quickly looked at alternatives to panel #2 on the second storyboard. They are tiny scenes that act as a sort of introductory to either the setting, time of day, etc. They deviate slightly from the main narrative, but my aim was for whatever scene I choose to evoke a serene, wistful feeling.

I will keep on developing this storyboard further, and go on to test colours and other elements.

North Shields | Going back again!

I thought that whilst I was home, I might as well use that to my advantage and head back to the site of my research - it wouldn't hurt to gather some more things.

The weather today has been pretty bad, unrelenting rain and strong gusts, so the landscape changed from when I last took pictures.

Started off on the bank-top near the High Light, progressed down to the Quay, heading towards the Low Light (the white 'tower' pictured above beyond some roof tops)

I needed some reference imagery of boats for my book, so it was helpful to collect some photos of my own.

Reaching the Low Light, the weather got harsher as we were closer to the sea. It's a very overcast day, and the dimness made the Low Light seem ominous.

Along from the Low Light, there was the remaining walls of Clifford's Fort (built in 17C as a coastal defence against the Dutch), as well as the Old Low Light (the brown brick building pictured above).

The waters were really choppy, and there was a lot of debris on the beaches. It was strange seeing objects from the land (trees, etc) that had been hauled into the sea. Boats were being shunted about, could even see waves crashing over the sides of South Pier (all the way over in South Shields).

The weather conditions made the environment seem vast, and the ocean appear very powerful. In comparison, I felt really small and like the weather was moving me around.

I would like to try and bring these feelings into my story. Overall, a decent impromptu trip, now I need to create visual material from what I've seen and collected.