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IVN Task 1: Exercises

22 April 2024- 3 May 2024
CHONG CHENG TAO (0371072)
Illustration and Visual Narrative | Bachelor of Design in Creative Media | Taylor's University
Task 1: Exercises


LECTURES

Week 1: 

Mr Hafiz gave us some brief presentation regarding the module and assignmnt.


Week 2:

In today class, Mr Hafiz introduced some basic tools and features in Adobe Illustrator such as Selection, Direct Selection, Pen Tools and Stroke. 

Firstly, Mr Hafiz wanted us to get familiar with the Pen Tools by playing The Bazier Game. This is because Pen Tools are important in a lots of software other than Adobe Illustrator, likes Photoshop and Maya. 

Fig 1.2.1 The Bezier Game



Week 3:

In a character design, iconic(silhouttes), simplicity and uniqueness is important to make the character more memorable. 

Iconic: 

  • Stylized designed characters are often iconic that you can immediately recognize them even in black silhouttes.
Simplicity:

  • Simplicity of the design allows viewers to digest and understand the purpose of the characters.
Unique:
  • Unique characters makes an impact on the viewers.
Fig 1.3.1 Principle of character design


Fig 1.3.2 Principle of character design

Shapes are important to identify a character from one another. Explore the possibilities of combining
different interesting shapes for your design.
Fig 1.3.3 Shapes in character design

Colours plays an important role in determining and separate the basic characteristics of heroes, villains and even background characters.

Colours is used to determine and separate the basic characteristics of heroes, villains and even background characters. Different colours give impressions of different emotions and is easily relatable by the viewers.

Fig 1.3.4 Colours in character design

Fig 1.3.5 Colours in character design

Week 4:

In this week, we learned about Chiaroscuro, which is the use of light and dark to create the illusion of three-dimensional volume on a flat surface. The purpose of chiaroscuro is to increase the scene’s dramatic tension by exaggerating the subject’s importance using color or light contrast.

Fig 1.4.1 The Matchmaker (Honthorst, 1625)


Chiaroscuro can be applied in many ways:
  • Highlights contrasts with a predominantly dark setting.
  • Focus point or subject of a scene is brightly colored
  • Focus point or subject of a scene is contrasted with a dark background.
This method is an excellent lighting choice to differentiate positive and negative spaces


Fig 1.4.2 Positive space v.s. Negative space

Chiaroscuro is used in visual narrative because it:
  • Increase dramatic tension
  • Create sensational effect
  • Attract attension
  • Make tasteful composition

Fig 1.4.3 Why Chiaroscuro is used in visual narrative ?


Week 5:

In this week, we learn about composition theory which means the arrangement of the elements in the visual. Each time we take a photo, we end up making conscious decisions about what items to include or exclude.

The chanllenging part in compositon is how to arrange the elements in visual effectively. We need to arrange these elements in a way that brings out meaning. 


These are some basic composition visual rules:
  • Visual narrative: Composition should complement the subject focus and reflect the narrative.

  • Visual flow: Composition also determines the path of a viewer’s eye through the visual.

  • Visual balannce: Even though we can’t know the exact path a viewer’s eye is going to take, you can nudge things one way or another.

  • Visual hierarchy: The way we visualize and focus our subject matters can have huge effects on the composition the artists make.
Fig 1.5.1 Basic Composition Visual Rules

Different types of shots:
  • Establishing: Wide shots are used to establish the setting, location and spectacle and enough information to the viewer
Fig 1.5.2 Establishing
  • Bird's Eye View: Also known as overhead shots, is when the POV is placed directly above the subject.
Fig 1.5.3 Bird's Eye View
  • Frame within a Frame: It is used to fracture screen space, add depth, and creare visual interest in the cinematic compositions.
Fig 1.5.4 Frame within a Frame
  • Medium Shot: Also called a three-quaters shot, which is the standard camera angles used to frame a character.
Fig 1.5.4 Medium Shot
  • Close Up: It used to "catch' emotions in order to invest in the characters' well-being. It is used to emphasize emotions.
Fig 1.5.5 Close Up
  • Worm's Eye View: An intimate moment to look into the character's mind. It is used to emphasize emotions too.
Fig 1.5.6 Worm's Eye View




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INSTRUCTIONS


Task 1:Exercise

Exercise 1: The Vormator Challenge

Exercise 2: Chiaroscuro Design

Exercise 1:

1.1

For our exercise this week, we were instructed to use pen tools to trace and recreate vormator shapes in Adobe Illustrator.

Fig 2.1 Vormator shapes

Fig 2.2 W2-Vormator Shapes-Chong Cheng Tao 



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1.2

The next exercise is vormator challenge, which is to create our own character silhouette. We are limited to use use the shapes given in the previous exercise.

Fig 2.3 Vormator challenge example 


Fig 2.4 Vormator challenge example


These are my moodboard and some draft design for this exercise
Fig 2.5 Moodboard for Vormator Character Version 1


This is my design for the vormator challenge character:

Fig 2.6 W2- Vormator Challenge Character Version 1- Chong Cheng Tao

 
*Tips when using Pathfinder Tool in Adobe Illustrator, hold down "ALT" when click on any of those Pathfinder commands, and we will get a compound shape.

I had tried to invert the colours and applying other colour plalettes into the character. I also add more elements to the character.


Fig 2.7 Moodboard for Vormator Character Version 2

Fig 2.8 Vormator Character Version 2 Draft Design


I have apply the colour palette I found from Adobe Color.

Fig 2.9 W2-Exercise 2- Vormator Challenge Character Final Version - Chong Cheng Tao

After that, I started working on the background. These are some reference and the elements I recreated based on the reference. 

Fig 2.10 Reference for background

Fig 2.11 Elements I recreated


This is the Pokemon Crad template I found online:

Fig 2.12 Pokemon Card Template

I applied a posterize layers on it in Photoshop:

Fig 2.13 Pokemon Card Template (Edited)



Fig 2. W6-Exercise 2- Pokemon Card - Chong Cheng Tao




Exercise 2:

2.1
We were instructed to use the Pen tool, Knife tool, Shape Builder and Pathfinder tool to design a pear shape and colour it. We are free to design and divide the shapes of the pear. 

Fig 2.10 Pear Shapes Tracing

Fig 2.11 Pear Chiaroscuro Design

We were suggested play with the Knife tool to cut off the pear into different shapes, other elements are allowed to add into the design. 


We are instructed by Mr Hafiz to trace the shadow area of the skull and place it in a pear.

Fig 2.12 Skull reference provided


Fig 2.13 Pear with skull tracing


This is my final design for this exercise: 

Fig 2.14 W4- Pear Chiaroscuro Design-Chong Cheng Tao

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2.2

We were instructed to trace the the character by seperate it into light part and shadow part by using Pen tool and Curvature tool.

Fig 2.15 Chiaroscuro People Reference 

My tracing:

Fig 2.16 People Shapes Tracing

These are some tutorial and instructions given by Mr Hafiz: 

Crop image vs Mask: Unlike Crop image, Mask allowed the readjustment of image placed in the artboard.

How to select the Path (non manual): Select>Same>Fill & Stroke or Fill

Shortcut for Clipping Mask; CTRL+7

Before applying clipping mask: Group the shapes> Object > Compound Path (CTRL+8), to compound all shapes together. 


Fig 2.17&18 Image & Texture for Clipping Mask

Fig 2.19 W6- People Chiaroscuro Design 1- Chong Cheng Tao


Fig 2.19 W6- People Chiaroscuro Design 2- Chong Cheng Tao






FEEDBACK
Week 7:
Ms Hafiz approve the composition for the Pokemon Card. 


REFLECTION

Throughout this module so far, I have been able to enhance my understanding of vector art and composition. I am glad to have the opportunity to learn the proper way to use Adobe Illustrator. I acknowledge the importance of composition, as different compositions help convey different narratives. By learning it, I have improved my ability to arrange elements to achieve visual effectiveness. After the Vormator Challenge exercise, I am more aware of the simplicity of shapes in my artwork. Besides that, I have a deeper understanding of designing a unique character by focusing on the overall shapes of silhouettes. Overall, this is an interesting module that allows me to explore a variety of styles of illustration and visual narrative.

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