References for Fauna 

Quick collection of all the images of wildlife that I used to create the characters in my illustrations. 

Holly Lucero

Holly Lucero is a 20 year old Art student studying California.

Her work has captivated my imagination and inspired me to rethink about what outcomes I would like to produce at level 3.

She produces beautifully hand rendered colour illustration of dogs and imaginative beasties that would capture anyone's attention.

https://galleytrot.tumblr.com/

She has inspired me to be more explorative in my illustrations and combine features and elements of subjects to create something unique.

I also really like how she exaggerates features and posture to give life and personality to her illustrations. 

She shares her Illustrations on tumbler and sells commissions for the prices below:

Large + Colored - $100+ USD (X)

• 100 for a digitally scanned image, 300 for a shipped out image. This will be done in A4 sized paper.

Medium + Black ink or Colored - $50 USD (X)

Small + Black ink or Colored - $30 USD (X) (X)

Drawings will be scanned and sent digitally 

Won’t draw: Anything sexual - nudity is fine, but nothing explicitly sexual. At the moment I’d prefer not to draw humans.

Contact at gemteeth@gmail.com 

I really need tet up my own website like this 

Merchandise Inspiration

I found a website for a company called Strand Books which has a large number of books and limited editions, but furthermore they have a variety of merchandise that go with the books. They have a cool range on Frida Khalo and other fun items.

Its really given me good ideas on what products I actually want to make to promote my work and what makes sense. I decided I want a physical line, and things that I personally would enjoy as well. I really like bookmarks, I like the idea of canvas bags because, if in only a small way, they help against pollution and waste. 

As well as a range of limited edition prints may look good with the types of illustrations I am developing. 

Project Report

End Of Module Evaluation 

Design Boards- Collaborative Roald Dhal Brief

Design Boards- Penguin Brief

Design Board- Substantial Brief- Comic

Design Board- Illustration Friday & Comic Fair

Independent Book Publishing

Through my research I found a good list of independent book publishers. I didn't realise it was such a big thing, especially with such large powerhouses of corporate publishers in this day and age.

But apparently people are still fighting the power and managing to maintain their small businesses and building up smaller scale companies for book publishing which is really cool. I think these days as well you have to be really good at what you do to do something like independent book publishing and stay afloat. But more and more people search for the independent manufacturers in all areas f production so maybe it isn't such a surprise. 

Below is a link to the website along with some of the publishers n the list 

25 Independent Presses That Prove This Is the Golden Age of Indie Publishing

By Flavorwire

-Akashic Press- 'Go the fuck To Sleep' by Adam Mansbach. Bestselling book published by this publisher

-Coffee House Press

-Black Balloon Publishing- right up my  alley, they like to publish quite weird work, which is cool!

-The Feminist Press

-Two Dollar Radio

Really awesome list of publishers and their info, highly recommend a read. 

Final Comic Outcomes 

I am really pleased with my final outcomes for my comic. I have put a lot of effort into having it completed well and have spent a lot of time developing the content, including characters, plot line, back story. Additionally I have tried to adhere to the comic guidelines as recommended by all the comic rules that I came across in my research.

I think the tone of the comic is successful and the mediums I used are quite nice. I think the characters are pretty true to the sketches I had come up with, especially since I find reproducing the characters within their panels to be one of my biggest challenges. I do think I definitely still need practice. I am not totally happy with the way the big panels with the small characters came out. I think they look flat, and a big muddy within their surroundings. 

Things to improve on for my final draft include:

Lettering: I would like to do most my comic by hand in the future and then polish it off on photoshop, using digital font instead of trying to recreate it. 

Small characters: Perhaps I would draw individual panels that require small characters at a larger scale and then put the page together on photoshop.

Golden Ratio: I would definitely like to improve with using the Golden Ratio, it definitely seems to be the way to go when designing your layout. 

Because of all these reasons I will probably re-draw these first few pages, either later this year or during the summer when I complete this whole chapter. I would really like to do this idea justice, because in the long run, after a few chapters I think it could actually be a really good comic, if only I learn how to execute it properly.

Research of Type and Lettering

I have never been any good with lettering and so I started looking through one of the books I have on my bookshelf, which has actually been a godsend. It is called New Illustration with Type.

It is a blend of type and illustration, type as illustration and type made up of illustration

I am interested in the latter. I think it is very interesting to build up font out of individual drawings and some examples they have in this book are really interesting. 

It allows me to incorporate illustration into font in a very literal way, and as well, I think it could make for a relevant and fun cover. 

Below are some examples of the fonts I could include

Research of Flora

Flowersofindia has been really helpful when trying to visualize what foliage will go into my drawings. They have an encyclopedia of images. The regions of where the plants grow and numerous photos for each one. Really helpful website

It helped my find the kulu (ghost) tree and also the grass that Mowgli is surrounded by is a type of grass native to India as well named Cogon grass

FLOWERSOFINDIA

Article by National Geographic

Found this interesting article by National Gergraphic on how at least one species of creature in The Jungle Book may already be extinct. 

This is really tragic. I feel like we are living in an ages where surely we will see the most drastic extinction of animals ever recorded. Not only because of the factors taking place, weather, poaching etc. But because we are living in the age of worldwide information and people are aware of endangered animals at a scale that has never been known before. 

For this reason I think popularising books like the Jungle Book and watching nature shows, like avid Attenborough is supremely important. Its not like a wwf  ad where youre guilted into saving the whales, but instead you form a bond with the characters in these books or you learn about other magnificent lives and habit and intelligence.

I have always loved wildlife and that is a driving factor as to why I picked this book to illustrate. It not only gives you a magical imaginative peek into the life of the jungle and all its creatures but it has social and almost political parallels to our own society, which is very cleverly done. As well as in the short stories at the end. The story of Kotick the Seal is definitely a shout for the halt of the seal fur trade and goes into vivid detail of the violence and horror of it. 

below is the link, highly recommend a read

How Much Do You Know About the Real ‘Jungle Book’ Animals?

Jin Xingye

I found this Artist on culturenlifestyle.com
http://culturenlifestyle.com/post/159547013116/jin-xingyes-lovely-dreamlike-illustrations

The illustrations really appealed to me. I have been drawn to Surreal illustrations that allow the viewer to decide the narrative for as long as I can remember.

I always feel I struggle to successfully design and compose images that can communicate my thoughts to the viewer.

What I particularly like about Jin Xingye's work and what to explore my practice is this increased level of ambiguity. So that I am not be literal in my illustrations, telling the viewer my opinion, or forcing them to ask one or two specific questions.

I feel that Jin Xingye's illustration's feel very dreamlike and depending on the viewers own opinion could be innocent dream inspired illustrations or could have contemporary, relevant even political messages.
Perhaps ideas around climate change, extinction, modern mans uncertain identity, the absurdism of contemporary mechanized life.

I love how children's book illustrators often inspire reflection and contemplation in simple ways from art that is accessible for people of all ages. 

Jin Xingye has very little presence online but that could be due to the fact the Art is based in China but his work has popped up on many different websites since April 2017. 

Readin the limited articles about the Artist it seems that he is a Children's book illustration but I have been unable to find any examples of published work by the artist.

http://www.thisiscolossal.com/category/illustration/

Study Task 2

Peter Diamond

Peter Diamond is a Canadian artist who has worked on album covers, posters, apparel and editorial illustration. He is award-winning and is based in Vienna, Austria. He's exhibited in Berlin, London, New York, Vienna, Adelaide and Halifax. He's worked for websites like Juxtapoz, Comics Alliance, Squidface & The Meddler.

He did a recreation of the illustrations Little Nemo in Wonderland which are some of my favourite drawings, originally illustrated by Winsor McCay. 

His work is mixed media, sometimes he works traditional but almost always finishes his illustrations digitally.

He is very well known and has strong online presence and website. 

Hs works are something I would like to draw upon, he has a really nice figurative line and style but also has an amazing sense for colour and finished his digital illustrations at an amazing level . Very clear he is influenced by Japanese art, which I also really enjoy. 

I see a lot similarities in his work to Yuko Shimizu and Kim Jung Gi.

Old Book Illustrations

Wicked Wicked website that has numerous many many vintage book illustrations. So cool a real find!! 

Feel like its probably well known but its the first time i'm hearing bout it.

Here are some examples of the art they have on the site 

Cold White Face 

Fun Fact!

According to Wikipedia Rudyard Kipling made up the name 'Mowgli' it means frog in the tongue of the jungle.

Apparently, the pronunciation of the word is meant to rhyme with cow not go. I am guessing the pronunciation stuck after Disneys 1960s adaptation. 

Comic Page Pencil 

I have penciled in the panels of my final comic pages.

They will be inked and painted with a combination of black ink, fineliner and promarkers

Comic Page Script

Below is the script of the 4 pages I will be illustrating. I had written out the full script but through development and editing I have decided to change quite a bit towards the end so I will only put up the first 4 pages

 I didn't stick to it to heart, but it helped to figure out the rhythm of the panels and to visualize what would be included on which page. Also, visualizing it helped me design how two opposite pages would complement each other.

*

PAGE 1

PANEL 1.

 Front of Strip Bar with bouncer in view. 

Couple of people talking. 

Anna Walks in left.

PANEL 2.

 Bouncer Nods to Anna 

(Close up)

PANEL 3.

 (Zoom out)

 Anna walks by and waves

PANEL 4.

 (Aerial Shot) Anna Turns into alley 

*

PAGE 2

PANEL 1. 

Anna in dark alley next to dumpster 

PANEL 2. 

Anna inhales from cigarette

PANEL 3. 

Close up of lit cherry (FX)

PANEL 4. 

Anna exhales smoke

PANEL 5. 

Anna, hand on wall, throws up

 (FX) *COUGH*

PANEL 6. 

Anna hand on wall“Goddammit"

+PAGE 3.

PANEL 1. 

Anna quickly opens side door, steps through

PANEL 2. 

View of door slowly closing. Ominous shadow on floor 

PANEL 3. 

(MED PANEL)

 Hallway of Strip bar

PANEL 4. 

Woman leaning on Wall 

“YOU’RE LATE”

PANEL 5. Woman walks out into bar.

PAGE 6.

PANEL 1. 

Establishing Shot of inside Strip bar

PANEL 2. 

Lonely man sitting at bar. Big man at end of bar watching stage.

PANEL 3. 

(Zoom) 

Man stares at empty drink

PANEL 4.

 Bartender asks 

“ANOTHER SODA LEMON HON?”

Man puts hand up, smile

“NO, THANK YOU”

PANEL 5.

Man raises hand

“CANDY, BUY THIS MAN A DRINK ON ME”

Rikki Tikki

In the short story Rikki Tikki, Tikki battled two spectacled cobras, Nag and Nagaina.

Interestingly, the origin of their names comes from Naga

Definition credit to the Encyclopedia Britannica

Naga, ( Sanskrit: “serpent”) in Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism, a member of a class of mythical semidivine beings, half human and half cobra. They are a strong, handsome species who can assume either wholly human or wholly serpentine form and are potentially dangerous but often beneficial to humans. They live in an underground kingdom called Naga-loka, or Patala-loka, which is filled with resplendent palaces, beautifully ornamented with precious gems. The creator deity Brahma relegated the nagas to the nether regions when they became too populous on earth and commanded them to bite only the truly evil or those destined to die prematurely. They are also associated with waters—rivers, lakes, seas, and wells—and are guardians of treasure.

Study Task 2

Yuko Shimizu

Yuko Shimizu is a Japanse artist. She works mainly in ink and brush, with a modern twist on traditional Japanese media. She has won awards and was mentioned in 100 Japanese People the World Respects

Her work is published in magazines and in books and she also has her own class on the digital platform SkillShare, which is where I discovered her. She did a whole twelve episode class on painting with brush and ink, which I did during 504: About the Author

Her work is featured on The Gap T-shirts, Pepsi cans,  VISA billboards, Microsoft and Target ads, as well as on the book covers of Penguin, Scholastic, DC Comics, and on the pages of NY Times, Time, Rolling Stone, New Yorker and  in many other publications.

She teaches you everything about working with her favourite medium, from the selection of brush and ink and paper, to homework on markmaking and assigning tasks such as creating an image with a total of 6 textures created with brush and ink. 

Her work inspires me because not only is she successful but she gained that success originally with just using traditional media and stated with black and white images, she then started using colour and digital programs to enhance her work all while establishing her career. She gives me the sense that its never too late and also that you should always keep improving whether that be in uni or when you are already well known or have a successful career. There may be the fear of producing work that is further from what helped you establish your profession, but as long as it is quality work, you should always find success. She was also very modest and a patient teacher in the videos I saw. Really nice sounding lady. 

Comic Page Layout and Flow 

The Golden Ratio

I found a website called Making Comics that explains a very cool system in comics called the golden ratio. Essentially it looks like this

This form of layout helps the artist develop good sense of rhythm, balance and direction. It is something I would like to incorporate into my comic. 

Ideas for Cover

I have been researching multiple patterns. Im inspired by the patterns in Indian textiles and architecture. I have been looking at a book called 'Decorative Art of India' by Susan Stronge

There's a number of really beautiful patterns in this book that I think might make for a nice a nice basis or reference for a cover. I have started experimenting in my sketchbook for possible designs, as shown below.

I am also interested in making a slip case for the book like in the Folio Society as recommended by Ben and Teresa. It woud add a really nice element to the whole design.

Below are some examples I think are really well done by the Folio Society

The Yellow Fairy Book by Andrew Lang

Mort by Terry Prachett