Visual Narrative; 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?

InDesign was a completely new piece of software for me this project, the inductions and tutorials really helped me to understand the basics of how the program worked, however I found that I remember more through doing it on my own afterwards rather than following the set instructions. The print dungeon induction also opened my eyes to the range of ways my work can be printed; that it’s important to consider scale, format, paper quality ect as all of these things would inevitably inform and shape my final work. I feel as though this project has introduced me to these things on a slightly more than basic level, I feel confident using these techniques to achieve what I want to, but I’m also very keen on exploring these things further, to see what other formats of books, leaflets, print out ect I can transfer my work to, allowing my illustrations to be in formats that they previously haven’t been before.

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

This entire module has really opened my eyes to the importance of research. I’ve always found that travelling, even just a little to a new location, has always inspired me a bit but I’ve never used experiential research to really inform my illustrations before. I’ve tackled briefs were I’ve done research but only usually in a factual sense, to go out and experience what I’m researching, to see it with my own eyes and notice my own typologies or really listen and observe people, was something completely new to me and something I’ve found to be invaluable to the initial ideas and development of my project. The merging of different sources of research has also been integral to my project. While my own experiential research resonated with me, my factual research helped it to resonate with others too, making for a stronger overall concept. Before this module I didn’t even know reportage illustration really existed, and since experiencing it I’ve found it’s something that I really connect with and thoroughly enjoy.

3. What strengths can you identify within your submission and how have you capitalised on these?

I think that the main strength I’ve really drawn upon and found most helpful throughout this brief was simply enjoying what I was doing. From the location to research and drawing out scamps and developing things further, I feel because I was really engaging with my research and subject matter, my work ethic and drive to complete the project to the highest level I could came easily to me. I tried to be extensive in all aspects of this brief because it was something I really wanted to do justice. For me, this module has highlighted the importance of really getting involved with your brief, and while I understand not ever brief is going to be as enjoyable, it’s shown me that by digging a little deeper and finding something you enjoy within it, it makes the workload a lot easier to manage.

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

To be even more extensive and experimental in my mock-ups and scamps. It would have been nice to have planned even better so that I had more time to play around with the composition through multiple quick scamps for every page so that it was as developed as much as possible. Also to not get too caught up in my sketchbook, whilst I really like a lot of my illustrations within the sketchbook, they took a lot of time to make, and if I’d worked a little more loosely and faster I may have got more variations drawn. Perhaps do separate scamps for composition (quick, sketchy, colourless) then pick the best ones and develop them further with colour and media rather than trying to do both at the same time.

5. How effectively are you making decisions about the development of your work? What informs these decisions? What problems have you identified and how have you solved them?

I think my decision-making has gotten a lot better in this module. I’ve found that feedback can be very useful whether you’re faced with a problem, or just want to explain your idea to someone new. Having other people comment on your work brings a new perspective and I’ve found has helped me to recognise whether the choices I was making were the right ones. It’s important to remember that your illustrations have to stand alone and make sense to other people without them seeing the vast amounts of research or development that’s gone into them. The choices I’ve made within this project haven’t purely been whatever I want to do, but rather how best the choices I make can impact my project in the best way possible, making it the most accessible and understandable it can be to others while still staying true to my own aims and ambitions for the final book.

6. How effectively have you managed this project and organised yourself during this module?
My organisation and time management in this module has really improved. During the hand in period of the OUIL403 I found I was rushing to catch up with blog posts and write about things as well as I would have liked to, however this time around I feel much more confident and in control. I’ve split my time between practical and writing up a lot better and as a result I’ve managed to get everything organised and ready for hand in earlier and to a higher standard than I think I did last time. I’ve also had time to go back and add extra comments and notes to previous blog posts and check my work regularly with the learning objectives and grading system. I think a big part of this is purely being more engaged with the module and brief; really getting into it and enjoying it has made a big difference and I feel has boosted up my work ethic!

 

Visual Narrative; Mega Crit

Feedback sheet from mega crit

It was really wonderful to see everyone's finished books and celebrate the vast amount of labour and beautifully crafted books that everyone had created.

I found myself getting quite emotional about some of my feedback as it seems I've achieved what I set out to do. People tended to not only like the book aesthetically and visually, but they connected with it on an emotional level which was my main aim of the book. I was glad people could resonate their own feelings with mine, and that Fawkes and Rawling's story could finally be told in book format.

I'm very proud and thankful for everyone's kind and wonderful words.

Visual Narrative; InDesign, Book Printing & Final Outcome

Type//layout for dedication page

FINAL ADJUSTMENTS

I made sure to check every page fit onto the concertina book layout as I wanted it to, and made any last minute refinements that needed to be made (example above; actual text for dedication page previously unexplored). 

I scanned each image individually and changed the levels//hues where necessary. I did not want to over edit the images. I wanted them to still feel very hand made. 

Sample of page layout in InDesign

INDESIGN

A part of this brief that was really new to me was InDesign. The workshops we had were really helpful in showing me how to start to use the program to create books that I wanted to create. I managed to lay out my book in a way that made sense to me for it to be printed. Allowing me to cut and splice the images myself to construct the final book.

The induction to the print dungeon was also really eye opening in terms of how much variety was available in terms of book-binding, printing, paper ect that I hadn't previously come across.

The incorrect print outs of pages

PRINTING

The print process was a bit of a battle. Firstly the pages were printed out back to back on A4 paper. The images were all in the wrong order and weren't laid out on A3 paper for me to cut as I wanted them to be.

I talked to James again and showed him my mock up, this time talking him through it in detail. He finally came to a solution and managed to print out all my A4 spreads on A3 card for me, including guides for when I was cutting my image out.

The front cover was printed double sided so I didn't need to stick it on separately, however the back cover printed double sided on the wrong image. This was a fault of mine in the InDesign layout of my book and something I've taken note and learnt from. However, my initial misprints turned out to be very useful in this situation! Because I had a few prints of each page, I was able to cut them up so I had the last few pages I need to complete my book without printing more pages out! Hooray for saving trees!

Final concertina book

FINAL BOOK//CONSTRUCTION

Once all my pages were printed I cut them out using a stanley knife and cutting mat. I've used guillotines before and while useful and quick I find it's often hard to use them with a great deal of control and precision. I wanted this book to appear seamless in it's construction so the labour put into cutting each page individually with a metal ruler was worthwhile in my opinion.

Sticking the pages together was another process I had to consider. PVA and glue sticks would hold the pages together well, but I was worried they would also warp the paper and cause bubbles and imperfections in the illustrations themselves; I wanted them to look clean. Spray mount was an option but it's extremely hard to adjust the image once it's stuck down, even if it's just slightly off. I chose in the end to go with double sided tape as it leaves no marks or residue, provides a strong stick between pages but can be rearranged and peeled off if necessary.  

The sense of joy and achievement once my book was fully constructed was amazing. To see each of the pages next to each other, front and back, was a very proud moment!! I'm honestly so thrilled and pleased with the final book!

Visual Narrative; Mock Up II & Final Images

 

Mock up II//construction of final concertina 

MOCK UP MARK II

After my first mock up I understood how important the actual construction of the book was going to be, and how vital it would be to get something that fit the book I wanted to make (double sided). Matt showed a selection of ways to make a concertina book, all suitable for digital printing, however I found the above approach was not only easier to print and layout, but provided a solution to my double sided problem.

By laying each A4 page out as a double page A5 spread and then sticking them together, I would easily be able to print my book as something double sided as long as I took care whilst sticking them together and cropping down the full bleed images.

Process; front cover

DEVELOPMENT//MAKING FINAL IMAGES

Once I had my mock up, it was a lot easier to assign pages and figure out exactly what was going to go where.

I gathered together my roughs for each final page, scanned them and printed them out at A5. I used a lightbox to draw a faint outline for each page so I had the basic scale and composition laid out for each of the final images.

The few pages which compositions//ect I wasn't happy with I drew straight onto the paper without a lightbox, using past scamps//roughs as reference points.

Process; tracing outline of composition from scamps for final images

Final image outlines//compositions

With the outlines in place I began the process of colouring each image. I limited my media to pencil (variations; mechanical pencil, graphite, thick pencil ect) and coloured pencil crayons (again a range to provide some variants in shade, hue, pressure ect) as they provided that personal touch whilst still allowing for craft, control and texture. 

I stuck to a limited colour palette also and tried to use the colour to highlight the things I wanted to be focal in each page. I wanted to craft each image to the highest quality I could, and regularly lined them up on the floor to see if they were flowing well next to one another as well as stand alone illustrations, as that is inevitably how they will appear in the concertina book.

I made sure to colour each image a little out of the lines I'd measured (A5) to allow for full bleed and cropping during the final print process too.

Selection of final images

Visual Narrative; Pages & Refinement

Concertina layout pages/scamps

REFINEMENT OF PAGES

I began looking through all my photos I'd taken at Chevin in chronological order, picking out interesting, emotive, or visually beautiful images to draw from in order to get ideas of each page of my book. I decided I wanted a different illustration on each page to keep the book visually dynamic and engaging. 

I split up a few quotes from Fawkes and assigned them to a page, trying to find images that would fit with the text I was going to include in the book. I started to draw up scamps for each page to give a rough idea of colour, composition, and how the images looked next to each other as a whole.

I decided the splash panoramic image would take too long given the time available. I chose to have the quote flow on the opposite side of the book with a growing tree motif; symbolising all the work, effort and success that both Fawkes and Rawling achieved whilst rebuilding Chevin.

The typography was to be hand-rendered; personal and reflective of the humanity throughout this project, also reminiscent of Rawling's own journal he kept as he built the forest back up again

Mock up//practice concertina with printed out scamps

MOCK UP MARK I

After completion of the scamps for the front of the book, I scanned them in and roughly copied them and cropped them so they were all A6 images, I then printed them out and made a mock up (masking taping each image together).

For the first time I began to get a feel for how this book was going to work in it's actual format. It was exciting to see it as a fold out concertina book for the first time. It did raise some questions and points for refinement though, which I was grateful for; seeing it as a concertina was different to looking at flat images on a page, it highlighted the importance of 'making' a book as well as 'designing' a book.

TALK WITH MATT//COMPOSITIONS

 

(Left) Layout pages cont//larger scale title page (Right) Composition variations for page 1; front

Once the mock up was complete I sat down with Matt and spoke to him fully about my project as a whole up to the current stage.  The book and idea was working but not to it's full potential. He encouraged me to try variations of compositions for images I felt weren't as strong as others. Things as simple as looking back at earlier scamps could solve this//provide alternatives.

Visual Narrative; Kristyna Baczynski Crit II

Notes after second crit with Kristyna

TO DO//TO EXPLORE

Make physical mock up of full concertina book

Discuss with print technicians 

Think about how one colour fits with the next one in the sequencing of images

Panoramic splash image I feel would be too time consuming given deadline and all illustrations that need to be completed on the front side (12)

Have the quotes spanning on the reverse of the book?

Each one sort of fits with an image?

Small motif with each piece of text on the back; growing tree!

Visual Narrative; Media experiment

(Left) Ideas//scamps of possible book layout after crit with Kris (Right) Media experiments drawing from Chevin photos

LAYOUT SCAMPS

After the crit I started to think about the overall layout of the concertina book; the idea of a splash panoramic on the back, how the quotes would fit into the imagery, what would be the best way to display and communicate both narrative and factual research

I felt as though having panels with different compositions would be a more dynamic way of story telling. Distance and scale helped show movement of characters while encompassing the landscape we experienced

MEDIA EXPERIMENTS

I started trying out different media for making my images; got a pentel brush pen for Christmas so tried out some wet pen brush experiments (nice but limited colours available)

Did find through pen experiments however different ways to use pattern//line//dots to imply sense of depth and texture

Media tests//experiments

Wanted to try both dry and wet medias; preferred dry medias. Felt more personal, allowed for a lot of texture.

Started thinking about colour also; limited colour palette? 'Quiet' colours and saturations to match with the atmosphere and mood I wanted to evoke; didn't want something overly bold and in your face

More refined media scamps//introduction of text into images

REFINEMENT

Started putting media experiments into practice//experimenting for final images

Text and image together? Quotes floating through images?

Thinking about front cover; trees? Limited colour?

All type hand-rendered; more personal

Although book will be printed digitally for final product, it feeling hand crafted and human has always been very important to me due to the merging of factual research that resonated with me and my own experience