Trying Out Different Media

With possible character profiles built up, I was able to try out different media experiments to see what methods of working suited my stories best. 

I tried using Adobe Illustrator for the first experiment. For this I drew the images by hand, scanned them in, and then drew over the line art using the software. I then added the colour using the software as well. Whilst I liked the simplicity of the images and the bright colours, the images just seemed a bit robotic and lifeless from my perspective. They also reminded of styles that were already out in the mainstream, and I felt like I wanted my images to stand out from the mainstream comic styles that were already out there.

For my next experimental process, I tried using Adobe Photoshop. For this I tried using my original line art I had done using a fine liner pen, and then digitally adding colour using Photoshop. Whilst I liked the idea of using hand drawn line art, I wasn't keen on the colouring from the software, as like Illustrator, it made the images seem rather lifeless and boring.  

Another experiment I tried was using good old fashioned colouring pencils...but I quickly learnt that it just didn't work. 

Character Designs

After jotting down notes on certain people for my stories, I went about doing some rough sketches of some possible character designs to see how I could envision the people that I wanted to present.

 
 

Location Drawing

After deciding that my setting was going to be the library, I took to making observational drawings of my surroundings at work. I also tried out drawing other surroundings in case the stories involved referencing other areas.

 
 

Rear Window

Up till this point I thought that the basis of my stories were going to be based around the individuals that came in and out of the library, and getting to know their background stories. Then whilst on YouTube, I came across a trailer for the Alfred Hitchcock movie 'Rear Window'. The Basis of the movie is a man, whilst confined to his bedroom, observes the world through his window seeing different people going about their lives and making up stories in his head of what these people must be like and what they get up to. After watching this trailer, I realised that maybe the idea of my stories could revolve around myself as the main protagonist, as I am the one who is making these observations about these people. The setting would then also revolve around the library itself as that is where I make my observations, much like the man in 'Rear Window' made observations in his bedroom.

Figure Drawing

Whilst doing this project, I knew I would have to brush up on my figure drawing skills to be able to portray my characters the way I wanted them to appear. So I kept regularly drawing people to improve my skills.

 
 
 
 
 

Artist Research

For my project, I wanted to be able to present my stories in a comical and sometimes bizarre way. To help me gain ideas of how to possibly present images this way, I decided to look up underground comix artists such as Robert Crumb, Gilbert Shelton, Kim Deitch and S. Clay Wilson. These artists are known for their exaggerated style when presenting people's emotions or behaviours, which not only set them apart from the mainstream market (making them easy to distinguish), but also made the stories appear more comical.

For using elements of exaggeration in my work, I also turned to looking at political caricaturists/cartoonists to see how they present politicians in a comical manner. One artist that stood out for me was the work of James Gillray. Gillray would create political and social satires by exaggerating certain features of people involved with the issues at the time. For example, poking fun at a person's weight by making them enormous, or making a very thin person appear as thin as a stick insect. He would look at a person's unattractive features and greatly point them out for all the world to see.

 

Putting Stories Together

Story lines were created by jotting down certain events that have happened to me, or to customers who have unloaded their life stories or emotional baggage onto me. Leading up to making my FMP, I kept a journal of all the tales I collected and from there I was able to start to make coherent and comical stories.