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Evaluation

The final major project process has been the most rewarding of my University experience so far. The work I have created has been the most original and I believe, most marketable imagery I have produced to date. Aimed at a very specific adult audience; I was always adamant that I was setting out to create work that was completed to as professional a standard as possible. Choosing to create a comic book not only allowed me to achieve my objective of making Fairy Tales accessible today; it was a craft I could learn through process and development; therefore broadening my horizons within the industry. 

Early on in the process I set out on the specific path of creating a Graphic Novel. A new venture for me and with a only small amount of In-design and Photoshop knowledge, I was keen to go back to basics and use traditional methodology. Keeping notes and print schedules made me aware that time was limited and at this point, during Christmas I altered my objectives slightly. In choosing to produce two separate comic books I allowed for improvement; learnt about application and developed a visual language of my own. By the creation of the second comic my 'style' in terms of a commercial appeal was well rounded. I managed to find ways of creating imagery, using carefully chosen composition's based around camera angles that allowed for suggestive yet inoffensive imagery. The metaphor of using gesture and expression in the forms of hands and feet (and consequently propelling the narrative forward that way) allowed the subtle communication of underlying messages. Thus, my audience objectives were well met, the comic books clearly having adult undertones (and drawing out the sinister aspects of Fairy Tales), as is evident from the front covers; but they are also child appropriate, wordless and therefore, only an adult would pick up on these messages. 

In successfully adhering to my audience objectives, the work I have created can be commercially applicable. The small installments, or separate stories (the concept of the project) is something original in terms of the application of Fairy Tales. I can see my books on sale in arts and crafts bookshops. Although they are not mainstream ready, I believe, as the stories are short they could be taken on as editorial pieces; in magazines or newspapers as the featured comic shorts (that come at the back of the books). The prototypes I have created are simplistic enough that they could be molded or changed to purpose. However, I a believe that it is my intuition in concept that is most sell-able; the visual language I have created that is wholly my own. I have taken inspiration from other practitioners; learning from the cohesion of their work (what makes it their own?) and applying techniques I have learnt to my own imagery.  In doing so, I learnt a more professional standard of image making and also to concern my work with appropriate style and techniques associated with outcome. 

Constant evaluation; learning from tutorials and experimentation outside my comfort zone has allowed me to create two pieces of work that I am proud of. The outcomes themselves are not free of error; the drawing not always perfection, a few smudges on print and slightly pixilated back covers. However, these are all things that can be rectified, especially as in the creation of my web-comic, I have ensured that this project is ongoing, something that I feel a affinity with and wish to continue. It was my personal objectives, in terms of content and metaphor that I was most keen on meeting. With the completion of this project I have managed to say something about a topic, closely ingrained in my own practice. I believe that, through careful consideration of story, composition, character development and a modern visual language I have made Fairy Tales more empathetic, accessible and reminded people that they are not for children!

Outcomes

The Web-Comic 

http://tooyoungforfairytales.blogspot.co.uk/


Below: The 2 Printed Comic Books 

Printed Using Modus Print in Worcester

Put together using Indesign, booklet publication.


Getting Work Printed: 

Originally, I aimed to get my work printed at Inky Little Fingers. However, after further research I felt they were incredibly expensive. The submission process was also far more complicated than it needed to be for a simple comic book. 

I tried Staples but they got confused over the booklet layout. They had, however, promised me earlier in the project that this was something they could do but when it came to printing, this was not the case.

This left me a week for printing, behind schedule after a month of being let down by various printers (who all made a mess of printing) I found Modus Print in Worcester. What you see below were printed by them and they made an excellent job. The ink is not smudged, the quality is relatively clean as is the staple binding (chosen because I wanted an old fashioned comic book feel). They were able to utilise my end-papers to meet their printing specifications and bleed out the images so there was no white space or gaps showing. (all done in Indesign myself also).  

The only thing that didn't work was the writing on the back pages, which printed pixilated, this was likely my own error and something that I can rectify pre final major show. 

I printed the A5 books myself using matt paper. Chosen to show a contrast to the shiny A4. I personally prefer my comic in smaller form as it seems cleaner and more compact. They are also easy to send out, transport, and light to post etc. It is good to have the choice, however, and I have shown that my books work well in few forms. 

This is what prompted me to create a web-comic. I felt that my comic had more impact on-screen, so I used blogger to create an interactive, easy to use web-comic. This is also a vessel for an ongoing project; I would like to continue on this path and expand my web-comic further, giving an installment every moth or so. I feel I have set this up to continue, and when I am finished I could collate these works into a graphic Novel. 

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST

RUMPELSTILTSKIN 

Covers and End-paper's (ISOLATING THE ICONOGRAPHY OF THE STORY)

    

Now that I have completed the inside pages of Beauty and the Beast and Rumpelstiltskin it is time to produce the front and back covers. Previously in this project I developed ideas for the front covers that were responding to and in keeping with my original storyboards. At this point, I had not developed my way of working; using hands and feet in close-up to drive the narrative (gesture and expression) to further the story. However, I was still somewhat aware of the integral images of the storytelling.

Right: This is a reminder of my original front covers and a clear example of how much my work has improved and developed since the early stages of production. Not only have I evidently mastered the media to greater effect but the image below are far more hard hitting and effective in clearly communicating the genre, feel, content and atmosphere of the stories I am telling. After learning that the most efficient way of telling my stories was through the careful use of camera-angle related compositions and a combination of gesture and expression (hands and feet) I built a visual language that was inherently my own and could be attributed to any similar projects I undertake in future. 

For Rumpelstiltskin I felt that the most important image was his feet at the wheel. The scales on the boots implies that he is not quite human  and the straw in the background is an image associated with the story. This alongside the title is a simple, effective image, the colour choice contrasting brilliantly against the stark black background. The pink of the spinning wheel is a little less impressive, however, the shoes are the most important feature and the pink allows the shoes to stand out amongst the other elements, making the figure the integral part. The background was created as 'cause and effect' image and a direct link to the story (she always falls asleep in the spindles as he spins well into the early hours). The figure also adds that adult appeal, that may not be recognized from the front cover. 

Font and Compilation: (applies to both comics)

For both comic's I chose Georgia Font. I chose this because after a small amount of experimentation on Photoshop I realised that simple and clean was the most effective font choice. With the white writing, something clean-cut was needed so it showed up neatly against the background. I was aware before creating the images that the drawing must take up no more than half a page; the title being important, needing to be big enough to create a balanced image. 

End-papers: These were isolated elements of the comic books; items that were significant. In beauty and the beast the rose is integral, it is the catalyst for the story and also an icon of the Disney movie (inter-textual reference) and all previous renditions. In Rum. he created the spindles of gold (in reality the straw would have fallen from the spindles, but I liked the image of the spindles and used artistic licence, even if not historically correct).  


 



The front cover below has not changed a great deal from the original drawing (pre-Christmas). The fact that the beast is hidden behind her is important, you get the feeling that he is hiding behind her when in fact, he is in control. It was also important to communicate the intimacy of the story and make it evident that this is Beauty and the Beast 'a love story' and from the front cover alone you can see it is not for children. The hands are, once again, important in 'suggesting' a narrative, the back cover also implies the twist to the story, so the audience is aware from the get go that this is no Disney movie. If I had more time, I would have spent further hours on making the back covers more professional (perhaps a blurb) but in my musings I could not think of anything appropriate and as this is a wordless narrative, it seemed silly to try and incorporate words at this stage of the game.

 

Rumpelstiltskin: Final Pages

Whilst creating this comic book I had already one under my belt. Beauty and the Beast was finished and it's success evaluated so I could take a lot of that knowledge and feet it into this new story. I was worried that changing the colour would change the style but my style and visual language still came through. 

In comparison to Beauty, I was more daring with composition, using high angle shots, low angle shots to greater imply character and view point. Ultimately, both stories are seen from a third persons perspective. (I think of them as the camera) and so the more more subtle the view-point the more daring the content. Feet were used to tell the story, and gesture more so than hands; this is the other way around to Beauty.. There were more characters to show in this comic; so faces were more important, to fuel the narrative and help the reader understand character, development etc. I used more specific repetition in this story also, the use of templates to gradually communicate time and change with subtle changes in costume, design and colour balance. This was something I was wary of; careful not to repeat frames or imagery too much in-case the flow ruined. 

The short stories are faced paced and intense , as was always the objective. I think that, in this version , I met my personal objectives to a greater extent than before. The story in itself, the idea of trusting the wrong person, a parents wrong decision effecting their children, a child being taken away from you...these are all fears experienced today. I have drawn on these themes and put them in a form that a modern audience can appreciate and will understand. I could have been even more daring with story decisions (see previous theories) but I told the original story with my own twist, as was my mission. 

The fact that the comics are wordless makes it all the more relatable. You can take what you will from the stories, it is not set in stone, the world is imaginary and so time and place is irrelevant,only the themes and imagery are important an this is an exciting idea. 

 

Rumpelstiltskin Rough's/Templates and Story Theories

Character Study: 

Below: Ink study concentrating on face and expression. My character 'Miller's Daughter' in Rumpelstiltskin has already been designed, however, completing the storyboards brought to attention the need to have a very detailed face design. This is because my experiments with camera angles have let me toward a 'close up' view of the story and expression will be doing a lot of the storytelling. The character should not be particularly well put together, as she is poor but she should appear to be desirable (as the King set his sights on her).  The hair is based on a 70's style, paired with the typical medieval attire (modern corset and socks) The amalgamation of different styles making the character an empathetic one but also a fictional one. 

The freckles suggest a harder life; I used them in 'Beauty..' also. They imply the need to work outdoors (not shying from the sun as would have been the fashion). The different between the character and the character of Beauty is 'M. Daughter' (I haven't named her, I didn't want to imply a great sense of self because she seen by her superiors as an object) is more hardened, not sheltered or looked after by anyone but herself. The face that she cannot work her way out of this situation, or save herself from the King and his intentions, shows how impossible her plight really is. 

The ink drops were meant to imply her disheveled state, something I was able to achieve through media, a mixture of wispy and harsh lines. The face is strong, however, and I have drawn her to appear strong (she is not spindly or lanky like my other characters) using curved strong lines; she is not a fragile character. 

Costume Designs 

Whilst completing my storyboards I became aware of some design elements that would require templates or practice. I had designed the girls primary costume but overlooked the end of the story, during which she becomes pregnant, a time lapse is shown and then there is the final costume. This required four new dresses and they had to effectively communicate the time lapse and suit the growth of pregnancy. I flipped through my book:

Looking Back at Fashion 1901-1939 (Von Whiteman)

for some inspiration into cut and shape. I was especially drawn to the flowing lines of the 1930's and so I incorporated this into a style in fitting with other costume choices in this and my other comic (certain elements the buttons, bodices and socks were recurring). The flowing lines suited the 'maternity' gown and also allowed for growth. Importantly, the gowns also had to show wealth; she is no longer a Miller's daughter but a Queen. This is also implied by other design elements; ringlets in hair, jewelry and a neatness that wasn't present before.  

The first sketch was my initial thought before research and then the three designs side by side show the progression; the bodice opening out, the lines becoming fuller. I felt I should test my colour choices out, to ensure the shape complemented the colour. 

Below: The yellow in this case suggested a richness that wasn't present before. This is because the lines are cleaner and the designs more detailed an opulent. This is a good decision for the section I am Illustrating but This would be particularly hard to repeat. Each dress will only be produced once, so I can take time and give the detail the right attention. 

Templates 

And the Story-Theorizing

Some images in the comic strip were difficult compositions to get right on the first try, or I had to show a time lapse, which was done by reproducing  character or setting and showing a change within the frame.

The baby-what it symbolizes

Below:  I decided to loose the head because I didn't want to deflect from the baby; this needed to be the most present figure in the image. The Composition was designed to imply a cocoon, to symbolise protection, even the design of the dress implies this (fullness and drapery).

There is also something more simplistic an honest about this image. In the story, the girl does not want to marry the King, or indeed, have his baby. In my version, this is evident, however, I wanted to show that she still feels a bond with the child and having it taken away is leaving her with nothing and therefore, she is back where she started. The story is about greed and how it can effect the next generation...we see three generations in this story, which further cements the theory of this pattern. I want to state that, in my story, it ends after Rumpelstiltskin takes the baby, however, in the original story, she makes another deal and overcomes him, keeping the baby. In my mind, this happens, I just didn't draw it that way to better suit my personal objectives. In some ways the story needed to be cut off at this point for the message to be evident, if she kept the baby, a deal was left undone. Behind the scenes I had other ideas; I thought about making the baby Rumpelstiltskin's, but this would throw the story, i.e the King would not keep her, the only was I could imply Rumpel as the babies father was to make the baby yellow...and this would, realistically, not have been overlooked by the King and so a whole new conflict begins. This is the why I told the story in the way I did.  

Below: Template

To show her pregnancy after the marriage, I organised three frames, with the design below the key image. the image changes slightly, showing the stages of her pregnancy, hair growth and costume change. I needed a template to ensure each image was reproduced well, hence the piece below. This was a process I used for a tricky to produce image in 'Beauty ' I simply trace these templates on a lightbox. 

Rumpelstiltskin Rough Storyboard and (GESTURE AND EXPRESSION CONTINUED)

Drawn on coloured paper simply because it helped me to organise the story into process-able chapters (not evident in final but useful to me in the storyboarding process).  I colour coordinated the pacing, using colours that didn't detract from the themes of the story.

I am so pleased with this rendition of the story . In all my research Rumpelstiltskin was such an ambiguous character. He saves the girl from death but for a price and he tries to take her baby. I had such trouble with the ending. I knew that my story had two plots.

1: The King's greed-both over the girl and her abilities, he wants her for her beauty and her supposed 'powers'. She has to be careful how she deals with the King as he could quite easily have her head cut off ( as he reminds her over and over again in the original story.) This relationship is skirted over in the original story but is actually the bit I found myself drawing on as the most 'sinister' part of the story. She has no choice bar to marry the King and have his child- even after he has threatened to kill her (if she wants to live).

2: Rumpelstiltskin and the girl, he comes to her rescue but he demands something of her. He is not your stereotypical hero, everything comes with a price! She trusts him in my version because she seeks help-or maybe a fatherly figure (her own gave her up to the evil King). In short she has no choice if she is to live. 

The Ending:

I had to stick to my objectives. Exploiting the adult undertones of the story and ultimately making a decision based on that. The penultimate moment is when he comes to take the baby from her. I was going to make the baby yellow to imply it was in fact Rumpelstiltskin's baby. This changes the whole plot though, which is daring but not quite what I'm going for so I simply cut the ending short and left it with him taking the baby. The theories behind this are further explained in previous posts. 

Whilst evaluating the success of my storyboards I have become aware a repetitiveness; I am also limited on time and feel that some panels may be condensed. This is made clear on the last but one page where I shown a need to draw a panel down and cover the original idea. However, there are some repetitive scenes that are important metaphors. The mirrored 'floor' panels where she begs for mercy and then for her baby; it shows how her life has turned around but she is back where she started. In addition, it is a direct link to a decision made in Beauty and the Beast; in which the Beast tries to seduce the Beauty (hands/close-up) and consequently at the end, we have the mirror image of her seducing him (hands close-up again). This is a theme I will continue if this project progresses. 

The panels and layout now decided upon, I must re-draw everything neatly and carefully using the same system as my previous comic. Now that I have practice, I believe that everything will appear cleaner and more professional and the second attempt should be more successful than the first. I will not look upon this as a failure in the first comic; but am aware that thing have to progress and similarly if the project was continued this would hopefully be an ongoing improvement. 

USING HANDS AND FEET/GESTURE AND EXPRESSION TO TELL THE STORY IN RUMPELSTILTSKIN: 

The communication objectives for Rumpelstiltskin evolved from my image making methods and decisions in Beauty and the Beast. The use of gesture and facial expression, alongside the close-up views of hands and feet to communicate the story worked extremely successfully in my first comic. However, I believe there are things I can refine. The use of repetition for effect can be cut down to ensure the flow of the narrative; in addition, I can explore even more camera angles, compositions, high angle shots to show the impossible situation and the hierarchy of characters. In doing so, my work should take on another level of interest and become more dynamic in it's composition. 

Below: I have included some extracts of the final Illustrations showing how I have utilised this concept of gesture/expression in this story and how it differs from the previous. below, a similar image to that at the beginning of Beauty.. the idea of taking control, this is where the situation begins-when they are taken to the 'setting' (put their by the ambiguous antagonist). I used feet,wide angle mid-shot, low to the floor to imply how abandoned the protagonist is; the feet are always turning away from her; except those of Rumpelstiltskin . Once again, there is the question of his stance in the story, is the hero or the villain, although he is open (as can be seen in the imagery) he does not turn away because there is a deal in it for him. 

Below: Example of repetition to show the 'cause and effect' morality of Fairy Tales. I deliberately mirrored the image, to better suggest the idea of the circle. Despite her trials, she is back where she started. Evidently, the theme of the story, or the 'lesson ' is that greed (seven deadly sins) will come back to haunt you. The greed of the girls father, of the King and Rumpelstiltskin comes at a price, and she pays it. 

Hands and gesture: moving the narrative forward. The image below is a perfect example of how I have used close-up (hands) to show how a character relationship has changed. The wedding ring is the middle focus of the panel; and was not drawn attention to before. Therefore, we see that a marriage has taken place and an important plot twist. Importantly, we see that the King still does not hold her hand (the only times we saw him be 'nice' previously was in her sleep). This is my subtle way of implying that there are probably ulterior motives here; that do not involve love. The composition of the panels here was important, ensuring that the focal point was central to the image an therefore, the first thing the audience is drawn to. 

Making Deals: I used hands to show the 'exchange,' whenever a deal was made and (underneath that) the image of the feet at the wheel to show the work in progress. In these images (feet at the wheel) time lapse is shown with the build up of golden spindles an diminishing of straw. In addition, we see the girls feet move closer and closer towards Rumpelstiltskin; she is curious and is perhaps trying to judge his character. At the end of these scenes, she always falls asleep and wakes to to the King and then circle repeats itself. 

Expression: The use of limited colours work to create mood, or an atmosphere for time of day. As well as hands, the face shows all sorts of emotions and I found I did not always have to show the whole face to communicate feelings. This is a example of how a lot can be said with just an image of the mouth; the tension in the first image and the way she crane's her neck away from the King shows she is displeased with the situation. The King wears a permanent sneer as he is altogether without conscience. I tried to use a hint of green to shadow and show depth, creating shadows was particularly difficult as green is quite a harsh colour, but used in moderation it worked to good effect.

The advantage of the colours in beauty and the Beast was that I could imply a 'blush' whilst I could not achieve this is Rumpelstiltskin. Smudging the pink into the red marker effectively 'suggested' a blush, which can be quite telling.