Illustration & Visual Narrative // Project 1B : Vector Landscape

 

11/09/20 - 26/09/20 (Week 3 - Week 4)
Caitlyn Aurelia Tjandra (0339381) / BDCM
Illustration and Visual Narrative  

Project 1B- Vector Landscape

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Instruction 

Week 3 (11/09/20)

For this week, we were assign to make vector landscape illustration for our second project. We needed to create landscape with any theme that we want or Mulan 1998 with sketches that the ms has provided for us. We need to apply foreground, mid ground and background. Furthermore, We need to have concept behind our final work which we will be incorporate a short narrative in based of a poem, haiku, song lyrics or etc.

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Visual Analysis 

Week 3: Research

Mulan 1998

Firstly, I did some research on what kind of landscape I wanted to do. At first I was looking at the Mulan sketches that Ms Anis has provided. This one was stand out the most.

Pinterest

However, after exploring at Pinterest, I decided that I want to incorporate my own design instead of existing work. I search on Pinterest and picked out several reference image that stands out to me. This decide will relate to what my final project design looks like. 

Fig 1.1 Pinterest Reference

Since I was watching anime called Snow White With the Red Hair ( Akagami no Shirayukihime) I was inspired to make something related to this. This shoujo anime tells romance of a commoner and royalty relationship. Therefore, I wanted to incorporate that long distance/ forbidden love kind of image. The anime also has a lot of adventure landscape that helped me on my design.

Fig 1.2 Anime Reference

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Exploration

Week 3: Sketches

5 landscape design

I decided to sketch some landscape that also I will be using for Mr Faizal's exercise this week. 

Fig 1.3 Sketch 1

Fig 1.4 Sketch 2

Fig 1.5 sketch 3

Other exploration

After that I still felt like its not what I had wanted. The sketches didn't resembles my design and what I wanted to achieve. Therefore, I decided to do more sketches. 

Fig 1.6 Sketch 4

Fig 1.7 Sketch 5

Colour Exploration

After sketching my design, I decided to looked up several images and colour palette for my Landscape design. I found several inspiration that I put on a mood board to help me visually determine which path I wanted to go.

Fig 1.8 Moodboard 1

Fig 1.9 Moodboard 2

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Application

Week 4 (26/09/20) : Adobe Illustrator 

Final Chosen Colour

Fig 2.0 Colour palette 1

Fig 2.1 Colour palette 2

Illustration Process

First thing that I did was creating each of the design elements that I need for my design. Such as the house, planet, trees and stones.

Fig 2.2 Design elements

After that, I can move on and put all the design elements together to make a landscape. I also did a night space theme for the sky which I put the colour in circular gradient. I added planet and its rings to make it seemed more like a planet and also since the sky looks a little bit plain, I added an extra sky elements which is a moon.

Fig 2.3 Process 1 ( background sky)

Next, I did a simple gradient for the ground and put the trees on the front since it would be the foreground. 

Fig 2.4 Process 2 ( foreground trees)

Then, I added the stones illustration with some of the trees that I made them has the almost same colour as the background. The mid ground trees, I added a bluish gradient to add texture.

Fig 2.4 process 3 ( pre mid ground more trees and stones)

Then, I created a purple hill to put the house in and after that I realise that something was off in the background. Therefore, I quickly did the mountain using a light blue colour to blend in with the background.

Fig 2.5 process 4 ( mid ground hill, house and background mountain)

Lastly, I just did a simple touch up of overall image and added a light shining from the planet.

Fig 2.6 process 5 ( simple touch up and light ray)

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Final Outcome

Week 4 (26/09/20) : Final Vector Landscape

Outcome #1

Fig 2.7 Stars From Neighbouring Planet

After making one landscape, I decided to do another one with a more realistic style. The wooded cabin one has a cartoonish look while the sea one has a hint of realism in it.

Outcome #2

Fig 2.8 Sailing Over The Sea To You

Outcome #3

Fig 2.9 Volcano Eruption

 

Final Chosen Landscape

 

Stars From Neighbouring Planet

As night fell, the blue haze of the day,
Lifted to reveal the moon.
Come again another day.
A little closer to our promised in June.

We live in a different world,
Yet we encounter the same stars.
A sense of warmth springing from the cold.
Inside a wooden cabin, to the planet mars

-Caitlyn 2020

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Reflection

Week 3-4 (11/09/20 - 26/09/20)

Experience: This exercise was actually fun and challenging at the same time. At first, it was hard to come up with an idea of what kind of landscape do I want to make. I had a hard time coming up with an idea and image since I don't usually draw a landscape. 

Observation: I observe that there is a lot of process behind the scene is making a landscape. The process of research, exploring, and applying what you have found is amazing for me. I was proud of the result and I didn't think I would be able to make such a masterpiece.

Findings: I found that the landscape is not as hard as you would think. It is an actually a fun project that I was able to be given an opportunity to make a vector landscape. I learned a lot through this subject especially in terms of technicality in adobe illustrator.