Illustration & Visual Narrative - Task 3: Animated Composition

Name: Liong Xenyi (0383125)
Module: Illustration & Visual Narrative (COM61304) 

Date: Week 6 - Week 10

Degree: Bachelor of Design (Honors) in Creative Media

University: Taylor's University

Task 3: Animated Composition

Instructions

1. You will need to produce one composition with 6000 x 3000px in resolution, featuring one original subject matter of your own design, based on the theme given. You will also need to utilize the composition technique that has been taught, including background, middle-ground and foreground.
2. You will need to animate your elements in Adobe After Effects to produce your looping animation, for about 8 – 10 seconds with 1920 x 1080px in resolution.
3. Last but not least, you will need to incorporate your design into merchandise template for HONOR (template is provided)
4. Please don't forget to give a name to your artwork

Themes:

• Renewal of life - Return : Environmental Protection
• Cultural Prosperity - Celebration : Traditional Cultural Innovation
• Genesis - The Future : The Fusion of Tech & Art
• Youth Convergence - Integration : International Cultural Exchange through a Youth Lens

Submission Files:

• Accessories Design – 6000 x 3000 pixels in JPG
• Overall Visual Design – 6000 x 3000 pixels in JPG
• Animation Design – 1920 x 1080 pixels in MP4 Format (Size below 20Mb)
• Documentation – PDF, A4. Moodboard & Rationale

Submission Sample:

1. Accessories Design

Fig 1.1

You don't have to submit the PSD file, export it as JPG with full resolution and submit the output instead.

2. Overall Visual Design

Fig 1.2

3. Animation Design
4. Documentation

Reminder: Please do not plagiarize your artwork. Any plagiarized output will be reported and considered fail.

Documentation

Theme Chosen:

Genesis - The Future: The Fusion of Tech & Art

I am inspired by the combination of the steampunk and cyberpunk themes mixed together, where a future with advanced technology fused with futuristic and aesthetic designs are fused together.

Mood board/references

Fig 1.3

Fig 1.4

Fig 1.5

Sketch

Fig 1.6

Rationale:

I like the idea of different ways technology can improve transportation in the future, and the one fun idea I’ve always liked are wings that let’s a person fly. I am inspired by steampunk aesthetic designs of using different metals and gears to make something beautiful and functional at the same time. And with the infusion of a futuristic city, I had the idea where people will be more knowledgeable and could make new working mechanics and technology of their own. My piece is centered on a new character I made – a designer and mechanical engineer. With endless testing, he made wings from scratch that could fly, and he could finally have that freedom he wished for to see the world (and to skip traffic).

Final Output

Overall Visual Design

Fig 2.1

HONOR's Accessories Design

Fig 2.2

Fig 2.3

Animation

Fig 2.4

Software used: Adobe Photoshop, Adobe After Effects

YouTube link: https://youtu.be/KSWj3DtWqOY

Assignments for each Week:

Week 7 - Appearance Type 3D Effects and Graphic Styles

Fig 3.1

Going back to the card design, we learned how to create 3D effects and textures to words, line arts and elements. We made the word 3D pop out with a glowing effect, while adding strokes and gradient to the fill for the word.

Week 8 - Patterns, Textures and Brushes

Fig 3.2

Fig 3.3

Fig 3.4

This lesson, we learned a few skills with different exercises. In Fig 3.2, we learned how to apply shading using gradient, masking tool and grain texture to create a different effect. In Fig 3.3, we learned how to create brushes to make patterns easily. In Fig 3.4, we learned how to make patterns and repeat in a systematic order so that it doesn't seem too random, using the masking tool and copy pasting the elements with a different X and Y position.

Week 9 - Animation in Adobe After Effects

Fig 3.5

This week, we learned how to use Adobe After Effects to animate something simple. With this template, we first separated the group in Adobe Photoshop and opened that file on After Effects. Using the position tool and puppet tool, we created this 10 seconds animation.

Reflection:

Experiences:

I loved learning more about how to create different textures and effects to enhance my illustrations on Adobe Illustrator. For this task, it was a little more difficult for me as I need to spend more time creating a character and composition that fits. However, I struggled the most when creating the composition, as I spent a lot of time making the character, and consequently have lesser time to work on the composition, rushing through it. However, I think I did tried my best with this assignment, where I challenged myself to use the skills I have learned and put it together. This motivated me to try making more artworks to improve my skills.

Observations:

I realised that I still enjoy making character designs more, and tend to spend more time creating them, compared to compositions. I also can quickly pick up simple animation skills faster, compared to illustrating on Adobe Illustrator. However, I am still weak with creating a good composition to accompany the character design that create a natural flow towards the main subject. I need to improve making effective compositions and learn how to draw in different angles.

Findings:

I like creating the character design and animating for this assignment. It came more naturally and easily to me. However, I still struggle creating compositions, which I need to learn different angles and draw more to improve. I do like using Adobe After Effects, but realised that my skills is still very limited, as I struggled to find the right tools to make certain effects during this assignment. This pushes me to continue seeking new ways and skills that works on After Effects.