Inspiration

Here are a few images of inspiration I've collected throughout my working. Will update more, but the Senior Show is kicking my tail!

Tatyana Kartasheva

Sherlock Holmes film screen credits

Lina Kusaite

Katarzyna Wolodkiewicz

(Artist Unknown)

Past Due Update

Here are some (admittedly poor) scans of the sketches I've done for one of the fables. This is past due (and I've got some other works ahead of this), but this is what I've got on the computer and can upload for the blog so far.

I planned on knowing where to insert the type (made a layout for it in InDesign) before I finalized the sketches and color it in.

Images

Here are some screenshots of the presentation on my progress so far:

Small Update

So my Revised (Revised) Senior Project Proposal passed!!! Yay! Look forward to a bunch of foxes! So far I have worked on breaking up the text and it looks like the illustrated children's book will have five fables and eighteen illustrated pages. I have researched a reference file for red foxes and drew up a bunch of foxes just to get me more familiar with the animal (pictures of the sketches will be posted later as I find a method of uploading since I don't have a scanner). I also drew a couple of the foxes in old english clothing (I have sketches of old english clothing for men and women I will also (later) post. I tried a quick color version of one of the foxes with marker and am debating on using a similar style with acrylic paint. The next phase is to draw some base sketches of the book layout (get a good idea of what illustrations will be on each page). I have already marked out a few notes as three fables will have three illustrations each, one fable having four illustrations,and another having five illustrations. So far, only one fable has a full spread illustration, but I am planning on changing that since it would be a more interesting break up if there were more full spreads interspersed among single page illustrations. I'm thinking of connecting some of the single page ones together in a way that a visible action can be seen so the pages are linked together through movement. I'll have a better example of that (a visible one) later as I work on it.

Monday is my first presentation day so I am hoping to get a lot more done by then. It's unfortunate that the revisions for my proposals took up so much time, but I'm still feeling very positive about it!

Revised (Revised) Senior Project Proposal

In advance, sorry for the wonky type.

Whelp! I had to revise my revisal to my proposal. Here's the new (new) one... (this obviously sets me a lot further back on my timeline unfortunately)

VCD 49098: Senior Research Proposal

Project & Paper Proposal Form

Directions: This form is intended to simplify the proposal process by asking specific questions that are critical to a

successful project proposal. If there is other information that supplements the description of your project, you may

attach pages as needed. All written information must be typed or word-processed. Use complete sentences and

include each question. Please be as detailed as possible.

I. Subject or title:

Title: Reynard the Fox

Deliverables: An illustrated childrenʼs book (as well as a process book and research collection)

‐ Description: The project will be an illustrated childrenʼs book of rhymes from the out of copyright text “Aesop in Rhyme with Some Originals” by Jefferys Taylor.

o The original text includes a numerous amount of Aesopʼs original Fables composed in rhyme. My project will only be including four or five of the different rhymes. The rhymes I choose to illustrate are all based around the Fox (often referred to as Reynard) character.

2. Academic / educational goal of the paper or project:

What I will learn from this project is character development and visual storytelling. As an illustrator it is

important to get the audience to be involved with the subject matter and this involves creating interesting

and intriguing characters that a person will like to know more about. Visual storytelling is another

important tool, as the message to be given must be clearly and quickly understood. I need to better

enhance my skills at making the purpose of my work easily known.

3. How, specifically, does this project go beyond existing course projects?

This project goes beyond existing course projects in that I will be in charge of all the aspects of it myself,

attempting to utilize the full capacity of my creativity; from the idea of the project to its conception I need to

be able to pull off its success as a cohesive and professional work. The aspect of developing characters

should exemplify knowledge of social/audience expectations and interest. Though we have had illustration

projects with characters before, the projects were preconceived, made for a select purpose, and confined.

This project shall extend to what I can conceive individually and be an example of work that better

portrays what I would personally like to be involved with after graduation.

4. Research necessary for the project or paper. Describe any research completed: (surveys, interviews, publications,

etc.)

For my project I have looked into examples of the product I plan to make as my main deliverable and I

have listed helpful resources and examples I can reference in regards to what is needed for this project.

I have done plenty of research in regards to looking through several different out of copyright stories and

after reading each (at times more than once when they appeared to have potential) having to make sure I

can make it fit the confines of the senior project while still being interesting.

I have had to research former ideas, scrap former ideas, and research new ideas with more potential. I

have had to read through many different texts ("The Red Shoes," "The Ugly Duckling," "The Princess and

the Pea," "Poultry Meg's Family," "The White Snake," "The Seven Ravens," "The Six Swans," "The

Golden Bird," "The Pink," "Old Sultan," "The Wishing Table, the Gold Ass, and the Cudgel in the Sack,"

"The Tumbling," "The Golden Reed Pipe," "The Enchanted Stag," and "The Fair One with Golden Locks"

just to name a few of them) in order to find one what can be particularly interesting while still having a

certain level of potential. I also worked on educating myself about copyrighting in order to make sure I

would not infringe on any laws. I also looked into research on the target market of books with content

similar to what mine will have. I spent very long, hard hours in preparing for these proposals in order to

have a strong senior project. I do not think of this proposal/project light heartedly. I consider this to be

very important and treat it as such.

There are other things I am still going to research. I am continuing to look into both new and past forms of

illustrating as well as any other surveys that can be beneficial in determining appropriate methods of delivering/creating my material (whatʼs familiar and/or popular).

Further questions I may discover while working will need to be answered appropriately whether through

help of faculty, online research, etc

5. PROJECT ONLY: Form of the project: Describe what the individual pieces would be: number of pieces, sizes,

colors, materials, techniques, quantity.

The number of pieces in the project will be three items. The childrenʼs book is the main focus. A process

book with a collection of my sketches and preliminary work showing my working process will also be

included. The third item will be a collection of my influences, inspiration, and references. The project

deliverables are:

‐ 1.) An illustrated childrenʼs book of a small collection of Aesopʼs Fables in rhyme

o Seven to fifteen pages of illustrations (dependent on an appropriate break up of the text)

 Some of the illustrations will be single or double (a full spread) page in order to provide variation

 The illustrations will range from simple motifs to full spreads (again appropriate to the break up of the text)

o The front and back cover of the book

 The book will be approximately 8 inches wide by 10 inches tall (so a full spread would be 16 inches wide by 10 inches tall)

‐ 2.) A process book of my preliminary work

‐ 3.) A collection of my research

6. PROJECT ONLY: How will the final pieces be presented? (comped, printed, electronic, actual art, etc.)

The final pieces will be presented as physical (namely printed) items. The childrenʼs book will have printed illustrations. The childrenʼs book will have approximately seven to fifteen pages. The audience will be from young children (approximately three to eight years of age), to parental figures, child educators, and child caretakers. The age range included is focused on young children developing vocabulary and reading comprehension. Illustrated children books are namely for kids learning to understand basic language skills while keeping their concentration in being entertaining as a childʼs skills develop. Those involved with this age group (parents, grandparents, teachers, care-takers, etc.) are also important people to consider as they are the main figures of control to what the interest party (young children) may be exposed to. The text is focused on providing morals and so as the child learns word recognition, a paternal figure can help explain both the moral aspects as well as any vocabulary the child is beginning to become more knowledgeable about. The book can be used for the purpose of being read aloud or independent reading as children learn to sound aloud words (knowing the end words tend to rhyme with each other is a helpful factor in learning pronunciation of a word).

‐ To define a more specific audience targeting would be aiming for areas more prone to positive feelings towards animals (as the book includes mainly a personified fox). More rural areas towards children of families with backyards and more inclination toward household pets is a factor. Suburbs might also be included, but those of urban areas not as likely. Some begining research towards demographic surveys suggest that those of a rural upbringing have more of a positive attitude toward animals versus those of an urban upbringing. This also includes a higher aptitude for females than males to express positive attitudes towards animals. I am defining the audience through different levels. First, there is an age range suited for children who use children's books. Second, there is a specific regional location of rural areas because there is a study indicating that people in those areas are more prone to a positive attitude towards animals.

Since animals are a main focus of the text, a positive attitude towards animals was something I chose to be a factor in segmenting the audience (I inferred that the study was relevant because the story I chose was namely focused on a particular fox). Third, I targeted females because (again, through a found study) it has been implied that females have a more positive attitude towards animals than males. So with these, the most specific audience targeted are girls ranging between the ages of 3-8 years living in rural areas.

I included the fact that the book would also have to be appropriate for parental figures simply to cover my bases since they are generally the ones controlling what the target audience is exposed to and Aesopʼs Fables includes morals (the moral points are also included in the text after the fable) that paternal figures wish to instill in their children. The paternal figures are not considered the target audience, but they are

not to be ignored either.

Revised Senior Proposal

Unfortunately, the first time around my senior proposal did not pass. The main reasoning being that the faculty could not approve self-written work. Therefore, my goal was to find an out of copyright story I could use that would still fit within the confines of my project. On another note, this means I will have to slightly revise my time management as well. Here is the revised senior proposal...

VCD 49098: Senior Research Proposal

Project & Paper Proposal Form

Directions: This form is intended to simplify the proposal process by asking specific questions that are critical to a successful project proposal. If there is other information that supplements the description of your project, you may attach pages as needed. All written information must be typed or word-processed. Use complete sentences and include each question. Please be as detailed as possible.

I. Subject or title:

Title: Character Branding

Deliverables: Short children’s book, small calendar, approximately three different cards (exemplifying the brand in its own line of greeting cards), and a child’s sketchbook.

Description: The illustrated children’s book will be based off of the out of copyright story “The White Cat” by Countess d’Aulnoy. Some changes in the text may be made to better modify the story for the audience appropriately, but the story overall will be fairly similar.

o Summary of text: A king has three sons he must choose from to succeed his throne. He gives the sons three tasks to accomplish and whomsoever does the best in achieving these tasks will rule his kingdom. All the sons go valiantly forth to achieve these tasks. The youngest however finds a spectacular castle run by enchanted cats. A beautiful white cat greets him as the madam of the area. The youngest prince realizes that these are no ordinary cats and spends an enchanted time the white cat. The first two tasks the king sets out are accomplished with the help of the white cat, and the third task is to bring home a beautiful maiden to wed to become the queen of the kingdom. At this, the white cat forces the youngest prince to cut off her head and tail and throw them into a fire. The body of the white cat then transforms into a beautiful maiden that explains that she was cursed. In her own right, the white cat (now woman) is a queen with her own kingdoms. After returning home with this queen, the youngest prince wins his father’s throne. This queen grants his brothers kingdoms of their own to rule and lets the father continue ruling his though as she and the youngest prince marry and rule over her remaining kingdoms.

o Some parts such as the mutilation of the white cat will be rewritten to be more appropriate for the intended audience.

2. Academic / educational goal of the paper or project:

What I will learn from this project is character development, visual storytelling, and brand development. As an illustrator it is important to get the audience to be involved with the subject matter and this involves creating interesting and intriguing characters that a person will like to know more about. Visual storytelling is another important tool, as the message to be given must be clearly and quickly understood. I need to better enhance my skills at making the purpose of my work easily known. A huge opportunity to being successful is to create a marketable idea. I need to be able to take my illustration techniques and make them into something that can be branded (something unique and recognizable that can be purposely sought out).

3. How, specifically, does this project go beyond existing course projects?

This project goes beyond existing course projects in that I will be in charge of all the aspects of it myself, attempting to utilize the full capacity of my creativity; from the idea of the project to its conception I need to be able to pull off its success as a cohesive and professional work. The aspect of developing characters of my own should exemplify knowledge of social/audience expectations and interest. Building these characters into a brand to be marketable is also a unique aspect. With the fairly different deliverables, there must be a consistency throughout them that individualizes these products as being a part of one, identifiable brand. In the way “Hello Kitty” or “Disney” can be seen through all different types of media, my goal is to somewhat simulate this through my project. The “brand” must be able to easily transfer and adapt to whatever product it can be a part of. Though we have had projects with different deliverables, the projects were preconceived, made for a select purpose, and confined. This project shall extend to what I can conceive individually, expand it to be able to be a part of various products (not just advertising/promotions), and be an example of work that better portrays what I would personally like to be involved with after graduation.

4. Research necessary for the project or paper. Describe any research completed: (surveys, interviews, publications, etc.)

Any research I have done so far has been fairly superficial. For my ideas I have looked into examples of the products I plan to make as my deliverables (children books, greeting cards, etc.), and I have listed helpful resources and examples I can reference in regards to writing and making the material needed for this project.

There are several things I would need to research. I would have to research both new and past forms of illustrating as well as any surveys that can be beneficial in determining appropriate methods of delivering/creating my material (what’s familiar and/or popular). Further questions I may have will need to be answered appropriately whether through help of faculty, online research, etc

5. PROJECT ONLY: Form of the project: Describe what the individual pieces would be: number of pieces, sizes, colors, materials, techniques, quantity.

The number of pieces in the project will be a total of six individual items. This will include a short children’s book, a small calendar, three different greeting cards, and a child’s sketchbook. The short children’s book will be the main source from which the other deliverables will branch off of; presuming that the book has marketing potential and is practical for marketing different products. By creating a brand based off of this book, the brand can be used to encompass products such as calendars, a line of greeting cards, and various notebooks. The project deliverables (along with the book) will have…

- A small calendar: All months on one page face, the visuals of it all connecting with the book.

- Three different greeting cards: Each card is for a different “event” (Valentine’s Day, Thank You, Birthday…) to demonstrate the characters from the book as easily adaptable.

- A child’s sketchbook: About the size of a small notebook (roughly five inches wide and eight inches high), the sketchbook will have visuals connecting with the book. Visuals will include the cover, the back, an opening page, and the rest of the pages inside with a recurring header on each page of the journal. Included are blank pages (not including headers, etc.) for a child’s doodles, notes, drawings, etc.

6. PROJECT ONLY: How will the final pieces be presented? (comped, printed, electronic, actual art, etc.)

The final pieces will be presented as physical (namely printed) items. The small children’s book will have printed illustrations, as will the cardstock small calendar and greeting cards, and double-wire-o bound child’s sketchbook. The children’s book will have approximately five to ten pages (will more likely be seven to ten pages).

The audience will be from young children (approximately three to twelve years of age), to parental figures, child educators, and child caretakers. The age range includes its mid-range as the beginning of children’s literary skills as they develop reading, the earlier ages when most children comprehend being read to, and the older ages when children further develop their reading skills and are still generally interested in the children illustrated book genre. Illustrated children books are namely for kids learning to understand basic language skills while keeping thier concentration in being entertaining as a child’s skills develop. Those involved with this age group (parents, grandparents, teachers, care-takers, etc.) are also important people to consider as they are the main figures of contorl to what the interest party (young children) may be exposed to.

- A more specific audience targeting would be aiming for areas more prone to positive feelings towards animals (as the book includes mainly personified cats). More rural areas towards children of families with backyards and more inclantion toward household pets is a factor. Subarbs might also be included, but those of urban areas not as likely. Some begining research towards demographic surveys suggest that those of a rural upbringing have more of a positive attitude toward animals versus those of an urban upbringing. This also includes a higher aptitude for females than males to express positive attitudes towards animals.

o The small calendar will be appropriate for the age range as it not only includes visuals connected with an enteratining storybook, but is a quick read of any marked dates needed remembering.

§ It is also a plus for adults wanting children to remember a specific event whether for excitement (such as birthdays, holidays, etc.) or prepartion (such as vacations, school, etc.).

o The greeting cards will be appropriate for the age range as it not only includes visuals connected with an entertaining storybook, but can be shared among friends as it provides a quick read of a specific social expression in a fun way.

§ Events such as Valentine’s Day have children exchanging cards to classmates, or moments for Thank You cards to relatives in receiving a gift, or occassions like Birthdays to a friend’s party are all examples of prime greeting card exchanges for this age range.

o A child’s sketchbook will be appropriate for the age range as it not only includes visuals connected with an entertaining storybook, but provides the freedom of expression and creativity that many children in this age range generally want to let out. It is a way of playing, but also a way for children to put down physically what they may want to remember or convey.

§ A sketchbook can be used not only for drawing but for any other uses that a notebook, planner, or diary would be used for. The blank pages are open for whatever interpreation a child wants to use it for.

S.P.P. Time Management

WEEK 05

{M} February 6th:

- Proposals Returned

- Make sure Time Management is posted on blog (check!)

{W} February 8th:

- Have ready an outline of the children's Book story along with a few rough character sketches

- Research (research will also be conducted throughout the process as needed)

WEEK 06

{M} February 13th:

- Define dimensions of the Book and finalize the major character descriptions

- Start on a rough draft of the story

{W} February 15th:

- Develop the story further and include rough draft illustrations along with the portrayed scenes

WEEK 07

{M} February 20th:

- Presentation #01, Group A

- Not my group

- By now, have a concrete grasp on the story line (approximate number of pages), the scenes that will be depicted, and rough sketches of the scene illustrations

{W} February 22nd:

- Presentation #02, Group B

- My group

- Present the progress so far, and go back to fine-tuning any weak spots found

WEEK 08

{M} February 27th:

- Finalize the writing for the story (allowing for any small necessary tweaks) as well as finalize the scenes needed to be illustrated (along with how long the Book will be)

{W} February 29th:

- Figure out what papers the Book will be printed on and what cover (as well as binding) methods it will have

- Begin final line drawings of illustrations

WEKK 09

{M} March 05th:

- Continue work with illustrations

- Perhaps develop black and white copies

- Keeping in mind spaces where type will be

{W} March 07th:

- Finalize line illustrations and begin work with color

- Begin considering what the front and back (book cover) will look like

WEEK 10

{M} March 12th:

- Continue finishing illustrations (final color versions)

- Try to be approximately 1/4 - 1/2 way done with illustrations

{W} March 14th:

- Continue finishing illustrations

SPRING BREAK

{M} March 19th:

- No Class

- Draft up design for the Mini-Calendar, Greeting cards, and Journal

- Continue finishing the illustrations

{W} March 21st:

- No Class

- Finish the illustrations (all physical illustrations should be done by the end of today)

WEEK 11

{M} March 26th:

- No Class

- Upload finished illustrations into InDesign (preferred over Illustrator for now) and begin putting into Book order with text (including book cover)

- Design and begin Mini-Calendar illustration

{W} March 28th:

- Finish Book (everything printed)

- Begin binding

- Finalize/work on Mini-Calendar

WEEK 12

{M} April 02nd:

- Presentation #02, Group A

- Not my group

- Have Book completely finished (binding and everything) and ready to be presented

- Finish Mini-Calendar

- Sketch rough drafts of Greeting Cards (with text, scenes/images, and event)

{W} April 04th:

- Presentation #02, Group B

- My group

- Present progress (finished Book, finished Calendar, and at least halfway finished Greeting Cards)

- Finalize Greeting Cards

WEEK 13

{M} April 09th:

- Print Greeting Cards

- Design and sketch up illustrations for Journal

- Finalize format (binding, cover, and pages)

{W} April 11th:

- Set up all layouts (text and images) in InDesign

- Have ready for print

- Finalize Journal cover illustration

WEEK 14

{M} April 23rd:

- Fix any problems

{W} April 25th:

- Leaving time to make sure everything is ready and prepared

- ... and just in case things didn't progress as scheduled

- Prepare self for Final Presentation

WEEK 15

{M} April 30th, 12:45-3:00 p.m.:

- FINAL PRESENTATION

- Full Class Attendance Required

- Deliverables:

- 1.) Short Children's Book

- 2.) Mini-Calendar

- 3.), 4.), 5.) Three Greeting Cards

- 6.) Journal