Ohhhh, we're halfway there...

Livin' on a prayer for sure. This past week has been quite a doozy.

What I did:
- Illustrations for .75 model (25 hrs)
- Scanning in images (1 hr)
- Putting model book together (20 mins)
- Documenting (1.5 hrs)
- Uploading/photoshopping/cropping photos (45 mins)
- Keynoteeee (2 hrs)
- Practicing (1.5 hr)
- Fixing presentation (5 hrs)
- Reflection (40 mins)

What I accomplished/encountered/discovered:
     I spent a lot of time this week making new illustrations for my .75 scale models. I thought a lot about composition and clarity. I also practiced
What's Next:

Unpacking

I literally just got out of my December review and decided I should take time now to reflect and write, while everything is lemony fresh.

I was lucky enough to have Seth Ellis on my panel, who was very insightful about narratives. He was able to offer a lot of suggestions regarding the particular moment of seeing the bones through the glasses for the first time. We need to experience Kay's confusion, excitement and wonder. Currently I am treating her as a supplementary device, I need to make her a character. We need to feel empathy for her instead of just experiencing her story as a third party. Her looking through the glasses needs to be a longer moment.

It was also suggested I make her explorations longer moments. Currently, when Kay looks at a bug or a cat, it is a passing moment. But because she is exploring, the visual should be an exploration as well. We don't just see the whole cat skeleton, but we also see close ups and we also see Kay's wonder.

Also, there was a lot of set-up for such little anatomy. This can easily be fixed with longer moments of exploration.

Another common theme is the need to feel emotion with Kay, whether it be boredom, fun, danger or pain. I haven't convincingly created emotion for Kay. Holly Hughes also noted that all the scenes before the glasses are very static. There are no emotions and the compositions are very middle ground. She was also confused how the glasses added value to her life/healing. Perhaps I need to be more clear that they are a device to fill the hole in her life that used to filled with physical activities that cannot be preformed with a cast.  (This is the main conflict, not the fracturing of her arm)

I will definitly be rethinking my scenes over break. (not only in composition, but also set up). When I take my reference photos, I will also be "playing cinematographer". I have some friends who are SAC majors. Perhaps they have some suggestions.

There were mixed reviews about the use of words:    SE-no    HH-yes     MS-ehhh.
Me: I will be working without words for the time being.

One word that keeps coming up is Magic. Stephanie and Hannah keep saying it too. I keep thinking it will just come with the right "aha" moment, but today got me thinking that it could take something more... or different. SE says "take me there". MS says it is like Narnia or WIzard of oz. The visual changes completely (both in color and style). Perhaps her x-ray view could be potato prints or a blue/misty x-ray looking world.

On that note, they also liked some of my half-penned illustrations. The way the pen (aka: important parts) came forward from the background could be my solution to color.

Speaking of illustrations, mine are very flat. This could be from the static views or the actual illustration. I personally feel that once I get my reference images, that should help a ton. However, I could always try and make flat work (eric carle').

     Other random bits:

HH suggested we look through Kay's eyes early to set us up for the x-ray views.

Healing needs to be longer. Feel the time pass. Maybe have an entire scene of her checking her arm every so often...
- Also: cast off = anticlimactic. arm atrophy?

Matt Schlian reccomended: the visitor by sean tan.

Is it necessary to include the arm break? (if I did, it should be super climactic)
- is kay a daredevil? is that why she falls? what makes her fall? does she know there is danger?

no real consensus on color...

December Again

What I did:
- abstract (30 mins)
- talked to people about getting watercolor lessons (30 mins)
- presentation outline (2 hrs)
- character studies (3 hrs)
- color exploration research (1 hr)
- layout deciding (1.5 hrs)
- color exploration (3 hrs)
- .75 scale model (3 hrs so far)

What I accomplished/encountered/discovered:

     I am fairly satisfied with my character explorations. I clearly have a lot more work to do, but for now it will be pushed aside so I can focus on the bigger picture.

from some stock photos and some from my goddaughter Kaelyn

Kaelyn

practicing POV

     The bigger picture is my entire book layout. I needed an updated (and larger) version to show at my December review. It will also help me determine what reference shots I need to take over break for my illustrations. Speaking of illustrations, I have set up watercolor lessons over break as well.

     After I re-evaluated the necessary scenes for my book, I was able to start my .75 scale model. It still needs a lot of work over the weekend, but it is definitely a start. 

     The group critique on Tuesday confirmed my belief that color got a little out of hand in my full scale trials. There was so much going on in the scene as well as with the plethora of color. I  took some time to look at books with a limited color palette. It is incredible how much can be accomplished (and expressed) with so few colors. Below are some examples.

By Philip Stead, illustrated by his wife Erin

Simply, but also exquisitely rendered

By Jean-Luc Fromental & Joelle Jolivet

PENGUINS!!

by Kazuno Kohara
woot! for straying from white backgrounds

     I also did my own exploring with color. I haven't reached a verdict yet, however perhaps that is something that can be done with the help of my December review committee.

Nine of the most successful explorations

B&W with a single color referring to mood and the object of focus (feet!)

B&W with subtle color and bright color on object of focus

Light wash in background. Bold colors on focus area.

What's next: 

     Mock presentations and December review of course! I have a pretty good idea of my presentation layout, so this weekend I will be doing lots of exploring, documenting and uploading pictures into keynote. By Tuesday, everything will be (mostly) spotless and rehearsed for my trial run. Thursday is the big day then. Practice, Practice, Practice!

"Don't close the book, just turn the page"

What I did:

- Full scale trials (10 hrs)
- Library visit/Spoke with a librarian (1.5 hrs)
- Research on Illustrators (1 hr)
- Listened to David Small (1 hr)
- Spoke with Sarah Stewart (30 mins)
- Worked on POV and X-ray view (2hrs)
- Collected reference images (2 hrs)

What I accomplished/encountered/discovered:
     I have always wanted to write and illustrate a children's book. I always expressed my feelings through pictures. Before I could write I used to scribble next to my pictures and pretend the scribbles were words. Once, I gave one of these creations to my parents and I remember them laughing and I was so frustrated because I thought I accidently wrote a bad word. Really, I'm sure they were just tickled by how silly I was and how hard I tired to make a book even though I lacked the skills. My parents used to read to us kids every night before bed. My dad would change the words and we would get sooo frustrated "Daaaaad! Read it right!". I would give anything to go back and let him "read it silly." Being transported to those make-believe worlds inspired me to have the crazy imagination that I have. Books, especially picture books, have been so much a part of my life and my aspirations, it is so hard to hear Hannah and Stephanie say that I am not excited about this project. This is everything I have ever wanted to do. I wish I could count the minutes and hours I spend thinking and talking about X-Ray Kay, because that would add up to more than 10 hours a week alone. It is December. I am a typical college student. I am burnt out, but not from this project. I am simply saying why I am burnt out in general. I have a raging sinus infection. I can't sleep. Being president of the co-op is exhausting and I am just about ready to be done dissecting cats and sharks. Maybe its the formaldehyde getting to me, but I am ready for a break. A break where I can relax and illustrate. Illustrate for this book. I am not giving up.
     Full scale models were a waste of time because I can't draw or paint. I learned a lot though. For example, I got to practice using different mediums and I now know which one feels right, both visually and physically. I was also able to explore composition and details that I wouldn't have thought of in a sketch. I have also determined criteria that I know I absolutely want and don't want in my final project.
     Talking to the librarian was unnecessary because this is my project and I should stop being passive. She did give me some interesting reading on Eric Carle and new illustration style possibilities.
     The David Small lecture was really interesting. Although he did not talk a lot about his process, he did help me understand more of what an illustrator does and how he would go about making a book. Looking at his work helped me visualize how a style can be both loose and descriptive at the same time.
     Sarah Stewart, David's wife and author, was especially inspiring. It was wonderful to find someone as excited about my project as I am (and she didn't even know me!). She was extremely supportive and we talked about passion, inspiration and the crucial/beautiful relationship between writing and illustrating. She also showed me her book (illustrated by David) in progress! It was very cool to see the physical process and it was a bit heartening to see it is allowed to be a bit disorganized.
     The rest of my time spent this week was put into figuring out how the x-ray glasses view will be shown (still haven't figured it out yet) and collecting reference images. I have lots of stock pictures of 7 year old girls in different poses for now, but I will be taking my own pictures of my 7 year old god-daughter come holiday break.

What's Next:
     I have solicited the help of my peers to teach me how to use watercolor paint. I may just have to go home and get a tutorial from my boss over break. She is pretty well known for her watercolor paintings. By Tuesday I will have a bunch of ugly character studies, and hopefully some that I can actually present to the world. I will also have a load of little scene studies.


What I will have done for December Review:
     Some full sized illustrations and a complete layout (pagination) of the book.

11.18.11

What I did:

- Made pagination (2 hrs)

- Tried different ways to simulate x-ray vision (2 hrs)

- Found and took some reference photos (1 hr)

- Started painting/drawing illustrations (4 hrs)

What I accomplished/encountered/discovered:

     Even though I spent a good amount of time on the pagination (it was .25 scale) it wasn't very helpful in the end. It was great to be able to visualize the updated flow in a linear fashion as well as update some of the scenes and add in ones that were suggested by Stephanie and Hannah. 

     I am still struggling with the passage of time in regards to showing the fracture healing. I tried a couple versions using tracing paper as well as showing the rims of the glasses in the picture. I was told they weren't successful, so I'm ignoring the whole problem for now and moving on.

     In order to start doing some of my drawings, I had to look up some reference pictures (and take some of my own) for certain things. For instance, I wanted to make sure I had the child's proportions right and I wanted to know what normal house windows actually looked like. How round is a balloon? What do the strings look like when the balloons are floating? What does a television look like? The back of a chair? 

     Although I ignored some of these references when drawing, I was able to use them with other styles. I am working on making at least 5 different uses of the same scene with a different illustration style. What I have in mind is watercolor, gouache, acrylic, colored pencil, and cut paper. So far I have one gouache done and half a watercolor. 

What's next:

     I will finish all 5 illustrations by Tuesday and then address my x-ray vision problem over the Thanksgiving break.

I can't think of a clever title today.

What I did:

- Updating half-scale model (2 hrs)
- Layout feedback (30 mins)

- Grant application

     - Reflection, Writing & Proofing (2 hrs)

     - Budget research (1.5 hrs)

     - Documentation (30 mins)

- Reading and reflecting on "Artist to artist: 23 major illustrators talk to children about their art" (2 hrs)
- Pagination (1 hr)

What I accomplished/discovered/encountered:
     This week began with finishing, presenting and updating my half-scale model. After group critique and then meeting with Stephanie and Hannah, I realize some of the pages still needed tweaking. I was able to pen in the pages I thought worked well, while I left some others to be reinvented. Having the physical example in my hands made it much easier in asking people which format worked better. I got some interesting feedback and I tried and sometimes failed in improving things. For example: I had a scene where time passed in one page full of little boxes. It was suggested to make it last longer, I could make a pull-out panel. The pull-out looked like one scene, so I was back to the drawing board. I ended up making individual pages for each image. I am still thinking about making a flip book insert.

there will be a different cover. this will be a full page illustration

wee!

ouch!

Looks like a fracture!

Poor Kay doesn't look too happy

This view will be visited earlier in the story without the x-ray view

Cutting the bug view. Giving the cat and fish their own page.

     I submitted my grant application on Thursday. It was really hard cutting down my summary. I have so many things to say about my story and why it is important for both me and the kids who will someday read it. The budget also took a long time. It is hard thinking as far ahead as installation and determining what supplies I will be needing.  Incase you were interested, below is my introduction:

'“X-Ray Kay” is a whimsical picture book telling the adventure of Kaytlin, a curious, rough and tumble 7-year old who experiences an unfortunate turn of events. Kay fractures her arm falling out of a tree and quickly finds that her bulky yellow cast keeps her from doing the hands-on things she loves.  With a sudden change of luck, Kay discovers a pair of x-ray glasses. All are invited to join Kay as she watches her arm heal and discover that skeletons are an important and playful part of everybody.

                Because bones are a structurally fundamental element of chordates, it is important to teach kids at a young age that skeletons do not have to represent death or gore as the media suggests. The light and fanciful tone of X-Ray Kay shows children that bones are not scary and will hopefully inspire them to take the initiative to learn more about osteology. By fostering this interest in anatomy, the child will also become exposed to other branches of science. Although “X-Ray Kay” carries an educational message, it is also a story that is magical enough to invite little ones to sit, engage and imagine. By bringing this delightful story to children, it will not only increase their understanding of anatomy, but also help them conquer the fear and frustration that comes with a broken bone."

     I also started reading "Artist to artist: 23 major illustrators talk to children about their art" by Eric Carle. It was more helpful to look at all the styles than actually read the messages. Most of the artists' advice could be summed up to: it's okay to be an artist, especially if you love it and work hard. Although it was encouraging, the message was aimed mostly at budding artists.  It was extremely helpful though to see how many different ways there are to render an image (even without factoring in media).  Some had very whimsical or abstract styles, some geometric, others realistic, soft, hard, bright, high-contrast, etc... This will come in handy when I start trying different rendering styles (see: what's next). 

     I unfortunately didn't get too far on the pagination. For some reason, I was very distracted this week. I did however put the scenes I'm keeping on paper.

What's next:

     I want to have the pagination completed by Tuesday. I also would like to have my method of time-lapse figured out by Tuesday. Thursday I will complete 5 different rendering styles for my illustrations. Ready-Set-Go!

X-Ray Kay

     Before you read on, I have a very exciting announcement. My totally awesome little brother entered a UM photo contest and now he's a finalist!! If you have two minutes, I would really appreciate it if you voted for him. Here's the website. Just click the "vote now" button and it will take you to the finalists. ((His picture is the one with colorful houses and a mountain in the background.)) Thanks!

Moving on:

What I Did:
- Moment sketching (.5 hr)
- Storyboard (1 hr)
- Storyboard Redux (1 hr)
- Looking up and taking source images (1.5 hrs)
- Make Model (5 hrs)
- Media research (.5)
- Talking with an RN about broken bones in children (.5 hr)

What I accomplished/discovered:
     I started the weekend by taking my character study and sketching scenes and moments I wanted to see in my book. I also worked on adding conflict and resolution as well as other critical plot devices; something that my original storyboard lacked.  It also helped to write the story progression down, being that it allowed me to copy, paste and add details and notes that are hard to put in sketches.

     Afterwards, I spoke with my critique group about moving forward. It was suggested that I exaggerate or boost the story's conflict as well as really push the sense of time further visually (especially in bone healing). The element of magic in the story could be helped with use of visual queues and interactions (use mylar panel to hide/expose x-ray?).  It was also suggested that I talk with a librarian about the attention span of my target group, their developmental needs, what would be a new or surprising element for a book to have, and what are successful elements that have been used and might be helpful in my book. I also should talk to a nurse about the scientific facts about broken bones in children as well as how they react and what comforts them. 

ouch!

     The next step seemed to be to make a half-scale model of my book. I was cautioned to get more specific in vantage points and pacing, not necessarily details. I did so and it took a lot longer than I expected.

     It turns out that sometimes even though it looks like a complete and easy to follow story in 2D form, when you add the interactive element of turning a page, things get a lot more complicated. I took a lot of the one panel scenes and stretched them into a two-panel scene. I also kept rearranging the order of events to see which transition made more sense. I also experimented with vantage points. I realized that some scene that I thought I had all worked out, they looked more dynamic in another view.

     Starting even took a lot of time: How many pages do I need? What size? How will I assemble them?...  This really showed me that this book is a more involved project than I thought.
     I stopped by an arts store briefly to talk about good papers for illustration (and price them out). I picked up a watercolor paper sample pack. This will make it easier when I go to buy the paper in bulk. 

     I very briefly spoke to an RN about broken bones in children. She was able to affirm most of the information I had about the science behind fractures and the process one goes through for treatment and healing.  She was also able to add the human element by elaborating on an arm break she had as a child and how frustrating it was to her when she couldn't be as independent as she wanted.

What's Next:
     Next I plan on taking my model/ideas to the public library. I want to speak with a librarian  about the questions my critique group came up with. I also want to ask the children about their favorite books and why. Also if they had broken a bone and what it would be like to have x-ray glasses. I want to have my supplies bought and ready for illustration for Thursday.

This week in the life of Kyla...

     Help me out and tell me in the comments what your favorite book was as a child (age 5-8ish) and why?

What I did:
- Topic research (2 hrs)
- Read and research survey responses (1.5 hr)
- Plymouth District Library Visit (2hrs)
- Reading to family (.5hr)
- Discussing and Brainstorming book plots with others (1.5 hrs)
- Asking and listening about people's favorite childhood book (1 hr)
- Quick sketches of pages (1 hr)
- Storyboard (1 hr)
- Character Study (2 hrs)

What I accomplished/discovered:
     I started the week off by sending an informal survey over facebook asking two seemingly simple questions. What was your favorite book as a child and why? I found that most people's responses fell into 3 categories: a) they could relate to the character is some aspect, b) it was bright, exciting and memorable (usually due to rhymes), and c) is was a charming story that had a message that remained relevant or meaningful into their adulthood. I have been looking at the suggested books for inspiration in storytelling and visual appeal. I have also been using this as a guide to form a successful story.
     Another way to help with my story, I have been researching things about the relationship between kids and bone fractures. I found that arms are the most common broken bone. "About one in 20 fractures involve the upper arm bone (humerus). Children are more likely to break the lower arm bones (radius and ulna)." (AAOS) I also furthered my knowledge on bone remodeling by researching how bones fractures heal as well as different types of breaks and what kind of force causes them. I made sure that the resource I was using was specifically for children (Kid's Health). From these and other resources, I have decided that my main character will fall from a tree, use her arms to cushion her fall and have a single closed oblique displaced fracture in the radius and ulna of her right arm. She gets a fiberglass cast (in yellow of course, it's her favorite color) and it stays on for 4 weeks (young bones are much more resilient that older bones).
     This weekend, I visited the library in Plymouth, my hometown. The children's section is immense there as are it's resources. The librarian was very helpful in finding the books I was interested in. She was also able to recommend several books about book illustrators and how to write and publish a successful children's book. I spent a lot of time browsing the featured books and pulling a ton more off the shelf to read later.... And read I did. I read aloud to my family, my roommate, and by myself.
     While I was home, I took advantage of the fact I had a great focus group to my disposal: different ages, perspectives, tastes and a common love for books. It was helpful to run my three concepts by family so we could quickly weed out the less developed ideas and run with the good ones. My family's wild imagination led to some interesting suggestions and led me down some new paths. We decided that the xray glasses had the most potential. They urged me to use the book as a tool to make broken bones and doctor's offices less scary. They also know thought that I should make it playful and interactive. We thought there could be glasses that come with the book or ways that I could make the bones show through without turning the page. It was a refreshing and helpful start to the week.
     Throughout the week I have been quickly sketching images and scenes that came into my head when I thought about my story. I won't be using all of the images, but it acts as a nice reference and reminder. I also laid out a rough storyboard. It was much harder to put everything in sequential order that I originally thought. My story still has some gaps. I'm hoping my character study will help.

     For my character study, I practiced drawing little girls that could potentially be my character. I worked from realistic to stylistic. I think my character (Kay) is the right mix of reality and cartoony. It helped also to write down all of her features/traits/likes to better realise her in a physical way. Check it out!

What's Next:
     Next I will rewrite my storyboard for Tuesday with more evolved plot and visuals. I will begin some more detailed drawings for Thursday so I have more images to submit for my grant application. I will also get in contact with some grade school librarians so I can use them and their classes as resources.

Blur

This past week has been a blur.

What I did:
- Read/research children's books and proper books for certain audiences (2 hrs)
- Research Caldecott winners/authors/illustrators (3 hrs)
- Brainstorm and collect ideas for story lines (2 hrs)
- Talk out my ideas with various people (2hrs)
- Storyboard both ideas (2 hrs)

What I accomplished/encountered/discovered:
     I have decided that my target audience is 5-8 year olds. From the articles I've read, five year olds are beginning to read and understand more complex stories. Eight year olds are the cutoff because they begin venturing into chapter books. In addition, I would like my book to be something that an adult would not necessarily pick up for fun, but enjoy nonetheless.
     This weekend, I finished reading the books I checked out from the Ann Arbor Public Library and I decided to make a list of things I liked and didn't like about the science books vs. the recommended books. That list ended up as me quickly deciding that it was crucial that my book told a story, not just science facts. It was then that I starting researching past Caldecott winners. It was amazing how many books on the list I remembered from my childhood. Caldecott Medal & Honor winners (Fun fact: the Caldecott winning author and illustrator of "A Sick Day with Amost McGee" attended my brothers' high school and they currently live in Ann Arbor. How cool!!)
     Caldecott Medals are awarded to the most outstanding children's picture book each year. The fun thing about picture books is that some have words and some don't, but all have incredible storytelling abilities. Last week the librarian recommended I look at "Flotsam" by David Wiesner. Absolutely beautiful pictures (see last week's post) and a whimsically enchanting story; all with no words. After stumbling upon the fact that Wiesner has three Caldecotts (!!!), I decided to look more deeply into his style and his stories to see what is making such an impact on children and adults alike. Basically, Wiesner is a trained illustrator who lets his imagination run wild. I also think the absence of words allows the reader to compose their own story to accompany the playful visuals. While on David Wiesner's website, I found a documentation of his process. How awesome is this? I will be using it as a guideline to making my own book.
     Wiesner's genius got me thinking about using the visual's of the story and not relying so much on the words. I like writing, but I am an artist first. So in addition to the idea I had with the short poems about bones, I began coming up with more subtle story lines. Obviously these need fleshed out more so more feedback is appreciated. I was able to run my ideas by various housemates, classmates and family members. Anyways... here goes:
          Idea 1:  A girl, let's call her Sally for now, is sitting in her science class. She looks bored so she opens up her textbook to a picture of a skeleton. Sally looks up and her teacher fades to a skeleton (with glasses of course) and continues writing on the board. The rest of the class carries on as usual. Sally turns the page to the muscular system. She looks up again and she sees a classmate's muscles flex as he throws a paper airplane. Back to the book. It's the digestive system and Sally watches a classmate's apple travel down their esophagus and straight to their stomach. Next it's the respiratory system. The person in front of Sally breathes in and his lungs get big and quickly deflate as he sneezes. The bell rings and I'm still not really sure how to wrap up this story.
          Idea 2: A girl is sitting on a doctor's table with a cast on her arm. The she and the doctor look at xrays. On the way out she finds a pair of glasses on the floor. She puts the on and the people in the waiting room are all skeletons. She takes them off and they are normal again. She looks at her arm and can see the bones and the break, just like in the x-rays. When she gets home, she looks at her cat... her fish... her mom... the ballerina on tv. A friend compares his whole arm to her broken one. Time passes and her arm eventually her arm heals. She can see it healing. There would be a page made up of little boxes. She is in the same pose in each of them, but she is wearing different outfits and the arms shows healing to indicate passage of time. At the end, she goes back to the doctor's to get her cast off. She leaves the glasses on a table in the waiting room for another child to find.... and one does.
               [I may or may not have subconsciously gained inspiration from this music video I found about a year ago, forgot, and remembered again just now.]
          Idea 3: A book of short poems about different bones in the body. A page for each set of bones. (hand bones, foot bones, tibia & fibula, femur & patella, pelvic girdle, vertebrae, sacrum & coccyx, ribs & sternum, clavicles, scapula, humerus, radius & ulna,  skull, mandible, ear bones? ~15 pages.) Ideally, this would be an interactive book (e.g. pull tabs to wiggle the phalanges or elevate/depress the mandible). Poems would be short for example: "In the vertebrae family, there are 24 in all. When they do their balancing act, they keep you standing tall." or "Radius and Ulna are quite the pair. Look at your forearm, you'll find them there."

What's next:
     I have reserved more of Wiesner's books as well as "Dem Bones" (a librarian's suggestion) from the Plymouth District Library back home. AAPL sadly did not have them,  so I will pick those up this weekend. While I'm there, I will make a point to speak with the children's librarian there (and maybe even some kids too!). They just redid the whole basement into a children's section so there will be plenty to look at and talk about.
     By Tuesday I will have my storyboard done and ready to go so I can have some pen drawings done for Thursday. This also means I should stop by Hollander's and buy some big watercolor paper/illustration board.
     Also, I want to try and get in contact with Erin and Phillip Stead, local illustrator and author  of the Caldecott Medal winning book "A Sick Day With Amos McGee"

Every struggle is a victory.

“For, after all, every one who wishes to gain true knowledge must climb the Hill Difficulty alone, and since there is no royal road to the summit, I must zigzag it in my own way. I slip back many times, I fall, I stand still, I run against the edge of hidden obstacles, I lose my temper and find it again and keep it better, I trudge on, I gain a little, I feel encouraged, I get more eager and climb higher and begin to see the widening horizon. Every struggle is a victory. One more effort and I reach the luminous cloud, the blue depths of the sky, the uplands of my desire.”

― Helen Keller


     One of my housemates gave me this quote earlier in the week. I think it describes IP perfectly. Some days you work and work. Others you fall backwards or change direction... and sometimes you just seem to stand still. Helen Keller seemed to make it out okay in the end so I'm feeling pretty good myself.

What I did:
- Sketching (2 hrs)
- Practicing (1.5 hr)
- Brainstorming  (1 hr)
- Proposal (1.5 hr)
- Research (2 hrs)
- Timeline (1 hr)
- Ann Arbor Public Library (3 hrs)

What I accomplished/encountered/discovered:
     This week I hit a brick wall (see critique response) and spent a lot of time putting the little bits of ideas (especially concerning making anatomy playful) in my sketchbook. Instead of writing them out, I drew. I used pens and markers and ink of all colors to try and flesh some thoughts out. This gave me some interesting visuals for critique.

     In addition to my sketchbook, I drew in photoshop using my bamboo tablet. I have never done digital painting or drawing before so I thought I should practice, in case my project decided to take that turn.
     I did a lot of research on Wendesday to delve more into what it means for anatomy to converge with children. I found a really great interview with Jason Freeny here showed me that kids aren't as afraid of guts as most would assume. I also discovered a web page here that offered some examples of children's anatomy books. I followed some of the links to better understand the diversity of styles and directions that I can take my book.
     Most importantly this week, I decided on a more concrete direction of my project: an anatomical children's book. Writing my proposal (see previous post) was a good way to solidify my ideas and get a hold of how this project will take shape. The timeline was something I had a hard time on, so Hannah gave me a prompt to rewrite it in a more specific way.
Here is that timeline:
Week of October 17: Research children's books at the Ann Arbor Public Library. Speak with Laura Pershin Raynor, the children's librarian there. Decide on target audience.
Week of October 24: Create outline and start writing the book dialogue/story.
Week of October 31: Research what imagery people think of when they hear the dialogue. Re-create these images.
Week of November 7: Create a storyboard for the whole book. Research bone facts that could be included.
Week of November 14: Solidify written part of the story.
November 21: Grant Proposal Due
Week of November 21: Create some characters and possible scenes for story. Explore 10 different ways of rendering the visuals.
Week of November 28:  Explore 10 more different ways of rendering the visuals. Expand upon the most successful five visual styles.
December 5: Turn in materials for IP faculty consultations
Week of December 5: Get feedback from kids regarding how effective/interesting the story sounds and which visuals they connect to the best.
December 14/15: IP Faculty Consultations
Winter break: Work on written thesis and product testing.
January 4/5: Written thesis due.
Week of January 9: Illustrate
Week of January 16: Explore different materials and bindings for book. Get feedback on which versions are most successful.
Week of January 23: Test and explore different color schemes and layout designs.
Week of January 30: Make 10 different combinations of color/layout/material/style. Research to see which is the most successful.
Week of February 6: Fabricate a rough copy.
Week of February 13:  Test book at UM Children's Hospital, Burns Elementary, Ann Arbor Public Library and with various people and their children.
Week of February 20: Make revisions.
Week of February 27: Second round of testing.
Week of March 5: Make revisions.
Week of March 12: Fabricate the final copy.
Week of March 19: Open week for project tweaking and freaking out.
Week of March 26: Document project with photography.
Week of April 2: Relax.
April 2/3: Turn in project to gallery installers.
Week of April 9: Celebrate my birthday and work on final written thesis.
Week of April 16: Written thesis.
April 22: Written thesis due.

     Now that my head was spinning from the realization of the the size of this project, I felt the need to get started. I headed to the Ann Arbor Public Library to seek out some children's books and maybe even talk to Laura Pershin Raynor, the children's librarian and storyteller there. She was a wonderful help by recommending children's books based in anatomy and ones known for beautiful illustrations and great storytelling. I spent a lot of time browsing the science and body sections in the children's portion of the library. I was disappointed that the body books were all fact books with the exception of The Magic School Bus series. Being that I want to make my book an actual story, I looked at books that were awarded for storytelling. The librarian also suggested some books that she thought connected with the kids as well as the parents. After reading, skimming and checking out some books, I feel more prepared to take on this project.

although "Time Flies" by Eric Rochman has no words, the pictures are beautiful

"Flotsam" by David Wiesner. Soooo whimsical.

a beautiful quote by Simm's Taback,
author of "Joseph had a Little Overcoat"

Taback's book is very successful at engaging the reader

Its like the pigeon is conversing with the child. How cool!
"Don't Let Pigeon Drive the Bus" by Mo Willems

"Tops & Bottoms" by Janet Stevens. Soo clever.
It even opens from top to bottom.

Just a few of the books I ransacked off the shelf

What's Next:
     This weekend I will read the rest of the books I checked out and take notes about what features work and what doesn't work. From there I will create my target age group and begin writing the dialogue. 

Midterm Proposal

When one can mentally remove the ties to death that anatomy has and understand its scientific importance and beauty, I feel that it may deepen the appreciation of one’s internal structures. In that sentiment, I will be making an anatomical children’s book that playfully highlights the different functions and shapes of bones in the human body. My book would be something that could stand alone as a teaching tool or as means of entertainment. Artists like Jason Freeny and I Heart Guts have successfully experimented with bringing anatomy into a playful setting; Freeny with child’s toy dissections and I Heart Guts with anatomical character plushies. I also draw inspiration from the television show The Magic School Bus because it was able to address scientific subjects such as body systems in a memorable and exciting manner.

Our bones don’t only represent our mortality, but also our vitality. We would amount to very little without our insides working to keep us very much alive. This is why it is important to teach kids at a young age that skeletons don’t have to represent death or gore, but instead, a fundamental and fascinating element of every individual. Personally, this project is meant as a means to further explore my interest in both science and art, while utilizing my whimsical style.

In my studio, I will make my book from cardboard in a large size that is easy and inviting to hold. I will need to research binding and printing techniques for cardboard, being that I have never made a book from anything other than paper. Hollander’s in Kerrytown will have all the supplies I will need for this project. In order to pay for supplies, I will apply for a grant. Additional funds will come out of pocket.

This project could be shown in a gallery, however the real purpose is to put the book where children can easily access and enjoy it. The University of Michigan Children’s Hospital is an ideal setting because it is a place where young patients spend a lot of time waiting as well as dealing with issues concerning their body.

Sources: Jason Freeny and I Heart Guts are my biggest references for this project being that they are both well known for putting anatomy into a whimsical light. Two other artists who inspire me are Victor Rodriguez and Jenny Morgan, because they use anatomy in a way that goes beyond the textbook. Both artists make whimsical paintings full of bright colors and anatomical imagery. I will use The Magic School Bus and The Blood-Hungry Spleen: and Other Poems About Our Parts by Allan Wolf as references for interesting storylines that keep children engaged while facilitating learning. For textual sources, I will refer to my own personal anatomy textbooks as well as Gray’s Anatomy by Henry Gray to ensure my anatomical depictions and descriptions are accurate. It would also be beneficial to refer to Writing Children’s Books for Dummies by Lisa Rojany Buccierci for information about targeting and reaching my selected audience. 

Timeline: I will spend the remainder of October coming up with a storyboard and characters for my book so that by November 10, I will have a solid storyline I can convey for my grant. After I complete the grant, I will spend the next week researching ways to connect with children through storytelling by reading various children’s books and some how-to’s. I will then spend the following two weeks writing the dialogue for my book and coming up with character sketches so that I can turn them in on December 5 for the IP faculty consultations that will be December 14 and 15. I will spend the rest of the year working on my written thesis so I can submit it on January 4/5. I will spend the second week in January researching ways to bind and print on cardboard. I will also research other possible alternatives to cardboard for making my book. The next two weeks will be spent finalizing my illustrations for each page. By the second week of February I will have my first rough draft. I will then spend the next two weeks at UM’s Children’s Hospital and the Towsley Children’s House for testing the book’s success. The first week in March will be used for revisions. The second week of March will be for more product testing. The third and fourth weeks of March will be for revisions and crafting the final product. April 2/3 I will turn in my project to gallery installers. The following three weeks will be used to write the final written thesis, due April 22.

Critique Response

     I came into today being very nervous. I had hit a concrete wall. I didn't know where to go with my patterning idea and I had no idea where to start with my children's book concept. I resorted to unraveling my mind in a sketchbook and bring these ideas for critique. Luckily our group was very insightful. (Thanks girls!)

     I have finally come to admit that the reason I was stalling on my anatomical children's book idea was because I thought that it wasn't serious or grown-up enough for a senior thesis. However, my drawings and poems I brought in today gained far more reactions then my patterns ever had. I am doing a children's book. I am putting my foot down on the accelerator and tearing off the rear view mirror. I am a fun and playful person. I am allowed to do a fun and playful project. I am excited. Let's do this!

     My group brought up several points that are both encouraging and challenging. First, doing a children's book is ambitious. Name one fun children's book about anatomy that you remember from your past. It's okay, go ahead and think. I'll wait.... Yeah, it hasn't been done successfully (to my knowledge.) Feel free to call me out on it if you think differently. It is also challenging to create content as well as format that is kid appropriate as well as something that clearly and succinctly conveys the complex information. It also has to be visually appealing and something you will remember (and read again). This is a lot more to think about than I originally thought.

     A few suggestions from the group: Do a series of books featuring a different bone or body system (Like the Mr. Men or Little Miss series). Visit UM's children's hospital to test out the effectiveness of book formats/storylines. Rhymes are good! Kids books are usually big and tactile. Moving parts like pull tabs are fun (e.g. make the phalanges dance).

What's Next:
     Next I am going to come up with some more rhymes about different bones. I also want to start on some storyboards for a book. I will focus on a book featuring each bone in the body. I will also keep working on fun scenarios/actions for the bones.

It's Friday again!

What I did:
- Experiments
     - sketching (30 mins)
     - painting (2hrs)
     - photoshop (2hrs)
     - feedback (1.5 hrs)
- Proposal update/reflection (45 mins)
- Character design (2hrs)
- Drawing/researching nature patterns (1 hr)

What I accomplished/discovered/encountered:

     I spent the beginning of my week making some watercolor paintings of a skull and two vertebrae (1 lumbar, 1 thorax). It has been a while since I have painted, so it felt good to do that again and forget about everything else. After I completed the three paintings, I scanned in the images and had some fun. I played with duplicating, rotating, and patterning the images to make designs that from far away would look fairly innocent. I believe I succeeded in making some interesting designs, however, I don't know if what I made accomplishes what I'm after. In the end, my work almost feels too reminiscent of Virgil Marti's work. It was a worthwhile experiment though, because I was able to get some interesting feedback from peers. From far away, my work reminded classmates and housemates of wallpaper and interior design. Some saw flowers, others saw ninja stars, for the most part they were non-threatening concepts. When looking closer, some were still grossed out, other intrigued. A general consensus was that they wanted to see the images much larger. Perhaps this is something I should look into. After seeing studio neighbor, Noelle go much bigger with her work, I would be open to seeing what possibilities this opens up for my project.

not as creepy from afar

     Hearing the feedback from my experiments led me to reconsider the ideas I presented in my project proposal. I had a suggestion that I was was more occupied with patterns than I was with the actual subject matter (anatomy). I used some time to evaluate how important the content was in relation to the physical means. I came to the conclusion that I'm sticking to my guns. It is my goal to show anatomy in a playful, non-morbid way. Pattern is simply my current means to get to this goal. I did however research how patterns relate to the body. One thing I found particularly exquistie is the structure of bone. I have learned about haversian systems in both my musculo-skeletal anatomy and chordate anatomy classes and I have always admired it's intricacy. The structure of compact bone which is made up of bunches of osteoons, which are basically concentric circles of lamellae surrounding a haversian canal. I think it's fascinating how those tiny structures work together to keep one strong and stable, however I think almost anyone can appreciate it's beauty.

osteons!

What I think I should do next:

     Next, I am going to address exactly how I am going to bring a new light to anatomy so that I may be very clear in my project proposal. I will also address scale by making large patterns with parts. I will however, make sure that each anatomical aspect is important not only for it's physical contribution, but also it's meaning.

Just keep making... just keep making...

What I did:
- potato prints
     - sketching (1hr)
     - carving (2hrs)
     - printing (1 hr)
- library book reading (2 hrs)
- artist research (2 hrs)
- paper writing/reflection (1hr)
- book character design (1hr)

What I accomplished/discovered/encountered:
     I am finally back in the habit of making! Still not as much as I'd like, but I was able to spend some serious time with my potato prints. The process was both fun and frustrating. It was especially frustrating when I took a lot of time carving out an intricate design (epithelial cells) and it didn't turn out the way I had imagined. It was definitely a learning experience and I was able to work out some ideas I had. Working with stacking, rotating and repetition was the most successful process I discovered. The most rewarding part for me however, was having physcial evidence to show that I'm doing more than thinking.

feathers, epithelial and vertebrae oh my!

my carved tators

playing with repetition

some studies look good, others not so much

stacked vertebrae detail

pen + stamp = cool

I really enjoyed playing with vertebrae

     Speaking of research, I got some more library books this week. Sally Mann's "What Remains" was a suggestion of James'. It was an incredibly haunting book that paired dark  poetry with photographs of dog bones, the body farm, the site of a suicide, and her children. If anything this book made me realize that even though her work is powerful, I wish to illuminate anatomy in a much more whimsical sense. In addition to what remains, I got a book of DaVinci's illustrations, a compilation of scientific art from Philidelphia, and a book of medical curiosities. Although I didn't find any images that were particularly helpful to the current stage of my work, it was helpful to better understand the resources that were available.
     When sitting down to write my project proposal, I realized that I wasn't truly aware of artists who are working in congruence with my idea that anatomy, despite it's morbid connotations, is both important and exquisite. I googled "anatomy is beautiful" to see what would come up. After tweaking my searches a bit, I stumbled upon a press release for an exhibition aimed at presenting the body as something beautiful. I took a look at all the contributing artists and felt particularly intrigued with the work of Frederick Sommer and
Katherine Sherwood. Sommer uses medical imagery to create surreal compositions. Sherwood paints medieval symbols with bright abstracted images from x-rays and ct scans to make a piece that veers far from the subject of death. Chelsea also suggested I look at Thaniel Lee's collage work. His collages include many anatomical images, however the compositions look like something out of an occult manuscript than a dissection manual. It was definitely interesting to see the artist give the provided images a whole new feel by only using color and symmetry.

Sommer's collage "Maria am Gestade"

"Big Gremory" a mixed media piece by Katherine Sherwood

one of Thaniel Lee's many collages

     The latest thing I have been working on, is seeing through some of my character designs for my children's book idea. The best I have now is some very rough sketches and some poems. I am looking forward to better completing some of the ideas.

some of my ideas for bone characters

What I think I should do next:
     I want to explore using cut paper and light to make shadows. I also want to further explore my book characters. By Tuesday, I will have some cut designs and the documentation from my experimentation with light. I also will have at least one worked out book character by Thursday. At some point, I would also like to stop by the Taubman Library and browse their collections. I have been borrowing books from there via the library website, however I think physically browsing could be helpful.