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.