Front cover and back cover page
Spread 1: Texture
Spread 2: Pattern
Spread 3: Colour
Project 2a CPJ: https://oss.adm.ntu.edu.sg/a180062/project-2a-creative-process-journal/
Project 2a Slides: https://oss.adm.ntu.edu.sg/a180062/project-2a-presentation-slides/
Project 2b CPJ: https://oss.adm.ntu.edu.sg/a180062/project-2b-creative-process-journal/
Project 2b Final: https://oss.adm.ntu.edu.sg/a180062/project-2b-final/
Direction of Zine
The initial ideas for the direction and theme of the zine were: Minimalistic, Nostalgic, or Modern. I also wanted to challenge myself to step out of my comfort zone. Therefore, I decided to create illustrations that are studio ghibli style (specifically spirited away) as it is my first time illustrating using the wacom tablet!
Inspirations/Moodboard
My Pinterest board can be found here: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/ashleuuuuu/zines/
Cover page & Back page spread
The cover page was based on the examples I found on my Pinterest at first. Then, after completing the other spreads, I decided to design the cover page to be part of the narrative so that it flows better.
Asset 1: Dog
Firstly, the dog was based on the dog I saw when I was visiting the place. I first started out by outlining with a brush set to 100% hardness. Then, I coloured it referencing to the cel-shading method, where I first colour inside the outlines and finally adding a layer of dark grey set to multiply mode as the shadows. I used this method for illustrating all the dogs to show consistency.
Asset 2: Background
Then, I wanted to create a natural environment with trees to portray the nature of the place. I followed this tutorial and experimented with the lighting of the foliages.
The following photos are me experimenting and testing out the lighting of the leaves. It looks VERY messy. I also used the photoshop built in leaf brush to make the foliage look more realistic.
Asset 3: Signboard
I decided to use the original signboard on the cover page as I like the colour combination and the font that was used.
I then digitized the signboard by painting over the original photo on another layer.
After preparing the assets, I assembled everything on InDesign.
“The thoughts of a good boy’s trip to” is aligned with the left column, while the signboard is centralized. I used Brandon Grotesque in Medium weight as the font throughout the other spreads as well. For the words used throughout the spreads, I increased the leading (space in between the base of the fonts) and kerning (space in between letters) so that it is easier to read.
I aligned my name with the left column on the back page.
The cover page is the entrance to my zine, and thus I wanted to show that it is also the entrance to the place that I am illustrating. The dog facing the opening of the foliages and the leaves flowing towards the opening was meant to lead the viewer’s eye to it. There is nothing shown in the opening as I wanted to create mystery and anticipation as to what is waiting on the other end.
Spread 1: Texture
Asset 1: Dog
Asset 2: Dragon
Initially, I wanted to portray the dragon traveling through the HDBs, as what most of Jurong would look like. However, I felt that there wasn’t a flow to the spreads in the zine. Therefore, I decided to add the character of a dog that is exploring the place. To add on, I imagined and crafted the thoughts of a dog traveling through the place. I thought it adds on to the fantasy/unreal/animated feel to the zine.
I created my own custom brush on Illustrator using the 3 shapes as shown on the left. I created the shapes first, then selecting a new art brush to create the brush. I only used these brushes for the initial stages of the dragon and the patterns which will be shown later.
Initially, I observed that the outlines used in spirited away had sharp and thin stroke ends. Also, my initial drawing of the dragon does not have the same style as what was depicted in my mood board, thus I decided to redraw the dragon again as seen in v10.
I also tried to redraw the dragon using a method that I learned while drawing the patterns in the next spread.
After not being able to achieve the style and feel that I want, I consulted my friend who is more experienced in illustrating digitally. He taught me the whole process of outlining, cel-shading, and painting shadows. In order to familiarise myself with the process, I practiced on illustrating Chihiro first, the girl depicted in the image below.
The dragon is too similar to what was portrayed in the movie. Therefore, I decided to add the mane of a lion to its hair.
I decided to change the posture of the dragon as the body seems very short and is lacking movement.
Then, I filled in the colour of the kiln and tried to get the right shadow. Also, the hair of the dragon is slightly off white to show that the dragon is old.
After finalising with the colours and shadow, I added the texture of the actual kiln on the dragon using the method that was taught in the last project.
After preparing the assets, I assembled everything on InDesign. The dragon is slightly cut off at the side to show the size, and to dominate the entire image. The words are aligned with the outer right column of page 3 and are aligned to the right side.
I depicted the dragon kiln as an actual dragon as I wanted to add an element of surrealness to it. I also wanted to depict the dragon kiln being the last operating one in Singapore. The dragon is shown to be welcoming to all, as seen by the text by the side, saying that the dragon said that the dog is a good boy, despite its fierce appearance. To emphasize that the dragon kiln in Thow Kwang is the last in Singapore, I added “but he is the last of his kind” and “sadness i feel” in hopes to evoke an emotion for the viewer.
Spread 2: Pattern
The initial sketch was a river with patterns flowing through it. I chose a river because I remember seeing a river near the entrance of the place. However, there is no pottery element to it. Therefore, I decided to change it to the second design.
Asset 1: Dog
Asset 2: Patterns
I followed this tutorial to illustrate all of my patterns.
Firstly, I sketched out the pattern on paper. According to the tutorial, the lines are overdrawn so as to complete the space for the live paint function to work later on.
Then, after digitally sketching it I adjusted elements that are in the corners in a way that it will flow seamlessly to the next if the same base image is placed next to it.
Before clearing up the lines, I always test whether any elements are overlapping each other, or if there are too much empty spaces.
After finalising the elements, I did the following: Expand Appearance > Live Paint: Make > Live Paint: Expand > Ungroup > Ungroup. then, I deleted the overdrawn lines manually that are within the bounding box.
I then tested the pattern again to see if I missed out any overdrawn lines. Once it’s done, I followed the colours of the actual vase. I used the eyedropper tool to retrieve colour from the actual image, and then the live paint bucket tool to colour in the spaces.
After placing the patterns on the shapes surrounding the vase, it was too big to see every element. Therefore, I decided to resize the base image of the patterns smaller.
The following patterns are done with the same method and process as mentioned above.
Asset 3: Pot
Inspired by wheel throwing that I saw when I visited the area, I wanted to show the patterns spinning out of the pottery when it’s spinning on the pottery wheel.
Seeing how the first draft not showing much movement, I decided to study the spinning again as shown below.
After preparing the assets, I assembled everything on InDesign. I placed the dog behind the patterns, and also added the text which is aligned to the right, on the right column.
When I visited the place, there was an ENDLESS amount of pottery, with different designs and patterns. I wanted to showcase the patterns at Thow Kwang by adding a sense of surrealness to it through the patterns shown when it is spinning.
Spread 3: Colour
Asset 1: Dog
The first version was done through my first draft when I haven’t added in the dog element into my zine. I wanted to show the pottery jungle literally as a jungle with trees with pottery leaves. However, I notice that it does not fit the theme for the rest of the spreads because it does not have much of an illustrated element for the trees. Also, it looks messy to me. Therefore, I decided to play around with other possibilities.
Using the same leaf brush used for the cover page, I added leaves on top of the pot as I wanted to show the pot as the trunk of the tree. However, it looks more like leaves are coming out of the pot. So I decided to work on another idea. (I masked the background of the pots before adding the leaves.)
Instead of having pottery depicted as leaves, I included the pottery hidden in the leaves to show my interpretation of a pottery jungle. The leaves/bushes that are behind the colourful pottery are all applied with the Gaussian Blur filter to show depth and distance as things that are further away are usually less clear.
After preparing the assets, I assembled everything on InDesign. I placed the dog in the empty space in front and added the text which is aligned to the left, on the outer left column. Also, I made sure that my assets are all larger than the bleed so that there will be a consistent print.
I decided to use the actual pots I saw in Thow Kwang to show the real colours of the place in this spread.
Texture
Finally, I wanted to add texture to the plain white background. I first created a shape and applied the inner glow effect to add a brown coloured noise. Then, I placed the shape behind all of the assets so that it does not affect the illustrations.
Reflection
In the past, I used to illustrate using the pen tool and drew basic vector objects. For this project, I wanted to learn something new and challenge myself to do something that I am not comfortable with or is particularly good at, which is drawing. I’m glad I did not give up halfway when I couldn’t find a way to illustrate the same style that I was planning to do. I’m grateful for my friends that helped me along the way be it teaching me how to illustrate using the tablet or giving me suggestions on how to improve the layouts. I am also grateful that I get to learn how to construct a booklet from scratch, and learning how to print using postscript. Overall, I’ve learned a lot from this project and am looking forward to more in the future!
Project 2a CPJ: https://oss.adm.ntu.edu.sg/a180062/project-2a-creative-process-journal/
Project 2a Slides: https://oss.adm.ntu.edu.sg/a180062/project-2a-presentation-slides/
Project 2b CPJ: https://oss.adm.ntu.edu.sg/a180062/project-2b-creative-process-journal/
Project 2b Final: https://oss.adm.ntu.edu.sg/a180062/project-2b-final/
Project 2a CPJ: https://oss.adm.ntu.edu.sg/a180062/project-2a-creative-process-journal/
Project 2a Slides: https://oss.adm.ntu.edu.sg/a180062/project-2a-presentation-slides/
Project 2b CPJ: https://oss.adm.ntu.edu.sg/a180062/project-2b-creative-process-journal/
Project 2b Final: https://oss.adm.ntu.edu.sg/a180062/project-2b-final/
The location that I did for my zine is Thow Kwang Pottery Jungle which is located near my neighbourhood and NTU as well. The reason why I wanted to go somewhere which was not in my estate was because I wanted to explore what other areas in my neighbourhood that I haven’t been to. I wanted to find a place which was was special and unique only to the area that I am living in.
What makes Thow Kwang Pottery Jungle so special is the dragon kiln located in it, which is basically a really long traditional slanted oven for clay to bake into ceramics. Unlike electronic kilns, these dragon kilns take a lot of work, but it creates a unique wood ash glaze from the smoke coming from the wood that was used to feed the fire in the kiln.
There were more than 20 dragon kilns operating in Singapore from the 1940s to 1970s, but this area in particular in the west used to have more because there was an abundance of white clay found in this area then. For this family, they used to dig white clay out of their backyard, and that place that they dug from is now a pond at the back of the place which is quite interesting because I would just assume that it’s a pond for fishes instead of considering the history behind it.
Today, Thow Kwang Pottery Jungle is the only place that houses the last operating dragon kiln in Singapore. The lease is extended to 2023, but you never know what might happen in the future, as seen that the area was already surrounded by construction sites.
It’s important for us to actually visit and support this kind of old establishments because heritage places basically represent the past history and culture of a nation. They constitute together the architectural heritage of an area and it allows us, a different generation to experience and know our past.
Unlike the tall concrete jungle of HDBs you find in Jurong, this place is really like the countryside of Jurong, where the owners still live in this kind of low-level kampong like house.
Also, this area is surrounded by nature. Literally, when walking to this place from the bus stop you have to walk past a forest. You see tall trees surrounding you instead of the normal commute of walking past tall buildings and a few trees when you travel through Jurong.
This place gives me a feeling of nostalgia and an appreciation for our heritage.
For my zine, I wish to showcase the place as a rare, traditional place of history that everyone should visit so as to preserve our heritage.
Project 2a CPJ: https://oss.adm.ntu.edu.sg/a180062/project-2a-creative-process-journal/
Project 2a Slides: https://oss.adm.ntu.edu.sg/a180062/project-2a-presentation-slides/
Project 2b CPJ: https://oss.adm.ntu.edu.sg/a180062/project-2b-creative-process-journal/
Project 2b Final: https://oss.adm.ntu.edu.sg/a180062/project-2b-final/
Sources:
Very last dragon kiln surviving in S’pore at Jalan Bahar near NTU gets lease extension
Dragon of The West — Thow Kwang Pottery Jungle
Hidden in the woods at a corner in the West, sits a dragon that breathes its fiery breath. We're talking about the Thow Kwang Dragon Kiln. The oldest of its kind in Singapore, the kiln comes to life only three times a year!
Posted by Our Grandfather Story on Tuesday, 10 April 2018
Cloud Curator
Sweet Sushi Chef
Genealogist
Floriculturist
My research is shown here: https://oss.adm.ntu.edu.sg/a180062/project-1-image-making-through-type-research
My process is shown here: https://oss.adm.ntu.edu.sg/a180062/project-1-image-making-through-type-process
To guide the common theme of my jobs, I thought of using the four natural elements: Water, Earth, Fire, and Air, as the main component of each job.
Then, I combined it with jobs that I have worked before which adds a twist/special element to the original jobs.
Initial job ideas/sketches:
1. Burnt Toast Scrapper
I combined the element of Fire and the job of working at a bubble tea shop that also sells toast.
2. Frozen Sushi Chef
I combined the element of Water (Ice) and the job of working at a sushi restaurant.
3. Cloud Curator
I combined the element of Air and a job that I have never worked as.
4. Floriculturist
I combined the element of Earth and the job of working at a florist.
However, I did not manage to follow the theme of using the four elements as it didn’t work out as well as I thought it would be. I will be explaining the ideation and thought process below.
I decided to use the elements of a picture frame, glass display, and clouds in my typeface.
As mentioned in the research post, I wanted to use the style of this typeface for my Cloud Curator font. Initially, I was choosing between Times New Roman, Times New Roman (Bold), and Bodoni URW. Serif fonts look professional and stable which reflects the job of a curator. I decided on Times New Roman in the end and adjusted the width of the stern/stroke of the font according to my preference.
The glass tutorial which I used for 3 of my typefaces.
Clouds tutorial: http://www.gtpdesigns.com/design-blog/view/tutorial-create-realistic-clouds-in-adobe-illustrator
I decided to cut off a small part of the “A” and “H”, and the pedestal using the principle of gestalt (closure). The viewer will perceive the letter as a whole by filling in the information.
I decided to use a darker tone of sky blue to show that the environment is darker, to show that the light is only shone on the displays. The colour of the frame is also yellow-toned to complement the blue background.
I decided to use the elements of rice, sweets, and jelly in my typeface.
I decided to place the letters in the centre to emphasise on the fonts, and to balance out the three letters. Referring to version 5, I tried to put the A in front of S, and S in front of H to create distance between the letters. Even though it does guide the viewer’s eye from A to H, I feel that it does not balance out as a whole as A is too big compared to H. Another solution to that is to add more elements on the right side of the image, where H is placed at, to balance out the image.
I used a mixture of bright colours with saturated hues to signify playfulness and evoke a childlike feeling.
I decided to use the elements of a petri dish and DNA (genes) in my typeface.
I changed my initial idea of being a Burnt Toast Scrapper to a Genealogist as I wanted to see how I can create a typeface about a job that I am completely unfamiliar with.
I decided to place the letters on the right, leaving negative space on the left. Cutting off my name at “h” gives the viewer a feeling that there could be more to the letters presented here. (Gestalt)
I decided to increase the tonal value of red from the bottom up to show the relation of the ancestry component of the job. The gradient symbolises the decrease of DNA inherited from their ancestors.
I decided to use the elements of flowers growing, soil, and greenhouse in my typeface.
Contrast is shown in this image in terms of the bright colour of the flowers and the dull soil base. The shadow is also used to show contrast.
It is also dynamic as perspective is shown by tilting the angle, leading the viewer’s eye from a nearer point to a further point
An anagalous colour scheme is used for this image. Red, orange and pink flowers with red toned soil. It looks more natural as a whole.
Reflection
Although this project is challenging in terms of the ideation and executing it, I feel that I have learned a lot in terms of how I think (deconstructing objects to their basic elements) and also improving my technical skills. My greatest takeaway is to always ask for feedback and accept positive criticism to improve your work. Sometimes we are so drawn into our own work that we don’t see it objectively. For example, I was thrilled to learn about creating rice using the scatter brush. However, I did not realise that the letter that I have created is not as realistic as I thought. Feedback from a friend made me improve on my work, and I am always grateful for that.
My research is shown here: https://oss.adm.ntu.edu.sg/a180062/project-1-image-making-through-type-research.
The final outcome is shown here: https://oss.adm.ntu.edu.sg/a180062/project-1-image-making-through-type-final
Typography is the visual art of creating written words.
5 types of typefaces
Serif | Traditional, respectable, stable
Serif fonts carry a distinguished feeling of heritage and pedigree. They make a brand feel respectable and reliable, instilling the audience with a sense of comfort that they’re in the hands of someone reputable and stable.
Serifs are super easy to read because those little feet create a subtle visual connection between the letters. This readability makes them great for paragraphs of text.
Sans serif | Simple, straightforward, sensible
Audiences perceive sans-serif fonts as clean and simplistic in a modern way. They allow the message to speak for itself without hiding behind a façade—straight and to the point in an objective way. Designers for the web often use sans serif fonts. They carry a reputation for being contemporary and current no matter what decade you use them in.
Sans Serifs are usually clean and geometric, which makes them easiest to read when they are either really large or really small. Sans serifs are often used for headlines, captions, and short descriptive texts.
Display | Friendly, quirky, unconventional
Display fonts are meant to be displayed at a large size (generally 14 pts. or higher). So, display fonts tend to have big personalities in order to draw an audience. Display fonts have to be a little on the loud side, so they’re often friendly or amusing and grab people’s curiosity.
A display typeface is a typeface that is intended for use at large sizes for headings, rather than for extended passages of body text. Display typefaces will often have more eccentric and variable designs than the simple, relatively restrained typefaces generally used for body text.
Script | Personal, feminine, fancy
Script fonts (and by extension most handwritten fonts) inspire feelings of elegance, grace, and femininity. We often use handwriting in expressions of affection. Because of this, audiences perceive these typefaces as personal, creative and genuinely heartfelt.
These typefaces have lots of swoops and curls and sometimes even look handwritten. Script typefaces look awesome for logos, large headlines, and for little details to give something a nice handmade touch.
Inspiration/Styles/References
I thought that the type for this image was very interesting as it acts as both “H” and “h”. The letter “I” is also seen at the side. Even though the type is a little confusing to understand (to see “H”, “h”, and the element of “I” at the side), I feel that this is what makes the typeface more complex, inviting the viewer to “solve” the puzzle of finding the different sides. I was intrigued to the design of this type which influenced my design for my Cloud Curator job typeface.
I thought the usage of textures of the typefaces in this photo set was quite realistic, therefore used it for reference.
I thought warping/liquifying of typefaces was a really cool idea so I added this two photo sets as reference.
Job research
Cloud Curator
Cloud: a visible mass of condensed water vapour floating in the atmosphere, typically high above the general level of the ground.
Elements: Cloud, Sunny, Rainy, Lightning?
Curator: a keeper or custodian of a museum or other collection. (According to the video below, a curator is someone who 1. cares for something, 2. is a specialist, and 3. is presenting a collection. They bridge the gap between the material they are presenting to the person they are presenting it to.)
Elements: Museum, Frames, Exhibitions, Hands? (to care for), Display boxes, Barricades
Sweet Sushi Chef
Sweet: a small shaped piece of confectionery made with sugar. (or anything sweet)
Elements: Sweets, Gummy bear, Jelly, Jam, Candy Strips
Sushi: a Japanese dish consisting of small balls or rolls of vinegar-flavoured cold rice served with a garnish of vegetables, egg, or raw seafood.
Elements: Fish, Rice, Seaweed, Tamago, Soy sauce
Chef: a professional cook, typically the chief cook in a restaurant or hotel.
Elements: Sushi knife, Sushi rice bucket
Genealogist
Genealogist: a person who traces or studies lines of family descent.
Elements: Anything related to chemistry (Microscope, Petri dish, Flasks, Test tubes, Pipette, etc.), Family tree, DNA (genes)
Floriculturist
Floriculturist: focuses on the cultivation of flowering and ornamental plants for gardens, floral industry and for export. They also develop new varieties. (Grows, cares, maintains, manages, harvests flowers.)
Elements: Flowers, Farming, Garden tools (Scissors, Gloves, Watering-pot, etc.), Greenhouse, Irrigation system, Outdoors
Colour Harmony
Some research about colour harmony from the previous assignment, Ego.
I will cover more on the ideation, process and different versions of these 4 jobs in my process post: https://oss.adm.ntu.edu.sg/a180062/project-1-image-making-through-type-process.
The final outcome is shown here: https://oss.adm.ntu.edu.sg/a180062/project-1-image-making-through-type-final
Sources:
http://westchicagoprinting.com/fonts-feelings/
https://edu.gcfglobal.org/en/beginning-graphic-design/color/1/
We presented on Suprematism, Constructivism, and the De Stijl movement in the early 1900s.
PDF file for our slides: G3_Group 2_A New Language of Form
Thank you! :)
