Theme:

No Game, No life.

I would be talking about:
1. Concept of each piece
2. Relationship between them
3. Repeating objects and the objectives
4. Process
5. Reflection

I always want to be in the world of the game, where there’s only one objective. The life will be so much simple. As you can see, all four frames are based on the theme of smart phone games. But can you guess which game does it come from?

And I am a GAMER…

cut the rope

The first attribute, is of course that I’m a GAMER. The first that I used, is the CUT THE ROPE. Cut-the-Rope I transform the rope, the balloon, and the trampoline into the shape of my name. And on the bottom, what is used to be the lab monster has changed into a cat. In fact, this is the first idea that I think of for this project. I wanted to “camouflage” my name into the environment of the game so that it feels as a unit piece. Moreover, this I am a GAMER also set off as an introduction for the following frames. It not only emphasize on the   fact that all frames are based on the theme of game. But also becomes a introduction of the story that I am going to tell about myself.


And I am a CAT LOVER…

cat game

I’m definitely a serious cat addict-er. Once I start following the direction of game. I start to recall which game carries the most unique style that  audience can easily spot. That’s why I decided to adapt the game Neko Atsume

https://vulcanpost.com/294821/how-to-be-pro-neko-atsume/

https://vulcanpost.com/294821/how-to-be-pro-neko-atsume/

As seen from the picture, I have replaced the cats that I have drawn, although the background remains almost the same. I try to insert my name by placing it on the ground as furniture. Neko Atsume has its very unique style of rough hand drawn that really differentiate it from others. I try to illustrate the cats into their sloppy and nothing to worry about. This is also the kind of life I dream for.


 

 

And I am a PROCRASTINATOR…

Zombie

And the end of the project. I realized that this turns out to be my favorite one. This is because I actually put in the most time for brainstorming for this frame. How am I supposed to illustrate the idea Procrastination??

Then I recalled of the numerous nights I spent rushing for my assignment. It’s not that I have not enough time. I could easily finished it during the daytime. But just BECAUSE I PROCRASTINATE….I have to stay overnight, give up on sleep. As a result, the next day I will appeared at school, looking like a zombie…

new doc 160205 (1)_1504AA2495-68C7-4537-8B5C-C21A5D3DF234

Thus, it occurred to me that I can adopt the game of Plant VS. Zombie.

http://www.imagui.com/a/plants-vs-zombies4-c9EboAAXn

http://www.imagui.com/a/plants-vs-zombies4-c9EboAAXn

At first, one problem is that I can’t fit all the XIAOTONG letters into the grid (it just can’t……..) .So that I decided to arrange the zombies just into my initial letters XT. I replaced the trolleys and the house into assignments and due date. That myself turns into the zombie, slowly tries to crawl towards the due date..


 

 

And I am a FREEDOMIZER…

angry bird
The last is about the thing that is most important to me. Freedom. I can say that freedom is the only thing that I cannot live without. In fact, this is also frame that I spend the longest time drawing. And hope the concept of the game looks obvious to you. It’s the Angry Bird.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.rovio.baba

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.rovio.baba

I arranged my name with all the bricks and stones from the game. And the cat, setting off from the spring, is flying through the sky. The reason why I like Angry Bird is because I like the way where the cat swings across the sky. It gives me a sense of release. When the cat reaches its end, it will hit on my name. The so-called XIAO TONG will collapsed. The so-called me will break from its bond and ties. I’m finally able to reached my inner peace…


 

Repeating objects

cat 1

Not wanting my work to be just 4 different frames, I try to let element from one to appear on the another. So that my attributes can be seen from all the four frames. For example, the attribute of the Gamer appears throughout. In addition, I also let the cat. to appear in three of the frames. It’s a regret that I cannot reinforce it into the Zombies Vs. Due Date as the result turns out not so nice.


 

 

Processing

Many of my processing work appeared in the previous post. So this time I will post the video of me going through the less interesting part: execution and drawing. Coming up with the idea is very fun, but often I will face the difficulties of illustrating that out. This is the very first time  I really start to explore the effects of different digital brushes

Medium: Digital Drawing

Software used: SAI/ Sketchup

PS. Sorry about the Chinese language appeared in the video, I only have the CHI version of SAI

new doc 160205 (1)_1504AA2495-68C7-4537-8B5C-C21A5D3DF234

BC79DC8F-D9F8-45EB-B6F8-E1993172D2E9cat 1

new doc 160213 (1)_6new doc 160213 (1)_6

new doc 160213 (1)_7new doc 160213 (1)_7

new doc 160213 (1)_9 new doc 160213 (1)_5

knot ballon Screenshot 2016-02-16 18.45.21

Structure

Week 3 is here. And the assignment will be due soon. After the previous consultation. I have more or less decided on the  theme that I want to approach. I found that the one that inspired from Cut the Rope seems very interesting for me

new doc 160205 (1)_5

So I thought that why don’t I apply the concept of game to all 4 attributes. And I need to find some way to connect all of them not only through the game elements. Also that the 4 attributes can link up as a story and tells the characteristic of me.

Thus… I come up with this mind map…

Screenshot 2016-02-06 01.16.43

You can see that at the start, I will begin with the “I AM A GAMER”. this basically set as an introduction. Then following by the 3 attributes, which all contain game elements. So that the 4 pictures are fit into the same style. For me, doing like this is more like writing a narrative. By connecting them up, I am like telling a story of mine.


 

More Research

But before that, I feel I get start more artist research6a73a032326453.567a91437dfa5

fe767432326453.567a9143784ab e0db0c32326453.567a914379d35 cf904232326453.567a914380c8c b3849f32326453.567a91437f357 a4926432326453.567a9143931d6Source: mc bess https://www.behance.net/gallery/32326453/typography

I found this artist on Behance. you can see that his style is very cartoonist and there are many objects interacting with each other. This also means that the typography is no longer the central attention, but part of the drawing itself. I also happened to find this company Gumbo illustrations on Behance. They have this series of work pertaining to Africa.

8d666a31140609.5642f666b95c0 2511a131140609.5642f666baab7 40f3b531140609.5642f666bbe66 4ee23731140609.5642f666bd31236738b31140609.5642f666be6c2f282ca31140609.5642f666bf7bd

(Source:  Gumbo illustrations https://www.behance.net/gallery/31140609/Qatar-Airlines-Africa)

You can see that this is actually a quite different approach from the previous one. There is only one object with each letter. The whole image looks clean and neat. I feel that both provide a lot of ideas for me.

Theme

Now, let’s decide what do I want to do for each of the attribute.

Hello I am a gamer

Cut-the-Rope

http://www.phonearena.com/news/Angry-Birds-Space-and-Cut-the-Rope-finally-land-on-Windows-Phone-today_id36362

The first one is already set. I will be based on the idea of Cut the Rope. I will play with ropes until it forms my name.

 

Hello I am a cat lover

https://vulcanpost.com/294821/how-to-be-pro-neko-atsume/

https://vulcanpost.com/294821/how-to-be-pro-neko-atsume/

For the cat lover I will be based on the idea of cat cafe. I think all the furniture into the shape of my name letter

Hello I am a procrastinator

http://www.imagui.com/a/plants-vs-zombies4-c9EboAAXn

http://www.imagui.com/a/plants-vs-zombies4-c9EboAAXn

The third one I decided to choose from the game Plant Vs. Zombie. Because for me, as procrastinator, when it comes to assignment due date, I will be like a zombie. Procrastinate always make unable to finish my work on time. Thus, I have to stay overnight, and bear with red eyes, dark eye circles.

I have also try to sketch a few of my ideas.new doc 160205 (1)_14

 As you can see, the plants and weeders will be replaced by alarm clock and assignments, To-do list and exams. Where me as the zombies will walking tiredly to them. And the zombies will form my initials XT on the grid.


Hello I am a freedomizer

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.rovio.baba

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.rovio.baba

The last attribute I will be based on the game Angry Birds. As I want to express the idea of freedom from how the birds are freely flying in the sky.

http://www.slashgear.com/rovio-releases-earnings-shows-angry-birds-not-enough-28326684/

http://www.slashgear.com/rovio-releases-earnings-shows-angry-birds-not-enough-28326684/

The project Typographic Portrait has come to the second week. After the artist research, I began this week by coming out of my 6 attributes.


new doc 160205 (1)_13

Thus I have to more or less decided what I wanted to do. It is divided into 2 categories: my characteristics and my hobbies

6 Attributes

Procrastination

Freedom

Singing/Karaoke

Movie

Game

Cat lover


 

For the next step, I began to try out a few sketch on these attributes. See if I have any ideas that I can expand on it.

Singing

new doc 160205 (1)_12

I am a heavy Karaoke addict-er. So I decided to input my name into objects that is related to music. Such that the letters are  naturally infuse into the environment. Like in this case, my name has become the shape of the teeth.

new doc 160205 (1)_11

opinions_big002

http://www.virtuallydone.co.uk/page_gallery_titles_01.htm

 

This is one is inspired by a poster done by English Markell  & Pockett ( refer to below). It shows how the words streamed in projections on faces and in abstractions before spooling into the words of the programming title. So I wanted to try out this idea, that my name is spreading out/or in to music notes.

new doc 160205 (1)_10

I write my names repeatedly that it forms the shape of a microphone.


Freedom

new doc 160205 (1)_9

For this one, I actually illustrates my names as molecules and particles. As the word “freedom” reminds me of the Brownian Motion. Where particles are able to move around freely.

new doc 160205 (1)_8

The word freedom also reminds me of release, evacuate. Therefore, one of my idea is to illustrate my ideas into an evacuation guide. For this, I also research on different of fonts and typography (refer to below)

new doc 160205 (1)_7

Source: 20th-Century Type, Lewis Blackwell


 

 

Movie

new doc 160205 (1)_6

When I am free, I also watch a lot of movie. So I choose movie as one of my attributes too. For example for the above one, I actually put in a pair of 3D glasses into my name, such that the two lens form the double O of my name.

new doc 160205 (1)_4new doc 160205 (1)_3


Game

new doc 160205 (1)_5

Cut-the-Rope

This is inspired from the game Cut the Rope. I choose this as by changing the design of the ropes, it is able to form the letters of my name. I feel that there is a lot of room to expand on.


Cat Lovernew doc 160205 (1)_1 new doc 160205 (1)_2

I love CATS!! So I wanted to make this as my attributes too! I begin by illustrating how the cat image i design is to interact with the 3D forms of my names.


 

 

Monument Valley

1396446215-IMG_05302750863-caledonia

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Monument Valley is a puzzle game developed and published by indie studio Ustwo. The player leads the princess Ida through mazes of optical illusions and impossible objects. The use of optical illusion can be seen from the picture above. It actually illustrate a 3D which can only exist in 2D form.

Therefor, I hope that I can apply this into my project. Below pictures are a few examples which this idea is implemented.

Picture2Picture1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

 Lex Wilson

Lex Wilson is well-known for his design of the 3D typography

Lex-Wilson-typography-43D-Typography-by-Lex-Wilson-8

 

 

 

 

 

 

More of his work can be acces from his website

http://www.lexwilson.co.uk/176801/1943068/gallery/3d-typography

He uses perspective to his full advantage

This is an important point for me to adopt. For the project, it is not necessary to design a 2D planar typography. we could play with the perspective by tilting the imaginary “camera”.

 


 Peter von Arx

Picture62699098252_a16dd85e06

tumblr_lz57y7Jkf61r00u9vo1_500

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Peter Von Arx is the author of this book,”Film Design”

Film+Design-Cover

He believed that

Designer Should be familiar with the factors of movement, time and speed as seen in film

This apply to all mediums use, also for words and typography.

As seen from examples of his work. The words are given a form of movement and flowing of time.


1960s Psychedelics Posters

BonnieMacLean moscoso1wes-wilson

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Psychedelia and the Psychedelic movement  1960-1975

Psychedelic:

  1. Pertaining to or characterized by hallucinations, distortions of perception and awareness, and sometimes psychotic-like behavior.
  2. A drug that produces such effects.
  3. An art style influenced by the prevalence of hallucinatory drugs, especially LSD, with typical designs featuring abstract swirls of intense color with curvilinear calligraphy reminiscent of Art Nouveau.

The psychedelic movement began in the mid 1960’s and had an effect, not just on music, but also on many aspects of popular culture. This included style of dress, language and the way people spoke, art, literature and philosophy.

The name “psychedelic” refers to drugs that were popular with the youth culture of the time. Posters for rock concerts tried to visually express the feeling of tripping out.


The visual motifs of psychedelic art include Art Nouveau-inspired curvilinear shapes, illegible hand-drawn type, and intense optical color vibration inspired by the pop art movement.

(Source from https://visualartsdepartment.wordpress.com/psychedelic-60s/)

The 3 highlighted points indicate the special features of psychedelic posters. The way which texts are twisted and the uncomfortable colors use actually bringing a uncomfortable feeling to the audience.

Among the 6 attributes of ourselves in the project, not all of them are necessary positive. Thus the psychedelic posters can be a good example to learn to how to deliver negative feeling.

 


3D/ Handmade typography

Picture7 Picture8