The kind of paper was difficult. I got 2 kinds of paper, 1 heavily textured one, which is wayyyy warmer. You can’t really see the texture here but its pretty in real life!!
I think you can see the textures under light better:
Another one is off-white, not much of a texture but you can see the grains. Is it recycled paper?? idk I’m not a paper pro. Are they even called grains? Just know there are dots.
Here they are side by side:
I choose the one on the right as it is more yellow and textured(since my project was about textures). I also liked that the yellow gave a very old and aging feel(which also matched Dakota crescent’s circumstances).
So yes, here are the rest of my pages:
That’s all for my zine! I enjoyed this journey very much. Overall I think my zine turned out like a nice ageing notebook and I’m very satisfied with that.
I wanted a very abstract-y, super textured zine from the start but as I progress I kind of want a lonely, longing feeling to it too. I didn’t want a narrative but maybe some words to imply the feelings of abandonment and longing?
After consulting, a new idea of placing Dakota’s abandoned cats in the zine emerged. The new zine will be developed from the cats’ point of view, where the repeated questions ‘when will you be coming home?’ are their thoughts.
To begin, I photoshopped textures on the buildings:
I also tried making my own textures from Lino-cut. I got a packet of circle pads instead so I can try out different cuts.
This was before the cat idea. I didn’t know what I wanted for the cover page but I didn’t think of adding words at first. This was my first idea:
This was a balcony shot of one of the blocks:
I used threshold to get only the skeletal of the block out. Then I used the texture I made as background:
I also tried using textured background from one of the photos I took while I was there.
But then I got feedback that the chosen picture doesn’t scream Dakota enough. So in the end I used the Dakota block number as a front cover since it says ‘Dakota Crescent'(which can nicely serve as my title).
Worked on illustrator. Used the rectangle tool to outline the windows etc:
Then I got on photoshop to threshold the windows and imported the windows to illustrator:
This is the end product:
After the introduction of the cat idea, I gave the cover page a little colour, so that the ‘black’ won’t overpower the cat. I tried this first but it felt too much ‘photography’:
So I minimised the colours to only the block sign:
I picture the cat to be siting quietly at a window, looking far away and waiting for the residents to come back. I used very cartoonish/line drawing for the cats so that they contrast from the realistic details of the textures.
Page 2: Bird's eye view of Dakota
What makes Dakota special is the unique arrangement of the blocks— how the face each other and are very closely built. This promotes and encourages the residents to interact with their neighbours. That’s something we don’t see in our modern HDB flats. So I wanted to show that uniqueness in my zine.
Blk 14,20,22
Used rectangle and pen tool to outline the blocks:
For the fill, I decided to use different photographed textures:
Trying different backgrounds:
Page 3: Corridor Staircase
I decided I want to dedicate a page to the corridor staircases because they’re so dirty and secluded. They also lead up straight to the people’s homes(so cool). The gates are people’s homes!!! Normal HDB flats would’t have that:
On illustrator, I used the rectangle tool to make out the graphic shape of the staircase, then I tried different backgrounds:
Since I wanted page 2 and 3 to be more ‘linked’, I extended the roads from page 2 onto page 3:
After the ‘cat consultation’, I added the cat to be walking along the ‘roads’. I also used a darker background to seamlessly join the pages together and make it seem more of a spread.
Page 4-5: Block Windows
For the middle section, I decided to do a spread. Since Dakota is known for having low rise buildings of 7 storeys, I wanted to show that. Also, their window arrangement is really cute and unique:
I started on illustrator and traced out the windows:
I added a fill of textures and tried different backgrounds
The solid colours were too jarring so Ms Mimi suggested I use an abstract close up of the textures I took:
I added the cats in the windows (or on the windows), or jumping through the windows. Though its a sad portrayal of the lonely cats wandering from window to window, I think it also ironically shows the playfulness and loyalty of the Dakota cats.
Page 6: Brick Wall
The brick also caught my eye because the bricks used were of different sizes, unlike HDB bricks, where its very well put and organised alternately.
Traced it out on illustrator:
I tried using different textured background to better represent the brick wall as Dakota’s:
Page 7
At first I only thought of editing a corridor on photoshop, adjusting the levels, colour etc:
This was what it looked like next to pg 6:
It didn’t quite match the the pages so I tried to make it a spread:
I added the cat, (standing??) and perching itself up on the brick to make it look impatient, and finally searching instead of wandering.
Page 8
From the start I knew I wanted to connect the first page and last page. So I reused the ‘When are you coming back home’. At first I tried using a picture I took of the rusting railings. But I felt that it didn’t end my zine nicely.
I wanted to end my zine on an ’empty’ and kind of sad note. So I thought the best thing was to leave it empty. Didn’t work out.
So an idea struck. Since my zine was going to be about the sad wandering cats, I will conclude the zine with cats.
I think a sitting cat at the corner concludes my zine nicely— how in the beginning the cats are actively searching, wandering about the estate. In the end, the sitting cat looks sad and defeated, but at the same time there is ambiguity in the conclusion. Are the cats still going to wait? Or have they given up and realise the residents have gone for good?
When I chose Dakota as my location to do research on I had no clue where Dakota was, and I don’t even know what’s so special about it. So after googling and asking around, I found out about Dakota Crescent.
Dakota Crescent is located between Dakota and Mountbatten MRT station. On the map, its renamed Dakota Close, since there’s a new ‘Dakota Crescent'(most of the residents relocated to the new area).
First thing I realised was that there were lots of peeling paints and rusting metal and trash and how smelly the place was. So I decided to focus on the textures that had naturally occured due to abandonment.
They make nice abstract pictures so I decided to go with it. I thought of re-making my own textures for my zine through various methods, eg. Lino-cut printing, mark making so this was all the reference I got:
I also thought of putting some words/phrases in my zine that show ‘abandonment’.
I went with a marble abstract pattern as the background to show the makeup is resting on the table. Also when I do my makeup I have this cool small marble top I lay my makeup on. Adding the marble gives the work personalised touch I feel.
F A S H I O N D E S I G N E R
I decided to use a simple recurring pattern as the background. I felt that the cloth folds I used in my process was too much, and took the attention away from the main subjects.
L O G O D E S I G N E R
Final design for my logo. Added a circle border to make it look more sophisticated.
This is probably my favourite one out of the 4 because I have a whole lot of old makeup and I also loveeee playing with makeup.
I first started by aligning the tools and creating a composition with them on photoshop.
Then I went on to illustrator and traced it out.But after completing the tracing I didn’t really like the technical and clean cut outcome. Everything was too neat and I didn’t fancy that because doing makeup shouldn’t be neat!!! It’s a fun and messy process. So I decided to try photography.
I played around with makeup, tried out different strokes and colour tests.
Link below to videos of me experimenting with makeup tools!! Please switch on your volume because it sounds relaxing HAHA:
I then edited them in photoshop, placed some more makeup along the borders to create a ‘frame’.
It looked a little off and it might be because of the plain background, and wayyy too many things to look at.
F A S H I O N D E S I G N E R :
I thought of sewing at first but then I didn’t want to focus on the sewing aspect of the job. I wanted to show the process of designing and drawing out the designs.
Sorted out a composition on photoshop first to make ‘ANA’
Traced out and coloured the image on illustrator:
I wanted a light-washed watercolour and sketchy effect similar to the references. I also tried different backgrounds:
L O G O D E S I G N E R
I decided I want to make minimalist logos for my name. Came up with different designs:
This looked like ‘Fatz’ instead of ‘Farz’. Scraping that and tried going for ‘Faz’ instead.
I didn’t like that there were too many different alphabets in my name. SO I went with ‘ANA’. I want to have some recurring motifs (2 A’s) thus the change of name.
Too simple.
Still not feeling it.
I also tried inverting the colours to see which one works better.
Ok definitely better and at least I get the logo feels from this final design.
Artist (watercolorist)
I decided to focus on one medium as an artist— Watercolour!! I love painting in watercolour because its very therapeutic and fast. I started with colour schemes first:
After which I scanned in my watercolour splashes and created some background colour:
I used the font lucky turns because I also liked doing brush lettering, especially with watercolour.
I liked the second one, but it felt like a normal brush letter design. So I used illustrator pen tool to make a paintbrush, to show myself as an artist who paints.
Before I first started I actually had a lot of occupations I knew I was interested to explore. But as I go deeper into this project, it wasn’t as easy as it seems. So I cut out a lot of my options, and infact changed lot of my occupations even when I was halfway doing them, because ART BLOCK!!! 🙁 yes sadly I did waste a lot of time
Below are the finalised ones:
Makeup Artist
Logo Designer
Fashion Designer
Artist
I kept changing the medium halfway too because I couldn’t decide.
For makeup artist I went to explore the different types of tools I could somehow use to make alphabets:
:
For Logo Designer I googled some logos for inspiration. I am quite smitten(lol) by cool minimalist B&W logos sooo yep my final work will be something similar.
Fashion Designer reference:
For Artist, I’m using Monet’s works as reference because I love his works so much.
M A K E U P A R T I S T :
But after completing the tracing I didn’t really like the technical and clean cut outcome. Everything was too neat and I didn’t fancy that because doing makeup shouldn’t be neat!!! It’s a fun and messy process. So I decided to try photography.
:
