Graphic Form Assignment 2 – Locale 1 & 2 – Zine: Kampong Lorong Buangkok

Part 1 Local

For assignment Zine, I have chosen Kampong (Village in Malay Lanugage) Lorong Buangkok, the last remaining Kampong in Singapore. This location is located near my residence of Hougang which is coincidentally beside my primrary school! During Primary five in 2007, I had the chance to visit the then undeveloped Kampong and it was a 12 year gap since I have visited it again and I am surprised to see how much it has developed.

A house that fits within the urban heartland
Aerial view of the kampong from the roof of car park. We can see how this kampong is literally getting “swalllowed” by the concrete jungle

A source from the URA 2014 plan stated that this Kampong is to be razed in the future for development of a highway that connects Seng Kang town to Yio Chu Kang Road as well as the building of two institutions. Presently, the village chief, Ms Sng Mui Hong, is struggling with the authorities’ development plan as she wants to preserve the village, which is also her home from getting raze.

I have found this to be a crucial location to pick on as many youths in Singapore does not know what is a Kampong and let alone even knowing that there is one hidden in the concrete jungle. Thus I felt that presenting Kampong Buangkok will be a good choice as I can use this to educate the public on the situation of the Kampong.

Before that,  researches were done to support my facts and also to let me set the direction of how I would want to present. Firstly, I went around to check on the current development at the estates around the Kampong. Seen below is the construction of the Buangkok link drive to be connected towards Yio Chu Kang Road via Gerald Drive.

 

On top of primary research, I had also conducted secondary survey research both online and face to face record.  The online research were crafted to question users about their knowledge towards Kampong and it also serves as an informative sharing on it’s current and future development, it was spread  to a wide demographic age range of age which made me realised that not many youths know about Kampong Buangkok.

On the other hand, the face to face survey interview were mainly asked around the vicinity for their thoughts towards the future development of Kampong Buangkok. These are the information of the survey responses collated in excel sheet, video recordings of the face to face interview and power point presentation slide show covering on the research information with pie chart visuals of the survey responses.

Locale Part 2.

From my research , the topics that I covered on were on the past, present and future of the Kampong. Which leads to the direction that I want to do – History, Gift and Mystery. Secondly, the approach of my Zine is based on the approach of an interactive comics which gives the audience a walk through from the current state of the comics to the future through humorous illustrations.

The comics that inspired me are Old Master Q, Crayon Shinchan and Doraemon. These are the childhood comics that saved me out of boredom before the technology kicks in.

A few examples of each comics and how do I share my reference from them.

Crayon Shinchan, the funny exaggerate reaction between human interaction is what I want to incorporate to pin point the facial expression of different characters.
Since young, what attracted me most is the vibrant colour of Doraemon comics, I have also incorporated the vibrant colours to make my comics more lively.
The classic Old Master Q, the author is a genius in depicting human interaction with animals, which is what I want to do. This harmony with exaggerated actions seems ridiculous, but it has the fresh style of conventional human characters interaction comics.

These are the drafts sketches that I had before touching up for scanning.

Different characters that I want to portray in my comics but I chose to use animals and plants to represent the people that I encounter to kick in the element of quirkiness and fantasy
Brief planning of what I want to do for my Zine. The character wise is me ( as the only human). Snowy the cat as the custodian around Buangkok district. Banana tree as representative of Singapore, or the villagers due to “土生土長” (local bred) and the stray dog (哈巴狗)as a nomad who travels around locations to stay.
Simple ideation sketches on the different scenes that I want to set for my Zine
A draft overview for the Zine story line fitted into a single A4, this allows me to visualise the flow of the story which allows me to make any necessary changes
Ms Joy mentioned that this cover page looks too plain on its own and I should add a little art element here to show how we can bring out the cover page to depict “History”

Similar to the front cover page, this rear cover page was pointed out by Ms Joy too, it looks to plain and dull, there should be art element infused with it to bring out the effect of “Mystery” more.

After consultation with Ms Joy, these are the changes that I had made for the final zine.

After consultation, this is what I had illustrated. Since Snowy, the cat, mentioned his father is a heartland cat while his mother is a Kampong cat, I felt that the cover page on “History” could be illustrated with the younger life of the parents to show their dating phase back in the old days of the Kampong before development occurs.
page 1 and 2, an introduction of the location overview of how the Kampong looks like which a brief discussion on the future of Kampong
Page 3 and 4, I wanted to show a transition of current day Kampong to the future through the development phase. In an anti-clockwise direction, it depicts the current progression which is the Buangkok link to Gerald Drive construction, to the future of highway linkage to Yio Chu Kang Road and lastly, the building of two institutions. Why was the school not illustrated? This is due to the fact that the information of the school is not reveal, thus it is considered a mystery that we do not know of.
Page 5 and 6, the inner scene of the Kampong and also a deeper picture of the issues of the Kampong that discuss the fate of how it will be in the future
Similarly over here, since the Kampong is to be razed on in the future, but no official statement or stance were brought up on the actual date. I decide show the effect of mystery on the foot prints, in the event of future where the Kampong is raze, Snowy’s family will have to relocated, but to where?

Overall, Zine is an interesting project that allows me to stretch beyond my boundary through illustrating the comics in a humorous direction to depict myself interviewing non-human living things. And also adding a little touch of political reference into the comics as well.

The problems that I had faced for this comics were the conceptualizing of the comics, as I had previously thought of depicting it as a children comics in which Joy mentioned that if I were to do it, there should not be any references of real life pictures as it will be too jarring for the children. After seeing how the comics has been churned out, I decided to conceptualized it into both children and adult, with a hint of political reference in the latter.

Lastly, what would I do better given the opportunity and from the feedback? I would want to show a visual story telling on the transition from history to future, in which the story basically illustrates on how did the Kampong develop over the years to it’s unknown underlying fate in the future.

References.

Q, Old. n.d. Serenading a donkey. (picture). Retrieved April 20, 2019 from. https://www.pinterest.com/pin/342062534190396442/

Fabiola, Ixora. n.d. Crayon Shin-Chan – chapter 32 (picture). Retrieved April 20, 2019 https://i.pinimg.com/originals/38/f4/79/38f47918b27bfe3ab09c9e565f8b91ca.png

feihong. August 16, 2010. Serenading a donkey. (picture). Retrieved April 20, 2019 https://www.chinese-forums.com/forums/topic/27419-grand-comic-reading-project-1-doraemon-color-collection/

Graphic Form Assignment 1 – Hello, My Name Is Part 2

After consultation with ms joy, I realised that I am diverting too far away from my initial direction of showing irony of an animal doing work that is against their nature for Auditor and Takoyaki seller.

https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-45014746

Similarly, researching on body posture of penguins to help in my illustrations.

Thus back to original takoyaki seller, I observed that the sellers usually need to be quick witted and agile as they have many steps to follow hence I chose penguin, a clumsy and slow animal on land to deal with the quick pace job to depict the irony against it’s nature.

For my art approach for Auditor, the concern lies in the fact similarly to the takoyaki seller, I begin to divert too far away from the direction. Being that for auditor, they are mainly dealing with paper work resources and it is very difficult to portray, I begin to add in complicated structure and layers which resulted in a very messy scene.

I then decided to take a step back and research for the ethical values of an auditor, what they should not do and I pick up 4 traits

-Not validating for clients

-Not signing blindly for client documents

-Not accepting bribes

-Not helping client to bank in their money

Final outcome of the artwork that I have after completing the necessary changes.

The sequential order are from Auditor => Takoyaki Seller => Joss Stick Seller => Carpenter. There is a backstory on why did I chose the dull colour at first which slowly transcend to a lighter colour.

The story for the transitional sequence lies in me being an accountant diploma graduate, hence it was a clear path that auditing is a job that I will take up due to it’s high increment, but I hated my life in school and it was one of the darkest period of my life hence I chose to use a darker colour, subsequently I have the opportunity to bid for a stall in school to set up as a student venture to sell Takoyaki which unfortunately I have failed the bid, but the idea of being able to have the opportunity to be my own boss lighten my mood up.

Comes to Joss stick, it became a point where I realised that I have failed my first application to NTU ADM, where I felt that life has no meaning anymore as my efforts in building my portfolio has all gone to the drain hence I have decided to devote myself into taking over my father’s business in selling joss stick.

Lastly, after rejecton, I persevered on by interning at a design firm to build my portfolio, where I have coincidentally met a carpenter, he became my advisor and everything else was history. Thus I show this as a turning point where I sees the light, thus the colour brighten up.

 

Graphic Form Assignment 1 – Hello, My Name Is Part 1

In regards to this new assignment, we were an in class activity to make use of graphic typography to illustrate our names into three different designs.

These were what I have tried to do

Carpenter using work tools

CP wanton using food and kitchen wares

Chinese name visual metaphor (余谦平)direct translation into “Fish, Thousand and Balance”

We were then revealed with the assignment task – we will have to illustrate our names to synchronize with four different occupations, and these were what I have chosen

Carpenter – my current freelance occupation which I am intending to pursue in future.

Auditor – related to my course in poly, accountancy, however it is an occupation that I will not touch.

Takoyaki – Interestingly, I tried to sign up for a competition to bid for the shop as student venture, but I failed.

Joss stick – I have thoughts to take over my father business after I failed my first university application.

The initial point of the planning was on the decision to choose my name to represent, the list of options were “CP, YCP, Chien Ping or Ping”. The secondary point came where I have to decide whether I want to use upper or lower case for my name depiction. After much consideration “ping” was used as I personally felt that the word ping has a sentimental feeling to me, being that in Chinese, we would usually address someone from their last name, for examples like “小平, 阿平, 平啊”. And lastly, it will rhymes better to put an occupation appointment with my last name – Carpenter Ping than Carpenter Chien, Carpenter CP, Carpenter Yee.

Carpenter

I have decided depict myself as ants, as ants have quality of hard driven workers, which I can relate as I have gone a long way and facing challenges to do carpentry. Ms Joy then change my approach on what if the ants are termites, the natural enemy of wood. Hence the approach would be that the termites are actually working with their food. Irony!

This scene is set inside a furniture firm that has in built carpentry facilities, I wanted to show that how the termites are actually having the leisure of not slacking, but eating the wood and outside the shop, anything that are make of wood is seen to be consume halfway.

I have researched on the colour of wood and anatomy of termite to help in my illustrations.

https://www.decormorehospitality.com/Pinewood-Plank-Table-Tops-p/02-pine-table-top.htm

https://www.bigtimepestcontrol.com/blog/difference-flying-ants-termites

Joss Stick Seller

 

Depicted myself as a bee, because of the working production line to pack the joss sticks into packet and in the end to delivery, everyone works like a busy bee.

Ms Joy then changed my perspective that what if the bees are fire flies, irony as they might accidently light the joss stick up.

Similarly, I have researched on fireflies, joss sticks and even burn cardboard boxes in order to create a similar expression in illustration.

Indiana Senate Votes Unanimously to Make Firefly State Insect

https://dissolve.com/stock-photo/Incense-sticks-joss-stick-pot-burning-smoke-used-pay-rights-managed-image/102-D246-34-532

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/597501075537191203/

Takoyaki Seller

Depict myself as octopus, as a representation of takoyaki, octopus filled rice ball.Ms joy then mentioned what could be an irony that people just follow the queue and don’t know what they are buying, trying to show cannibalism.

Second update, decided to make use of bonito flakes, what if the flakes are made from the leg skin, to show that behind the scene of how unhygienic food practices are and also to add a twist towards the idea of cannibalism, like the fish are selling it’s own body parts as food.

Researching on bonito flakes and bonito fish to understand how they can be illustrated.

https://anything-from-japan.com/large-and-thick-hana-katsuobushi-bonito-flakes-from-tenpaku-160g

http://kenjonesfishing.com/2012/02/pacific-bonito-%E2%80%94-a-true-fighting-fish/

Seen in this illustration, the takoyaki flag is depict as “p”, the table that the Octopus eats on with the bonito flake bucket is “i”, the takoyaki stall is “n” and lastly behind the scene where the bonito are prepared is “g” from the conveyor belt into the cooking wok.

Auditor

I have decided to depict myself as a dog, as auditors are deemed to be dogs of the corporate world as they smell out the frauds and dishonesty of companies.

Decided to go ahead with fox, as foxes are sly and cunning, they are a far fetch of a dog who is loyal and trustworthy. Researching on fox anatomy to aid in my illustration.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/prince-edward-island/pei-fox-trapping-rates-1.4945255

In this situation, it was seen that as a Fox auditor, I am accepting bribe from the client, the furniture depicts a “p”, the power point slides portraying ficticious sales depicts “i”, two foxes skiving at the pantry to depicts “n” and the irony that behind the scene, the company is depicts to be shady yet for the front scene, the security is depict to be tight where employees needs to go pass the gantry. This is to show that the employees having no knowledge of the dirty deeds that their superiors are doing.