Friends Comic Strip
'Friends'
Pen sketches (hatching techniques, line shading and negative space)
0.2, 0.5, Brush Staedtler pigment liners
Comic Strip - Day/ Image 6 - 10 for DVB102 Assessment 1 of #oneperday2020
This week was about creating a story or narrative within a comic strip from a memory of school. My story is about the journey to school on a bus and how sometimes you can feel alone until a friend joins you. It shows how one encounter can change your mood for the day and the value of a good friendship.
Process:
I used pen for this comic strip and am quite happy with the end result. I like the layout of each frame and the black borders around each as well as my use of different shapes to enhance meaning. The techniques I used were mainly hatching for texture and depth. I kept the figures quite simple and really played with the use of black and white spaces to create depth. I also set up the layout of my comic strip on one A3 landscape page and determined the borders for each frame. This helped with the story structure and keeping the frames consistent.
Also, I considered the story line and structure as well as the message I wanted the comic strip to communicate to the viewer. I used the Week 3 Studio exercises as inspiration and roughly sketched thumbnails of potential frames and a basic structure of events. I also roughly sketched the frames and explored the techniques I could use to communicate meaning. I went mostly with line, shading and cross hatching.
First Analogue Comic Strip
Upon reflection, I was not quite happy with the final comic strip so I used Photoshop to fine tune the frames were I had made mistakes while sketching and removed some hatching from the wall of the bus as it seemed too busy. I also changed the back seat of the bus to black to emphasise the empty seat and the meaning that implies. I used the clone stamp tool, blur and sharpen tool to achieve this.
Image 6
Process:
In this image I played with white space and lines to add texture and meaning. This set the mood of the comic strip and introduces the story and character. I was happy with this original sketch in analogue so I did not edit this one digitally in Photoshop.
Image 7
Process:
After revisiting the sketch a few weeks later, I found it quite overwhelming to look at with all the hatching and line work. So I used Photoshop to delete the lines on the walls of the bus and also filled the back seat of the bus in black to make it a point of focus for the viewer as this image is meant to communicate how lonely Sarah felt when Lucy wasn't on the bus and everyone else had someone to sit with. I like the contrast the edited image creates and how sharp it looks. This is because I did this image last and used the selection tool to delete the lines instead of the clone stamp tool as I had used in previous images and then used the sharpen tool over the black and white edges.
Image 8
Process:
This was the first image I edited in Photoshop. I used the clone stamp tool to erase the lines at the front of the bus and the thick line of the circle on the right. Although it was effective, it is not the best execution and I could have used the selection tool for a sharper finish. The use of the blur tool is distracting on the right side and I would definitely fix that if I managed my time better. Overall, the second image is better as it is not as overwhelming and fits better into the comic strip as a whole.
Image 9
Process:
For this image, I only wanted to fill the background to black and then delete the lines within the circle that I drew by mistake. I used Photoshop's selection tool to delete the lines and then the sharpen tool. I like the effect better and it also makes it a good stand alone image.
Image 10
Process:
I only removed the black circle on the left hand side of the analogue sketch so that I could adjust the layout in Indesign for the final comic strip. I used the clone stamp tool to copy the grass and extend the road after I deleted the black line. If I were to do it again, I would colour correct the area as I just used white, but obviously you can see the difference in the final image. Time management was definitely a factor here. I also replaced the freehand title with a typed one as it looks more professional.
Reflection:
Overall, I am happy with the comic strip I produced, particularly the different shapes and the black background I used as I think they are quite effective in capturing the viewers attention. However, if I were to do it again, I would sketch each frame individually on separate pages so I could go into more detail with the hatching and shading techniques and then arrange them digitally for the completed strip. This would reduce the digital editing I needed to do to correct mistakes while sketching. Although, I am happy I decided to touch up the original analogue sketch as it helped develop my Photoshop skills, I think I could have done a better job with the blur tool and colour correction if I managed my time better. But I also am proud of the new skills I have learnt as my Photoshop skills are basic. So this was a good learning experience.
I also struggled with the the perspectives on the bus frames and feel like they come across a bit flat. So next time I would manage my time better and redo those frames until I was completely happy with them. Overall, this was an enjoyable challenge for me as I am more comfortable using pencil than ink due to how permanent it is. This was a good step outside my comfort zone though!
