Design Principles - Final Project
06 Nov 2020 - 27 Nov 2020 (Week 11 - Week 14)
Yeo Hui Qi / 0334134 / B'CS
Design Principles
Final Project
VISUAL ANALYSIS
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The Man in a Hat by Behemot Artist: @behemot_crta_stvari on Instagram |
Phase 1
There is a black figure in the middle with words written on either side of him. The main colours of this piece are black, white and grey. There is a white moon at the top, right above the black figure. A crowd of people can be seen gathered behind the figure in the middle. There is also small text written at the bottom of the piece in the same font as the title. The background is a radial glow starting with light grey in the middle to black at the edges of this piece. There is a fog-like texture at the feet of the main figure that is almost the colour of the words which are the lightest coloured elements of the piece. The whole piece is drawn with a crayon-like texture that is noticeable in the title words and radial glow of the background.
Phase 2
This piece has approximate symmetry. There is emphasis on the figure in the middle that is drawn in black with white glowing eyes. The crowd gathered behind him are of different shades of grey to show unity but never as dark as the main figure, they also have glowing white eyes that show contrast. The words of the title are placed on either side of the main figure to create balance, as is the crowd. The moon on top is aligned to the main figure in the middle. The author's name written at the bottom is smaller than the title to create hierarchy of information but it is written in the same font to maintain cohesion within the piece.
Phase 3
This piece was made as a book cover for a nursery rhyme that the author and artist, Behemot had come up with. This was made into a concept for multiple other piece on his Instagram and The Man in a Hat has become a recurring character in his art. This art style is reminiscent of a side view black and white game, "Limbo", where the main character is drawn as a silhouette with white circles for eyes. Besides that, this character also reminds me of Babadook, the monster from the book, "The Babdook". He also wore a hat but was drawn in more detail and only sometimes drawn as a dark silhouette that appears in the corner of your eye. I think The Man in The Hat portrays that by his glowing eyes that can make the viewer feel like he is watching them. Even the crowd behind him has glowing eyes and all of them are staring as if looking at the viewer.
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| Sample of Limbo (game) |
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| Sample of Babadook book illustration |
Below are more examples of this character, The Man in a Hat.
The Man in a Hat by Behemot
Artist: @behemot_crta_stvari on Instagram
IDEA EXPLORATION
From the beginning the concept was very certainly a sequel or prequel to my visual analysis' book cover. My ideation was also very focused on the hat since it was the most prominent feature of the main character. Below are the first sketches I made. On the left I focused more on the hat and added a spider web behind for texture. The one on the right shows The Man in a Hat in the background with a door leading into him. But these 2 were just very rough ideas.
After feedback, I improved my sketches and developed my ideas more. I was satisfied with this idea and I tried using charcoal pencils but found it difficult to make the gradient smooth enough.
After feedback, I changed my sketches once more. The lecturer also suggested I try drawing this piece digitally to compare. But ultimately, using charcoal brings out more of the character for this piece. Below are the comparisons between paper sketch and digital sketch.
FEEDBACK
On Visual Analysis:
- I can see the relation to the Babadook as that is also a horror themed book.
- The visual analysis is clear and you can proceed with the ideation of the sequel of this book.
On initial idea and sketches:
- I agree that the hat is a prominent feature but what is the mysterious element of the boy in the hat?
- Let's say you have the privilege to create your own story line and imagine this book as yours. You have to picture the idea you want to convey from your design. This will help you create your prequel.
On second iteration of sketches:
- It's not too clear that the boy is stepping through a doorway.
- Using charcoal is a good idea
- I think you need to make the figures at the back more clear or maybe make it look like they're holding the hat.
- You also need to make the white parts clearer in between the hat and the figures at the back.
On final sketch:
- This is better.
-You might want to try using your finger to blend the charcoal for a nice gradient.
FINAL DESIGN OUTCOME
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| Final Design (JPG) |
Rationale:
The concept behind the piece produced is a prequel to The Man in a Hat, meaning the piece tells the story before The Man in a Hat became the character he is. The medium used is charcoal on paper in order to replicate the textures seen in the visual analysis. This is also my first time using charcoal so a lot of the process was experimentation and testing out blending options. In this piece the main focus is the hat because is it the most prominent feature of The Man in a Hat. The secondary focus is the 3 other-worldly beings standing behind it as if welcoming their young master with open arms. We notice the door in the hat drawn to signify the hat as a portal to another dimension almost. Some parts of the hat were drawn lighter to show light shining through the doorway. I tried to replicate the background from my visual analysis as much as possible but it is most prominent at the bottom near the title where the gradient is most apparent. The title was written in white pen over the charcoal. The "in" in the title is vertical to replicate the same style as the visual reference.
REFLECTION
REFLECTION
The main thing I struggled with in this project was coming up with a sketch which could convey the same mysterious feel of the visual analysis. I think the lecturer managed to help guide me to where I was trying to go by giving helpful feedback. By comparing a digital sketch and hand drawn version and the charcoal I experimented with, I was able to make a good decision on how I wanted my piece to look and feel. I also struggled with using the charcoal a lot because I had 2 different kinds and I wasn't sure what was the best blending method was. It took a lot of experimentation to finally understand how to use. Overall, this project was a good experience because it taught me a lot from the visual analysis to exploring ideas and using charcoal for the first time.
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