Evaluation

*Saved as draft

Despite all of my shortcomings concerning deadlines, quality of work and overall attitude to image, I have enjoyed it as much as a festivity, the anticipation of seeing someone else's final piece for a brief was always something to look forward to every week, since there was such a diverse range of illustrative talents. It gave me a broader understanding of how my personal work could be put into a professional context, and how my work would sit in industry, which in itself is another skill/knowledge that is beneficial to my practice.
Many of the briefs came out to an acceptable standard, but the one that was the most fun and personally made the biggest difference was the book works brief for sale at the local book fair, which is something to aim for as a business venture, as well as a fantastic way to self-promote my skills in the ever growing creative network.
However, my major downfall was not being organised enough to meet studio deadlines, thus resulting me in having a very low standard of work, and a light yield of production, which once again has been a steep learning curve, which is becoming more like a bad habit than a healthy addiction of mine.
The module itself was a great deal of fun, and having a tutor that has been supportive and understanding to the point of saintliness made the whole experience something I wont regret.

As Near to final artwork as possible

Illustrations for Book Works 2 - Development

Plotting

TV Nation

I thought it was more than wise to include what Milly and Olly watch on TV as they would most likely enjoy having some of the influences in the book.

Some particular favourites include;

Hot Cross Bun

The Eggs Factor

Horrid Henry

Illustrative Tutoring

Whilst trying to find a way to mimic that of the Zelda Wind Waker cel shaded effect, I came across a screen  based illustrator/designer from the Netherlands called Mick Moolhujisen. He posted a rather handy tutorial on how to achieve the cel shaded look of Wind Waker, by using photoshop, but instead of using photoshop directly, I instead transferred what he had posted into illustrator, as it would give me better results and also better resolution and much easier to edit, considering I would be working with anchor points, and the pen tool. Both of which can be increasingly irritating to use in photoshop with limited undo and direct selection options.

Contemp Orary

Harper Collins. Why chose them specifically? Illustrations, good books not just from my own opinion but popular amongst general public. International appeal

http://www.gallimard-jeunesse.fr/3nav/contenu.php?age=1_1&page=perso_liste&num=1&tranche=1 incredible

Orchard Books

http://www.tundrabooks.com/

Proposing Information

After wanting to know the ins and outs of book publishing and also to find out if my book could and would be ready for putting into the market, I found out that I need to (according to Micheal Hyatt, an eBook entrepreneur)


'    * Understand the four elements your fiction proposal must include.


    * Write a well-crafted query letter that leaves the agent or editor begging for more.


    * Compose a compelling “hook” that conveys the premise of your novel in nine sentences or less.


    * Identify your target genre in such a way that the publisher can visualize the precise market for your novel.


    * Explain why you are qualified to write this book—even if you are a first-time author.


    * Avoid the three items you should NEVER include in a fiction book proposal.


    * Convey the “story arc” of your novel in one page and avoid the mistakes typically made by amateurs.


    * Include just enough of your novel to prove that you can write but not so much as to make reading it too daunting.

However, not entirely sure this applies to the target audience I identified, literally just as I was browsing some more sites, I found this incredibly helpful site the Writers Federation of Nova Scotia.

This has a specific section aimed towards children's books, first instructing me to know what publishing houses produce what genres, what books that are hot off the presses, not just ones I remember from childhood. 

By knowing my publishing houses, I can be confident that I've given it to someone who has an interest in the work I do, as well as sufficient experience in the area of industry.

Scarily enough, it says that publishers dont like manuscripts with illustrations already there, as they have a stock of illustrators, and will choose one they think is appropriate to your way of writing. In my case, this is something I can ignore, but bare in mind for future reference.

The manuscript itself needs to be error-free, double spaced, and on white paper. Generally I will need to leave a one and a half inch margin on the left and one inch margin on the right. Top and bottom margins should be one and a half inches. The site says to use 8.5" x 11" paper, but I dont want to restrict myself too much on a format, when no real decisions have yet been made. When submitting manuscript, its best to include a self-addressed stamped envelope, or sufficient postage to return my work.

Cover letters need to include autobiographical information, such as past publications, work, qualifications that are relevant to my subject matter.

Picture books tend to be (as 'dictated' by the printing process) between 24 or 36 pages long, this includes space for the cover letters.

Moving Image Finals

Vunce Upon A Time....

This is another example of a childs classic, being retold through generations!

Self-Directed Brief: Will and Fran Krause

Superjail's massive fantasy illustrations are something I want my world to look like beyond the point of transition from reality to fantasy in the book. The 'dreamscapes' give the young reader a new experience every time its re-read.

Some more Illustration from WIll Krause that supports the kind of style I'm looking at for characters and colour.

Oh I rewrote the brief to make it much clearer for myself and for marking.

Self-Directed Brief: "A childish mind will turn to noble ambition..."

My starting point for this would be to first identify my target audience and find out what they are reading, also what sort of things they respond to, along with some of their favourite things, as to incorporate their interests, to appeal to as many within the age bracket.
Me being me, and reasonably obsessed with computer games, I thought of 2 games that are reasonably similar in plot, but come from 2 different areas of culture, have a diverse storyline that sticks to the fundamentals of adventure,  whimsy and wonder, but leaves the player with a real emotive connection with the antagonist, be it empathy or sympathy.


I start with the Zelda series, it was initially inspired by Shigeru Miyamoto (The Godfather of Nintendo) as a young boy he would explore the hillsides surrounding his childhood home in Kyoto, Japan. He ventured off into forests with secluded lakes, caves, and rural villages. One of his most memorable experiences was the discovery of a cave entrance in the middle of the woods, after some hesitation, he apprehensively entered the cave and explored the depths with only a lantern, which became one of the key features of the Zelda series.
The back history draws from a plethora of pre-biblical references, both linguistic and image respectively, especially to the pre-diluvial age (before the great event known throughout the majority of religious text as the Great Flood) 

Basically the plot revolves around the balance of the world based upon a cycle of simulacrum(every 300 years the Evil would rear its head) to assume control over the idolization of the 3 dominant forces that drive humanity but also hold the fabric of our conscious existence; the Triforce (see above) which represents courage, power and wisdom. The Goddesses that created existence derive from the Sumerian's deities, which represented the Heavens (Air), The Deep Waters (Water), and the Earth. These are represented by the main races depicted in Zelda, these are Zoras, Gorons, Kokiri, Hylians and Hyrulians. (Expand)

The particular examples I have chosen are from Zelda: Wind Waker, as the style is relative to the sort of illustration I would like to do for my book. Bright, bold colours, with a possibility to test my digital illustration skills would be something fun and challenging. 

Book Works Finals

Book Brief.

Book Works

http://www.packagingoftheworld.com/2009/12/woodland-creatures-package.html

My echo

Progress....

Phocks