Storyboard For Folly Video

For the Christian McBride video I intend on using close ups of the illustrations used for the rest of the campaign, cropped in very elongated horizontal and vertical shapes. My storyboard shows some of the movements I want to explore, most relying on the cropped images scrolling side by side in opposite directions, so that the image is revealed only momentarily before cutting to the next shot. The different sections of scrolling images will be alternated with section of informative type.
 

Final Animation

Here is my final cut of the animation for the 1:30 min video for Narrative. I'm happy with the results of my first project ever executed in After Effects and believe that the elements used in the video all help convey a story. There may be a few transitions that could use a little bit more work and could overall be smoother, but with time I will learn how to use more of the tools After Effects has to offer.

 

Billboard and Banner Progress 2

I have reworked some of the illustration to fit the the horizontal space of the the billboard and banners. More elements and texture are needed in the illustration.

Billboard and Banner Progress

More detailed renderings of the 2 billboards and the Facebook banner. I will try to add more to the illustrations of the billboards to complete the composition of the two. The Facebook banner was set keeping in mind the mobile dimensions of the banner so that the type does not get cut off when viewed from a smartphone.

Folly Program Cover

For the program cover I have used the illustration of the poster in the required 5.5" x 8.5" sizing and adjusted the type to fit accordingly. With the new dimensions I have found a better solution for the issues I was having with the type in the 34" x 50" poster. Placing the text in a more subtle way at the bottom of the composition allows more focus on the illustration and is not clashing with it. Also, since the program does not require to be legible at a distance, the type can be set at a smaller size.

Billboard and Banner Design

The next step in the Folly campaign is to design 2 different size billboards, a Facebook banner and a program cover. My sketches explore new illustration possibilities as my original drawing might be hard to integrate into the horizontal space of the banners. As I'm working on the sketches I am trying to figure out a design that will allow be to use one illustration for the different size billboards. I've also done some digital sketches that include the illustration in the poster and a rough version of an alternate drawing of the same trio of bass bridges.

Poster Design

The final poster illustration has changed in color after the feedback from other students and instructors. To give it a more surreal and funky vibe, I changed the color palette and used cooler colors rather than the warm yellows I had used in the previous version. I believe that the new colors are more appropriate and are more intriguing to viewers.
The type in the poster was placed in a manner to break the rigidity of the the symmetrical illustration and help create movement with the poster.
Below are the test prints of the poster and the final poster that was presented to the judges.

 

36 Hours (Book Project)

In the Type III class we are working on a book project that deals with found type of the course of a 36 hour period. My idea for this project is to use type found in album cover art with added illustrations and hand written text.
The book is supposed to be divided into 3 sections, of 12 images each, and for my book I will choose 12 albums for each section. While listening to the each album in its entirity I intend to jot down any thoughts or memories that the music evokes, so to include that in the book.
The 3 sections will cover different experiences of my life. The first section will be comprise of albums that were a part of my childhood/adolescence. The second will cover albums that were significant to the period in which I began to focus on art and design. The third section instead will not have any direct memories tied to it as the albums will largely be chosen by others and will all be new to me.
With these 3 sections set in place, I am hoping that they will bring about different feelings. The first ought to deal with the distant past, the second with the recent past, and the third with new experiences and a look towards the future.

The size of my book will be roughly 12cm x 12cm to reflect the size of CD cases which were prevalent in my youth up until a few years ago when I stopped purchasing physical copies of albums. Above are some of the album covers I intend to use and they have been printed on an adhesive material.
The adhesives are all 8cm x 8cm and will be placed on transparent paper. On the reverse side of the transparent substrate another 8cm x 8cm square will be placed in the same spot to cover up the backside of each sticker. The second sticker for each page will have a detail that deals with type.
When flipping through the book the reader will first see a square image of type. Then when the page is turned the backside will reveal the entire album cover. The next page will not be transparent, but rather paper where I will place the illustration and hand written text.
Below are some of the colored transparencies I might use in the final execution.

Type Ideas

While the main idea and execution of the illustration is completed, I have moved on to explore different option for the type within the poster.

  These are 3 of the better attempts at hand lettering. Although I am happy with these options in themselves, they are not working well with the illustration.

3 Bridges

For the final poster design I have decided to go ahead with the illustration of the 3 bass bridges. The shape of the bridge is reminiscent of a large human figure and interestingly has a cut-out, on what we could consider the figure's chest, in the shape of a spade/heart. The technical quality of the drawing reflects the technical abilities of the jazz trio, while the robust figure of the bridge is symbolic of Christian McBride's prominent role as one of, if not best, jazz bass players of his generation.

 

After selecting which perspective to use for the final poster, I began to work on a tight pencil drawing to then ink before scanning it for color on the computer.

The coloring process was executed in Photoshop to allow for quick changes depending on feedback for other students, teachers, and the client. 

While liking the first attempt at coloring the illustration, it does not fit well as an illustration for a jazz band. Also, the drawing in combination with this color palette reminds me too much of De Chirico.

Folly Theatre Jazz Series

For the Human Design class I have been working on a poster and promotional for the Folly Theatre Jazz Series. The artists I have chosen from the 2015-2016 schedule is the Christian McBride Trio. McBride himself is one of the most prominent bass players of his generation and will be joined by pianist Christian Sands and drummer Ulysses Owens Jr.

The first step is to do research on the artist and come up with a mood board. The mood board ties in with the research I've done about the artist. Some of the image I chose are illustrated album artwork for Christian McBride, some are posters from the past and some reflect the trio's influences and roots.

To begin the sketching portion, I started by listening to the music and sketching according to the Matrix that Kelly Ludwig suggest we using. The columns are evocative words that I chose for my artist, while the rows are different modes (or figures of speech).

Most of my sketches fell on the pun row with multiples for the same evocative word.
From here I refined what I thought were the better and more original ideas .

The first sketch is a visual representation of "playing in the pocket" a term many jazz players use to refer to being in a groove. The second explores a technical approach to the bass through drawing as McBride is a very technical bass player. The third is a play on words on the smoothness of jazz being compare to peanut butter. The final sketch instead illustrates a time clock to show emphasis on the work ethic of all three musicians.

Fusion Exercise

Again using an image from the KCAI campus, we were instructed to execute a calendar that uses the properties of fusion within text. The letters and numbers follow the various plains within the image. The image itself may reflects many students' feelings about the printing experience at KCAI.

More explorations in the AFX universe

This is a short video to test some of the movements and illustrations I will be using in the final video. It is still missing smooth transitions from shot to shot, but this work has allowed me to get a better idea of what my limitations are for the execution of this project and also what aspects of the animating process are easier to achieve in a relatively short period of time.

Excercise in Fragmentation

The second exercise assignment calls for the implementation of fragmentation within the design of the calendar. To achieve this I have placed graphic elements and text in a manner that it is interacting with the components of the landscape.

Excercise in Separation

In Type III we are working on different approaches to integrating text and images. The first exercise is to execute a mock calendar for KCAI using images of the campus. Using separation to design the calendar, I overlaid the type directly over the composite image I created with little regard for its integration with the underlying image, but with attention to maintaining legibility. 

Video Test

A simple test in AFX. I'm thinking the stars need to be hand drawn so that overall the whole image is more organic.

Vectorizing!

 

STEVE IS ALIVE!

Actually he has only been vectorized and colored, but these shapes will be useful to test in After Effects to see what I learned from the F1 Engine tutorial. I also vectorized a front view of Steve and his spaceship for potential use in other scenes.

Character Sketches

BODY PARTS AND SPACESHIP ELEMENTS

I decided to construct my protagonist alien by drawing the individual parts of his body and spaceship to allow for further animated elements in the final video if animating in After Effects turn out to be easy and intuitive (and if the limited time of the project isn't enough, it could be a good project to go back to once I have had more experience).
The alien, who goes by the placeholder name of Steve for now, and his spaceship are going to be the main focus of the video. He will be floating through space avoiding obstacles in hopes of arriving to his destination on time and in one piece.

The drawings were done with a felt tip pen on 8.5x11 paper to be easily scanned and modified.

Storyboards for "The Galaxy Event"

SIMPLE MOVEMENTS   

In my storyboard I have concentrated on the movements of the elements in the story and by laying out the key shots it is easier to figure out which movements I will be able to reproduce for the video. Having never done any work in animation I have limited myself to simple movements I think I can execute in Adobe After Effects. The limitation in types of movement that I can accomplish is going to force me to come up with interesting shots that, although limited in animation, will be able to keep an audience's attention.