Illustration and Visual Narrative : Task 1 - Vormator Challenge

01.04.2022 - 29.04.2022 ( week 1 - week 5 )
Len Hoi Yee / 0353430
Illustration and Visual Narrative / Bachelor of Design in Creative Media 

Task 1 : Exercise 1 & 2 

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Week 1-5 ( 01.04.2022 ~ 29.04.2022 )

Task 1: Exercise 1 & 2 - Vormator Challenge 

Instruction 
For this task, we are limited to using only 8 types of different shapes to create our own vormator character.

Task 1: Exercise 1 - Vormator Character 

Progress  
Week 2  08.04.2022 - Tracing shapes

 

Fig 1.1 Tracing Vormator shapes, Week 2 ( 08.04.2022 )

In class, Mr Hafiz taught us how to make these 8 different shapes by using pen tool to prep us for task 1 and also to let us get used to Adobe Illustrator. He also taught us how to derive different shapes from these 8 shapes to create effects such as shadow, irregular shapes, and etc. 

Week 3 ( 15.04.2022 ) - Sketch 

Fig 1.2  Vormator character sketch, Week 3 ( 15.04.2022 )

Since the lion is my favourite animal on land. I have decided to create a character that has a relation with lions to be my first ever character that I create. I was thinking about going for a cool and evil kind of character so i sketched typical lion features such as the mane, eyes, nose. Then i wanted to make it special so i added horns and tentacles to make it look weird and cool at the same time. In my mind, i was thinking how to make it special instead of just a lion, then since it is a lion that has horns, so i might as well add in the impression of a bull that has a nose ring. Hence, it sums up a combination of 2 zodiac signs: leo (lion) + taurus (bull). 

Week 4 ( 17.04.2022 ) - Shape forming ( Pathfinder tool )

Fig 1.3  Shapes Forming process, Week 4 ( 17.04.2022 )

After having a rough sketch, i started step by step by forming shapes for each part of the body and then combining them later on. In this stage, I had to use the pathfinder tool to merge or divide the shapes in order to form different shapes to fulfill my character's overall shape. 

Fig 1.4  Shapes of the body parts, Week 4 ( 17.04.2022 )

Nose 

Fig 1.5  Shape of the nose, Week 4 ( 17.04.2022 )

I have used 3 zerk shapes to form the nose, with 1 in the middle and 2 slanted towards each other, and with 2 nostrils, also by using the zerk's top round part. As for the ring, i duplicated a Zerk's shape, making them overlap each other's round part, then by using the pathfinder tool > divide > ungroup, i get the ring shape ( same shape as the scar )  It goes the same for the nose part. 

Arms & Legs 

Fig 1.6 The shape of the arms and legs, Week 4 ( 17.04.2022 )

For the arms and legs, i used the Zerk's shape as the arms and legs, and the Drop shape as the nails. 

Face

Fig 1.7  Shape of the face by using pathfinder, Week 4 ( 17.04.2022 )

For the lion's face, i combined 3 Drop shapes and a Bar shap. The i overlapped them onto each other, then pathfinder tool > divide > ungroup. I removed the unwanted parts in order to get the desired face shape. 

Fig 1.8  Final outcome of the face , Week 4 ( 17.04.2022 )

I then merged it to form a lion's face. 

Lion's mane 

Fig 1.9  Lion's mane in the making, Week 4 ( 18.04.2022 )

In order to make the lion's mane to look realistic, i have used tons of Tentacle shapes to form the mane. By making good use of the sharp end of the Tentacle shape, i adjust the sharp end using the Badge shape as the guideline, so that the sharp end of the Tentacle shape is as if the fur. When i have put the Tentacles accordingly, i then used the pathfinder tool > divide > ungroup to remove the unwanted parts, then i merged them to form the mane. 

Mouth

Fig 1.10  Lion's mouth in the making, Week 4 ( 18.04.2022 )

As you can see, for the mouth, i have used the Badge and Bar to form the mouth, Tentacle for the teeth. As i wanted the character to look fierce, i have used the tentacle's sharp end as the teeth. For the pink colour part, is the tongue ( top round part of the Zerk). For the upper layer teeth, i just rotated the teeth from below. 

Scar 

Fig 1.11  Scar, Week 4 ( 18.04.2022 )

So for the scar, i duplicated 2 Wurst shapes and overlapped it. By using pathfinder tool > divide > ungroup and then removed the unwanted parts. In the third picture, the part on the left is the one that is the scar.  

Fig 1.12  Scar, Week 4 ( 18.04.2022 )

Hence, i just duplicated and decreased the size to form the stitches on the scar. 

Fig 1.13  Scar, Week 4 ( 22.04.2022 )

When it's done, i put it on the right eye and change the colour to a more orang-ey peach, soft of like it's healing. 

Cyborg head and legs 

Fig 1.14 Pokemon Dialga, Week 4 ( 18.04.2022 )

Fig 1.15  Pokemon Kyogre, Week 4 ( 18.04.2022 )

I have been inspired by some legendary cool-looking pokemon with their skin for example, Dialga and Kyogre. So, i decided to add on some details on my character to enhance its appearance. 

Fig 1.16  Pokemon Kyogre, Week 4 ( 18.04.2022 )

I started making round shapes by using the Zerk's round part and combining them together using pathfinder and dividing the unwanted parts to get a circle. This is to imitate the skin on Kyogre's. 

Fig 1.17  The circled part is where I create using rectangles, Week 4 ( 18.04.2022 )

Next, to create the extension, i used 2 Zerk shapes arranged end-to-end to create rectangles. 

                                          Fig 1.18  Forming rectangles, Week 4 ( 18.04.2022 )

So i repeated the same steps :  pathfinder tool > divide > ungroup. I removed the unwanted parts to form the rectangles

   Fig 1.19  Forming the extensions by combining few rectangles together, Week 4 ( 18.04.2022 )

As you can see the extension in figure 1.16, it looks like rectangular shapes so some parts i had to merge 2 rectangles together or even 3 sometimes, in order to give the solid effect. In figure 1.18 first picture, I arranged the second rectangle diagonally at the bottom of the first rectangle to give  the"direction" effect, so the extensions dont just look awkwardly straight but has the "flowing all over the body" kind of effect. In the 2nd and 3rd picture, i arranged the rectangles according to how i want them to flow in whichever direction, i then divided them using pathfinder to get the desired shapes.

   Fig 1.20 Cyborg skin idea  , Week 4 ( 18.04.2022 )

In this picture, i have combined all the shapes formed and merged them together, just exactly like the ones on Kyogre Pokemon. Then i applied it on his face.

 

 Fig 1.21 Forming and adding details on the face  , Week 4 ( 18.04.2022 )

After completing the shapes and extensions, i merged the rectangles together randomly but with direction to enhance the beauty of a cyborg face. I have also added a small detail on his face which is the small gem , so it gives the impression of the gem is supplying power to all of the body parts. 

Shadow

Shield 

For the shield, i took some pictures from the internet as reference to make the shapes to form a shield. 

 Fig 1.22 Choice of shield, Week 4 ( 18.04.2022 )

So i wanted to make a special and cool shield i decided to opt for the circled one. 

Fig 1.23 Forming shield, Week 4 ( 18.04.2022 )

I have used 4 Zerk shapes and arranged on the Badge. Then, by using pathfinder tool, i divided the unwanted parts to get a sort of hole on the badge ( 3rd picture in figure 1.23 ).

Fig 1.24 Colouring and shading , Week 4 ( 18.04.2022 )

Next, i changed the colour instead of using the typical shiny grey colour, instead i chose the red colour which gives contrast to the character that is in blue colour. Then i used gradient to create shadow.

Horn 

Fig 1.25 Old horn design , Week 4 ( 18.04.2022 )

For the horn, i reused the shape from the teeth instead of the old horn that i created using the Tentacles. 

Fig 1.26 Colouring and shading , Week 4 ( 18.04.2022 )

In figure 1.24, it's the new design for the horn and i wanted to do some shading on it. For the shadow, i just duplicated it and place it behind the brighter one in the front. Then, using the the pathfinder > divide > ungroup. So for the shadow, i used a darker shade to make it a shadow. 

Week 5 ( 26.04.2022 ) - Touch up

Comparison between old design and new design

Fig 1.27 Old design Vs new design , Week 5 ( 26.04.2022 )

On the left is my original design from my rough sketch, on the right is my design that i have improved along the way as i explore the character. From the comparison, i can see that a lot of details been added and adjusted in a proper way, for example, the body proportion, on the left, the head is bigger than the body but on the right, the body and head both are in an equal proportion. Also, the skin colour on the left has a huge clash with each other especially purple skin with green colour horn, but the one on the right is more appealing as the skin colour suits the personality of the character. 

Fig 1.28 Body with cyborg skin  , Week 5 ( 26.04.2022 )

When i have done with the upper body, i wanted to work on the body, as i wasn't sure if i should maintain his body in blue or add a body shield on it. Also, i was trying out whether i should do the whole body into cyborg skin but from figure 1.28 i can see that it doesnt go well with the character, so i decided to just go with having the face and legs covered with cyborg but the body with body shield.

Fig 1.29  Body with shield , Week 5 ( 26.04.2022 )

For the shield, i was going for a shiny grey body shield, so i used gradient to control the colour of the shield, creating a shiny surface by making it glow from the center. Besides, i added shoulder shield on his shoulder ( Wurst shape )  which can only be seen a little part of it due to perspective purpose. 

Fig 1.30  Blue gem on his body , Week 5 ( 26.04.2022 )

This was inspired by the gem on Dialga, the legendary pokemon. The gem is in light blue colour with glowing effect. The glow enhances the gem impression and its beauty. Also, i had the shield protecting the gem from external attack. 

Add on details 

Blood puddle and scratch on left arm 

Fig 1.31  forming blood puddle using Drop  , Week 5 ( 26.04.2022 )

So i gathered some Drop shapes with arranged tip-to-tip to each other, making use of its round part to create the puddle. Then, i used pathfinder and merged them together to get the result. 

Fig 1.32 Blood puddle , Week 5 ( 26.04.2022 )

Fig 1.33 Scratch on left arm  , Week 5 ( 26.04.2022 )

Again, i reused the scar shape as a scratch on its arm, and also added few Drops on it, making it look like it's bleeding. 

Sword

Fig 1.34 Forming sword , Week 5 ( 26.04.2022 )

So to make the sharp tip, i reused the rectangles from before and a Zerk covering the tip, so when i divide it using pathfinder, i remove the tip part, leaving a slanted-sharp end. 

Fig 1.35 Sword , Week 5 ( 26.04.2022 )

By reusing the shape from the scar, i used it on the sword which is the yellow coloured part and for the handle, i just used a simple short rectangular shape to be the handle. 

Fig 1.36 Old design sword , Week 5 ( 26.04.2022 )

As you can see from my old design, i was planning to have the character holding the sword in hand and the sword was in a different design too, as if a lightsaber. However, it clashes with the new design look which has the cyborg skin. So i took it down and changed it to an ordinary sword. I have also changed the position of the sword having it face downwards on the ground ( Figure 1.35).

Fig 1.37 Details on the sword , Week 5 ( 26.04.2022 )

The little detail added on the sword was blood stains. I had it positioned in the blood puddle and some blood drops on the swords dripping into the blood puddle. 

Final Outcome of the Vormator character 

Fig 1.38 Final Vormator Character - JPEG , Week 5 ( 26.04.2022 )

                             Fig 1.39 Final Vormator Character - PDF , Week 5 ( 26.04.2022 )

Task 1: Exercise 2 - Play Card

For this exercise, we are supposed to design a card for our character and give them a back story or a brief description about it. So, originally, i was going for a desert war scenario as the background since my character is a knight, so having an empty wide battleground best suits the background. I have also got inspiration from Naruto Shippuden, the famous action anime. 

 

Fig 2.1 Naruto Shippuden battle scenes, Week 5 ( 27.04.2022 )

 From the pictures above, those are the fight scenes in Naruto Shippuden, and most of the fight scenes are held at empty space. From here, it inspired me to design a background similar to it for my card design. 

Progress

Fig 2.2 Card background in the making, Week 5 ( 27.04.2022 )

To give the war impression, i decided to divide the card into half sand and half sky, to make it looks like a battle scene.  At first, my plan was just to make a background and put the character on it, and add details like description and its name on it without any card template or design sort of look. 

Fig 2.3 Making clouds, Week 5 ( 27.04.2022 )

To add more details to the card, i tried adding clouds to the blue sky. By using Pen tool, i made the clouds and coloured it in white. 

Fig 2.4 Card background in the making, Week 5 ( 27.04.2022 )

I tried adding my character on to see whether it matches the background. However, i feel it can be better, i was not satisfied with it because i still had to add on details like name and description on the card and when that comes in the whole layout wouldn't look appealing. 

Fig 2.5 Card design sample from the Internet, Week 5 ( 27.04.2022 )

Then, i changed my mind about the layout and i looked up on the internet about card template design. So i found the picture above which i can use for reference. 

Fig 2.6 New card design in the making , Week 5 ( 27.04.2022 )

For my new card design, i took brown colour palette from the internet as reference, to make the background. and i made a smaller frame in the middle for the character. I also curved the edges of the smaller frame to make it fancier instead of just another square frame by using the curvature tool. 

Name 

Fig 2.7 Name card in the making, Week 5 ( 27.04.2022 )

For the name card, i wanted to trace the one exactly from the template i used for as reference, in the 3rd picture, after i traced it out using pen tool, i realised it doesn't go really well with the whole layout. I then, decided to just use a simple name card design. 

Fig 2.8 Name card reference , Week 5 ( 27.04.2022 )

Referring to the picture above, i used pen tool to trace the name card out for my character. 

Fig 2.9 Name card , Week 5 ( 27.04.2022 )

Well, this one suits the card layout more and looks more neat. Then i decided to name it as ' Xander the Knight '. 

Paw print and claw 

Fig 2.10 Paw print in the making , Week 5 ( 27.04.2022 )

In this first and second picture, i was tracing the paw print image from the internet using Pen tool. 

Fig 2.11 Details on the card , Week 5 ( 27.04.2022 )

When i was done tracing, i added the prints on the background and decreased the opacity, making it looks like prints left behind in the desert. On the top right corner, i placed one huge paw print as decoration with full opacity on. 

Description 

Fig 2.12 Description , Week 5 ( 27.04.2022 )

For the description, i came up with something that rhymes and poetic. Also, i adjusted the font and size for the name and description, to match the character and the layout. 

Fig 2.13 Claw print , Week 5 ( 27.04.2022 )

I have also added a claw print on the description to enhance the beauty of the card .

Final outcome of  Vormator card design 

Fig 2.14 Vormator Card Design - JPEG , Week 5 ( 27.04.2022 )

Fig 2.15 Vormator Card Design ( no colour filled ) - PDF , Week 5 ( 27.04.2022 )

Fig 2.16 Vormator Card Design - PDF , Week 5 ( 27.04.2022 )

Rationale 

Fig 3.1 First sketch of vormator character , Week 3 ( 15.04.2022 )

In my original sketch, i was planning to  create an evil-looking kind of character, because i wanted a cool character. Then, i added some weird features to it like, horns and tentacle instead of a normal arm. All these is because from what i see in all the villains, they have weird features on their body, or different body parts attached to it, and that makes them a scary. However, as soon as i started exploring Xander, more and more ideas started popping out in my mind, and i just decided not to complicate it too much. Sometimes simplicity is beauty, and i was thinking why not add on some details on it that will improve its appearance at the same time not look weird and messy. From the sketch, i wanted Xander to be a villain that has changed side to the good and a person who protects his homeland. That is why the more i add on weird features on it, maybe it will look more like a villain. However, the more i explore about Xander, i have changed my mind about its story. 

Fig 3.2 Final Vormator Character, Xander , Week 5 ( 26.04.2022 )

From the original sketch to the final outcome, i can see there's a lot of improvement, from the details on the skin, the items added on the character such as the shield, scar, cuts, sword and the horn. As i work on Xander, the more it looks like a warrior. I have also got inspiration from Naruto Shippuden, my all-time favourite anime. Uzumaki Naruto is the main character of the anime, and he is someone who fights for his village, even if it costs his life, he still wishes to protect his homeland. This has triggered me to design more items like the shield and sword for Xander, to make him a warrior, a character who is loyal to his country or village, and would sacrifice in war for his homeland. 

Story

Xander Akatsuri , a knight in shining armour, a defender for his homeland, Shirozen. More often known as Xander, a knight that is very experienced in battles and wars. He is always brave and has never lost a battle or in war, which makes enemies from other villages fear of him. His loyalty to the King of Shirozen, Hirosuki Satoru is never questionable and the same goes for the trust and confidence the King has in Xander. Whenever there is war, Xander is always well prepared and ready to lead the ninjas to fight in war. He is smart and reacts fast when there is sudden emergencies or when there is in need of change of strategy to counter the enemies. 

The gem on his body is to heal himself when he's terribly injured or attacked by enemies, and one special thing about this gem is a high power laser beam will be triggered to release only when he is too weak to fight and encounters a sudden attack at the same time. 

Xander may not has the beauty on the outside, but he has a bright and cheerful personality. He is always kind and empathetic towards people which makes people easy to approach him despite of his fierce and scary look.  However, the strong and brave knight has a one soft spot in him and that is he is very soft around children, and he always play around with the children in Shirozen, sometimes show them tricks that he can do to cheer them up. 

Oh, by the way, Xander may look mighty and brave but he is very scared of cockroaches. He can never deal with a cockroach, his biggest enemy. 

Reflection 

While creating Xander, i was having so much fun despite of the deadline was around the corner. I was pressured at the same time, enjoying design Xander. The more i explore about him, the more fun i had, and the more details i wanna add on him to make him look cool. Yes, of course, there were times i was lost and i didn't know how to continue my design, but all thanks to my peers who have been there giving me suggestions, inspiring me how to improve on him. I really enjoyed designing Xander, even though we were limited to derive shapes from the 8 shapes given. It was time consuming and frustrating as well, because some things i had to redo even when there is a slight mistake or slightly doesn't go well with the character. 

Thanks to Ms Anis and Mr. Hafiz for giving me advice on how to improve and perfecting it. They were really helpful towards me, guiding me how to form shapes from overlapping and merging the shapes together to form a new shape, body proportions, small details that can be added on. 

Before this, i was unclear with the layers functionality in Adobe Illustrator, but Ms. Anis taught me and guided me about how to make good use of the layers as i am going to be using it in the future. After this task, i have learnt a lot of functions in Adobe Illustrator which i was very new to it when i first join this course. 

It was a really helpful task that help us especially those who are new to Adobe Illustrator in getting used to using Adobe softwares and a small step towards design.