Toned and Textured

Removing the colour and leaving just the tones and adding more, I feel definitely improved my work here. I've also added a paper texture. I got some parchment paper and scanned in at highest ppi I could (600) and added it to my work to add effect.

This approach to my work has been inspired by Tom Gauld's work:

Postman Development - Colour Experiment

I attempted to integrate some colour, but I feel that I approached it incorrectly. Either way, I'm never truly comfortable with using colour, I'm much more used to and comfortable with using Black and white and focusing on tones. I'll strip the colour from this and focus on tone for my double page.

Further Development

After further development and deliberation I am going to go forward with the Postman idea over the video game inspired narrative. I like both ideas, but for my audience, I feel that while yes, the video game idea has a lovely message and it's likely most people will grasp the concept or relate to it in some way, the Postman idea is much more universal, and it's a nice idea. Market research (my friends and family) say that the comic strip narrative and single image illustrations have been done often and thinking about it, I've not seen a series of illustrations like my postman idea within Olio before. It's new and quite different.

Consistent character/object is the postman, consistent concept is the guard dog. Apparently it takes a few moments to understand the guard dog concept but when you do it's a more effective message, and it's more memorable.

 Video Game Inspired Narrative - The Letter

The idea behind this one is relatable to many. The character is in peril. He's losing his "health" and he's surrounded, but manages to take one out. He then finds a pick-up item, and it's a letter from his Mother. The Mother's words are actually to the person playing the game, not the character. It reads: 

"Hi Honey, You know I don't understand this stuff, but I support you. I'll always be proud of you. Lots of love, Mum xx"

Mother's and kids to young adults, (not all) will definitely understand and relate to this. After the character reads the letter, he powers up, gains all his health and magic back.

Postman Idea Development - Roughs

The Postman. A simple idea, but a fun and explorative one. A simple postman travels to different worlds to mail letters, and the worlds can be a little abstract. i.e. there's a Hieroglyph world, an 8-bit world, a miniature world, a giant world, he travels to the deepest seas, the moon, and even the future. He also hops on a rope ladder to enter the underworld.

This piece, inspired by Tom Gauld's work, isn't exactly a narrative, but more of a piece of exploration and discovery.

Canine & Colour Pencil Study

I was originally set on the idea of a Postman going to different houses and there being different guard dogs, progressively getting bigger before he entered the underworld to be confronted by Cerberus guarding the gates.

This drawing took me a long time, and I learnt a lot. It was enjoyable, but not my preferred method of drawing.

Initial sketches and ideas

All that follow here are thumbnails, ideas and sketches.