Graphic

Narrative
Evaluation

Use this template to help you evaluate your project.

You should give specific details about your work.
You should provide both written and visual examples to explain your
project.
You should find areas to praise in your work. Be specific about why you
think they are good or why you are proud of them.
You should also find areas that could be improved. Look for areas that
you could make better if you went back to them. Be specific about
what you would improve.
Add additional slides as you need to. Dont be restricted by what is
here.
Any blank slides should be deleted before submission.

Does your final product reflect your

original intentions?
COMPARISONS TO MIND MAP & MOODBOARD
In my mind map, I discussed and gave examples of the different
components of my story and how it would appear to the reader. One
thing that I keep consistent was the colours I used in my pages. I
wanted to use sunset, purple and green based colours which relate to
the African culture/style. Here are the colours I suggested I wanted to
use in my book and beside are some examples where I used those
colours in the book.

In my mind map, I gave examples of text styles I wanted to use and

the layout of the book. The layout I wanted was to have the text on
one page and then on the corresponding page, the right page, I would
have the image. I did achieve this in my book and I added a boarder
too for effect. This is an improvement on my original intentions.

For text I wanted to use fonts that was very rustic and African style, that almost looks
carved. I didnt quite use this text style because it made more sense to use a more
simplistic text to make the book easier to read. However, for the front cover I did use
a
carved, rustic text which looks like stone but at the same time it looks somewhat
regal
to represent the royal figure in the story.
COMPARING DIGITAL FLAT PLANS
Page one in both my digital flat plans feature the lion in his castle with the drum
glowing in front of him. In the drawn, first version of my flat plans the lion also has a
scythe/staff. On page one in my actual book there is the lion, the glowing drum and
he is in the castle. This is an example of how my final product represents my original
intentions well. In fact the image I used in my flat plans, is the same image I used to
source my final product. However, page one in my final product does not feature a
scythe/staff so you could argue that it doesnt entirely match the flat plan.

A page that didnt match my drawn flat plans was page 4. In initially aimed to make a
page which was split in two and it would have the tortoise with food on one side and
the angry animals on the other. Whereas, I actually ended up making an image of a
feast on a table. The flat plan did contain food so I didnt completely move away from
my initial idea, but I still didnt follow the flat plan as closely as some of my other
pages.

How well have you constructed your

images?
My initial style was inspired by an artist called Will Terry. Through research I found that I
really loved his style so I aimed to replicate it in my book. The rounded style and the
vibrant, vivid colours is what I really wanted to imitate in my book.
Here is a scene from his
This is page 8 from my
book Skeleton For
book, and as you can see
Dinner. As you can see
the style is similar in
Terry has used textures
some respects.
and vibrant blues; none
Everything is smoothed
of the colours are muted
off and I have used
or pastel. Also the
textures just like in Will
characters are very
Terrys art. Also I have
I often used
textures
or
patterns
in
my
images
to liven
them up and make
rounded with no
used
lively, bright
less flat or jaggered
bland. Iedges.
would use a clipping mask
overwhich
an existing
colours,
again is object or I
likeany
Terrys
style.
threshold to make the pattern black and remove
unwanted
areas. I

TEXTURE
them look
would use
really like the effect using textures gave and I feel like that was something really good
about my images. As you can see, the tree I used on page 6 and 8 has a pattern on the
trunk. This really finishes off the image and without it the image would not look as good.
COLOUR The colour scheme for my book was heavily based on
African culture and the overall appearance of Africa, but with
emphasised colours. I used yellow based greens to create the grass
to represent the lush savannah in Africa. In pages 1, 2 and 6 I used
a sunset colour palette to create the sky. To make the sky look more realistic I used a
gradient so it was not just one colour and make a more realistic sunset. In page 8, I used
a radial gradient to make the sun look more realistic. I made the colour in the centre
yellow and the outer colour blue and changed the angle and scale a little bit to create
the sun. I really liked the effect this technique gave.

Page 2 was my test page where I experimented with different techniques, colours,
placements and textures. The whole premise of my book was to create it using
shapes and source images (especially for the characters), however I did use some
rotoscoping for some areas. One thing that Im not 100% happy with if how the
tortoise turned out using just shapes. I wouldve liked it if the head was a different
shape to what it turned out to be and I wouldve liked the hands and feet to look a bit
different. One possible way I could improve this is by using various source images
After I had
finished
all the the
other pages I went
rather than just one and try using different techniques.
Below
shows
back
to
Page
2
to
try
and
improve
it with the
This
I my source
development of
Page
2 andimage
a talk through of techniques
used.
knowledge I had gained. I had learnt from page 8
for page 2, as you can
see the tree in the image
is very similar to the tree
in the actual page. This is
because I used shapes
and rotoscoping over the
image to create the
actual tree.
Here is the first draft of
page 2, its very basic
and simplistic with no
real gradients or texture;
its very bland. The sky
gradient is not as smooth
as I wouldve liked.
In this next draft I had
added African patterns to
the path, sun and tree. I
changed the perspective
of the path pattern to
make it look like it was
getting smaller. However
I was still not happy with
the grass and sky. I also

that I could use a radial gradient to create a more

realistic sun and sky. So I did this using orange
and yellow to make a sunset. I added in some
silhouettes in red on the horizon because I knew
this was a nice effect to the image after creating
page 6 and 8. Another thing that I added a
gradient to was the grass, this was to make it
look rounded and like it was going back into the
OVERALL APPEARANCE
distance.
Finally
I changed
thehow
pattern
the path
Generally speaking
I am very
pleased
with
myofpages
and changed the perspective.

turned out using the techniques I listed, and I think they are
well constructed. I especially like how I constructed Page 8.
I wanted to add some animals to the watering hole but I
didnt want to overwhelm the image, so I just made them
silhouettes instead. Because they were at a watering hole, I
needed to add a reflection in the water. I did this by by
distorting the silhouette using ripple and then adding a
gaussian blur. Finally I changed the opacity so it didnt just
look like Id layered it over the water. However there are a
few areas I dont think are as well constructed as they could
be, for example the drum and lions body/robe. I would like
to eradicate the black line around the image because

How well have you used text to

anchor your images
IMAGERY/INCONOGRAPHY
Anchorage is demonstrated well in my work through use of colour, facial expression and generally
just linking the text to the image by illustrating certain words. In page 8 I have placed a broken love
heart above the tortoises head, also I have added tears. It is said that the tortoise with a broken
heart speaks to his family These two aspects represent how sad the tortoise is and how text is used
to anchor it to the image.
FACIAL EXPRESSIONS
Another image where I have involved emotions and where text is used to link to the image is on page
7 when the father is explaining to their children the rules of the fruit tree and how its important to
follow them. To represent this I made the tortoises face have a stern look by making the eyes smaller
and flattening out the mouth. Also I had a finger pointing towards his son and a thought bubble
above his head. However the text isnt used as well as it could have been to anchor to my images. In
the image it looks like the young tortoise is being told off, however in the text it says he is just
having
something
TIME AND
SCENEexplained to him. I could improve this by changing the words (possibly to lectured)
or changing
the facial
expression.
On
page 3 I created
a scene
which was set in a clearing in the forest. To demonstrate this I created a
lush, green tree with the palm nuts the tortoise was collecting. I used text to anchor the image by
saying that the tortoise was collecting palm nuts, and I also said in the text that the Kings wife and
his daughter came to a clearing. These two quotes link to the images well and I have successfully
represented the words. I could improve by possibly adding more trees and long grass. Also in the text
I mentioned how One evening the tortoise was walking through the woods. I illustrated this by
creating a scene with an orange sky and silhouettes to implicate that the sun was setting.
PROPS
The final image that I will be discussing is page 4. On page 4 I have created a feast with fine cuisine,
drinks and a large cake in the middle. It looks quite grand and theres a lot of food. Text is used very
well on page 4 to anchor to my images, it says how when the tortoise would beat the drum and a
feast appeared. Feast implies that there is a lot of food that is of a high standard, so here the text
links really well to the image.

EXISTING PRODUCT
Here is a book by Julia Donaldson called Spinderella. On this page there is
an illustration of children in a dining hall at school and theyre eating
their dinner. You can see on their plates that there is food which looks like
peas, potatoes and fish fingers. The text in this book is used very well to
link anchor the image. The sentence begins by saying that the children of
Scuttleton Primary School were eating their dinner. This links to the
image because it is evident that the children are sat in a school cafeteria.
Also the ending of the sentence says that they were eating fish fingers,
potatoes and peas for their dinner. Again, this links to the illustration
because the children are eating these three things in the picture. In
comparison to my book, I think they are very similar in the way they use
text to anchor to the image. For example in my book, on page 6 I said
that the tortoises were collecting food for dinner from a fruit tree and in
the image there is a basket of fruit. In this book, the text says what the
children are eating for their dinner and what theyre eating is in the
CONCLUSION
To conclude, I think image.
that I have successfully used text to anchor my images.

This is because I have illustrated the scene and then the text has explained
what is going on in the image. For example in page 8, I said that the
tortoises had to live under the magical tree
forever. In the image there is the tortoise looking heartbroken beside the
tree.
However, I could improve how Ive linked the text to the image on pages 1
and
3. This is because in the text I said how the lion was a King of all the land.
But I
havent given him a crown, so this kind of defeats the object of calling him

Is your product suitable for your

audience?
AUDIENCE PROFILE
For my children's book there are two target audiences I am trying to
create a book for, the children and the parent/s. Through production I
have not changed my target audience and it still remains the same as
what I proposed at the beginning. In my proposal I said how I will be
creating a book for 3-7 year olds and this has remained the same due to
TARGET AUDIENCE ONE
TARGET AUDIENCE TWO
the
style
I
used.
AGE 3-7 because I am using a very simplistic
AGE 25-40 because I am targeting the
style with big, vibrant pictures. Also the
vocabulary is not very complex and is fairly
easy to understand.
GENDER In my proposal I have said I didnt
aim to target one gender, however after
production I think my book is targeted slightly
more towards boys that girls due to some of
the dark settings.
CHARACTERISTICS My target audience will
typically, as stated in my proposal, enjoy
lively, adventurous stories with bright pictures
and a strong narrative. The bright images are
more visually attractive to the younger
audience.

parents of the children. These are usually the

ages at which people have children or are
raising a 3-7 year old.
GENDER I think my book does not have a
target gender for the parents because either
parent can read the story regardless of their
gender.
APPEAL My story is an engaging and
attractive story to parents. The story is not
complex and safe for children to read, this
will really appeal to parents.
When researching the demographic for some
children's books, generally women of the age
of 25-39 came up. This supports my target
age group however it does not support my

CONTROVERSIAL CONTENT
Seen as my target audience is young children I had to ensure that my book
contained no offensive, or inappropriate content for that age group. My
book is very suitable for my audience because it has no content which
could be deemed inappropriate. As I stated in my proposal and the
beginning of my book, my story is set in Africa. A common controversial
theme which could be linked to my book is racial stereotyping and racism.
In my book I included African culture, like JuJu and Egbo men, but nothing
that is racist or incorrect, my characters are all animals which have no
stereotypes linked to them besides what is common throughout African folk
tales; the tortoise being the bad guy.
VISUAL CONTENT
All of my images are suitable for my audience due to the lively yet
simplistic illustrations and they are fitted to the context. There is no gore,
blood or violence shown or described in my book which will make the book
appeal more to the parents. The only part which could be deemed remotely
violent is the part where the Egbo men are said to start beating the
tortoise. However this is not shown in the corresponding illustration which
is why I dont think its harmful to children at all.
TEXT BASED CONTEXT
A part which plays heavily in the selling point of the book is the interesting,
exciting narrative which is portrayed through the text itself. Because of how

What do you like/dislike about the

techniques you have used?
USING SHAPES
ADVANTAGES
To create most of my book I found a source image and I would recreate parts of that
image using shapes. Once I had chosen the right shape to begin creating the image, I
would lower the opacity and then use the warp tool to manipulate it into the desired
shape. Overall I think this technique worked really effectively and it allowed me a lot
more freedom and creativity when making the backgrounds. It worked exceptionally well
when creating the lion, although I had difficulty at first after some trial and error I
managed to create a lion which Im really happy with. One advantage to this technique is
that you can create really clean cut, rounded and bright images. Theres no jaggered
edges and you can create some quite interesting and different characters. For example
to create the lions mane, I just overlapped different sizes of the same shape and in
different colours which gave a nice cartoon yet sophisticated result
DISADVANTAGES
Even though there are many advantages to this method, there are some disadvantages
which may have affected the quality of my work. Using this technique is very time
consuming and can become very tedious after awhile. This meant at some points I was
rushed for time and I possibly didnt get as high quality work as I could have. For
example in page 5 and 3, I wouldve like some more time to improve the drum because
using this technique made it difficult to create a drum that didnt look out of place. Also
another downside to this technique that I dislike is the amount of plain space that is
sometimes created with this technique. Because I am using single colours with a possibly
gradient, the image can sometimes look a bit flat if one shape is used to cover a large
area of the image. For example in page 4 the grass looks a bit odd and flat because its a
large area which is one single colour. To improve this I may try adding some more hills
and objects to the background.

ROTOSCOPING
ADVANTAGES
To create some parts of my image I used rotoscoping because it
seemed the better technique to use for that specific area or it was
too complicated to create with shapes. On page 2, 6 and 8 I used
rotoscoping to create the tree, this was because without using it I
wouldnt have been able to get the effect I wanted, which was
individual leaves, using shapes alone. As you can see all the different
bushy parts of the tree are not smooth all the way around and have
jaggered leaves around the edge, using shapes I would not have
gotten this effect. So an advantage to using this effect is getting
jaggered edges where needed and saving time by making it a lot
easier and simpler.
DISADVANTAGE
On page 6 I initially wanted to create a tree from a source image
using rotoscoping, however this proved difficult. For this particular
tree, I wanted it to have smooth edges and using rotoscoping, it just
was achievable. So even though in some instances it is great to use
to get those sharp edges, it is not always appropriate and can prove
difficult. After awhile of trying to make the technique work, I just
decided to use the tree I had created in page 2 and change the
textures and colours. This in fact worked really well. Also, another
disadvantage is that if youre not careful when using rotoscoping,
you can end up recreating the source image and not adding your own
style to it. This not good when creating a sourcebook and you could
come into copyright issues.

Talk about individual techniques

Creating lighting
Silhouettes
Glow around drum
Perspective

What do you like/dislike about how

your final product looks?
Font, characters, textures, colours, style
Breakdown a single page
Conclusion
Dislikes with improvements

What do you like/dislike about how

your final product looks?
FONT Throughout the book I keep the font and font size (21) consistent which I
think is important. For the main body of text I used PT Serif. I really like this text
because it has a sophisticated, ancient feel to the text. Also it looks like it could've
been handwritten or carved into stone. However for the first letter of the paragraph
I used a different font called Perpetua Tilting MT in size 33 because it added a bit of
a twist to the text and gave a nice effect. This font is little more fairy tale style but
it still worked well with the overall theme.
CHARACTERS I really love the lion characters in my final product, they are
interpretations of African animals. I think they look contemporary and quirky; the
sharp lines and bold colours match the African culture well. I especially love the
lions mane and all its different colours because how well the technique I used,
turned out. Whereas with the tortoise, Im not so happy with how it turned out. I
really like how the shell looks because, again, it has this rounded style to it. But Im
not very fond of the head and its shape, I think if I experimented I could make the
head shape look a little better.
TEXTURES In some areas of my book I have used textures/patterns to add some
interesting features and patterns to the images. I like the outcome of doing this
because without them the illustrations looked quite bland and were lacking in some
African style. When creating the chairs on page 4, I used a clipping mask to overlay
a wood texture onto the chairs to add some realism and so they were not just plain
brown. I used an African pattern on the tree trunk and branches on page 6 and 8.
This created a really attractive effect and brought the page to life. However, if
something that I dislike about the textures is on page 2 on the tree. I would prefer
to have used a different texture because I find the current one to be a bit boring.

COLOURS I used colours heavily in my book to bring it to life and to really

portray the African theme. One thing I really about my use of colours if the
silhouettes. I didnt want to make any silhouettes black because I felt this was too
harsh and stood out/looked odd compare to the rest of the colours used. So instead
used a deep, orangey red because of how well it blends in with the sunset, which
gave a really nice effect. I also used this technique when creating page 8. I thought
putting animals with textures at the watering hole would be overwhelming, so
instead I used the silhouette technique and it worked really well.
LIGHTING One thing that I think went exceptionally well throughout my book,
was adding shadows and highlights to add depth the image. To do this I set the
brush colour to black (unless adding sunlight) and changed the opacity to 13%,
flow to 50% and hardness down to 0. Then I just painted the areas where a shadow
was necessary, in doing so I added a lot of roundness and depth to my illustrations.
When adding sunlight, I did the same thing just using orange and yellows instead.
One good example of where I carried this technique out was in page 1 with the
pillars. There is a window showing the deep orange sunset, I figured that orange
CONCLUSION
light would be hitting the pillars, so I added an orange glow. I did the same with the
To concludemountains.

Why did you include the content

you used?
Images, fonts, effects, colours

What signs, symbols or codes have

your used in your work?
Choices of colour, style, locations,
character design and tone all give
additional meaning to your work.

Audience
Responses

Cultural competence:
Media texts require us to have a certain level of cultural understanding to
be able to interpret them.
At a basic level, this could mean being able to read the language that a
magazine is written in.
At a deeper level, it means being able to interpret signs and symbols that
we use a visual shorthand to communicate ideas.
We recognise these signs in our own culture but find it harder to
understand when looking at others.
We create and attach meaning to signs and symbols in many different
forms.
Creative Media Production 2012

20

Audience
Responses

Cultural competence:
What is this?
This is a Norwegian Pine tree, covered in
snow and with a red ribbon on.
Our cultural understanding allows us to
interpret its meaning.
To us, in British society, it means
Christmas, presents and family.
This is because we share a cultural
knowledge.

Creative Media Production 2012

21

Audience
Responses

Cultural competence:
There are many other signs and symbols
that we attach meaning to.
A leather jacket can imply rebellion.
A sports car can imply wealth and power.
A cross can represent religion.

Creative Media Production 2012

22

Audience
Responses
Cultural competence:
Visual representations of everyday objects are often the same the world
over. A car appears as a car, no matter what country it appears in.
What that car means however, can be very different depending on your
cultural background.

Creative Media Production 2012

23

What representations can be found

in your work?
How are men, women or children
shown in your work? Does your work
feature different ages, races, social
groups or religions? Does a lack of
any variety of character types create
its own representation?

What style have you employed in

your products?
Discuss influences/ existing products
What visual style does your work
have and why did you choose it?

What were the strengths and

weaknesses of the pre-production
and planning

How did the planning and research

help
How well did you manage your time
Reference specific examples

Historical and cultural context

How does your work compare to
what has come before? What other
similar products have existed in the
past? What current products exist?

Peer Feedback
Summarise peer feedback and
discuss
Responses you agree with
Responses you disagree with