Evaluation: Final

Overall I feel like my project has had an positive outcome in terms of progressing my work and developing my own practice. I felt like I further developed my skills by experimenting with a completely new method of working and new materials and mediums. It can certainly be applied to further progressing my work and my technical abilities. As a promotional piece it works as a decent prototype that I could in theory take to publishers so it could be developed and and printed into a mass produced book, their could also be possibilities of me designing more of these books featuring the monsters I researched but did not put into the book. I feel if it were to be translated into a series it would have to be re-titled and re-branded. Alternatively I could use the book as a starting point to create a much larger scale project rather than a small series I feel like a giant pop-up book would be a very interesting and fun to create. I could also scale down my project and create smaller cards that feature characters and create a much larger series, I feel like creating a book that is not a narrative is very advantageous as it has many options for alterations. I feel whilst my piece is in its current state it cannot be sold as a stand alone product as it is too flawed and imperfect for me to be content with selling this piece I feel it is a good piece for my own progression and I fell it will lead to potentially better and more advanced work that will help me stand out as an illustrator.

I feel like I could have missed my target audience my making my book a little bit too simple but I feel like my book is childish enough to achieve my secondary goal of having a fake target audience. I feel in the future that I should focusing on producing a product for a single target audience rather than attempting to be smart about my work and put hidden motives. If I would of focused on a target audience and aimed to achieve a singular goal my project would have been considerably stronger.

Overall I feel that although my project has no immediate option of being commercialized I feel that this prototype has a lot of potential for the future and is a solid attempt at a subject that I am still learning which will hopefully improve on in the future. I can be altered in many different way to become new and more marketable products which would work well for promoting myself and other products that I could use the work I have created during this project. I feel very positive about what I have produced as it has made me more confident as an illustrator and helped me to generate a huge amount of ideas.

Evaluation: Presentation

 Overall I felt my product was well received and I thought the feedback was very helpful. It was asked if it was a prototype, which in fairness I was but I don't know whether to be offended or not since it is a very advanced prototype. It was pointed out that some of the mechanisms did not work, which was irritating to say the least as I checked them before I left and it was just unlucky, they have all been fixed since them though, literally look me 10 seconds which is a pain as I felt that really distracted from what I wanted to deliver. The concept itself was well received they grasped the humor within it and how it suited what I enjoy producing. The best feedback was not on the product but the feedback that was directed at me, the comments about my drive and blood-lust for artistic power really helped me put my future into perspective the comments on how I can improve on my work as a whole were really helpful to me as an illustrator. The way the presentation went it felt like I was presenting myself rather than the book, I feel after this presentation that this book is not perfect by a long stretch but it was the perfect stepping stone to improve myself and show employers that I have the drive and passion to attempt new things now.

Evaluation: Final Piece

Overall I think my final piece is a fantastic prototype for a book that would go to print. I feel that I have done very well considering I am not expert in the mediums I used and it was very enjoyable and satisfying to produce. I feel like my illustrations were strong and also and this 'gimmick' of experimenting with paper craft did not distract from my pen work.  I am also very pleased with how the cover itself turned out.

However my product is far from perfect their are various imperfections in my construction which could be improved greatly in the future, I also feel that I could of glued my piece together more professionally than I did, as I can see certain area that could have been glued a bit more carefully than they were. In terms of imagery I fell that my compositions could of possibly been better I feel like my use of empty space could definitely of been improved.

Though I have my criticisms of my work I feel positive overall about the outcome, It is by far from perfect and I couldn't sell it to the public but I works as progression for my work and myself as an artist, for a long time I have felt my work has been stagnant and this piece has given me a new outlook on my work and I need to focus on making myself stand out and keeping my brain fresh as an illustrator now I feel that  is incredibly important because being stuck in an artistic rut is a horrible feeling specially when you are just leaving university, but this has taught me to experiment and not forget that illustration is fun and creative and it isn't just drawing what people tell you and writing monotonous blogs that nobody enjoy writing or reading. This project has really inspired me to really let everything go and I currently have a flood of new ideas that I could never of dream of attempting if I just decided to draw a picture of a zombie as I would usually do.

Development: Final Piece

 After I created my rough designs and was content with my outcomes I started to proceed in producing my final piece. To being with I measured out the basic size of what the components of each piece, as I worked previously using A6 I scaled my approximate measurements by 1/3 and finalized my lengths. This was a very important as the measuring is key to making the pop-up function correctly and smoothly. I also drew out any pieces that were part of mechanisms or structure that would not be illustrated further.

  I then mapped out in pencil the basis for my illustrations within my basic measurements, I only scaled from my roughs by 1/3 because I wanted to leave room for any elaborations on my illustrations.  I them added detail and penned my illustrations. I found this a rather easy process after all the pieces were measured out as the illustrations were disconnected from each other meaning I did not have to worry about certain key elements when drawing such as posture and anatomy to a lesser extent, which was very refreshing for me.

Once I had drawn and inked my elements for the pop-up I had to create background I decided that I wanted to create something similar to Carters Alpha Bugs book I researched and use a very simple background but instead of using pure white I created a unique watercolor wash that was thematically appropriate to the character these were created using basic watercolor techniques including adding salt and using frisket. I them scanned my images and edited on Photoshop and added text which consisted of a couple of lines per page of  rhyming content about the monster in question, I felt that it was important to rhyme as many other children targeted books find that is a very good method of communication and my plan is to keep the facade as accurate as possible.

Once completed I then had to print my images, which  I wanted to get professionally printed for a higher quality paper and print than what I could achieve on my own with my own limited resources. I actually found it very difficult to find afford A4 printing that was of a good quality as none of my usual websites actually offered an affordable service for what I needed. Eventually I was recommended the website Printed.com which didn't offer a direct service but offered to print A4 flyers which had exactly the same properties as what I desired, they allowed me to choose my paper thickness and upload a various amount of different images rather than just one all. Overall I had 16 sheets of imagery and 4 copies of each, as to allow for error when cutting. It all came to a relatively affordable price of £50 approximately.

Whilst my images were being printed I decided to design my cover I had a very clear idea of what I wanted from the start which was just a simple "spooky face" which would look innocent and harmless. I wanted it on a fabric background to give the cover a traditional and refined edge to it. I designed my cover on Photoshop using basic child friendly shapes and dubbed it with the title "What is under my bed?" which isn't particularly inspiring or offensive which is the goal. When I came to building the cover I used a gray-board based and bought a fabric online. Sadly the fabric was not as described and I received a very thin, tacky polyester that would not work at all so I had to used a high quality black cardboard which arguably looks a lot more presentable and a bulky fabric. The design was screen printed onto the cover after construction.

Once my printing was returned I started to cut out each element and construct my pages this process was very time consuming and delicate but I enjoyed the process. Once glued I attached them to the paper pages. which I then stuck together and placed inside the cover. Overall I would say that the process was very rewarding and I felt that I actually achieved something more than just a drawing.

Development: Final Piece Rough Builds

 Working towards my final piece I had to narrow down my character of which could potentially be within my book. I selected these creatures to develop further in the design process as I felt like these monsters had the strongest designs and were the best choices for practical pop-up:

- The Bogeyman
- The Cuca
- The Razfaszu Bagoly
- Tata Duende
- The H'awauahoua
- The Akaname
- Yara-Ma-Yha-Who


The Bogeyman:

 For the Bogeyman I wanted to create a pop-up that had to be self initiated. Using this method I hoped to of achieved a feeling of fear and recreating many scenes in horror movies. I method was very simple, it was to have two opening doors which would have the face of the bogeyman pop-up from the center. I like this method as it is easy to execute and looked rather effective.

The Cuca:

This method was also very simple which I liked as it would allow me to focus on the drawing. It is a basic crocodile mouth pop up that would be layered on top of my drawing. I felt that it would work well with my subject matter and also utilize a classic pop-up technique.

- The Razfaszu Bagoly

Very similar to The Cuca in execution but the pop up elements are folded as to create one large object that swings outward rather than a piece stretched to achieve a shape. I was again simple but effective. I also planned to use the simple beak pop up which is done by scoring a diamond and cutting down the middle.

- Tata Duende

 One of the more complex pieces mechanically it uses a washer based system (a washer being a circular piece of paper that acts as a lever) This system was used to make his chattering arms jiggle about, his head would also attach to the top to give the effect of his jaw moving crazily.

- The H'awauahoua

 This was a more simple mechanically as it uses a identical structure to that of my page for the  Razfaszu Bagoly but I designed it to be very heavy based on paper-craft and artistic structure I plan on using many different elements to create a meticulous and interesting form.

- The Akaname

 The Akaname uses a somewhat complex structure that I designed as to create the effect of a toilet, this pops up once the page is open there is an interactive element where the user has to open the lid in order to make the monster come out on the toilet. Like the Bogeyman structure I want the user to partake in the action that may lead to them encountering the creature.

- Yara-Ma-Yaha-Who

 The Yara-Ma-Yaha-Who design was to have him swinging from a tree as the page opens and closes, this was directly taken from the Pop-Up jungle book I used as research.  Sadly I felt like my attempt was unsuccessful and the design was scrapped.

Research: Greeting Cards

 I purchased a Wide variety of greeting cards to get a basic concept of paper engineering. There was a use variety of different method of making paper have different levels. I looked at different varieties of cards.

These cards are folded into three parts and open up to make a form of diorama. Their main technical achievement come from how they are built in the way that paper is clipped together to create a 3D form that dangles from the card. the suspended 3D form is really amazing to look at and is very complex to dissect and would be very difficult to alter. The card featuring the boats is the most impressive to me as they are so perfectly designed both in form and movement. Sadly though it translates well onto a card I cannot see this method being as effect within a book as there is nothing to 'hang' from. Unless it was attached to a pop-up mechanism within the book which could possibly over complicate the page. Overall I really enjoy the technical prowess of the construction of these cards but I feel they can be seen as too complex and messy if not displayed properly this is seen mostly in the monkey design, though some could argue it is in flavor of the theme.

These cards are very simple in the fact they are a single image broken apart and layer to create a more 3D effect. Again this works well as a card but does not translate too well into a Pop-up book as it requires you to manually pull it open for it to stand. It would work well as a removable insert within the book but other than that I do not see a potential use for this method.

These cards are very simple with pull out layers, they were sold as Pop-Out cards and require you to manually pull out the 3D elements, which are incredibly basic, good for a birthday card but could not be used in a book seriously. Though one used a concertina style which is something interesting to draw from that and could be implemented onto a page as a extension. But in terms of 3D aspects these are terrible and I have no interest in manually popped pop-up.

This card is typical good, solid paper-craft, it is a detail scene cut from a single piece of paper, this is definitely something I need to work from. it is very professionally presented and is minimalist focusing more on the cuts than any accompanying illustration meaning it can be assessed easily by myself. I really like this style though I feel it is more of an adult orientated style of paper-craft that you would see in gallery or exhibitions rather than a children's book. It is clean, simple and can easily be alter to my desires.

Research: Encyclopedia Prehistorica Dinosaur

 Encyclopedia Prehistorica Dinosaur is the self described definitive pop-up. It is a very technically impressive and colorful pop-up book made for a target audience of children though I could be mislead to believe that it is for a much older audience. It features a huge amount of pop-up and superb paper engineering on each page which it has a busy but very effect composition on each, having one central pop-up each of which is very impressive these are surrounded by many different smaller but no less complex pop-ups. The pages are crammed full of information, this is exactly the kind of non-ficton book I personally would have enjoyed.

Personally I really enjoy this book but I feel trying to recreate it would be incredibly difficult due to the time constraints of the brief. I also want my final piece to appear as if it is aimed towards a much younger audience so I will probably draw from the more simplistic books I have looked at. The book is still very impressive as you have to respect the amount of time, skill and planning put into this book.