Exercise: Educational strip

As an introduction to this exercise it is good to look into the art of creating a story. Watching Meena Ayittey (a film maker) on You tube an explanation is given about how to develop a story in stages:-

Giving thought to-

1. The people involved – what is their character, how do they connect with the audience, what is their motivation, desire, what makes them different, important, unique. What makes them stand out and be interesting.
2. The purpose
3. The story line – usually some kind of journey/desire with a challenge to overcome.
4. The place – is it historic, town/country, what kind of setting etc.

A story needs a structure to maximise engagement.

This is the beginning of thinking about a story line. Occasionally there is a surprise which keeps the audience interested and hopefully there is a resolution to any conflict within the story line and the story completes.

The exercise Editorial Strip is less complex than a whole story however the purpose is to convey a message, in this case “an illustration of up to five frames for use in schools explaining to young teenagers how to cope with the onset of puberty” It mentions use of metaphor and humour without trivialising a serious message.

I am deciding to look at alteration of “image” at puberty (ie acne/ excessive grease in pores in hair/skin influenced by hormonal changes) that can impact on self-confidence and suggest how to address the issue .

Let’s start with a professional newspaper strip of Fred Basset off to the Poodle Parlour as an example:-

Here are my start-up sketches. Initially working out my individual, then the shock of change in appearance which needs resolving through gentle nourishing soap, shampoo and conditioner.

Finally a happier “sweet 16” with bouncy hair and clearer complexion. So this is the story I am working towards in the Editorial strips.

Interestingly I decide to work on pink paper and immediately I feel more relaxed in drafting then when using plain white paper:-

Hopefully the long neck of the teenager provides the adolescent look too.

Applying the soap/cotton wool/flannel – spot treatment:-

Just remembering how much (brand name removed from here following Tutor OCA feedback) stings !!!!!!

Through doing these thumb-nails I now see I can incorporate the treatments into the frames with the teenager rather than a frame just showing all the treatments on their own.

Now the script is brought together into five drawings, substituting the hairbrush for a hairdryer

Preparing for colour, I try to draw the strip with each element in keeping with the character more and ensure that after they have washed & dried their hair it is shown bouncy again in the screen where the facial scrub (brand name removed from here in response to Tutor feedback) is being applied. I also want to make the individual more suprised than angry when they view the spots initially in the mirror:-

Now for the final editorial strip in colour. I’ve tried to make the 16 year old look sensible and a little grown up from the “birthday teen girl” while still keeping the character and also kept her narrow shouldered to maintain the youthful look:-

The character line visual for “What’s happening to my body ? It’s all going mad.”is chosen from the surprise of looking in the mirror. However for the overall image I am going for a look of dismay mixed with wonderment so that it maintains the humour without trivialising the feelings. :-

I decide that the mirror handle needs to be in front of the arm and correct this when I re-draft onto proper drawing paper:-

And in colour with felt-tip and watercolour:-

Maybe I should have added the right side of the body more too, however overall I think this image delivers the message.

The arm is added on via the computer and the wording. Hopefully I have got the “youth” look correct without it being child-like. In this exercise I have chosen a female subject however this could be changed to depict any teenager :-

I’ve enjoyed doing this exercise. It helps to remember and have empathy towards the youth of everyday.

References:

Daily Mail Newspaper September 2019

January 2021 – Revisting this exercise following receipt of Tutor feedback Part Five

I have removed initials of a brand name I used inadvertently throughout the exercise. It is in a sense good to have made this error as it demonstrates just how careful you need to be in presenting your work and ensuring the content is correct.