Monday, September 27, 2010

Understanding Comics

Zi - by Jeff Thomas


Jeff Thomas created Pon and Zi when he was in high school.  He has not and will not assign a gender to either Pon or Zi because he feels both characters could be relateable to males or females.  The style that Thomas uses is quite unique.  For Zi specifically, Zi is colored blue.  Zi is the sadder of the two characters, and blue fits its personality.  Zi, like Pon, has a heart on its chest and symbolizes that the characters are made for showing love and different variations of it - the good, the bad, and the ugly.  The simplistic forms of these characters let the viewer concentrate on the actions and the lesson of each comic rather than the characters themselves.  



Garfield - by Jim Davis


Garfield is a timeless character that Jim Davis created.  He has a simple, eye-catching, and amusing design.  He has a big mouth that usually has a smirk, and a little pouch for his stomach.  He is a devious fat cat everyone loves.  Making Garfield have such a variety of expressions and giving him physical characteristics like being orange and black that stand out to a viewer, Garfield's quirky personality comes through. 



Tweety Bird - by Warner Bros


Tweety Bird is a really sweet and cuddly bird.  He is always smiling in the comics and care-free.  His yellow colors that Warner Bros gave him really enforce that quality across, especially with Tweety's blue eyes and long innocent-looking eyelashes.  Tweety's round curves and small stature really enforce his kind personality.  For the most part, Tweety is a very laid-back character and gets along with everyone... except when Sylvester or any other characters try to threaten him.  He then bounces between being an angel and a mischievous bird.


Monday, September 20, 2010

Typography and Composition: Self-Portrait

Create a self portrait using letterforms.

Use letters to illustrate your face. Consider the character of the letters and their relationship to the physical appearance of that which is represented (your physical appearance, soft vs. hard angles, textures, etc.). Consider also the relationship between the characteristics of the letterforms and your identity, your personality, your persona.

Consider the entire composition of the page. Use size and pattern to create value.

Constraints:
The design must use only black letters on a white background. Letters may be scaled up and down but must retain their relative proportions. Letters may not be manipulated or deformed.



I'm actually really unhappy with this.  I had to start over 3 times due to corrupted files, and I still haven't solved the problem.  I'm not sure if it's my computer or the software I'm using :(.

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Typography and Composition: Texture and Depth #2

  1. Unlimited Letterforms
  2. Max of Five Values


This was more challenging than I thought it would be.

Typography and Composition: Texture and Depth

  1. Single Letterform
  2. Black and White only



I thought I'd try to keep this one relatively simple.