Illustration and Visual Narrative - Task 3: Honor Competition

   Illustration and Visual Narrative

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|| 08/06/2025 - 29/06/2025(Week 8 - Week 10)
||Yang Shumeng 0378848
|| Illustration and Visual Narrative
|| Bachelor of Design (Hons) in Creative Media / Taylor's University 

1. Lectures

Week 6 – Background Design & Scene Construction

This week’s focus was on designing illustrative backgrounds and understanding how to effectively place characters within a composed scene using Adobe Illustrator. We explored the relationship between foreground, midground, and background, and how these layers contribute to creating a sense of spatial depth. During practice, I experimented with arranging visual elements in different spatial zones, allowing the characters to interact naturally with their environment instead of appearing isolated. This hands-on exploration deepened my understanding of scene construction, and highlighted the importance of background design in visual storytelling—especially in enhancing narrative tone and supporting character presentation.

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Week 7 – Using Gradients to Build Atmosphere

Continuing our work in Illustrator, this week’s session emphasized the use of gradients to elevate the emotional and spatial quality of backgrounds. The instructor demonstrated how gradient transitions could simulate light and shadow, add mood, and visually separate layers in a composition. Through my own experimentation, I learned how subtle shifts in tone and color can inject life into otherwise flat scenes. These techniques helped me better convey atmosphere and depth, making my illustrations feel more immersive and visually compelling. This week’s lesson reinforced how crucial color dynamics are in background design—not just for aesthetic purposes, but for narrative impact as well.

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Week 8 – Individual Feedback & Online Consultation

This week’s session was conducted via online one-on-one consultations, during which the instructor reviewed our individual progress and provided personalized feedback. These discussions helped me pinpoint areas that required refinement and offered new perspectives on how to strengthen visual storytelling in my work. The feedback clarified which components needed further development and gave me direction on how to enhance overall presentation quality. As a result, I now feel better equipped to approach the next stage of the project with greater focus and confidence.

Instructions 

Task 3:Honor Competition

Assignment Instructions

Submission Requirements

Submission 1: Overall Visual Design (10%)

Merchandise Design (5%)

Animated Content (5%)

Theme: 

Renewal of life · Return

Cultural Prosperity · Celebration

Genesis · The Future

Youth Convergence · Integration

Submission:

Accessories Design – 6000 x 3000 pixels in JPG

Overall Visual Design – 6000 x 3000 pixels in JPG

Animation Design – 1920 x 1080 pixels in MP4 Format (Size below 20Mb)

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Task 3:Honor Competition

First of all, after careful consideration, I chose "

• Youth Convergence · Integration
  International Cultural Exchange through a Youth Lens

" as the design theme. 

 And before starting the design, I found some good works,from Vincent Willem van Gogh 

        

        

I've decided to complete my work in his style and integrate it appropriately with the theme.

 

than add some effect on it 

I've decided to make both the scenery behind and the train move.

Accessories Design ：

Reflection :

This three-week integrated design project encompasses three core components: illustration, accessory design, and animation. The illustration segment involved a full creative workflow—ranging from visual research and material gathering to sketching, composition planning, and final color rendering.

Thanks to the foundational skills and workflow familiarity built during Task 1 and Task 2, I was able to progress through each stage with efficiency and clarity.

What truly surprised me during this process was discovering, through a hands-on tutorial, that Adobe Photoshop—a tool I had previously associated mainly with photo editing—can also be used to create highly refined animation sequences. This unexpected revelation highlighted the incredible versatility of the software and gave me a deeper appreciation for the power of digital tools in creative storytelling.