Illustration & Visual Narrative/ Final Task: Webcomic

 28/11/24 - 05/1/24 ( Week 10- Week 14)

Kek Kai Wei, 0363513

Illustration and Visual Narrative / Bachelor of Patisserie Arts ( Hons)

Final Task: Animated Webcomic Cover and One-Page Comic for "The Monkey's Paw"

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Table Content:

1. Lectures

2. Assignment briefing

3. Progress

4. Final Outcome

5. Reflection

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1. LECTURES

Week 10:

This week, Mr. Hafiz demonstrated how to use these materials and inspirations to design a single comic page and a comic cover.

• Dave McKean's Sandman covers primarily convey a dreamlike, mysterious, and surreal atmosphere, closely tied to the themes of the series. These covers combine various artistic techniques, including painting, photography, collage, and sculpture, to create a hazy yet unsettling aesthetic.
• Understanding narrative transition techniques by Scott McCloud

Fig 1 Scott McClouds Transitions

Transitions of Monkey's Paw

Fig 1.1 Illustration Monkey's Paw

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2. Assignment Briefing

We need to select a few paragraphs from the short story series The Monkey's Paw by W.W. Jacobs, available at https://www.sfu.ca/~swartz/monkeys_paw.htm, and create：

1. comic cover page

2. animated one- page comic

1. Comic Cover:

• Design an illustrated masthead in Adobe Illustrator.
• Use Photoshop for textures and effects inspired by Dave McKean’s Sandman covers or surrealistic Illustrator artwork.
• Add subtle animations if desired to enhance the haunting atmosphere.

1. One-Page Comic:

• Adapt selected paragraphs into a one-page webcomic.
• Animate at least 3 panels using GIFs in Google Slides.
• Apply Scott McCloud’s transition types (e.g., moment-to-moment, action-to-action) to maintain suspense and continuity.

1. Format:

• Portrait orientation suitable for phone or tablet display.
• Assemble all elements in Google Slides for presentation.

Timeline:

• Week 11: Introduction, story analysis, basics of animation in Google Slides.
• Weeks 12-13: Tutorials, animation techniques, panel composition, feedback, and work time.
• Week 14: Final critique, presentation, and submission.

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3. PROGRESS

👉Ideation👈

Researching and Referencing

After reading The Monkey's Paw, I decided to use Part 3 of the story as inspiration for my comic.

The story describes a man, Mr. White, groping through the darkness to find the talisman on the mantelpiece. He is terrified that his unspoken wish might bring his mutilated, deceased son back to life and into his presence. Overcome with fear, he clutches the talisman tightly and steps into the room.

His wife's face is pale, filled with anticipation that seems eerily unnatural. She firmly insists that he make the wish. Hesitant and gripped by fear, he raises his trembling hand and utters the words: “I wish my son alive again.”

I feel that this section vividly illustrates humanity’s struggle between the unbearable grief of losing a loved one and the desperate hope to bring them back, tempered by a profound fear of the unknown consequences. It captures the emotional complexity of extreme situations—grief, longing, fear, and moral hesitation.

I found this story compelling but also quite intense. It gave me a visceral sense of fear, immersing me in the husband’s anxiety and the wife’s desperate yearning. As a reader, I could feel their conflicting emotions.

For visual inspiration, I searched Pinterest for “surrealism horror comic” art styles, including cover designs. Among the artists, I was particularly inspired by Dave McKean’s work on Sandman, which was shared by Mr. Hafiz.

Fig 3.1: Dave McKean's Sandmon covers

Fig 3.2：Other " surrealism " example 

I noticed that these artists often use dark and muted tones to create an eerie and oppressive atmosphere.

☝Ideation

After analyzing the story, I decided to focus on the following elements in my design: 

• the dark environment
• the monkey paw
•  the emotional changes of the wife and husband
• the wife's commanding language towards the husband
• the husband's fear and wish for resurrection.

After exploring some references, I found a comic art style that perfectly aligns with the effect I want to achieve. It comes from the work Blood on the Tracks by the author Shūzō Oshimi.

Figure 3.3 Blood on the Tracks.

Figure 3.4 gathering elements for referencing

✏Sketching

The initial sketching for myself to plan out the panel's layout:

Figure 3.5 sketching draft

After giving Mr Hafiz to take a look to my sketch, i have received feedback from him:

The feedback:

Perhaps you should shorten the story by selecting about 5 or 6 paragraphs from the entire Part 4 to serve as inspiration for your artwork, as the whole section feels too long. The part where Ms. White yells 'wish' should not come at the beginning; it should happen later in the story. You should focus on a smaller segment, like the old man opening the drawer, which is a clear action-to-action sequence. Your composition is good, but the story is too long. Ten panels might be too many; five or six panels would be more appropriate. The 'decision part' alone could have several panels.

So I decided to refine my second sketch in more detail. This is my second sketch：

Figure 3.6 Second draft

Mr. Hafiz mentioned that my sketch does not convey a surrealistic feeling, so I decided to switch to the last paragraph of Part 3.

This passage describes the climax of the story, where the elderly couple is overwhelmed by fear and despair after using the monkey's paw to fulfill their wishes. As frantic knocking echoes from the door, the old woman tries to open it to welcome back their resurrected son. However, the old man, fearing that their son has turned into a horrifying being, desperately searches for the monkey's paw. At the last moment, he makes the third and final wish, and the knocking abruptly ceases. When the door is opened, there is no one outside—only an empty street—suggesting that his wish has ended the tragic chain of events. I believe this paragraph can convey a surrealistic feeling.

Third Sketch: 

Figure 3.7 Third draft

Transition: 

Subject to subject

Panel Description: 

Panel 1

The second knock is heard. A close-up shot shows the tightly shut door, with the knocking sound “Knock, knock” reverberating.

 Panel 2

The old woman breaks free from her husband’s grasp. His outstretched hand tries to grab her.

Panel 3

The old woman runs downstairs toward the door, while the husband stands at the top of the stairs, trying to stop her. A faint shadow of “their son” is cast on the staircase floor, adding a sinister atmosphere.

 Panel 4

The old woman stands at the door, her trembling hand reaching for the bolt. The lock and bolt details are shown clearly.

 Panel 5

The husband is on his knees, frantically searching for the monkey’s paw. His face is tense, and sweat beads on his forehead.

 Panel 6

The husband finally grasps the monkey’s paw tightly in his hand, closing his eyes as he makes a wish.

 Panel 7

The wife collapses by the door, covering her face and crying. The husband stands silently behind her, gazing at the quiet, empty street outside.

💁 Digitization

Next, i transfer my sketch into Adobe Illustrator.

Comic cover page:

Reference for the cover page:

Figure 3.8 Reference

First, I designed a monkey's paw and added a grain texture to it. To echo the storyline in the comic mentioning the "son" outside the window, I used the brush tool to draw a shadow. Later, I came across a cover design that conveyed the idea of a person being controlled by the monkey's paw, which I found very intriguing. I decided to use the monkey's paw to manipulate the shadow I had just drawn. Finally, I applied a grain texture to the entire composition and added scarlet eyes in the background to convey the urgency of the eyes' owner during the second knock (which I felt mirrored the emotions the story evoked in me).

Figure 3.9 Progress of monkey paws

Figure 3.10 The shadow control by the monkey paw

Final Cover Page:

Animated One Page Intro:

Next, i transfer my sketch into Adobe Illustrator.

I used the pen tool to outline my comic and created different layers for different panels. However, because some parts of my sketches were quite complex, I had to use the brush tool to draw them one by one. The process was really painful. Fortunately, in the end, I combined the use of the brush tool and the pen tool to successfully outline the images.

Figure 3.11 using pen tool and brush tool to draw out my sketch

Figure 3.12 the most difficult part is done.

Figure 3.13 first version -black and white 

Additionally, I believe that color is one of the key elements that truly brings a comic to life. Therefore, for the color tone, I browsed Pinterest for blue-themed inspirations and used shades of blue to create an eerie atmosphere.

Figure 3.14 Blue surrealistic art

Once I found the right images, I imported them into Adobe Color to extract the colors. I created a palette by sampling shades from the images I liked.

Figure 3.15 extracting color palettes

The coloured design ( second version):

Figure 3.16 Second Version

Animation:

Panel 1:

Figure 3.17 Panel 1

Figure 3.18 Panel 1 animation

Panel 2: 

I think this is the most challenging part because I want to depict the action of Ms. White breaking free from her husband's grip. However, no matter how much I searched online, I couldn't find the reference I needed. So, I ended up filming myself, capturing every movement I required.

Figure 3.19 Panel 2 progression

Figure 3.20 Panel 2

Figure 3.21 Panel 2 animation

Panel 4: 

Figure 3.22 Panel 4

Figure 3.23 Panel 4 animation

4. Final Outcome: 

One Page Intro ( Static)

Fig 4.1 W14_Final project: Webcomic One Page Intro- Kek Kai Wei

Link to One Page Intro (Animated):

Figure 4.2 Week 14 Animated One Page Intro_KEK KAI WEI_0363513

Concept Board: 

Figure 4.3 Concept Board

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5. Reflection: 

This task felt like a rollercoaster ride for me. Although we were given plenty of time, I spent a significant amount of effort just on the sketching phase. I found that while I could visualize images clearly in my mind, I struggled to translate them onto paper. It was a helpless feeling at the time… However, when I realized that I was becoming more proficient with AI and Photoshop, I felt incredibly proud. Tools like the Pen Tool and Brush Tool have practically become my go-to instruments.

Looking back to the beginning, I didn’t even know what I was doing. I felt anxious and pressured, worried that I wouldn’t complete the task well. Thankfully, with the patient guidance of Mr. Hafiz, I gradually mastered the basic knowledge of these tools. Although this project almost drove me crazy, I thoroughly enjoyed the process. It pushed me to explore an artistic style I had never attempted before—shifting from a cute style to a creepy one. It was both challenging and exhilarating.

More importantly, this project wasn’t just about creating art in Illustrator; it also required skills in comic storytelling, composition, and animation. I came to realize that creating a good design to convey a story requires careful consideration of countless details. What I used to think of as simple artworks now seem much more intricate. This task gave me a newfound appreciation for art and the effort behind it.

I am deeply grateful for Mr. Hafiz’s guidance and feedback throughout the semester. These valuable insights allowed me to continually refine my work, and I believe this improvement process is where real learning happens. This experience not only helped me grow but also reshaped my perspective on artistic creation, filling me with newfound respect and admiration for it.