Brief ProPosals
Main project: Legend of Qixi Comic
To illustrate a comic named ‘Legend of Qixi’ which is based off the Chinese myth ‘The Cowherd and Weaver girl’ and is said to be origin of Qixi Festival (Chinese Valentine’s Day) in China which falls on the 7th day and 7th month of the lunar calendar. The purpose of the comic is to introduce a part of Chinese traditions that is unfamiliar to most people in the west which then allow the readers to gain better insight into the Chinese culture.
• Target Audience - age 7+
• Around 24 pages including front and back cover
• Full bleed, colour, CMYK
• Size - US comic size (170mm x 260 mm) as it would appear more interesting for British readers
Week 1-2 - Research
Week 3-5 - Ideas/Story board/Rough Sketch
Week 6-7 - Line Art
Week 8-9 - Colour
Week 10 - Send to print
To illustrate a comic named ‘Legend of Qixi’ which is based off the Chinese myth ‘The Cowherd and Weaver girl’ and is said to be origin of Qixi Festival (Chinese Valentine’s Day) in China which falls on the 7th day and 7th month of the lunar calendar. The purpose of the comic is to introduce a part of Chinese traditions that is unfamiliar to most people in the west which then allow the readers to gain better insight into the Chinese culture.
• Target Audience - age 7+
• Around 24 pages including front and back cover
• Full bleed, colour, CMYK
• Size - US comic size (170mm x 260 mm) as it would appear more interesting for British readers
Week 1-2 - Research
Week 3-5 - Ideas/Story board/Rough Sketch
Week 6-7 - Line Art
Week 8-9 - Colour
Week 10 - Send to print
The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl
Once upon a time, there were seven goddesses who lived in heaven. They were all sisters. One night, they took a trip to the mortal world. They wanted to explore over there since it was difficult to obtain permission from the Empress goddess. They decided to bathe together in a lake which was located near a cowherd’s home. The cowherd’s name is Niulang.
They laughed and splashed water around. Because of the sounds, the cowherd woke up from his sleep and decided to check what the commotion was about. Once he stepped out into the open area, he saw all of them…and that was when his eyes laid sight on one of the goddesses — Zhinu. They fell in love immediately and had two children.
The other sisters became worried because it was illegal for a goddess to marry a mortal man. In fact, they did not want the Heavenly Emperor to find out. But, he ended up finding out, ordering Zhinu to return back to heaven to resume her weaving duties.
This made the Heavenly emperor furious and he created a large river to separate them as far as possible. However, the cowherd did not give up. Together with Zhinu’s six other sisters, it took a very long time until the Heavenly Emperor made the decision to allow Niulang to see Zhinu on a single night in the 7th day of July each year. In preparation for this event, magpies form a bridge for them to see each other. Once they reunite, it starts to rain because both lovers and the magpies are sad.
Bellow are some images that I found depicting Zhinu and Niulang.
Once upon a time, there were seven goddesses who lived in heaven. They were all sisters. One night, they took a trip to the mortal world. They wanted to explore over there since it was difficult to obtain permission from the Empress goddess. They decided to bathe together in a lake which was located near a cowherd’s home. The cowherd’s name is Niulang.
They laughed and splashed water around. Because of the sounds, the cowherd woke up from his sleep and decided to check what the commotion was about. Once he stepped out into the open area, he saw all of them…and that was when his eyes laid sight on one of the goddesses — Zhinu. They fell in love immediately and had two children.
The other sisters became worried because it was illegal for a goddess to marry a mortal man. In fact, they did not want the Heavenly Emperor to find out. But, he ended up finding out, ordering Zhinu to return back to heaven to resume her weaving duties.
This made the Heavenly emperor furious and he created a large river to separate them as far as possible. However, the cowherd did not give up. Together with Zhinu’s six other sisters, it took a very long time until the Heavenly Emperor made the decision to allow Niulang to see Zhinu on a single night in the 7th day of July each year. In preparation for this event, magpies form a bridge for them to see each other. Once they reunite, it starts to rain because both lovers and the magpies are sad.
Bellow are some images that I found depicting Zhinu and Niulang.
Chinese Mythology
Chinese fantasy style clothing for immortals. The style is mainly inspired from hanfu Chinese traditional clothing with the addition of a floating see through scarf to give the outfit an ethereal feel. Immortal riding on clouds is a common theme in these paintings as Chinese people back then believed that it is the way gods and goddesses travel. The flying top knot hairstyle appears to be most popular for fairies/goddesses which I’ll be using for Zhinu’s hairstyle.
Chinese fantasy style clothing for immortals. The style is mainly inspired from hanfu Chinese traditional clothing with the addition of a floating see through scarf to give the outfit an ethereal feel. Immortal riding on clouds is a common theme in these paintings as Chinese people back then believed that it is the way gods and goddesses travel. The flying top knot hairstyle appears to be most popular for fairies/goddesses which I’ll be using for Zhinu’s hairstyle.
Chinese landscape paintings
I really like the way these landscape were painted as the manage to give off an ethereal atmosphere using simple brushstrokes and shapes which could be beneficial for my comic that is set in a fantasy setting.
I really like the way these landscape were painted as the manage to give off an ethereal atmosphere using simple brushstrokes and shapes which could be beneficial for my comic that is set in a fantasy setting.
Raruurien (Comic) - Anna Maulina
Raruurien is a heartwarming slice of life webcomic about Rien, a widow witch with two sons, living in a small mountain village. To maintain a peaceful life without her husband, she has to assimilate with the villagers, learn their culture, become a role model for her sons and also keep a low profile by confining her powerful magyx in public.
Raruurien was initially published as one of three comics in Kroma Comic Anthology in 2016. The book won the Pakoban Award (2016) as the Best Compilation and TGR Award (2016) as the Best Local Comic. Raruurien also independently won Bronze Japans International Manga Award (2017).
Ann Maulina is an artist from Indonesia, currently working as a freelance game and concept artist. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Visual Communication Design, which gives her a high advantage on art and design projects. She enjoys working on comic and art projects on her spare time. She also currently occupies her time working on various comic projects, including Glow (Kickstarter project) as a sequential artist.
I really enjoy Maulina’s comics and her use of complementary colours makes each page of her comic pop giving life to her illustrations.
Raruurien is a heartwarming slice of life webcomic about Rien, a widow witch with two sons, living in a small mountain village. To maintain a peaceful life without her husband, she has to assimilate with the villagers, learn their culture, become a role model for her sons and also keep a low profile by confining her powerful magyx in public.
Raruurien was initially published as one of three comics in Kroma Comic Anthology in 2016. The book won the Pakoban Award (2016) as the Best Compilation and TGR Award (2016) as the Best Local Comic. Raruurien also independently won Bronze Japans International Manga Award (2017).
Ann Maulina is an artist from Indonesia, currently working as a freelance game and concept artist. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Visual Communication Design, which gives her a high advantage on art and design projects. She enjoys working on comic and art projects on her spare time. She also currently occupies her time working on various comic projects, including Glow (Kickstarter project) as a sequential artist.
I really enjoy Maulina’s comics and her use of complementary colours makes each page of her comic pop giving life to her illustrations.
Chang Ge Xing (Song of the long march) Comic - Xia Da
The manhua Chang Ge Xing (Chinese comic) is a historical fiction by artist Xia Da. Set in the Tang dynasty (618-907) Chang An, China the story follows the main heroine and protagonist, Li Changge, as she heads to Shuo Province under the guise of a man with hopes of raising an army to kill the new emperor of Tang, Li Shimin, to avenge her family's murder during the Xuanwu Gate Incident.
Xia Da is a Chinese manhua artist most well known for the her manhua series Chang Ge Xing and Bu Tian Ge which has sold 5 million copies. She is very popular in both China and japans for her classical style.
I find Xia Da’s work to be very engaging as most of her illustrations give a sense of movement mostly from nature which I think helps her characters to blend seamlessly with the background setting. I also like the dynamic poses her characters are in making her art look interesting.
The manhua Chang Ge Xing (Chinese comic) is a historical fiction by artist Xia Da. Set in the Tang dynasty (618-907) Chang An, China the story follows the main heroine and protagonist, Li Changge, as she heads to Shuo Province under the guise of a man with hopes of raising an army to kill the new emperor of Tang, Li Shimin, to avenge her family's murder during the Xuanwu Gate Incident.
Xia Da is a Chinese manhua artist most well known for the her manhua series Chang Ge Xing and Bu Tian Ge which has sold 5 million copies. She is very popular in both China and japans for her classical style.
I find Xia Da’s work to be very engaging as most of her illustrations give a sense of movement mostly from nature which I think helps her characters to blend seamlessly with the background setting. I also like the dynamic poses her characters are in making her art look interesting.
Complementary colours in media
The use of complementary colours in comics is very important as it can help make each frame pop and can also assist in story telling giving the impression of different moods and atmosphere. It also allows each page to look cohesive where all the frames are in harmony when there is only a single colour palette being used.
The use of complementary colours in comics is very important as it can help make each frame pop and can also assist in story telling giving the impression of different moods and atmosphere. It also allows each page to look cohesive where all the frames are in harmony when there is only a single colour palette being used.
Action/Sound effects
Drawing the sound effects instead of using a pre-made font over the top of the comic allow the sound effects to harmonise with the illustrations making it look cohesive instead of the sound effects competing with the illustration.
Drawing the sound effects instead of using a pre-made font over the top of the comic allow the sound effects to harmonise with the illustrations making it look cohesive instead of the sound effects competing with the illustration.
Cow/Flying birds
To use as reference for the animals found in the story.
To use as reference for the animals found in the story.
Traditonal Chinese patterns
Below are some examples of tradtional Chinese patterns I found on the web. They could be quite useful as an overlay over some parts of the comic to make it stand out and look more interesting.
Here I tried overlaying some of the patterns and after some colour correction and adjusting the opacity I really liked how it turned out. I decided to only use it on the clothing of the characters to make them stand out from the background.
I also used an image of linen and set the layer on colour burn to achieve the traditional Chinese silk painting look which I think makes the pages look unique.
Printing
After researching and looking at different websites for comic book printing I decided to use the company Mixam. I like that they have a page dedicated comic book printing page instead of an all in one book printing which makes the whole process very user friendly, they also have sample packs of their paper with different weight and finishes available for free which I ordered which helped me to decide the specifications I need. I decided to order only 10 copies which will cost around £33 (£3.30/unit) not including tax.
Script
Below I am replicating Chinese style mountains/landscapes and I really like the organic feel they have which I think is the charm of ink wash style landscapes.
Character ideas
Zhinu heaven/mortal world version
Zhinu heaven/mortal world version
Storyboard Ideas
Front Cover
Back Cover
I used the font Chalkduster for the sypnosis as I find it complements the line art the best out of all the other fonts I’ve tried and doesn’t look out of place.
After the feedback I changed the font on the back cover to Kefa as it is the same font that’s used throughout the comic so that everything will look cohesive. I’ve also decided to keep things simple by removing the clouds as I felt the position of it looked awkward.
The inner front cover has the constellation Lyra as it includes the star Vega which is said to be a symbolism of Zhinu. After the feedback I decided to change the lyre/harp to a Chinese harp called the Kong Hou so that it looks more cohesive with the whole theme.
After the feedback I decided to redo this whole page and I also didn’t like the full bleed effect on these pages so I kept the illustrations constrained to their panels.
For the inner back cover I decided to use the silhouette of a cow as well as the constellation Aquila to symbolise Niulang. I also fixed the horns and included more of the upper body of the cow to make it look more dynamic.
Fonts
I’ve experimented with different fonts (Din Alternate, Georgia and Jack Armstrong BB) to see which one would suit my comic best and decided on Jack Armstrong BB as I feel it looks the friendliest and feels the most comic like. I also prefer how the font was designed using only capital letters which makes it ideal for comics.
After the feedback about how the all capital letters of Jack Armstrong BB doesn’t really fit in with my comic I decided to use the font Kefa as it has lower case letters and looks bolder than the other fonts I tried.
For the dialogue bubble I chose the oval shape over the rounded square as I find it acts as a good contrast against the straight lines of the frames and also differentiates itself from the text box which I use for narratives and setting the scene.
Side Project
Side Project: Poetry Illustrations
To illustrate four ancient Chinese poems to bring attention to China’s rich history of classical texts.
• Target Audience 13+ with an appreciation for Chinese culture or writing
• Full bleed, colour, CMYK
• Set of 4 Bookmarks
• Size 51mm x 152mm
Week 7-8 Research
Week 9-11 - Ideas/Rough sketch
Week 12-13 - Line art/colour
Week 14 - Send to print
Poem 1 - Sympathy for the peasants - Li Shen 772 AD
Cultivating grains at noon,
Sweat dripping into the earth beneath.
Who would have thought the food on your plate,
each and every grain, came from hard work?
Poem 2 - Thoughts in the silent night - Li Bai
Beside my bed a pool of light,
Is it hoarfrost on the ground?
I lift my eyes and see the moon,
I bend my head and think of home.
Poem 3 - Climbing Stork Tower - Wang Zhi Huan
The Sun beyond the mountains glows,
The Yellow River seawards flows.
You can enjoy a grander sight,
By climbing to a greater height.
Poem 4 - The Crying Ospreys - Shijing (Book of Songs)
“Fair! Fair! ” cry the ospreys,
On the island in the river.
Elegant and graceful is the lady,
A fine match for our Lord.
To illustrate four ancient Chinese poems to bring attention to China’s rich history of classical texts.
• Target Audience 13+ with an appreciation for Chinese culture or writing
• Full bleed, colour, CMYK
• Set of 4 Bookmarks
• Size 51mm x 152mm
Week 7-8 Research
Week 9-11 - Ideas/Rough sketch
Week 12-13 - Line art/colour
Week 14 - Send to print
Poem 1 - Sympathy for the peasants - Li Shen 772 AD
Cultivating grains at noon,
Sweat dripping into the earth beneath.
Who would have thought the food on your plate,
each and every grain, came from hard work?
Poem 2 - Thoughts in the silent night - Li Bai
Beside my bed a pool of light,
Is it hoarfrost on the ground?
I lift my eyes and see the moon,
I bend my head and think of home.
Poem 3 - Climbing Stork Tower - Wang Zhi Huan
The Sun beyond the mountains glows,
The Yellow River seawards flows.
You can enjoy a grander sight,
By climbing to a greater height.
Poem 4 - The Crying Ospreys - Shijing (Book of Songs)
“Fair! Fair! ” cry the ospreys,
On the island in the river.
Elegant and graceful is the lady,
A fine match for our Lord.
Chinese poetry illustrations
Below are some examples of traditional Chinese poetry illustrations/paintings. I would need to figure out how the poems will go with my illustrations although I like the way the Chinese characters flow vertically I don’t feel it would look as nice with the English version of the poems.
Below are more traditional Chinese paintings depicting the day to day life of the people back in ancient China which will be useful for generating ideas.
Images of Stork Tower/Ospreys
This was helpful as reference when illustrating my bookmarks.
This was helpful as reference when illustrating my bookmarks.
Bookmarks
Instead of turning my illustrations into prints I decided it would be better if I illustrate a set of four bookmarks as I feel it will complement my comic project more. It is also more cost effective to print as they are a smaller size which is a bonus as getting my comic book printed is more expensive than expected. Below are some examples of bookmark sets with their own theme.
Instead of turning my illustrations into prints I decided it would be better if I illustrate a set of four bookmarks as I feel it will complement my comic project more. It is also more cost effective to print as they are a smaller size which is a bonus as getting my comic book printed is more expensive than expected. Below are some examples of bookmark sets with their own theme.
Bookmark printing
I found this company vistaprints.co.uk that allows the user to print their own designs on a huge variety of different products. The reason I chose them over other manufactures is that they have great reviews for their bookmark printing and the whole process of uploading the designs is quite user friendly. They also allow double sided printing which will be useful as it allows for more space for the poems.
Sympathy for the peasants - Li Shen
I wanted the font for my bookmarks to resemble Chinese calligraphy and after trying a few other fonts from the Internet (Hiro Misake and Barusan etc.) I decided to go with this font called Harukaze which looks the most natural and the style reminds me of the strokes found in Chinese characters.
After trying other fonts I decided to use Baskerville for the poems on the back of my bookmarks as I need it to harmonise with the Chinese calligraphy style font I used on the front. The other fonts that I’ve tried looked too modern so I went with Baskerville which looks classic and elegant.
Thoughts in the silent night - Li Bai
Climbing Stork Tower - Wang Zhi Huan
The crying ospreys - Shijing
I’ve changed my mind with the initial idea and left the couple out as I felt the main characters of the poem are the Ospreys.
