Project Title - Graphic Narrative
Your personal interpretation of the project:
I’m going to do a story about a girl who is unable to go out and play with her friends due to her asthma. As a result, she imagines wild and wacky stories about far away places and impossible adventures. It will have a basic storyline and only involve at maximum 10-15 characters, as for a young child there should not be too many characters for them to remember.
The inspiration you intend to research:
A main source of inspiration for me are the works of Lauren Child for the artistic illustrations in the Charlie and Lola books. These books are very insular yet due to the use of the imagination of the characters, the possibilities are endless.
I am also inspired by a number of young children I have encountered at a local primary school who have disabilities and some form of limiting illness which renders them unable to play like the other children. Instead of focusing on something that is uncommon such as cerebral palsy, I decided to address an illness that is very common in young children, and create a world in which it wasn't a problem. This led me to realise that the majority of children I knew who were physically limited suffered from asthma, and thus that became Pippa's Achilles heel.
I am also inspired by a number of young children I have encountered at a local primary school who have disabilities and some form of limiting illness which renders them unable to play like the other children. Instead of focusing on something that is uncommon such as cerebral palsy, I decided to address an illness that is very common in young children, and create a world in which it wasn't a problem. This led me to realise that the majority of children I knew who were physically limited suffered from asthma, and thus that became Pippa's Achilles heel.
The context of the work:
The work will be a children's book of twelve pages in lengthm with four extra pages for front and back covers. The target audience is children under five years, however studies show that development years 0-5 is so rapid that this cannot accurately be described as one age group, but rather 0-1, 2-3 and 4-5. My target audience the eldest age range. However, the book will introduce slightly more complex ideas into the book such as illness and geography. This is also because I hope to introduce an educational element; using famous locations like the Eiffel Tower, the Amazon and the Moon. My hope is that this will help children get a basic grasp on learning before, or as they start, their primary education.
Using a printed children's book instead of another form of media (e.g magazine or website) means that the material is much more accessible to children of this age. Many children are still read to by their parents who tend to buy books, which use both narrative and graphics to help encourage the interest of their children.
Using a printed children's book instead of another form of media (e.g magazine or website) means that the material is much more accessible to children of this age. Many children are still read to by their parents who tend to buy books, which use both narrative and graphics to help encourage the interest of their children.
Intended techniques/resources/equipment/software:
I have researched different paper types - silk, cold-pressed etc, in order to determine which one will be the best for drawing and then printing onto.
I will be drawing the characters and scenes by hand, and then possibly scanning them in to draw over the top in illustrator so that the colours are smoother and the lines more confident. I will be able to layer the characters over the backgrounds and not have a variation in the way they are drawn.
How realistic is your idea?
FINANCES - I will not be using live action scenes, instead I will be sketching and digitally creating my scenes and characters, meaning that on this front, expenses will be minimal.
- The RRP for a children's book of a size 12"x12", 16 page print, is on average £6.99-£7.99.
- The printing cost, on a small-run print of 100 books, is roughly £3.61 depending on the printing company.
- 32 pages is the average for a children's book, excluding the covers but including the title page, dedications etc, bringing working pages (the story) down to roughly 28 pages.
- The RRP for a children's book of a size 12"x12", 16 page print, is on average £6.99-£7.99.
- The printing cost, on a small-run print of 100 books, is roughly £3.61 depending on the printing company.
- 32 pages is the average for a children's book, excluding the covers but including the title page, dedications etc, bringing working pages (the story) down to roughly 28 pages.
PRACTICALITIES - the project is not difficult to put together due to the fact that everything can be done from home or the college. The most difficult part will be factoring in the age of the child and remembering that not every 4-5 year old is as intelligent as the others, and thus cannot be subjected to too complex a concept.
TIME - The project is quick to plan, the most time consuming of the stages of production will be printing. Therefore I will need to start printing, or formatting it to print, by mid-February, meaning that the plot, characters and scenes will have to be finished by then.
TIME - The project is quick to plan, the most time consuming of the stages of production will be printing. Therefore I will need to start printing, or formatting it to print, by mid-February, meaning that the plot, characters and scenes will have to be finished by then.
Your idea:
A Book called 'Where In The World"
A Book called 'Where In The World"
Pippa, a four year old, has asthma and so cannot play out with her friends. Instead she has wild adventures around the world using her imagination!
I really like my idea as it ensures that the concept of an illness or disability is not synonymous with loneliness or an inability to have fun. It also introduces locations like the Eiffel Tower, the Amazon and the Moon to a small child, with pictures. I will be using animals as secondary characters (such as an elephant) in geographically accurate situations - I have ensured that the Lion Tamarin Monkey is native to the Amazon before including it.
I have also included 'Buzz and Neil, two space-men!' in the story, adding to the subtle educational arc to the plot (as obviously Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong were the first two men to land on the moon) in the form of some historical relevance.
I really like my idea as it ensures that the concept of an illness or disability is not synonymous with loneliness or an inability to have fun. It also introduces locations like the Eiffel Tower, the Amazon and the Moon to a small child, with pictures. I will be using animals as secondary characters (such as an elephant) in geographically accurate situations - I have ensured that the Lion Tamarin Monkey is native to the Amazon before including it.
I have also included 'Buzz and Neil, two space-men!' in the story, adding to the subtle educational arc to the plot (as obviously Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong were the first two men to land on the moon) in the form of some historical relevance.
Final format:
I intend to do a 28 page story book (including the title pages, acknowledgements etc but excluding covers) with a closed, linear narrative.
The scenes will be landscape and fill the 140mmX140mm pages. I will use a basic font such as Helvetica, Veranda or Tahoma, as the sans serif will make it easier for a child to read the words and understand. I will be using a soft cover, saddle stitched binding which is the standard for a children's book, due to the durability of the binding stitch and the cheap cost of the cover. The paper will be 300lb cold pressed paper due to the flexibility of the paper, and the fact that it scans well. It is not too rough that it will cast shadows when scanning, but will be more forgiving to mistakes and more durable than the lighter, finer, or more textured, papers.
I intend to do a 28 page story book (including the title pages, acknowledgements etc but excluding covers) with a closed, linear narrative.
The scenes will be landscape and fill the 140mmX140mm pages. I will use a basic font such as Helvetica, Veranda or Tahoma, as the sans serif will make it easier for a child to read the words and understand. I will be using a soft cover, saddle stitched binding which is the standard for a children's book, due to the durability of the binding stitch and the cheap cost of the cover. The paper will be 300lb cold pressed paper due to the flexibility of the paper, and the fact that it scans well. It is not too rough that it will cast shadows when scanning, but will be more forgiving to mistakes and more durable than the lighter, finer, or more textured, papers.
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