visual narratives: tell an untold story

Over the holidays I did some more visual and firsthand research at the park. I found I was encountering more and more small stories...

... and so with this in mind I have decided to create a book based on time based events in the park. In a previous crit Kristyna suggested focusing on a fixed point and how time alters it, e.g. the happenings of a park bench around 24 hours. I like this idea, but with so many smaller stories I think it would be nice to create an anthology or series of smaller stories.

We were briefed that there were to be no comics, and I was concerned that my book would cross this rule as it is made up of panels and time and sequence. However, as it is not heavily character/ dialogue/ action based it was ok.

Above is a small doodle of one of the many narratives I have been considering. I like the immediacy of the 'punchline' panel though will research more into the movement of hair and hairstyles. 

I will have to consider the tone of voice for this book. I originally wanted something daft and silly but some of the stories are quite sad. Still, this doesn't mean they can't be combined and I will look into how the order of the series depending on mood can change the tone of the book.

I hadn't thought about a full bleed spread until it was mentioned in the briefing. I am considering creating one and placing it in the middle of the book- for practicality (it will only cross one sheet of paper) and also to break up the pace. I am considering something to close to the bottom sketch, based on a photo I took of picnic tables in the winter sun and their interesting shadows. It was suggested I add a character to it, even maybe a representation of myself to create more narrative within this single image.

I have also begun to loosely plan the book's layout. By selecting the stories I want to I can now focus on their construction and the media I will use. I want to challenge myself and also consider the shape driven work I have been researching in other projects. I am currently considering using coloured pencil as it is very new to me!

I also considered the use of double page inside covers which are nice, but are usually accompanied by another inside cover so the story begins on the right and ends on the left. This would take valuable space for content in such a short book.