Task1- Character Design / Merchandise & Packaging Design

 JIHYUN LIM / 0391015 / BDCM

 Task 1 : Week 01 - Week 05 / Deadline: Week 05

EXERCISE 1. Generating Idea With Prompt Matrix

No.​	Who​	Where​	Trait​	Twist​
1​	​wolf	​hospital	​shy	​book  lover
2​	​rabbit	​forest	​bubbly	​alcoholic
3​	​pig	​classroom	​strict	​pink skin colour
4​	​quokka	​stage	​calm	​has long hair like 'Tangled'
5​	​witch	​shopping mall	​hardworking	​short like a dwarf
6​	​orange	​grocery store	​outgoing	​tiny like  a fairy
7​	​onigiri	​baseball stadium	​confident	​has 12 sisters
8​	​student	​ocean	​rude	​breathe  fire like  a dragon
9​	​k-pop idol	paris	​disorganized	​very big ears
10​	​white- collar worker	​cafe	​bossy	​can fly

1. Roll for WHO: Quokka
   Roll for WHERE: Cafe
   Roll for TRAIT: Confident
   Roll for TWIST: Pink skin colour
   
   
2. Roll for WHO: Student
   Roll for WHERE: Paris
   Roll for TRAIT: Shy
   Roll for TWIST: ​Breathe fire like a dragon
   
   
3. Roll for WHO: Pig
   Roll for WHERE: Shopping mall
   Roll for TRAIT: Confident
   Roll for TWIST: Short like a dwarf
   
   
4. Roll for WHO: Wolf
   Roll for WHERE: Forest
   Roll for TRAIT: Bossy
   Roll for TWIST: Has long hair like 'Tangled'
   
   
5. Roll for WHO: K-pop idol
   Roll for WHERE: Shopping mall
   Roll for TRAIT: Rude
   Roll for TWIST: Book lover

    ▶ Shy student in Paris who breathes fire like a dragon 
    ▶ Confident pig in shopping mall which is short like a dwarf
    ▶ Rude K-pop Idol in shopping mall who is book lover

EXERCISE 2. Gathering Resources - Mood Board & Thumbnails Sketches

▶ Shy student in Paris who breathes fire like a dragon 

<Mood Board>

<Thumbnails Sketches>

< Rationale >

Story: In Paris lives a shy student. Small and quiet, he always wears big glasses, carries a bag, and holds a book. But he has a secret — when he gets angry, he breathes fire like a dragon. The stronger his anger, the stronger the flames. More than once, stress has made him burn his own books by accident.

This character shows the mix of weakness and hidden strength. The shy student in Paris looks small, wears big glasses, and always carries books and a bag. These details make him look quiet and introverted, and they show that he uses knowledge as a way to protect himself.

But when he gets angry, he breathes fire. This sudden change creates a strong contrast. His hidden emotions turn into dangerous flames, showing the fight between control and explosion. It reminds us that even the quietest person can have great power inside.

The design focuses on this contrast: the normal life of a student versus the fantasy of fire. Simple shapes, soft colors, and school items highlight his calm side, while the fire shows his dangerous secret. This makes the character interesting to draw in two moods; gentle and timid, or fierce and burning.

In the end, the character represents the challenge of handling emotions and identity. His design asks us to think about how hidden feelings can both help and harm a person.

 ▶ Confident pig in shopping mall which is short like a dwarf

<  Mood Board >

<Thumbnails Sketches>

< Rationale >

Story: The pig walks with confidence and wears neat clothes. He is small like a dwarf, but no one can ignore him. His strong steps lead him to the shopping mall, where he looks for the perfect item for himself.

This character shows confidence and charm in a small body. The pig walks with strong steps and wears neat clothes, which makes him look proud and impossible to ignore. Even though he is small like a dwarf, his attitude makes him stand out.

His goal is clear: he goes to the shopping mall to find the perfect luxury necktie. This detail adds personality and humor, showing that he cares about style and self‑expression. The necktie becomes a symbol of his identity, something that makes him feel complete and distinguished.

The design focuses on the contrast between his size and his presence. Simple shapes and tidy clothing highlight his confident walk, while the necktie adds a stylish and playful touch. This mix of seriousness and fun makes the character memorable and easy to sketch in different moods—walking with pride, choosing carefully, or showing off his new necktie.

In the end, the character represents the idea that true confidence does not depend on size but on attitude. His design invites viewers to see how small figures can carry big energy.

▶ Rude K-pop Idol in shopping mall who is book lover

<  Mood Board >

<Thumbnails Sketches>

< Rationale >

Story: She is a famous K‑pop idol, known for her chic and sometimes rude personality. Her only hobby is reading, and when she has a book in her hands, she does not want to be disturbed by anyone.

This character design shows a famous K‑pop idol with a chic and sometimes rude personality. Unlike the usual image of passive and overly kind idols, she is intellectual and sharp, breaking the old stereotype. Her only hobby is reading, and when she holds a book, she does not want anyone to disturb her. This detail adds depth and makes her stand out from typical idol characters.

The moodboard for her outfit was inspired by real K‑pop stage fashion—stylish, bold, and modern. These clothing choices highlight her confident image while also connecting her to the glamorous world of idols.

The design focuses on contrast: her glamorous idol appearance versus her private, intellectual side. Strong lines and fashionable clothes show her chic personality, while the book in her hands reveals her seriousness and independence. This mix makes the character interesting to sketch in different moods.

In the end, the character represents a new type of idol who values intelligence and individuality. Her design invites viewers to see that idols can be more than just sweet and passive—they can be strong, smart, and unapologetically themselves.

▶Based on the lecture content from Week 2 about character design sketches, I attempted to create simple character sketches using basic shapes such as circles, squares, and triangles.

I choose "Confident pig in shopping mall which is short like a dwarf" for final character Design

<Line Art Preparation>

Pre-Line Art

<Final Line Art>

After feedback, re-drawing Line art



<Coloring Preparation>

To highlight the character’s traits and individuality, I experimented with different colors, comparing various options before finalizing the coloring work.

I followed the tutorial lecture slides step by step, carefully replicating each stage of the process.


<Final Coloring Art>

To match the confident personality of the character, I emphasized bright, sparkling eyes and strong, defined eyebrows. Since the setting is a shopping mall, both hands are filled with shopping bags to reflect the lively atmosphere.

Merchandise & Packaging Design

<  Mood Board >

< Thumbnails Sketches >

< Rationale >

About a month after entering Taylor, I wanted to capture my own experience of campus life in this work. Classes, books, assignments, friends, conversations, laughter, cafés, restaurants, food, nature, crowds of people, freedom, flowers, and brightness—these are the things I have seen and felt on campus so far. All of these elements come together to form campus life.

To express that campus life extends beyond learning (books), I designed a speech bubble emerging from a book. Inside the bubble, the people and elements collectively form the letters of “TAYLOR.” The idea is that without a fixed mold, everyone contributes in their own unique way to create TAYLOR. The elements outside the speech bubble represent the many aspects that fill my campus life—bright and energetic details that bring the atmosphere to life.

< Process of Work >

Based on the thumbnail sketch, I began the illustration in Adobe Illustrator by creating the line art. For the focal areas I wanted to emphasize, I applied the techniques from the previous Line Art Tutorial, adjusting the thickness of the lines to create contrast and highlight key details.

Next, I moved on to the coloring stage. I chose a warm pastel tone overall to convey a bright and peaceful campus life atmosphere.

Since the illustration contains many elements, I limited the number of colors in the palette to avoid overwhelming the composition. By using mostly low-saturation colors, I aimed to create a clean and well-organized look.

On the back of the sleeve, I designed it like a postcard. I wanted to create a cute way to express gratitude to friends during campus life—something simple yet meaningful that allows me to share my appreciation.

< Final Artwork >

LECTURE

<Week 02 - Character Design>

 This week explored how illustrators develop ideas and visualize concepts through quick sketching and creative thinking. The goal was to learn how to turn abstract thoughts into strong visual narratives.

Character design is more than just drawing a figure; it’s about creating a personality that visually communicates traits, emotions, and story context. A well-designed character should be instantly recognizable and memorable.

Stylized character design focuses on creating visually distinctive and memorable characters. Three key principles make these designs powerful

1. Shapes – The basic form of a character. Round shapes look cute and friendly, sharp shapes look strong or scary.

2. Colour – Colours show the feeling. Warm colours feel happy or active, cool colours feel calm or quiet.

3. Emphasis – The part you want people to notice first, like the face or special feature.

4. Contrast – Differences that make the design stand out, like light vs dark or big vs small.

5. Harmony – Making all parts look good together so the character feels balanced.

6. Expressions & Poses – How the character moves or shows emotion. This makes the character feel alive.

<Week 03 - Chiaroscuro & Line Art>

<Chiaroscuro>

The lecture introduces Chiaroscuro, a technique that uses strong contrasts between light and dark to create depth, volume, and dramatic effect in visual art.

• Origins: Rooted in Renaissance painting, where artists like Caravaggio and Rembrandt used it to emphasize realism and emotional intensity.

• Principles: Light defines form, while shadow enhances mood and directs attention.

• Applications: Beyond painting, chiaroscuro is widely used in illustration, photography, film, and animation to build atmosphere and highlight narrative focus.

• Practice: Students are encouraged to experiment with single light sources, high contrast sketches, and dramatic shading to understand how chiaroscuro shapes storytelling.

Chiaroscuro Lighting in Film — Balancing Cinematic Light & Darkness
Chiaroscuro uses light and shadow. It makes scenes look deep and dramatic.

Shadows add mystery and highlights show focus. Directors guide the audience’s eyes. It is common in film noir and classic movies. The key idea is contrast tells the story.

< Line Art>

Line Art This lecture teaches how to create expressive and clean line art using Adobe Illustrator.

1.Document Preparation

• Set up an A3 artboard and import reference images.

• Create a template layer and adjust Pen Tool’s fill and stroke settings.

2. Create Line Art with Pen Tool & Shape Builder Tool

• Draw outlines using the Pen Tool [P].

• Duplicate and refine eyes and eyebrows for symmetry.

• Use the Shape Builder Tool [Shift + M] to clean up overlapping shapes.

3. Detailing with Width Tool

• Adjust line thickness and variation using Width Tool [Shift + W].

• Refine line endings with cap and corner adjustments for smoother flow

< Week 04 - Coloring, Merchandise & Packaging Design >

In Week 4 of Illustration and Visual Narrative, we explored Coloring and Shading, learning how color and line quality bring illustrations to life. The lecture introduced the LivePaint Group feature, showing how to fill colors efficiently and maintain clean outlines.

Before coloring, it’s essential to make sure the line art is tidy and complete. We created a color template using small boxes filled with chosen hues.

By double‑clicking the Fill color box, we could select any tone, and the Eyedropper tool ([Alt/Option] or [I]) helped us pick colors directly from the document for consistency.

Another key topic was scaling for stroke and effects.

When scaling is enabled, line thickness stays consistent and details remain sharp, whether the artwork is enlarged or reduced. When scaling is disabled, lines become uneven, thin when enlarged and blurry when reduced; making the illustration look less polished.

The comparison between the two methods clearly showed that enabling stroke scaling keeps the design professional and visually balanced.

The lecture also discussed how color choices influence mood and storytelling.

The lecture introduces Task 1: Sustainable Merchandise Design. It emphasizes creativity, sustainability, and storytelling through design.

• Create unique and refreshing ideas for merchandise.
• Incorporate themes of campus lifestyle while keeping designs fun and creative.
• Artwork should not be overly formal; express personality and playfulness.
• Multiple sketches per merchandise and packaging are allowed.
• Deadline: End of Week 05.
• Penalty: Late submission = 10% deduction.
• Use flat colors only, no shading required.