Concept Phase
This assignment required us to make an animation with a sound that expresses our theme. Perry and I were unsure where to start. After some brainstorming, we thought a great idea is to express sounds that make us feel not alone. Though that as a title isn’t very snappy, it doesn’t roll off the tongue very well. So after a little more discussion that led us to the broader theme of Sounds of Comfort. A better title and an easier theme to work from.
With our theme sorted out, it made me think about what comforts me. The first thing that came to mind was the video game Animal Crossing: New Horizons. I started to play this game during the lockdown in 2020. If I did not have that game during that time, lockdown would have felt miserable, but this game provided me with the comfort needed during that time. Presently, this is a game I pick up whenever I’m feeling down. It provides me comfort and makes me feel not as lonely.
With the idea and song chosen, we then created 25 sketches that could be possible starting points for our animations. After comparing my sketches to Perry’s, we observed some commonalities. The common visual elements are the use of the letter “o” and the colors blue and orange.
Animation Process
The sound I chose for my animation was 12 pm from Animal Crossing: New Horizons. For the animation, I decided to create it in Illustrator. Creating the animation in Illustrator allowed me to have the color channels separated while I was building the frames. This was helpful as my file was prepared for the riso once all the frames were complete. For creating the frames, I would draw about 20–40 frames, take a screenshot of each, then place them into After Effects with the sound to make sure it was flowing properly. After reviewing the video, I would then go back and make any refinements if needed. This process took me quite a while to do. It was very tedious, but it helped to achieve a very smooth animation effect.
Once the animation was complete, I then went to print it in the risograph. I did not run into any problems printing until it was time to print the gradients. The colors ended up being very vivid, but the gradient was not as smooth as I desired. With this in mind, I knew I wanted to attempt to make more gradients on the risograph for my other deliverables.
Postcard Process
For the postcards, I referred to the frames and my 25 sketches to use for the design. I made slight refinements to them and placed them as the front image of the cards. I wanted them to feel different from the animation, so I added two other colors to the design. The added colors are pink and purple. On the backs of the postcards is the information for the event. Playing with the layout of the back of the card, I created a wavy flow between the letterforms. I also made a gradient on the back of the card. Each back layout is slightly different. All of these elements come together to add to the cozy feel.
Poster Process
For the posters, I took frames from the animation and enlarged them for the posters. I also wanted another attempt to do gradients on the risograph, so I incorporated gradients in 2 of the 3 posters. After a ton of masters, I made the gradients more simple than I had wanted but in the end. This was better for me as it still allowed for some great gradient results.
Zine Process
The zine was the hardest part of this whole process. For the show, I had to print it on laser due to scheduling with the risograph. However, after the show, I had time to print it on the risograph. Figuring out the logistics of making a 5 color zine on the riso was a little complicated. For this project, I was super ambitious which is good for me in terms of learning the riso, but it ended up being a lot of work. I went through a lot of errors printing the masters. I learned to make sure the box “print blank pages” are checked when printing the booklet. That seems to be the option that was giving me a lot of issues when it came to printing the masters. Once I finally figured out how to print my masters, printing the spreads on the riso ended up going very smoothly. The result was beautiful as well when you compare it to the quality of print on the laser it doesn’t even compete. I also wanted to incorporate a different style of binding than what I was used to. I learned stab-stitch binding or Japanese-style binding. I love this style of binding. It makes the book feel so delicate, which leads back to the comfort and cozy aspect of our theme. I also wanted to incorporate our frames in a fun way. After seeing a booklet at the New York Book Fair with a little book inside the book, I wanted to recreate that with our zine. So the little book inside of our book is our frames. I felt that this was a cute way to incorporate the frames into our zine. Also depending on which way you pick up the book, you can read either my spreads or Perry’s. I thought this was a fun way to put our spreads together.
Sight of Sound Show & Conclusion
Overall, I enjoyed this project, mostly because I love the riso. I have to admit I was frustrated with this project at points, but I ended up being happy with the outcome. I also wish the show was up for longer. After we spent so much blood, sweat, and tears to make all the deliverables and set up for the show, it was a shame it was only up for a night. Nonetheless, this is a project I will never forget and one I think we all learned a lot from!
