Digital Graphic Narrative Planning

Use this booklet to help structure your planning and collate your planning documents.

Considerations:
There are lots of things to consider in this project. Fill out each section in detail to show you have thought about each one. You
should imagine that this is a live project, so considerations like cost, quantity and codes of practice must be thought about in that
context rather than just as a college project.
Costs: The majority of my project is available through college resources so I will not have any extra costs to
factor into my work. However, I am going to be using watercolour paints and brushes. I have considered the
cost of one tray of watercolours and a pack of brushes to come to about 5.00. This is my only external cost.

Available resources: The resources provided by college include the use of computers and their software:
Photoshop, internet access to Google, source images and fonts. I will also be using college paper and a
graphics tablet. I may also need to use a scanner to put physical work onto my computer.

Quantity: I would like my childrens book to be a local, special edition book. I would like to publish 100 copies
to local childrens centres and libraries. My book would not be mass published and would be more of a
community-marketed project.

Audience and Target Market: My target audience is children aged 3 6, as it is a bright, simple book with a
good moral. I would like it to be a book that the parents / carers can enjoy reading and looking at with the
children. My book is not marketed towards a specific gender.
Quality Factors: I will need to remain motivated and concentrated in order for my project to be of the best
possible quality. I have a memory stick and regularly back up work as losing and recreating work can seriously
decrease the quality of work. This also factors into time management, as it is highly important to create a
thorough schedule of progress and stick to it, ensuring I am up to date between scheduled lessons. I will try to
stay as close to my script and flat plans as possible as they give a clear idea of what my final project is going
to look like. All of these things combined will ensure that my final product is of the highest quality possible.
Codes of Practice: I have studied the Publishers Association code of practice (2010) and selected sections
that are most relevant for my book. The contract should be clear about ownership copyright This is
important, as the author/ creator of the product should have ownership of characters created. If an author
fails to deliver a completed manuscript according to the contract or within the contracted period, the
publisher may be entitled (inter alia) to a refund of advances already paid on account. This section is
relevant to my project as if my work isnt completed by the assigned date I will fail the print section of the
course. Also, it is important for the publisher and the author to have a clearly set out target for the work,
alongside other details such as payment and terms within the contract, as stated, The publishing contract
must be clear, unambiguous and comprehensive, and must be honoured in both the letter and the
spirit.

Regulation: Many childrens books include texture and pop-up components which may be classed under the
legislations description of a toy: toy means any product or material designed or clearly intended for
use in play by children of less than 14 years of age. This means that the product has to fall under the Toy
Safety Regulations Act 1995.

Copyright: As my product is based on a folktale there shouldnt be copyright issues as the original author of
the story is presumably long dead (seeing as most folk tales were first told by word of mouth, there is unlikely
to be a traceable origin to the tale) therefore the story is classed as public domain. The character designs are
my original so there should be no copyright over character style. I intend on using a few stock images within
the backgrounds but will edit them heavily. However, this may be a copyright issue and in a professional
product I would take the photos required myself instead of using online images.
Ethical Issues: An ethical issue I might face in my storybook is the representation of the Jade Emperor. He is
the bad character of the story but gives in at the end. The story I am doing is based on an Asian folktale and
the Emperor is an Asian character to reflect this, I will be wary when creating the character to not be overly
stereotypical and try base my drawings on real representations of the Emperor from my research.

Resources:
A successful project relies on good planning. Considering all the resources you will need for a project and then assessing which
you already have and which you need will help ensure you are ready to start your project.
If there is a resource you dont currently have, then consider how you are going to get it before you go in to production.
Resource:

Do you have
it?

Photoshop

Yes

Graphics Tablet

Yes

Watercolour Paints

Yes

Fonts

Yes

Scanner

Yes

Images

Yes

What do you need to do to get it?

It is a programme that is provided on the computers at college,
which is accessible for use within lesson and in other computers
around college.
The graphics tablet is provided by college during practical
lessons and is available to lend from college for use out of class
time.
I purchased my own tray of watercolour paints and five brushes
from the works, I will likely bring them into class but they are
easily available to me.
College computers enable me to access websites such as
DaFont which allow me to download and use these fonts in my
own work.
Scanners are available in multiple places around college and
are easily accessible. Scanners send work directly to my email
address, which allows me to quickly access my work.
College computers allow internet access, meaning I can use
Google images to find backgrounds and textures that will be
useful in my work.

Yes

I have a personal memory stick which allows me to save and

backup my work, both at home and from college computers.

Memory Stick

Production Schedule:
Delivering your project on time is vital. In order to do this, you need a solid plan of action. This will help you divide up your work in
to manageable chunks to be tackled one at a time. It will also allow you to plan which tasks need to be done in which order. It will
also allow you to track your progress each day. If you are falling behind, you will need to modify the way you work. If you work
faster than expected, you can clearly see what the next steps you need to take are.
Each session is a half day of college.
Session 1:
I will begin by drawing one of the dragons with a graphics tablet, the first drawing will take the longest
as I can edit this one to suit the others. This will give me a good idea of how long it will take me to draw
the rest of the characters in the story.
In the next lesson, I will tidy up my illustration so that it is as neat as possible, I will then begin the
recreate the initial drawing with minor changes to give each dragon a sense of personality. This should
take up the entire lesson
I will use this lesson to finish my illustration of the dragons and position them on the page to match the
digital flat-plan I have previously created. If I have time in the remainder of the lesson I intend on starting
to create the background for the page.
Overall: In session one I would like to complete the initial character drawings and assemble them on a
page to match my flat-plan. I aim to have the four main characters created to the best of my ability in
order to make redrawing them for each different page easier in future sessions. I may get on to
background design in this session.
Session 2:
I will concentrate on creating backgrounds in this lesson. I will paint all of the backgrounds with
watercolour paints in this one lesson if I can so they are all dry and ready when I need them. I have four
backgrounds the sea, the distant mountains, the four mountains with the valley in the middle and the

inside of the Jade Emperors castle. As the backgrounds are all created in one session I only need to
add texture and digitally edit them when constructing pages rather than making a new background every
session.
I will start creating the characters for the second page in this lesson while the backgrounds dry. I will use
my previous drawings as base ideas for these characters but put them into different positions to match
the flat plans.
Hopefully my backgrounds should be dry enough to scan into the computer, which will allow me to add
the sea background to page one. I will also add the text to page one completing the page.
Overall: In session two I am aiming to complete my backgrounds and begin production of page two. I
hope to complete the first page in this session or at least be at a stage where I can easily complete it
next session.
Session 3:
I will concentrate on finishing the characters for page two, the sketches need to be cleaned up and filled
with colour. Id like to position the characters on the page to match the flat plan. This should take the
majority of the lesson up.
I will add the background to the second page in this session and edit it using the hue/saturation tool and
overlay using my painting and a source image from the internet.
The third session will be used to put the images and background together and add the text to the page. I
will then make any changes required to
Overall: In session three I intend on completing the second page of my book to the same standard as
the first page.
Session 4:
In this lesson I will begin to draw the characters for page three using the graphics tablet, once again
using previous sketches as a reference. As the dragons are in very similar positions as they were on the
second page, this will only be a matter of making some minor changes and enlarging the characters.

The second lesson within this session will be for cleaning up and colouring in the drawings of the
dragons. I will also begin to edit the background of page three to give it the same texture and colour as
the previous page.
The last lesson will be used for constructing the page itself with the background and the characters and
making any tweaks. I will also add the text to this page in this session.
Overall: By the end of session four I aim to have my third page completed or close to completion and of
the same quality as the previous pages.
Session 5:
I will draw the dragons in the first lesson of this session. The positions of the dragons in this book page
is a little different from previous drawings so I will start by drawing the two dragons furthest away in my
flat plan that are more forwards facing.
In this session I will draw the other two dragons, which should take less time as they are backward
facing. I will then tidy up each drawing, resize them as appropriate and implement colour to each
character.
I will again add texture and colour hue to the background and add text to the page. I will add the dragons
and position them so they look as if they are sitting on the mountains. This should take me to the end of
the session.
Overall: In session five I aim to construct and complete the fourth page of my storybook; This may be
difficult to achieve in this time so I may have to add the text to the page in my own time
Session 6:
I will draw the emperor in this session using a graphics tablet. I can use the backward facing dragon
from the last page as an outline for the other dragons in this page of the book.

I will now continue with the character creation by editing each image digitally and adding colour and
texture. I will also find a new texture for the background to represent that the dragons are inside rather
than outside.
I will add this new texture to my painting and blend them using the overlay tool, opacity tool and editing
the hue and saturation of the background. I will also add the characters to the page and add the text in
this lesson.
Overall: I will complete page five of my book in session six.
Session 7:
I will create the background for this page first as it is a little more complicated than the others as it is a combination of
the land and the sea backgrounds.
I will use the previous drawings of the dragons flying and edit them slightly. The dragons will need to be flipped so they
look as if they are flying in the other direction and positioned on the background so they look proportionate in
comparison to the mountains.
The last lesson within the session will be used to add the text in and make any adjustments to the page to make it the
best possible quality. I may also begin page seven, as it is extremely similar to page four.
Overall: In session 7 I hope to create page six of my book and perhaps begin to construct page seven.
Session 8:
I will copy and edit the background of page four to suit page seven, I will also edit the dragons from the page to different
positions
I will concentrate on creating the water in Photoshop as I am unsure at this point of how to create it and would like to
experiment with different production methods to decide which would look best on this page.
I will combine the background and dragons on a page and add text to the page, completing the seventh page of my
book.

Overall: I will experiment with production methods to create the effect of rain / spraying water in order to fully complete
the seventh page in my storybook.
Session 9:

I will use this lesson to begin production of the eighth page of my childrens book, starting with drawing the characters
involved first.
This lesson will be for adding colour and detail to the initial outlines. I also aim to create a background for the final page
in this session.
With the background and characters complete, I will assemble them together on the page and add text in order to
complete the page.

Overall: I aim to complete the eighth page of my project in session nine.

Session 10:
This session will be used to go back and tidy up my work, check for any spelling errors or grammar mistakes and
ensure my work is to the best of my ability.

Contingency.
Contingency.

Health and safety:

Your health and safety and that of those around you is very important. Just like in industry, an accident could prevent you from
working. Whilst we dont work in a highly dangerous environment, there are still risks. Some are short term, such as trips and
spillages whilst others, such as long term damage to eyesight or back problems, may affect you much later in life.
Consider the risks based on the activities you will be undertaking during the project. Explain how you could prevent them from
happening.
Ensure you reference appropriate pieces of legislation, design to protect people at work.

Health and Safety Issue

I will be using watercolour paint to create backgrounds for
my storybook. Watercolour paint, although generally nontoxic, may cause harm to others in the room. Direct
contact with paint may cause skin irritation. Spilled water
may be a slipping hazard in the workroom. Paint may be
toxic if ingested.
The computers in the classroom are all powered through
cables that plug into the wall. Loose cables may become
a tripping hazard if left out.
Multiple people use the same workroom. Bags and other
items that are left out may become tripping hazards if left
unattended.
Water is dangerous if spilt near electronics. Spilt water
can also be a slipping hazard.

How can you prevent it?

Skin should be washed immediately after contact with
paints. Paint should only be used in a well-ventilated area
and should be cleared away after use. Any spillages
should be cleaned up immediately and others should be
notified of the slipping hazard.
Cables should be stowed away neatly behind the
computers and not left in the walkways. Notify others if a
cable that isnt usually there is in the way (Eg: laptop
cables) and dont leave stray cables unattended.
Ensure that all items are left under tables and not in
walkways where people are likely to fall on them. Try not
to leave items unattended.
Any water in the classroom should be bottled and keep
the lid on around electronic items. Any spillages should
be cleaned up immediately and others should be notified
of the slipping hazard.