The document provides guidance for evaluating a graphic narrative project. It instructs the user to provide specific details about their work, including written and visual examples. It also prompts the user to identify strengths and areas for improvement. The user should compare their original plans to the final product and reflect on how well they constructed images, used text, and ensured their product was suitable for the intended audience. The template suggests adding additional slides as needed and deleting any blank slides before submission.

1. Graphic Narrative
Evaluation

2. Use this template to help you evaluate your project.
You should give specific details about your work.
You should provide both written and visual examples to explain your project.
You should find areas to praise in your work. Be specific about why you think they are
good or why you are proud of them.
You should also find areas that could be improved. Look for areas that you could make
better if you went back to them. Be specific about what you would improve.
Add additional slides as you need to. Don’t be restricted by what is here.
Any blank slides should be deleted before submission.

3. Does your final product reflect your
original intentions?
• Compare your planning/digital flat plans/
storyboards to your final product
My digital flat plans (top image) were
created through images and characters
that already existed. This was a rough
idea of what I intended my book to look
like. The image on the bottom was a test
page, that was created entirely through
Photoshop, and was also a rough plan of
what I wanted my final book to look like.
The character on the right was my
original character in the final product,
but I discovered how difficult it was to
change the body position and I
understood that the character may be
too complex for young children,
therefore I adjusted it slightly.

4. The image on the left is the test page I created for my development and planning. The image on the right is the
final image I used in my book. There are quite a few adjustments from the image on the left to the one on the
right. For example, I changed the spaceship to add in some textures to make the image look more interesting. I
have also adjusted the characters to make them more suitable for children, with including things such as a face
to help the children feel more connected to the character. The first image was mainly created through the pencil
tool, whereas the second image was created with shapes as well as the pencil tool. Although there are some
differences between the two images and between my plans and my final product, the main idea is still there
throughout. The page layouts are exactly the same, however there are just a few adjustments to each image.
The main reason for changing the characters and the general look of the images is mainly for the target
audience, as I thought that the first image may have been a bit complex for young children, therefore I adjusted
the characters to look brighter and I also gave them faces, so the reader can feel a connection to the astronauts
as they are the “good guys” of the story. I also changed the font to Chalkduster, as I thought it would look better
and may be even a bit easier for younger children to read.

5. These were the hand drawn flat
plans which were used in my
development, which almost
reflected the final product exactly.
There wasn’t many adjustments
made to these when creating my
final product, as I thought
everything from the hand drawn flat
plans looked and fit quite well with
the narrative.

6. How well have you constructed your
images?
• How well have you constructed your images?
You could talk about the overall visual
appearance and well as the use of texture and
colour.

7. I tried to use a mixture of textures on this page to give the image a more interesting look. However alongside that
I used flat shapes and in this image I drew the Earth after scanning in a drawing, which helps to create a nice
contrast between the flat looking shapes and the textured shapes. In this image, I used a space background to
give the image a slight sense of realism. I have also tried to use as many bright colours as possible as it will help to
grab the child’s attention if there are lots of bright colours.

8. I have tried to make the appearance of my book look similar to the existing products on the right. All of these
images have included drawings and shapes to create the final product. However, the main difference between
my final product and the existing products is that I have used different textures on my images to give it an
interesting look. I feel as though the overall image has turned out fairly well as it looks very similar to existing
products that have sold well. I also added a stroke to my text to help make it stand out and easier for children
to read, as without it may blend into the background and be harder for children that are learning to read.

9. How well have you used text to anchor
your images
• You should talk about the combination of
words, images and text.
Throughout the book, I have
used the same font, which is
Chalkduster. I used it as I
thought it fit in well with the
images and that it stood out
against the background. I also
used this font as I thought it
would be fairly easy for young
children to read in comparison
to some other fonts.

10. On this page, I have used the text to describe the situation and what was on the page.
I have done this to make it easier for young children to understand the setting and
what is going on. I have tried to write in the simplest way possible, so younger
children can understand the story. I have also written in a mixture of uppercase and
lowercase letters, as that is how children will be learning to read, therefore it would
make it easier if they are reading something that looks similar to how they are
learning it.

11. On all of the pages, I have tried to explain what is happening in each picture.
This helps the reader to understand the context of each page. I have also added
different facial expressions of the characters in each image to try to help the
reader understand the way the characters feel in each image, as sometimes
they may not understand through the text.

12. These are all examples of other books that have used similar concepts to mine. For
example, they are all written in a simplistic manner, to make the book more suitable
for younger children.

13. Is your product suitable for your
audience?
• Reference your proposal
• Give an audience profile and describe
suitability in reference to content
My Proposal: For my audience, I will be targeting boys aged 3-7. This book will be targeting
no specific class as this book can be read by anybody. It will be targeted at people in Britain as
it will be written in English and also sold in Britain. However, this book may also be read by
people in other English speaking countries such as America and Canada etc. This book will be
targeted at young children but will be purchased by their parents/other family/friends,
meaning the book will have to look visually pleasing for the buyer as well as the children.

14. My book is aimed to target boys aged 3-7, which I feel like the final product is suitable for that
group as I have tried to include different things to make it fit in to that target groups interests. For
example, both of the lead characters in this book are male. This may help young boys to feel more
connected to those characters, as they may see themselves like those characters whilst growing
up. Also, it is very common for young children to want to be an astronaut, which helps if the
reader has an interest to become an astronaut when they grow up, as they will feel more
interested in the book as the main characters are astronauts. Also, I have included the common
storyline of the main characters fighting the “bad guy” and the main characters winning.
Also, I have tried to make the book look as visually pleasing as possible, because the book is aimed
at young children, that would mean they aren’t able to purchase the book themselves. Therefore,
their parents or another adult would have to purchase the book for them, meaning the book
would need to look as visually pleasing as possible to attract adults to buying this book for the
child.
The book is also targeted for people in English speaking countries, as the book is written entirely
in English, meaning it would be very difficult for somebody that doesn’t speak English to
understand the storyline.
I feel as though the final product is suitable for my target audience as before I created the book, I
considered the things that would be suitable and unsuitable for my target audience and I tried to
fit in things that were fairly simple, to make the book as understandable as possible for the young
children.

15. What do you like/dislike about the
techniques you have used?
• Reference specific tools you used with images
I really enjoyed using the shape
tools as I like the overall look of
the images after all the shapes
are in place. I also found this
method fairly easy to do, which
made my final product easier to
make as I used this method to
create lots of aspects of the
book, such as the characters.

16. I really enjoyed doing rotoscoping (left), by using the
polygonal lasso tool to select areas of the image and then
creating a new layer via copy and then adding a colour
overlay to create the cartoon effect. However I didn’t find
an opportunity to use rotoscoping in my final product,
but it is my favorite technique to use.
I really enjoyed making the cartoon effect images
(right), by adding the cutaway filter onto the image and
adding a threshold, and then duplicating the layers and
changing the hue/saturation, and selecting and
deleting sections of the image to reveal the coloured
sections. I also didn’t find an opportunity to use this for
my final product but I still enjoyed using this technique
in pre-production.

17. I personally didn’t really enjoy this technique as I struggled to find textures that work well
with different shapes. However there are some elements of this image that I like such as
the clouds and the door, which I feel fit well. I used this technique quite a lot in my final
product to create textures for different shapes, which does look quite effective. I did this
by placing a texture over the top of a shape and creating a clipping mask, and then
adjusting the hue/saturation and the opacity to create a texture.

18. What do you like/dislike about how
your final product looks?
I like the different textures on this image such as the background and the moon, and the textures on the spaceship,
as it makes the image look more unique and interesting. I also like the Earth as this was created by scanning in a
drawing and coloring it in using a pencil tool. However, I dislike the faces and the body positions of the characters as
I feel that the faces were rushed too much and the pencil tool has created a sort of jagged look to the facial features
which don’t make it fit in as well as the smooth lines. I don’t like the body positions of the astronauts as they look
very rigid, as it was very difficult to keep the body in proportion but also adjust the position of them.

19. On this page, I really like the window and the space overlay I added in, as it makes the page look slightly more
realistic which contrasts the rest of the book as it is in a cartoon style. However, I dislike the bed on the right as it
looks slightly out of proportion and I feel like I could have spent a little bit more time trying to make it look more
realistic. I also like the shapes used for the body of the two characters on this page, as the stroke used makes it
look a lot smoother and clear. However, I dislike the faces of the characters as they were rushed, and were added
on top with a pencil tool, which has left jagged, uneven lines which doesn’t look very good next to the smooth
stroke lines around the shapes. Therefore, if I were to do this again, I would spend more time working on their
facial expressions, and possibly using the shape tool or maybe a paintbrush tool, to reduce the jagged lines.

20. Why did you include the content you
used?
• Images, fonts, effects, colours
Fonts: I have used the font, “Chalkduster” throughout my book as it is very easy for
children to read. Also, I have chosen this font as with the added stroke, it stands out
against the dark background. This font is also very visually pleasing which is good for the
target audience, as we have established that an adult would need to purchase the book
as the target audience is boys aged 3-7, which means they are fairly unlikely to purchase
this book, therefore it should look visually pleasing for the adult that is purchasing this
book.
Colours: I have mainly aimed to use bright colours within my book as young children are
more attracted to bright colours than dull colours. As my book is set in space, a lot of the
background is very dark and dull, so to contrast that I have tried to use as many bright
colours to help the characters stand out from the background. I have also used different
colours on each character as it helps to distinguish between them as without different
colours and the space belt they wear, it would be very hard to tell who is who
throughout the book, which could easily get confusing for a young child.

21. Images & Effects:
I have used textured overlays by creating a clipping mask over a shape, which creates a
nice effect as it contrasts against the smooth shapes of the characters, as they were
created with the shape tool. I have added in some images such as the starry
background and the space background through the window. I have done this to create
some realism as my book is predominantly a cartoon style, therefore the images help to
contrast against this, which makes the book a little bit more interesting for younger
children.

22. Audience Responses
Cultural competence:
Media texts require us to have a certain level of cultural understanding to
be able to interpret them.
At a basic level, this could mean being able to read the language that a
magazine is written in.
At a deeper level, it means being able to interpret signs and symbols that
we use a visual shorthand to communicate ideas.
We recognise these signs in our own culture but find it harder to
understand when looking at others.
We create and attach meaning to signs and symbols in many different
forms.
22Creative Media Production 2012

23. Audience Responses
Cultural competence:
What is this?
This is a Norwegian Pine tree, covered in
snow and with a red ribbon on.
Our cultural understanding allows us to
interpret its meaning.
To us, in British society, it means
Christmas, presents and family.
This is because we share a cultural
knowledge.
23Creative Media Production 2012

24. Audience Responses
Cultural competence:
There are many other signs and symbols
that we attach meaning to.
A leather jacket can imply rebellion.
A sports car can imply wealth and power.
A cross can represent religion.
24Creative Media Production 2012

25. Audience Responses
Cultural competence:
Visual representations of everyday objects are often the same the world
over. A car appears as a car, no matter what country it appears in.
What that car means however, can be very different depending on your
cultural background.
25Creative Media Production 2012

26. What representations can be found in
your work?
• How are men, women or children shown in
your work? Does your work feature different
ages, races, social groups or religions? Does a
lack of any variety of character types create its
own representation?

27. This question is very difficult to answer as the majority of my book is fictional, therefore
there isn’t many representations in my work. However, there are two main characters that
represent some groups. The two main characters are both male, as stereotypically, the
majority of astronauts are male. My work doesn’t seem to feature any different races, or
social groups or religions, as it is completely fictional, meaning there is no realism
surrounding things such as social groups or religions.
However, the main characters may be able to represent age as they are both middle aged.
This is because usually astronauts need to go through training in order to go to space,
meaning it wouldn’t make much sense if the astronauts were children. However, if I did
this again, I would maybe create the astronauts as children as it would help the reader to
connect themselves to the characters, which can be quite successful in some cases.

28. What style have you employed in your
products?
• Discuss influences/ existing products
• What visual style does your work have and
why did you choose it?

29. All these books helped influence me to create my
book the way I did as these have been created in a
similar style to mine.

30. I have tried to create my book in quite a simplistic, cartoon style. I have included
drawings and characters/other elements that were created through the shape tool. I
have also included some forms of realism within my work, through textured overlays, by
using clipping masks. This is a fairly unique style, as not many existing products have
used textures along side basic drawings or shapes. However, I really like this style as it
adds some form of realism alongside the unrealistic characters, which gives some
contrast, which I think would be interesting from a child’s point of view.
Within this image, I have
included the metal texture on
the back wall, and the
wooden texture on the floor
and the space image on the
background. I think these all
give the image an interesting
look as it contrasts well
between the plain, flat shapes
of the characters and the
background.

31. What were the strengths and weaknesses
of the pre-production and planning
• How did the planning and research help
• How well did you manage your time
• Reference specific examples

32. I feel like the pre-production was a massive help during the production as I had a clear
structured plan of what I needed to do, and when it needed doing. This helped me to
manage my time better and I was more organized when completing work, as I knew
when I should be working on different things and when things should be completed.
Also, the pre-production and planning of my book, especially where we did mind maps
for our chosen storyline, helped me to gather ideas for my story, in a more structured
way.
I also feel I managed my time well, as I produced a schedule for my work, so I knew
exactly what needed doing and when it needed doing as I structured it into sessions, and
I planned out what I was going to do in each session. However, there were some
occasions where I didn’t exactly follow the work plan, as there were some adjustments
that needed making on different aspects, which some took longer than expected. For
example, I designed the characters, and the astronauts in particular, I wasn’t very happy
with, and it was very difficult to change their body positions throughout the book.
Therefore, I decided to completely redesign the characters using the shape tool instead
of drawing it and scanning it in, and then redrawing over the top to fill in colours and
shading, as this method didn’t really fit in with the style of my book. As I chose to
redesign those characters, that meant it pushed back my work plan. However, there were
some occasions where I made up for this, as there were aspects, such as the background,
that didn’t take as long as I thought they would, which meant I was still able to complete
my work in time, but I just didn’t follow the plan completely.

33. Historical and cultural context
• How does your work compare to what has
come before? What other similar products
have existed in the past? What current
products exist?

34. My book was based on Little Red Riding Hood, which is a fairy tale. This means that this
story has been around for a very long time, therefore there will be lots of adaptations to it.
The most famous release of this book would be by Brothers Grimm. My book was inspired
by Little Red Riding Hood, in the way that the alien was hiding who he was to try to steal
from the astronauts, which is similar to the way the wolf is hiding who he is to eat Little Red
Riding Hood.
These are only a few of many examples of the Little Red Riding books that have
been released in the past. Some of these books are similar to mine in style.

35. These products are books that have already been published, that have some elements that
are similar to mine. They aren’t necessarily similar in style but are similar in the theme of
space. It is very hard to find an existing product that is similar to mine as my idea is quite
unique and I don’t think the idea has been created and published before.