- The document is a graphic narrative evaluation discussing the creation of a children's book about the Loch Ness Monster. - The author used rotoscoping techniques in Photoshop to manipulate images and create cartoon-like illustrations of creatures for the book. - The book tells a story about how the Loch Ness Monster is lonely because the other creatures judge and fear him due to his appearance, though he just wants to be friends. It aims to teach children the lesson of not judging others.

1. Graphic Narrative
Evaluation

2. Does your final product reflect your
original intentions?
• Compare your planning/digital flat plans/ storyboards to
your final product
Before we began our final product we practised different techniques such as
rotoscoping, using a variety of shapes to create an image, warping, using different
effects to create different looks. Practising these techniques helped us know what
would be useful and work best for our final product. I used the rotascope
technique for my final images in my book as I think they make the creatures look
effective rather than using shapes to create creatures. Comparing my practice
rotascope image to my final images you can see improvements such as adding
more details and using a variety of different colours to make the images look more
realistic and using different textures. As you can see in my first attempt at
rotascoping the colours I used were all very similar and had no textures or patterns
to make the photo look more realistic and creative, where as my final image I
rotascoped has textures and different shades of colours, for example the water, to
make the photo look more realistic. My plan of how I wanted my story to go went
well and I didn’t make any huge changes, as I kept the moral of the story the same
and used the idea of only having two main characters. However I said in my
production methods that I wouldn’t use too many sentences in my book, however
on a few of my pages I included a lot more sentences than I thought I would.

3. How well have you constructed your
images?
I think that overall I have constructed my images well as I tried to include lots of detail, especially on the
creatures such as the Loch Ness monster as its in every page and it takes up a lot of space, therefor will attract
the eye. I think that my images are bright and colourful which is what should be seen in a children's book
rather than dull boring colours, as children tend to pay allot of attention to the images as that’s how they
visualise the story and remember it. However throughout my story the creatures all look very similar, but are
just moved around in different places, therefor to make it look like the creatures are actually moving, especially
the Loch Ness monster I will use the warping tool to make the legs look as though they are moving and not just
in the same position on each page. I think that using shading of different colours on the water makes the photo
look more effective and realistic than it would if it was one block colour of blue for example.

4. How well have you used text to anchor
your images
My text anchors well into my images as the majority of the text per page anchors/fits the image and makes it
clear as to what is happening. However I need to ensure that the text is in the same place on each page and in
the same size because otherwise it makes my images look messy in a way, therefor throughout improvements
week I will fix that and make sure that all text is in the same place on each page in the same font and size.
For example the text in this image says “All the other creatures swim away in a hurry
when they see Nessie because of his petrifying reputation and humongous body.” This
text anchors in well with the image as it shows very obviously a large monster with
various types of creatures swimming away from the monster. For example the creatures
are all hurdled together closely swimming away which shows their fear, this also shows
how close they all are, which in Nessie’s perspective is upsetting because he just wants
to make friends with them all.
However the text on this page doesn’t particularly fit in well with the image as the
text is describing how the monster feels rather than what the monster is doing.
“Nessie feels lonely and sad that he doesn’t have any other friends in the Loch
because every time he tries to approach the other creatures they always swim away
from him. “I only want to be your friend” Nessie whines as they swim away in a
hurry.” Furthermore this image doesn’t really suggest any emotion as its just Nessie
sat behind a rock, and there isn’t much facial expression to suggest this either,
which is what children reading this book may find hard to figure out from the
images.

5. Is your product suitable for your
audience?
In my proposal I stated that I would make ten pages 22cmx22cm and export them in PDF, furthermore I didn’t
want to make anything to big because it could be a hazard to young children. The outline of my story is that
there is a monster in the Loch that all the other creatures are scared off, however Nessie (the monster) just
wants to be friends with all the creatures, so his plan throughout the story is to make the creatures realize that
he isn’t what they think. This storyline throughout my books gives a good insight to the children reading
because the moral is not to judge a book by its cover. My audience was aimed at young children of any gender,
however in my proposal I wasn’t very specific as to the age, furthermore my book fits 5-10 year olds as it’s a
simple story to follow. I used a various amount of sentence length that is suitable for my targeted age to follow
and understand. Having a targeted age of 5-10 suits my storyline because judging people is something children
should be taught early on as its wrong, and having morals is a good thing for children, as sometimes not all
parents teach their children these things, therefor reading about them is a good way of teaching a child and
showing examples in a simple and exciting way. I targeted both genders for my book as the storyline is suitable
for both and my images used attract both genders as the colours are what both genders like, rather than using
girly colours such as pink and purple, or boy colours like green and blue etc.

6. What do you like/dislike about the
techniques you have used?
To create my images I used Photoshop. I took images of the internet of things such as water, sea
creatures/monsters etc and then used the rotascope tool to create them into my own ideas and manipulate
them to how I want to look.
The top image is one that I took from the internet, and the image
below is the same photograph, however I manipulated it to how I
wanted my images too look. I used the rotascope tool to create a
more cartoon like version of the loch ness monster. I also added
details such as texture to make the monster have different colors
and look more realistic rather than just a block color. I like that my
images are bright colors rather than dull colors because my book is
for children, therefor they are more interested in bright images than
dull images. I also like that my image has more than one feature, for
example the rock and the two other creatures in the corner, as this
is more for the children to look at and pay for attention rather than
going through the book quickly.

7. I like that I used I rotascope tool on my images because it allowed me to manipulate the images from the internet
as much as I wanted and design them to how I wanted, the images from the internet were useful as a template to
help me start of my creatures. I also found that using the rotascope tool came in useful with my story because it
gives off a cartoon look but also slightly realistic, for example Crimson the turtle. Another tool I used was the
clipping mask. I used this tool on one of the other creatures, the turtle which has a variety of bright colors. I found
this tool useful and interesting to use because it makes the creature stand out more, as the other creatures I used
rotascoping on. For my background I took an image from the internet of water, I then used the tool threshold and
filter gallery to get a cartoon version of the water, I adjusted the threshold to how I wanted the water to look, faint
or bold, and how many shadows and highlights I wanted, as rotascoping the water would have taken up too much
time and would have been unnecessary. However there are faults to pick with my images. For example the first and
main thing I dislike the most about my images is the Loch ness monsters legs. Furthermore in each photo they are
the same and it doesn’t look like he is really swimming or moving, therefor to improve this I am going to use the
warping tool to adjust them and make it look as though he is really moving. Another thing I will adjust using the
warping tool is some of the creatures heads to also make them look more realistic as though they are moving.
Clipping
mask tool.

8. What do you like/dislike about how
your final product looks?
Something that I dislike about my images is that I think the background looks empty and plain, however I don’t want to
add too much detail otherwise the image looks too full and it makes it hard for the children to understand what's going
on the image and what's the most important part of the image if there were too many things going on in one page. I
also dislike that a lot of my images are very similar, therefor when I do my improvements I will make adjustments to the
creatures such as move heads, legs, or arms, to make them look like they are actually moving using the warp tool. I also
dislike that my text on my images is in different places an some are in different sizes. This makes my work look less
professional and the images don’t look as well put together.
However I am pleased with the way my final products came out overall, as the colors I used are bright therefor it will
attract children's eye more as they prefer to look at bright and abstract things more than dull and boring pictures, and
It having more colors and details will hold their attention for longer. I also like that my images have different shades of
colors rather than blocked colors as it adds more detail and makes them look more realistic as block color you wouldn’t
even be able to tell what the creature was. I also like that my images have a lot in them, for example more than one
creature, as this gives more for the children to look at and be interested in, making them spend more time on each
page. Rather than just having to focus on one thing.

9. Why did you include the content you
used?
I chose to use my images with bright colours in because that is what makes a book and pictures more appealing
for children to look at rather than dull colours. Furthermore I know myself that I prefer looking at brighter and
more abstract images compared to simple and plain images. I tried to make my images look abstract by using
non realistic features such as underwater creatures, some that are myths such as the Loch ness monster, as this
makes the book more exciting for young children and want to find out more about this myth. My environment
is in the sea which is also an unusual and abstract place for the Loch ness monster as it is associated to be in
the Loch ness at Scotland. I used the font platino as it fitted well with my images and theme as it is simple and
easy for the children to read. I chose to use rotoscoping in my work because it allows you to manipulate the
images you get as much as you want to your own ideas and change what you like. I also think that rotoscoping
is a good way to make your images look cartoon like. Using rota scope was also a good idea because you can
be as creative as you want, and just use the images from the internet as a template.

10. What signs, symbols or codes have
your used in your work?
• I chose to style my environment for my story in a sea environment because there was a
lot of things I can add to that environment to make it interesting to look it such as coral,
plants, use different shades of colours on the water, where as a location such as a lake
or river, it would seem unrealistic to have a wide variety of different things in it. I could
also add unrealistic features to make the images more abstract as it gives the children
more things to look at, as they may never have seen such odd features in the sea
before. However I also used a realistic environment such as the sea to blend into my
characters because otherwise the whole image may look to cartoon like and unrealistic
which could be hard to follow and understand what's going on in the image. I also used
a creature which is a myth to make the book different and interesting, alongside
realistic creatures, to make it easier to understand why the other creatures are afraid of
the Loch ness monster, furthermore the moral at the end of the story teaches you not
to judge, therefor this could teach the children when reading the book a lesson that
regardless of how someone/something looks you shouldn’t judge because not
everything is how it seems. I used a variety of creatures so that there was more to look
at on each page, rather than just having one creature throughout the book, as seeing
the same creature may lose the child’s interest and it takes all the focus of Nessie as
Nessie is in on every page.

11. What representations can be found in
your work?
• My work does feature representations because the moral of my story is based on
“don’t judge a book by its cover”. My book is based on a creature who all the
other creatures are scared of because of their appearance and the things they
have heard, however they don’t really know what he’s likes. This reflects to a lot of
situations that children may experience or be able to relate to with features such
as race, social group, religion, age, etc. For example disability's. A child may have
a disability and other children may not want them to join in with their activities
because of how the disabled child looks. Furthermore this is similar to the moral
of my story because everyone is scared to be friends with the Loch ness monster
because of how he looks. There are many representations in my book, for
example one being society. Further more the Loch ness monster didn’t feel as
though he fitted in with the other creatures because he is considered “different”
as he is much bigger and comes across more intimidating, even though he lives in
the same place as them, and they have the same lifestyle. Another representation
is that the only reason the other creatures don’t want to be friends is because
they have heard negative things about the monster, rather than getting to know
him themselves they just listened to everyone else's opinions.

12. What style have you employed in your
products?
• There aren't any other children stories based on the Loch Ness monster therefor I had
to come up with my own ideas for my story. However there are similar stories with a
similar moral such as the ugly duckling. Furthermore the summary/moral of the ugly
duckling is similar because the ugly ducklings siblings friends tease and are mean, so
he runs off to live with a flock of wild duck and geese until hunters shoot down the
flock, he then finds a home with an old woman however her cat also teases him.
Throughout the story the duckling still is being teased and doesn’t feel welcome, until
one day he comes across swans they accept him and treat him like one of them. The
moral of the story is that he is accepted, which has a very similar concept to my
children's book about the Loch Ness monster. I think that my visual style shows
positivity because I used bright colours, and towards the end of the book the images
are positive as all the creatures come together. I chose a positive visual style because
children enjoy positive books with a happy ending rather than dull/dark books with a
sad ending. Having a negative ending could also upset young children as they may not
understand why things had to end sadly. Having a positive moral at the end of a book
shows that you can get through tough times, so its almost like advice to children
reading the book.

13. What were the strengths and weaknesses
of the pre-production and planning
The weaknesses of planning for me was that there aren’t any children books about
the Loch Ness monster so I didn’t have anything to visualize or compare to, I just had
to find other children books that has a similar moral, for example, the ugly duckling.
Another weakness I found with pre-production was that the images we first started
editing and working on as practise was nothing like my story was going to be,
therefor I found it difficult to understand what I would have to improve on.
However the strengths of planning and pre-production was that it allowed me
plenty of time to ensure that the idea I came up with was 100% what I wanted as my
children's book, and planning allowed me to adjust things and make any changes so I
was prepared for the two week production. Another strength was that we had
plenty of time to practice using tools, especially the rota scope tool as this is what I
made the majority of my children's book with. Using different tools throughout pre-
production helped me, as it allowed me to know what tool I definitely wanted to use
and what would work best with my book.

14. Historical and cultural context
• There aren't any children books about the Loch Ness monster, however there
are factual books about it with images, therefor I was influenced by the book
“the ugly duckling” as this children's book has a very similar moral, not to judge
a book by its cover/ treat someone differently because of their appearance
However there are many other stories with the same moral of not to judge a
book by its cover. For example, The lowly chicken, Mouse and the Lion, and
many more.