Task 3 (Development & Design)

Development & Design

Hey, it's Jelly... again. For the third and final part of the task, we are required to choose one of the sketches that we made that was inspired by the design that we selected in the previous task. We would then have to develop and refine it with design principles in mind. We need to finalize the idea, give it a title, and write a rationale about it to explain/defend the process, purpose, and design principles applied.

Development

In truth, the way I developed this design is quite messy, with a lot of changing priorities while drawing and quite a few times experimenting other parts instead whenever I feel stumped.

Selected Sketch

Fig. 1.1: Scanned manually-drawn selected sketch

Process

• Initial Sketch and Digitization

Fig. 1.1: Rough manual sketch

Fig. 2.2: Digitalized sketch in Ibis Paint w/ initial coloring

I began by sketching the poster layout on paper to plan the composition and positioning of the main elements. This helped me visualize the overall structure of the design before moving into digital work. Then, I scanned the sketch and imported it into Ibis Paint, where I refined the outline and added the initial coloring as a guide for further development. The initial scan helped me identify areas that needed refinement on both composition and linework,

• Character Design and Facial Expression Development

Fig. 3.1: Expression reference; An expression of possibly malice or indifference (Source: Pinterest)

Fig. 3.2: Rough sketch of facial structure and expression

Fig. 3.3: Basic coloring and initial shadowing

Fig. 3.4: Blending of highlight and shadow, and drawing hair textures

Fig. 3.5: Completion on character details

I researched facial expressions on Pinterest to make sure that the characters' emotions are portrayed well with the mood that I'm going for, which is tension, and a sense of unease. After that, I sketched it manually and refined it in digital form before focusing on other details such as hair texture, highlights, and shadows. This made the characters to appear more realistic, and capture the feeling of the unsettling atmosphere. I adjusted the hair texture and highlights after noticing that some facial areas looked flat under the red color scheme.

• Color Application and Lighting Effects

Fig. 4.1: Lighting reference; A girl holding a candle (Source: Pinterest)

Fig. 4.2: Using pure red and red color scheme to the whole canvas, before adding shadows to areas unaffected by light

Fig. 4.3: Adding Black Vintage filter, and highlighting using a blueish gray on facial features affected by the glowing cabin

Fig. 4.4: Changing blue highlights to a very light color

I applied a strong red color scheme to the characters to create a dramatic and intense mood. I researched lighting techniques to understand how light would be reflected on the faces because I planned to paint the world red, with a glowing white cabin as a secondary light source. Then, I added highlights and darker shaded areas to create depth, to emphasize the main features and intensifying the character's emotions. Initially, the lighting looked too flat, so I added stronger highlights and shadows to enhance depth and make the faces more expressive.

• Cabin Illustration and Glow Effect

Fig. 5.1: Coloring the base with blueish gray color

Fig. 5.2: Adding white gradient from bottom of the cabin and adding light reflecting on the red hill from the windows

Fig. 5.3: Trying to set the cabin glow with pure white hue and light pink on the edges of the cabin

Fig. 5.4: Blurring the glow setting of the cabin to really sell the idea

For the cabin, I used a greyish-blue base color to contrast with the red tone as it dominates the whole canvas. I initially added a fading white layer from the bottom of the cabin to create a soft lighting, but later improved this by adding a glow effect surrounding the cabin. This made the cabin stand out as the focal point, making it stand out from the red background.

• Typography Design (Title and Director Text)

Fig. 6.1: Initial text made using ruler

Fig. 6.2: Writing the typography by hand and making a white gradient throughout the text

Fig. 6.3: Adding details that gives off a jittery effect (like creaky) by nearly retracing each letters using different values of the red hue

I created the title by hand to give it a unique and unsettling style to it, shaping it in a curve of the pathway towards the cabin. Then I added additional layers with slightly lighter color value of the red hue to create an unbalanced and distorted effect. Initially, the text looked to uniform hence why I added the extra layers to enhance the jittery, unsettling effect. 

Fig. 6.4: Sample of the font '1942 Report' (Source: dafont.com)

Fig. 6.5: Director's name of the movie Knock at the Cabin (2023)

As for the director's name, I used a typewriter-style font (1942 Report Font) to create a contrast and give out a more cinematic feel to it

• Final Refinement and Adjustments

Fig 7.1: Refining the whole design; tweaking of the girl's expression from indifference to fear

Afterwards, I refined the overall design by adjusting colors, improving shading, and enhancing details across the poster design. I added a black vintage filter on the design to create a more intense, caged feeling for the cabin towards the other elements. I ensured that there is harmony and unity in the overall design and also made final improvements to balance the composition and maximize the visual impact. I experimented with different filter and color adjustments before finalizing to achieve a cohesive and intense mood. I also slightly tweaked the expressions a little bit to have a more oppressive nuance to the design.

Color Palette

Fig. 8.1: Color palette used in Finalized Design (Source: coolors.co)

Timelapse

Video 1: Timelapse/speed paint of Finalized Design

Design (Finalized Idea)

Fig. 9.1: Alternative Movie Poster: Knock at the Cabin_Jelita Joice Maharani_Task 3

For my finalized design, I wanted to create a feeling tension and unease that matches the plot of the movie, Knock at the Cabin. I chose red tones for the characters to make them stand out and show strong emotions, while the glowing cabin acts as a focal point of the design. I chose red because it is the color that mostly represents danger and threat, while I also wanted to highlight the cabin white to represent innocence before doom follows them. The hand-drawn title follows the curve of the path towards the cabin, giving it an unbalanced, unsettling look, and the typewriter-style font for the director's name adds a cinematic contrast, since this is also inspired by a movie poster.

The purpose of the design is to grab the viewer's attention, just as the Knock at the Cabin movie poster did to me. I wanted to show the unsettling and eerie mood of the story visually by focusing on the facial expressions, lighting, and color symbolism without having to communicate it with words. The cabin, as the focal point, would be a starting point for the viewer's eyes to move through the design.

I used several design principles to make the poster come together. The Contrast is clear between the red characters and the glowing cabin. The Emphasis would be the glowing cabin, guiding the viewer's eyes towards the characters through its reflected highlights. It follows Rule of Thirds as each character occupies each corner, giving it balance in through visual value, even if the design has an Asymmetrical balance. There is Unity and Harmony as the colors schemes, lighting, facial expressions, and typography of the title brought the whole elements together in a unified unsettling mood. Movement is also evident in the pathway towards the cabin, that is also filled with the Typography of the title, which gives off a jittery, uneasy feeling.

Overall, I aimed to make the poster as visually striking as it can, in my own capabilities, and meaningful in a way that viewer's could immediately sense that there something bad that is bound to happen upon the cabin.

Feedback (24/03/26)

1. The expressions bring about a sinister intention, and the lighting would emphasize that.