Trial and error

First of all, I drew and colour the illustrations on separate piece of paper

Then I scanned them in and manipulated them in Photoshop.

I had to change its angel so I can get the right compost ion and depth.

I scanned a texture that I made

I start off with put together the illustrations and the grass on a document in Photoshop

Change the illustration's angel to make it follow the road shape ?

I started to colour the bin but it doesn't look good

I realised that the edges of the bin's lead and its body isn't the same. So by using the lasso tool to select the line

Cmd+T then expanded it.

Tadaa.

the I realised that the outlines is just bad, wonky and isn't neat so I  think i should try.... live trace on Illustrator to see if it going to make any differences.

I think the lines look softer and neater but I am still not happy with it. What I could do is I could draw the entire lines again in Illustration as I am so demanding of getting perfect lines. oh wait.

I tried to move the lines that I live traced in Illustrator to Photoshop and I think it looks better.

I had to rubber the grass.

The pen tool then selected the 'load path as selection' in the path menu.

I also had to rubber the bin's texture near the dog's fur because I can see it's texture through out the dog even though I had coloured the dog in.

I did collage trees using the textures that I made

 Manipulated them into Photoshop. I think the illustrations have too much tree and less sense of depth

I think the illustration looks better but I think to improve this.. maybe I should've done all collage ? I like the differences between traditional and digital collage have made.

I got a feeling that this idea isn't going to work. After I had a long thought, I decided to do a propaganda poster of Sergeant Stubby.

These are some ideas. 

1. A portrait of Sergeant Stubby with an American flag at the background

2. Stubby holding the flag symbolise America won the war

3. Uncle Sam's poster but Sergeant Stubby's version

4. different emotion of Sergeant Stubby during the war.

I start off by drawing bull dogs. I am not very good at it but I think I am improving since I keep repeating drawing it.

We had a crits last Tuesday and these are some advises that I thought it might be useful :-

• '.. make refetene to ww1..'' - intern of colour, symbol or perhaps, famous figures
• show linear story e.g. changes in seasons/weathers
• try to communicate your opinion about Stubby.
• 
  

Reference Images to be continued

Refrence images.
Dustbin 
Garbage
Angry bull dog
World war one tent
Boston bulldog 
scenery world war one
Army uniform

Research + Ideas To be continued

At first I was planning of illustrating animals in first world war but I changed my mind. Now I decided to do a comic based on true story of hero animals during the first world war. Hopefuly I will be producing three different stories.
1. Lizzie the circus elephant
2. Cher Ami the mail pigeon
3. Surgent Stubby the American dog hero.

What's next ?
Search in more depth into each of those animal story

--

Reference
Lizzie's
Lizzie the elephant
Photos of Lizzie
http://www.nfa.dept.shef.ac.uk/jungle/index4d3.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_William_Ward_(industrialist)
http://www.sheffieldforum.co.uk/archive/index.php/t-15134.html
http://www.nfa.dept.shef.ac.uk/jungle/index4d3.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_William_Ward_(industrialist)
http://www.sheffieldforum.co.uk/showthread.php?s=&threadid=2521&highlight=lizzie+ward


Public library ?

Cher ami
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cher_Ami
http://content.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2059858_2059863_2060209,00.html
http://www.si.edu/Encyclopedia_SI/nmah/cherami.htm
http://www.homeofheroes.com/wings/part1/3b_cherami.html
http://www.buzzfeed.com/katienotopoulos/the-heartwarming-story-of-cher-ami-the-pigeon-who-saved-200
http://www.burdr.com/2010/05/cher-ami-the-war-pigeon/

Surgent Stubby the American dog hero.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sergeant_Stubby
http://www.badassoftheweek.com/sgtstubby.html
http://www.examiner.com/article/sergeant-stubby-pit-bull-and-decorated-canine-war-hero
http://amhistory.si.edu/militaryhistory/collection/object.asp?ID=15
http://www.ct.gov/mil/cwp/view.asp?a=1351&q=257892
http://stubbydog.org/2012/05/a-heros-nature/
http://www.jbmf.us/hst-ww1.aspx

Then I printed these articles as I prefer to have them soft copy. But after I read these artless about Cher Ami, Lizzie and Stubby, I realised that Sergeant Stubby have the most interesting and well known story line. So I decided to illustrate Sergeant Stubby's.

These are some key moments in his life.  I am planning of creating a A2 illustrations of sergeant stubby based on his key moments in life. in total 11 illustrations.

But then I realised that there is lack of purpose so I decided to do a comic instead.

Pages:-
1- Title
2 - Pattern
3 - Pattern
4 - (Before met the owner) Living near garbage cans to garbage = Homeless dog
5 - Turned up one day in the summer of 1917 at the Yale Bowl Training Camp
6 -  Stubby would train with the armies every morning, running and excessing with the units.
7 - Looking for German armies
8 - He was injured during a grenade attack. Receiving a large amount of shrapnel in his chest and legs.
9 - He visited wounded soldiers, boosting their morale.
10 - Caught a German spy
11 - The armies designed Stubby a jacket that look like an American military uniform and decorated it with stubby's name, rank and medals.
12 - Stubby proudly wearing his new jacket
13 - America won the war
14 - After the war he went with his owner to Georgetown university for a low schoo.
15 - Pattern
16 - illustrator's name

However, after talking to Matt, he said that is too much as I only have roughly 10 days left. He advised me to pick only 4 key moments. So I decided to pick :-

1. (Before met the owner) Living near garbage cans to garbage = Homeless dog
2. Looking for German armies
3. He visited wounded soldiers, boosting their morale.
4. Stubby proudly wearing his new jacket