Webcomic

Week 10 - 14

Li Shiqing / 0366582

Bachelor of Design (Honours) in Creative Media

Illustration & Visual Narrative

Project 4: Webcomic

Assignment Overview

In this final assignment, students will produce an animated, web-ready comic cover and a minimum of three panel comic page based on W.W. Jacobs' short tale "The Monkey's Paw". This project combines storytelling, composition, and animation to recreate the narrative's creepy mood, with a mobile-friendly, portrait presentation.

https://www.sfu.ca/~swartz/monkeys_paw.htm

Introduction

The very beginning is nothing more than reading and selecting the passages of the story you want.

Chosen Part

At the foot of the stairs the match went out, and he paused to strike another; and at the same moment a knock came so quiet and stealthy as to be scarcely audible, sounded on the front door.

The matches fell from his hand and spilled in the passage. He stood motionless, his breath suspended until the knock was repeated. Then he turned and fled swiftly back to his room, and closed the door behind him. A third knock sounded through the house.

"WHAT'S THAT?" cried the old woman, starting up.

"A rat," said the old man in shaking tones.

(Part 3, Paragraph 33 - 36)

Reason

I chose this part since this is the climax, this scene increases tension and emphasizes the ramifications of the family's intentions. The quiet knocking on the door heightens tension, creating the impression that their son, Herbert, has returned—but in a terrible, unnatural way. The husband's fear, as seen by his dropping the matches and running, indicates that he is scared of what could be outside. When he claims it's only a rat, he's attempting to avoid the unpleasant reality. This scenario emphasizes the story's fundamental point: meddling with fate can have unintended and disastrous consequences. It keeps the reader guessing about what happens next.

Research

The next step is to search for information and references online.

I was inexperienced with human expressions and movements, so I searched for a variety of reference photographs.

Going Down Stairs

(https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/11zgmTzKjCSReNI9OPFet4Y-jdqhDCN8O?usp=sharing)

Lighting Matches

(https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1MU-1n49KQRZ0Gnw_n1Kl_Ugl5HZQ5Yjv?usp=sharing)

Open the Door

(https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1n49CJCsRAXoYleGGZJD-WY6_eovt7ooD?usp=sharing)

Surprised Face

（https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1RJAe6oFzyOuz5JGMAknzcIZZkpzPnFJV?usp=sharing）

Cover

The cover of "The Monkey's Paw" is dark and eerie, capturing the story's suspense and danger. The hand in the center depicts the monkey's paw. Behind it, a frightening visage with burning white eyes adds to the mystery and horror. One eye has a dollar sign, which represents greed and the cost of wishes. The title "Monkey's Paw" is printed in an unsettling, uneven style that heightens the eerie atmosphere. The dark backdrop and restricted lighting create a scary and intriguing atmosphere that matches the story's topic of fate and its unforeseen repercussions.