"We are all storytellers. We all live in a network of stories. There isn’t a stronger connection between people than storytelling." - Jimmy Neil Smith
The objective for this project was to understanding the world of children: Sensitivity in Storytelling.
The project begun with an introduction to the significance of children's literature and its impact on young minds.
Further, the class was given a cheat sheet which had almost 90+ themes from which we could choose age group, a theme, a visual style for our story book.
The brief was to formulate a short story of not more than 150 words which will turn into a 3-page spread. Overall a 6-page story.
Out of all the themes, the 3 themes I was confsed about were :
A story about a mirror that shows the future
A story about how all the fruits elected the king of fruits
There is a city in the cupboard.
I planned a rough idea for the above 3 themes, and then further discussed the same with my mentor. He suggested and like my idea which covered the theme THERE IS A CITY IN THE CUPBOARD.
TARGET AGE GROUP
Initially, I felt that my story should cater to the age group of 10-12. But then, I futher realised that the overall plot of my story is more suitable for the age group of 6-9 years.
When I started the story in the first place, I did'nt consider the word limit and just kept on writing the same.
The first draft of the story was :
Once upon a time in a quiet suburban neighborhood, there lived a curious 12-year-old named Lily. One day, while exploring the dusty attic of her grandmother's house, she stumbled upon an old, mysterious cupboard. To her surprise, when she opened the door, she found herself transported to an extraordinary city inside.
This city was like no other, filled with miniature skyscrapers made of stacked plates, streets paved with colorful candy wrappers, and tiny citizens bustling around like ants. The air was sweet with the scent of caramel, and the buildings sparkled with sugar crystals.
Lily soon discovered that the Cupboard City was a magical place with a problem. The city's vibrant colors were fading, and its sweetness was diminishing. The citizens, tiny creatures called Sugarians, were losing their joy, and the once-thriving city was becoming dull.
Determined to help, Lily befriended a group of Sugarians led by a wise elder named Sweetums. They explained that the city's magic was powered by the "Sugar Stone," a legendary crystal hidden deep within the Candy Caves. Unfortunately, the stone had been stolen by the Sour Puff Gang, a mischievous group of sour candy bandits.
Lily and her new friends embarked on a sweet and perilous journey through Cupboard City, facing challenges like licorice rope bridges and chocolate quicksand. Along the way, they encountered helpful allies, including Bubblegum Bouncers and Jellybean Jesters.
As the adventure unfolded, Lily's courage and determination inspired the Sugarians, and the city began to regain its vibrancy. Together, they confronted the Sour Puff Gang in a climactic showdown within the Candy Caves. With quick thinking and a bit of cleverness, Lily outsmarted the bandits and retrieved the Sugar Stone.
Returning the Sugar Stone to its rightful place, Cupboard City was saved, and its magic was restored. Lily bid farewell to her tiny friends, knowing she could visit anytime by opening the magical cupboard door. As she stepped back into the real world, Lily cherished the memories of her sweet adventure and the friendships she had made in the city in the cupboard.
And so, the legend of Cupboard City lived on, a hidden wonder waiting to be explored by those with the courage to open the door to magic and sweetness.
150 word Version :
In a quiet suburban neighborhood, the inquisitive Lily, aged 12, stumbled upon a magical cupboard in her grandmother's attic, whisking her away to Cupboard City—a tiny haven of candy skyscrapers and sweet-filled streets. The city faced a crisis—fading colors and diminishing sweetness due to the stolen "Sugar Stone" by the mischievous Sour Puff Gang. Determined to help, Lily joined her newfound Sugarian friends on a perilous journey through licorice bridges and chocolate quicksand. In a climactic showdown, the Sugar Stone unexpectedly burst into sparkling sugar, enveloping Cupboard City in a wave of sweetness. Miraculously, the burst brought not an end but a new beginning. Sugarians and the Sour Puff Gang, realizing the error of their ways, joined forces to rebuild their sweet home, flourishing with even greater enchantment. Lily, forever a beloved friend, continued to share in the joy of the sugary wonderland she had unintentionally helped create, making Cupboard City a haven of sweetness and unity.
Further, the feedback was to make the character more proactive and make the ending a little better.
Draft 2 after incorporating the feeback:
Draft 3 :
FINAL STORY
Once upon a time, in a quiet suburban neighborhood, the inquisitive Lily, aged 8, stumbled upon a magical cupboard in her grandmother's attic. Upon opening its door, she found herself whisked away to the whimsical Cupboard City. This city was like no other, filled with miniature skyscrapers made of stacked plates, streets paved with colorful candy wrappers, and tiny citizens bustling around like ants. The air was sweet with the scent of caramel, and the buildings sparkled with sugar crystals. Lily soon discovered that the Cupboard City was a magical place with a problem. The city's vibrant colors were fading, and its sweetness was diminishing. The citizens, tiny creatures called Sugarians, were losing their joy, and the once-thriving city was becoming dull. Unfortunately, the stone had been stolen by the Sour Puff Gang, a mischievous group of sour candy bandits. When lily found the same, eager to make a difference, Lily joined forces with the members of sugar kingdom named sugarians. To win back the sugar stone, lily and the sugarians had to be a part of a sugar quest . Lily and her new friends embarked on a sweet and perilous journey where there were different obstacles like fruity bridges and chocolate quicksand. Lily along with sugarians cleared the first obstacle which made them one step ahead in the game . After clearing the first obstacle, lily realized that this war is good for none. This game will continue the rivalry between the two kingdoms for life. Then and there she decided to end this quest by bursting the sugar stone. This was an unexpected twist for both the kingdoms. The sugar stone got burst into sparkling sugar, rejuvenating the cupboard city with a wave of sweetness. The burst being a surprise, brought a flair of a new beginning where both the kingdoms realized that the war is of no use and further joined forces to rebuild their sweet home. Lily, became their friend and continued to share in the joy of the sugary wonderland she had unintentionally helped create, making the cupboard city a haven of sweetness and unity.
IN CLASS ASSIGNMENT
The purpose of this assignment was to observe the painting and delve into it to understand the collage dynamics applied in the same.
The observations we made by observing the same were :
ROUGH SKETCHES
After finalising the story, I strated the process with very rough sketches and layouts :
Layouts
SKETCH OF DIFFERENT ELEMENTS
After making a lot of handmade sketches, it was time to decide on the visual style for my story book.
I was quite confused whether to make handmade sketches or try my hands on digital mediums. Further, I went ahead in this project with making sketches digitally.
FINAL LAYOUT
BLACK AND WHITE SKETCHES ( DIGITAL)
COLOURED ELEMENTS
SUGARY WONDERLAND
SOUR PUFF KINGOM
DOOR ILLUSTRATION
SUGAR QUEST
SUGARY WONDERLAND COMPOSITION
SOUR PUFF KINGDOM
TURNED INTO FLAPS
SUGAR STONE
CHOCOLATE MONSTER
SPREADS ( VISUAL)
The book initiallly opened with the spread that resembled cupboard, which would further help the readers to connect with the story that they are reading about a fictional story about a city in the cupboard.
After opening the book, there were tow flaps attached to the first page that visually depicted how the two cities look like :
After opening the two flaps, the first page looked like :
Second Page :
Finalised Spread :
Second Spread Pop Up :
I printed out different elements for the pop up and applied different techniques to reach my final outcome.
Third Spread:
FRONT AND BACK COVER ILLUSTRATIONS
FINALISED SPREADS
FINAL FRONT AND BACK COVER
MOCKUP
LEARNINGS AND REFLECTIONS
While writing a story, the post important factor that one needs to keep in his or her mind is the target readers, while working on my story I did speak to some children who belonged to the age group of 6-9 years, their feedback helped me frame the story which was ultimately relevent to them.
Creating a children's storybook demanded not only creativity but also a alot of patience.
The intricate details, the revisions, and the iterative process taught me the beauty of allowing creativity to unfold organically, sometimes in its own time.
This project taught me a lot about the power of the simplicity, I got to learn that children's literature thrives on simplicity. It taught me that often, the most profound messages are conveyed through simplicity.
Finishing the project brought a sense of accomplishment. It taught me the value of persistence, commitment, and the joy that comes from seeing a creative endeavor through to completion.
"In the tapestry of life, each story is a thread, The pages may end, but the magic of storytelling is eternal."
Comments