Design Principles - Task 3: Development & Design

 22/03/25 - (Week 5- Week 7)

Nastaran Erfan || 0368366

Design Principles || Bachelor of Mass Communication (Honors) Digital Media Production 

Task 3: Development & Design

1.0 Instructions

 

2.0 Recap of Task 3

We have to create a design based on the sketches done in Task 2 using any medium/materials.

3.0 Selected Idea

I was told that my 3rd idea is the best one out of my 3 sketches so I used it as a reference for my final piece.

Figure 3.1: Selected Idea (Sketch 3)

4.0 Process

I started working on my drawing in Sketchbook using my android tablet.

Figure 3.2: Line art

Then using the following brushes I I started coloring everything in: Primary Pencil, Chalk Pastel, Soft Pastel, Synthetic Acrylic, Synthetic Oil, Synthetic Bristle Round Brush, Smudge Pen and Textured Eraser. Once I got the base of everything down I switched to ibisPaint to have more control over each layer and to be able to use clipping masks.

Figure 3.3: Before moving the layers to ibisPaint

I recorded the time-lapse both in Sketchbook and ibisPaint so that I could show my progress. The total time spent on this piece is around 5 hours and there's a total of 54 layers.

Figure 3.4: from the sketch to the final drawing

I realized that Sketchbook didn't let me change the size of my canvas so it wasn't in A4 so the last thing that I did was to adjust the sizes/position of everything to fit nicely in A4.

5.0 Final Outcome

<Nastaran Erfan_Uncharted Waters_Task 3>
Size: A4
Resolution: 300 dpi
Time: 5 hours
Format: JPEG

6.0 Rationale (545 words)

i) The decisions made in the design

I decided to make the colors more vibrant compared to the original work done by Salvador Dali, I also decided to change the shape of the hills to make them more dynamic. I studied Van Gogh's Starry Night and tried to replicate a similar motion in the sky that I drew. I also changed the shape of the tree and added more branches to it. I changed the shape and color of the figure, it's still surrealistic but it looks clearer. As for the figure's pose I was inspired by Viktor in this specific scene in Arcane but instead of just copying it I re-positioned it but kept his kneeling form.

Figure 3.5: Episode 8: Killing Is a Cycle, Arcane, Netflix (2024)

ii) The meaning/purpose of the design

When I first saw The Persistence of Memory, it reminded me of how we leave moments of our lives behind, losing touch with them, yet they still linger. It also evoked thoughts of decay, the way we rewrite history—partly due to forgetfulness—and how nothing lasts forever. I wanted to preserve this theme in my version while emphasizing it even further.

The reason why I associated this artwork with this particular Arcane character is because his arc revolves around his desperate attempts to overcome his own struggles—mainly with his health—while trying to help others before it’s too late. Yet, he almost always runs out of time, forced to endure harsh circumstances beyond his control. In his pursuit of a better world, he unintentionally causes immense harm—not only to himself but also to those around him—with devastating consequences. It’s as if the dream-like reality he has created for himself is the very thing that leads to his downfall.

I personally relate to this character deeply and wanted to capture what it feels like to dream big but fail over and over again due to the limits of our physical form and the fleeting time we have in our lives.

iii) The design principles used to create the design 

Like the original work, my version incorporates principle of similarity (a part of Gestalt Theory) and repetition due to the organic irregular shapes of the clocks. But apart from that it has the following design principles:

Emphasis: In my version, the primary focus is on the figure as supposed to the rest of the elements.

Contrast: The figure stands out since it’s a pale yellow/white against the dark browns of the ground.

Balance: The composition follows asymmetrical balance, with elements distributed in a way that aligns with the rule of thirds. The sky occupies nearly one-third of the piece, while the figure is positioned in the bottom.

Movement: The melting clocks guide the viewer’s eye downward, while the flow of the figure and the sky directs attention toward the right side of the image.

Harmony: A consistent color palette ties the piece together, featuring blues, oranges, browns, and yellows.

Symbol: Symbolism is heavily implied in this piece inspired by a variety of things such as the clocks representing the passing of time and the lingering memories of the past, the sky representing an out of reach dream-like state, mountains reflecting the difficulty in achieving goals due to physical limitations, the bugs and the dead tree branch signifying decay, and most importantly the figure representing an idealistic individual who has failed to reach their dreams due to running out of time.

7.0 Feedback 

I was told that the drawing is detailed. During week 6 tutorial I had only done the drawing itself and the blog had no text so I was told to complete my Task 3 and Final Compilation according to the module information booklet.