Take On Me!
One of the biggest songs of 2018 was a turbocharged synthpop falsetto ballad that came out 34 years ago. Its music video—a rotoscoped masterwork that blends pencil sketches with live action—is wholly unlike anything you’d see on YouTube today and was revolutionary for the 80s.
The song, of course, is “Take On Me” by the Norwegian band A-ha. Three decades after the trio of struggling musicians struck gold with the song, “Take On Me” remains a pop culture staple.
The video's main theme is a romantic fantasy narrative.[20] It begins with a montage of pencil drawings in a comic-book style representing motorcycle sidecar racing, in which the hero, played by Morten Harket, is pursued by two opponents, one of whom is played by English actor Philip Jackson. It then cuts to a scene in a cafe, in which a young woman, played by Bunty Bailey (Harket's girlfriend at the time),[15] is seen drinking coffee and reading the comic book in a coffee shop. As the woman reads, the waitress brings her the bill. The comic's hero, after winning the race, seemingly winks at the woman from the page. His pencil-drawn hand reaches out of the comic book, inviting the woman into it. Once inside, she too appears in the pencil-drawn form, as he sings to her and introduces her to his black-and-white world which features a sort of looking-glass portal where people and objects look real on one side and pencil-drawn on the other.
The song, of course, is “Take On Me” by the Norwegian band A-ha. Three decades after the trio of struggling musicians struck gold with the song, “Take On Me” remains a pop culture staple.
The video's main theme is a romantic fantasy narrative.[20] It begins with a montage of pencil drawings in a comic-book style representing motorcycle sidecar racing, in which the hero, played by Morten Harket, is pursued by two opponents, one of whom is played by English actor Philip Jackson. It then cuts to a scene in a cafe, in which a young woman, played by Bunty Bailey (Harket's girlfriend at the time),[15] is seen drinking coffee and reading the comic book in a coffee shop. As the woman reads, the waitress brings her the bill. The comic's hero, after winning the race, seemingly winks at the woman from the page. His pencil-drawn hand reaches out of the comic book, inviting the woman into it. Once inside, she too appears in the pencil-drawn form, as he sings to her and introduces her to his black-and-white world which features a sort of looking-glass portal where people and objects look real on one side and pencil-drawn on the other.
Line Art
WHAT IS CONTOUR LINE?
A contour is the line which defines a form or edge - an outline. A contour drawing shows the outlines, shapes and edges of a scene, but omits fine detail, surface texture, colour and tone (‘contour’ is French for ‘outline’). According to Wikipedia: The purpose of contour drawing is to emphasize the shape and volume of the subject rather than the little itty bitty details; the focus is on the outlined shape of the subject and not the minor details like facial features and shading. Sketch/ Cartoon Lines Sketching is a important phase of Character design and cartooning. This is when the artist thinks out the kinks, plus it looks really cool. Artist use lines to describe many things likes shadows and details. Sketch lines are very similar to contours, they both describe the shape and form of the subject. There is one major difference, sketch lines are stylized. Contour lines follow exactly every little bump and imperfection, but sketch lines are highlight the perfect and are more focused on the overall gestural look. |
Project: Between REal and CARTOONIST
Inspired by the Iconic "Take on me" music video are going to create cartoon contour line hybrid portraits that rip away from the real world ie the photograph. An Extra 5 points will be granted to original photos.
Step one
Find a good HIGH RES. Portrait Photo
Edit it in Photoshop
OR
use a self portrait picture or a mirror for direct observation ( good for your college portfolio)
Step one
Find a good HIGH RES. Portrait Photo
Edit it in Photoshop
OR
use a self portrait picture or a mirror for direct observation ( good for your college portfolio)
Step Two:
Create a line drawing in illustrator of your portrait. Worth 50 project points
Your line drawing must
Step Three:
Choose your LENS. What are your going to be seeing your duel realities through
Step Two:
Create a line drawing in illustrator of your portrait. Worth 50 project points
Your line drawing must
- have a variety of Line weights
- have stylized lines
- describe, the features, shadows, and outer contour
- the line drawing must remember your photo
Step Three:
Choose your LENS. What are your going to be seeing your duel realities through
using the clipping mask Technic in Photoshop place either the lines drawing or photo in it.
The overall artwork must
The overall artwork must
- must have a detailed line drawing visible
- must have a part of the photo visible
- must connect "seamlessly"
- Must be both cartoon and realistic
Assignment |
Tutorial |