Illustration & Visual Narrative - Task 3: Animated Composition

Name: Caitlin Alina Anthony - ID No. 0383177
Module: Illustration & Visual Narrative

Task 3: Animated Composition for Honors

Theme

Mixture between Renewal of Life: Return & Genesis: The Future

Mood Board

Rationale

This digital artwork shows a calm and dreamlike scene that connects 2 themes: Renewal of Life - Return" and "Genesis - The Future". I chose to explore these concepts through a goddess-like figure floating in space, surrounded by stars and celestial elements. The goal was to convey a sense of quiet rebirth, where life returns gently, and the future is shaped with care and hope.

While the visuals are futuristic, the style remains timeless, like a myth reimagined with modern tools. The simple lines, glowing accents, and clean composition help tell this story in a way that feels both soft and powerful.

Sketch

Visual Symbolism/Detailed Information

• Main Figure: Represents a guardian or creator, someone who protects life and guides the future.
• Orb: Symbolizes Earth or a new beginning, glowing with potential and hope.
• Stars, Clouds, and Planets: These elements reflect natural cycles and the continuity of life.
• Hair Blending into the Sky: Creates a connection between life and the cosmos, emphasizing unity.

Style

The use of minimalist lines, soft glows, and a cool color palette (teal, blue, deep green) adds to the ethereal, futuristic atmosphere. The flowing forms and gradients were designed to reinforce the feeling of motion and peace, while maintaining clarity and simplicity in design.

Final Output

Techniques Applied

Software:

Adobe Illustrator was used for creating the illustration and Adobe After Effects to animate the composition. Adobe Photoshop was used to put the 'Starborn' illustration onto the accessories for the Honor's Competition.

Illustration Techniques:

Techniques taught in class such as, pen tool, width tool, eclipse tool, gaussian blur, gradient, etc.

File Dimensions & Format:

The composition was designed in Illustrator with 6000 x 3000px in resolution, the animation in After Effects used 1920 x 1080px in resolution. The loop animation was formatted in mp4.

Self Reflection

This was a nice mix of calming and chaotic to create. The theme was tough to imagine but it came together. The process wasn't as smooth as I imagined. At first, I was worried it might end up looking too empty, or like it wasn't "finished", but the glowing linework actually gave it just enough life.

One thing I learned doing this was how tricky it is to show emotion in such a simplified style. With fewer lines, every curve mattered, especially in face and pose. I spent a lot of time tweaking tiny details just to make sure she looked serene and delicate, not sad or stiff. The background was also a fun part to experiment with, especially figuring out how to balance planets, stars, and those flowy cloud lines without overcrowding the piece.

If I were to redo this, I'd probably sketch more options first. I sort of jumped into this one with a rough idea in my head (which I usually do for many projects) but not many drafts, and while I'm happy with how it turned out, I think it could've been even stronger with more exploration. 

I am proud of how it feels, it's soft, quiet, and kind of ethereal, exactly the vibe I wanted. Compared to my previous projects, this felt more like storytelling through atmosphere instead of objects, which was nice.