Brief
Look carefully at this image.
Then in your learning log list the content of the picture – breaking the image into its constituent parts and answer the following questions:
• What the image is about. What is it saying?
• Work out the narrative and identify the story.
• Describe the palette and tonal range which has been used. Note if the colours are hot or cold, whether the elements are detailed or textural, and where these approaches are used.
• Is there any connection between hot colour and the importance of the element in telling the story?
Begin to identify the hierarchy within the image. Which are the most important elements in terms of carrying the narrative or conveying the ideas and how have these been treated?
Tom’s Clockwork Dragon
illustrated by Mark Oliver
“When Tom, a young toymaker, offers to rid the kingdom of a ferocious dragon, the king just laughs in his face. But then Tom meets Lizzie, and together they come up with an extraordinary plan. The two children wind-up in a thrilling adventure in which the dastardly dragon finally meets his match.”
Visual elements
- A sleeping dragon
- A girl and a boy, looking looking scared at the dragon.
- The girl is pointing to the dragon and the boy pointing to the way out.
- The dragon is protecting the treasure.
- Some weapons; armour, sword, shield, dagger, helmet and spear showing that some knights failed to beat the dragon.
What the image is about. What is it saying?
Two brave children are trying to defeat the dragon and recover the treasure.
Work out the narrative and identify the story.
The girl and the boy want to defeat the dragon and recover the treasure that many people failed to do. Both characters are scared.
Describe the palette and tonal range which has been used. Note if the colours are hot or cold, whether the elements are detailed or textural, and where these approaches are used.
The colour palette consists of a very saturated red, orange and purple used in background as well as the dragon and the treasures. Also, cooler colours like blue used for tunnel and the ground. The most saturated part of the image the grab the attention is the dragon and the treasures surrounded by the dragon. The texture also used in the background, the ceiling and the ground of the cave.
Is there any connection between hot colour and the importance of the element in telling the story?
The hot colour has been used to emphasize on the most important part of the story which is the dragon.
Begin to identify the hierarchy within the image. Which are the most important elements in terms of carrying the narrative or conveying the ideas and how have these been treated?
- The sleeping dragon
- The treasure, which surrounded by the dragon
- The two children
- The pile armours
- The way to the outside
Maryam: OCA Graphic Design 