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Dear Diary,

We got into groups to start our project, which was to create a animated e-book for young children. I learnt new skills in photoshop, which was how to make an image more cartoon like and professional; making it more appealing to the target audience in the book company. This was also the new skills which I learnt on how to make an image more cartoon like. I need to improve more on this skill as I had a lot of difficulties on the start as I didn't understand the help-video very well as it was a bit conducing, as I got more help with Hannah, I found it more easier. I found problems on this new skills but I asked for help to overcome this issue. Next week, I will future these skills as I want to make these skills more professional.

From Cameron.

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We asked ten questions which had a lot of fantastic answers. The ten questions consists of questions which related to our e-book which me and Alex will be designing and creating. All f our questions had really good and professional feedback which me and all woo be using as our primary research. My secondary research was really good as I borrowed two children's books from the public library. Those books where the Elephant who Learnt how to share and Max the brave. These books both related to the idea which me and Alex made. Below this image, you will see the mind map which I made with all of the points which each book has:

When I made the visual image of the cartoon mole, I found it really, really difficult to draw the image of the mole in the professional way which media designers / cartoon drawers for the media idustey draw their designs / images. May way is free hand drawing form the image informs of me. I think this new method will be something for me to improve on as it requires a lot of skill and it needs a lot of practise robe good at it. The way you do it is by doing it in steps. First, you need to draw a three by three grid with a 5cm width and height between them. Second, you get some teasing paper and sellotape it over the computer screen and you draw circles in proportion of the head, body, legs, arms, feet and hands. Thirdly, you draw the same gird on a piece of white paper and draw the circles (as same as the template). Fourthly, you draw the body line and then you add all of the features later on (with shadow and shading).

I overcome this by asking Hannah on how to do it, she showed me on the PowerPoint and I then gave it a go. The first time I tried it today I messed up, so I tried again. The second time, I succeeded. I managed to get an image of a mole which came out really well. I will practise on this technique so I can get a better feel on how this drawing technique works and I will sue this method of cartoon drawing throughout his project.

Today, I learnt about the new cartoon drawing technique which Hannah taught me today. I will use this in the furred of this project as this is a better was of drawing the image rather than Turing a normal image into a cartoon version in Photoshop.

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Image of my sketch of Murray the Helpful Mole: 17/12/15.

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Image of my sketch of Murray the Helpful Mole: 17/12/15.

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On Thursdays lesson, I learnt on how to converts a normal image of an animal (mole) into an cartoon version (cartoon mole). I also learnt on how to add texture onto the image to give it depth and to make it more real-like to the target audience to our e-books. I add colour to the mole by making layers of different sections of the image (eyes, ears, nose, hands, claws, Dirt and background). I used the Polygon tool (in Photoshop) to go over these section and to give the image some colour. For the texture, I created another file of some mole fur in Photoshop, I copied it into the mole area and I sized the fur image down into the correct size and shape. I then selected the body of the mole with THE MAGIC WAND tool and inverted the fur image into the body of the mole. The overall finish was the cartoon mole with a fur body. This was effective because it made it more real-like.

The problem that I faced as that I had issues on transferring the fur onto the moles body as THE MAGIC WAND tool wasn't secreting the right part. I then found out that I was not on the right layer, which helped me understand that you need to select the right layer before you proceed to the next part of your image conversion. The final outcome of the cartoon image is very professional. I used all of the new skills tag I have learnt in that lesson and also skills which I knew before form the Advertising unit. This is a true example of professionalism.

The skills that I have learnt from Thursday's lesson I used on that lesson, along with some other skill. I will use this for future lessons to make my other characters and also to make the background for me and Alex's e-book.

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On Thursdays lesson, I don't an introduction for my script for our e-book and then I done some material experimentation for a scene when Murray the mole comes our of his hole for his big adventure. I learnt on how to use different material to make an image, I also know on how to use the Internet safety form the tutorial ( but I already knew in the first place). I used different colour paper to make the sky, mole, ground and grass. I used textures cotton for murrays eyes to make them stand out. I had not problems, apart from the fact that there was no glue, made it hard to creat a background without being covered by sellotape. The final outcome of my background is very, very, very professional. I used the different coloured and textured paper to make the image/background/scene for our e-book. Either though Hannah told me to do the background, I wanted to experiment with the material more, so the collarge on what I made in the lesson is a scene which will be created by myself and Alex from our animation lesson, next lesson (from 14th). The skills that I learnt form this lesson is that different materials can help you to create a fantasias image. I wil use this skills to help me to create other collarge scene storm my mind for our e-book, to back up me and Alex's creativity in this great unit.

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On that lesson, Dave taught us all on how to do animation. Which was a lot of fun, when you get to know it; it's a lot harder than you think. First, me and Alex completed our fourth/fifth minutes meeting, which we discussed on what should we do in that lesson. Alex and I decided on that Alex should create two/three background for our e-book and I should create the characters. In Layla's lesson on Wensday, I drew the characters from the help form my mood word which I created in one of Hannah's lessons. I used those images for the creating of the characters in Photoshop. (IMAGES BELOW). The problem that I come cross what that the animation is really difficult to master, but once o got the hang of it, it was easier than before. The final outcome of the characters was good, I only managed to complete Murray the Mole and Richard the Rabbit in the time scale that we had, but I started on Sammy the Squrriel and I will complete him and Penny the Penguin next lesson. All of them where effective as they were all done professionally. The skills that I learnt are more skills on photoshop and also on how to use animation skills in final cut, me and Alex will use all of our skills form today's lesson for next lesson for our completion of our e-book.

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21/01/16:Samy the Squrriel, step two (so far).

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21/01/16:Samy the Squrriel, step two (so far).

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The targets what me and Alex set for the lesson was that we needed to start the animation for our  opening scene, which Alex made on In-design. I made sketches on the different angles/perspectives of all of the characters; by looking at the storyboard and drawing the relevant angles/perspectives for each of the characters for each of our 18 scenes for our e-book, Murray the Helpful Mole. We completed a minutes meeting after our tutorial and these were the targets (said above).

Through my sketches, I found no problems on drawing the characters as I used the mole that I created on Photoshop as a template foe me to make the size and width of Murray; I also done this for Sammy the Squirrel, Penny the Penguin and Richard the Rabbit. Alex found no problems on In-design so our tasks were very straight-forward. (Images below).

Both of our work which we completed in the lesson were very professional as we found no problems. Alex isn't used to Final Cut, as he says that In-design; which he knows a lot about, will be a quicker way for him to create the animation; I agreed. I was on a separate computer, finishing off the reaming character templates for our e-book. I then started to sketch the different views of each character, by following the storyboard, I found it easier to get a better and professional understanding on what views I needed to design for our character creation.

The final outcome of Alex's work was very impressive as well as professional, I was pleased as he made the opening as the same way as I imagined it (in my head). The sketches that I created were also very impressive as well as professional. As I'm a very confident drawer I was confident that the sketches would come out clearly and professional. I will now use these in Photoshop to make all of the views of the characters for the e-book, all the views will be used for our e-book.

The skills that I have learnt is that on how to make a textures background on a character correctly and also on how to make a character move (I didn't do the teaching part by Dave, as it was optional and also, Alex is doing all of the animating; but I will listen to Dave's audio at another time). I will apply all of my skills for next lesson as I will complete all of the character views and Alex will use he's skills more on In-design.

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On that day, I completed a minutes meeting with Alex; we discussed that Alex will carry on with the animation, whilst adding the audio which we recorded in Layla's lesson on Wednesday. I would carry on with the creation of the characters in the different scenes. Throughout my work, I found or discovered no problems, so my work was running very smoothly. This is because I used the sames skills as last lesson and the lesson before, as those Photoshop skills help me to avoid any problems whilst working on Photoshop. I avoided the Photoshop problms very well as I have learnt on how to avoid different types of problems, such as on how to create a textures colour feature on the character and on how to add your onto your character on Photoshop. My final outcomes for all four of my Photoshop images which I created in the lesson were very professional. The imge of Murray playing snooker is professional, the image of Murray watching Tv is also professional, it is also the same as the other two images that I created on Photoshop. I used the saem skills as beore and the leson beore that so I will continue using thse skills until all of the different vews of the characters are completed.

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In today's lesson, me and Alex completed a minutes meeting so we knew on what we was doing today. I was finishing off the last remaining sketches and Alex was continuing with the animation. Me and Alex found no problems during our tasks which we setted ourselves today, the only issues was, the finding of the backgrounds were becoming more difficult to find than we though it was going to be to find the backgrounds. We have no problems overall which needed to be solved. My Photoshop work was very professional as I completed all of the sketches, so Alex just needs to get them onto the e-book animation document in InDesign. Alex's animation work was good, but h only added the audio in the document as he spent too much time helping other people rather than focusing on our work; this is why I'm worried encase we don't get this book completed by the deadline in March. I have used all of y Photoshop skills that I know and I will use these for next lesson to complete more backgrounds to finished of our e-book animation for Alex's work,

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Today, me and alex finished the rest of the animation. I finished the remaining background so alex can fit them in. I gave alex the backgrounds that I already completed last week so he cracked on in maing progress on the ending of the story. He then rendered the e-book o the Friday that week. We had no problems throughout the animation, I found no problems in making the backgrounds; this is because I used the skills that I have learnt throughout this unit. Me and alex's work was very professional as we completed all of the animation, so we can screen it next Wednesday. The final outcome was great, as the e-book was completed. I leanr some animation skills from alex and me and alex will hopely work togtehr in our Final Major Project, as we make a great team.