Outside, I observed the trash bin near the school entrance. At first, it seemed mundane, but focusing on its texture and how people interacted with it gave it a surprising sense of character. Finally, I visited the grassy area near the school, where the gentle movement of the grass in the wind created a peaceful yet lively atmosphere.

Using different methods of documentation gave me unique insights. Photography allowed me to capture fleeting moments and textures, drawing helped me focus on composition and detail, while taking notes helped me process my emotional reactions to each space. This combination of approaches helped me understand how isolating specific elements can reveal entirely new perspectives on familiar places.

One night, he has a dream. In his dream, he suddenly has five heads, each representing a different emotion: anger, happiness, sadness, fear, and calm. At first, each head has its own thoughts, and this makes it difficult for him to control his body because every emotion is trying to take charge.

In the dream, each head not only represents an emotion but also a way of thinking. For example, the angry head thinks impulsively and impatiently, the happy head thinks more casually and freely, while the sad head is more cautious and deep. These different emotions are actually different thinking styles that influence his decisions.

As the dream progresses, the boy gradually realizes that emotions themselves are not the problem—it’s how he manages them that matters. Through reflection, he understands that each emotion’s way of thinking has its own value: anger gives him the courage to face challenges, happiness allows him to enjoy life, and sadness helps him be more careful. He starts to find a way for these emotions to coexist rather than let them clash.

Slowly, the boy learns how to balance the different emotions and gains control over his body. He realizes that thinking helps him understand each emotion and allows him to find the best course of action.

When he wakes up, he discovers that not only can he control his emotions in the dream, but he can also manage them better in real life. When faced with troubling situations again, he can think first and make more rational decisions, instead of letting his emotions take over.

This story highlights the connection between emotional management and thinking, showing children that by reflecting calmly, they can better understand and control their emotions.

So, he decides to seek help from his mother. Smiling, his mother picks up a small flower and says, "Let me tell you a story about this little flower. Each of its five petals represents a different emotion and way of thinking: anger, happiness, sadness, fear, and calm."

She begins to tell the boy a story about the flower’s adventure in a magical world. In this story, each petal not only represents an emotion but also a unique way of thinking. For example, the angry petal thinks impulsively and impatiently, the happy petal thinks freely and easily, and the sad petal thinks cautiously and deeply.

In the story, the little flower encounters a large locked door. The angry petal suggests breaking it down, but the other petals hesitate—maybe that would cause trouble, or maybe it wouldn’t work. After a moment of thought, the calm petal notices a hidden lever beside the door. Working together, they pull the lever, and the door opens.

Next, the flower enters a complicated maze. The fearful petal begins to panic, saying there’s no way out. However, the sad petal pauses to observe carefully and notices subtle patterns on the walls. “We need to stay calm and follow these patterns,” it says.

With encouragement from the happy petal, which helps them stay positive, and careful guidance from the sad petal, focused on analyzing, the flower successfully finds its way out of the maze.

As the adventure continues, the flower faces more challenges. Each time, the five petals use their unique emotions and ways of thinking to find balance and overcome the obstacles. The boy listens intently and realizes that, like the flower, each emotion has its unique value. By finding balance, he, too, can better manage his emotions and actions.

1. The text was perhaps too much for young children and could be simplified to rely more on visuals.

2. The focus of the story was more on the flower’s adventure than the boy himself.

3. The theme leaned more toward emotional management rather than “thinking.”

After discussing these insights with my tutor one-on-one, I refined the story structure to align better with the intended theme of “thinking.” Together, we cut down the amount of text, aiming to make the story easier for children to follow. My tutor also suggested adjustments to shift the focus onto the boy, integrating the “thinking” theme more naturally into the storyline. Thus, I decided to replace the flower’s symbolic journey with the boy’s real-world exploration.

For the adventure itself, I replaced the flower’s challenges with real-world scenarios the boy encounters. For example, instead of the locked door in the flower’s adventure, the boy now finds the park gate closed. At first, he feels a bit lost, but remembering his mother’s words, he pauses, takes a breath, and finds a hidden handle that opens the gate. Similarly, the maze in the original flower story becomes a journey through a dense forest, where he stops to observe, thinks carefully, and eventually finds his way through.

This iteration helped me gain a deeper understanding of storytelling. By adjusting the character focus, plot details, and emphasizing the main theme, the story has become tighter and more child-friendly. Moving forward, I will continue to simplify the text and optimize the visuals to create a story that is both engaging and meaningful.

They also pointed out that the font might be hard to read, especially for children with reading difficulties. I’ll try some more child-friendly fonts to make the text clearer and easier to read.

In terms of layout, some classmates mentioned that certain text placements, like under the rainbow, could be distracting. I plan to adjust the text positioning to integrate it more naturally with the illustrations, and I’ll also look at Anorak magazine’s layout for inspiration.

Lastly, they suggested using color to convey emotions more effectively. I’ll work on a clearer color palette to better support the emotional tone of the story.

Overall, this feedback gave me a lot of specific ways to improve, and I’m grateful for everyone’s input!

For this project, I needed to create two double-page spreads for Anorak magazine. The two themes to choose from were Ants and Thinking, and both felt equally interesting.

To help organize my thoughts, I created mind maps for both themes. For Ants, I thought about their teamwork, their fascinating underground tunnels, and how they carry things much bigger than themselves. It was such a lively and visual concept. For Thinking, my ideas focused more on abstract topics, like processing emotions, different thinking styles, and how our brains work.

This brainstorming process was really helpful. I enjoyed letting my imagination flow, exploring different directions and possibilities for each theme. Both had so much potential, and this exercise helped me understand what I could do with each idea.

Limited Color Palette: Most stories use three to four main colors for a cohesive design.

Simplified Illustrations: Bold silhouettes replace intricate details.

Childlike Brushwork: Many drawings mimic the raw, playful style of children’s art.

Balanced Composition: The layouts evenly distribute text and imagery for clarity and appeal.

The second artist I looked into was Andrea Antionori, an Italian illustrator known for his collaborations with multiple publishers on children’s books. His signature style stood out to me immediately—it mimics the raw, playful strokes of a child’s drawing. His works are filled with exaggerated actions, imaginative storylines, and a sense of boundless creativity. There’s an energy and spontaneity in his illustrations that truly capture a childlike spirit.

After reflecting on these two artists and their approaches, I realized that while I appreciated the charm and creativity of the ant-themed works, I was more drawn to the possibilities of the Thinking theme. This theme allows for a deeper exploration of abstract ideas, emotions, and imagination, which feels like a more meaningful direction for me. Additionally, my research into interactive storytelling and playful illustration techniques inspired me to incorporate these elements into my project to make it engaging and thought-provoking for children.

Firstly, I noticed an issue with the layout. While the A4 single-page design with half yellow and half white looked balanced on its own, the two-page spread on the wall felt disconnected and visually unharmonious. To address this, I plan to adjust the layout by extending the background color to fill the page. However, since the yellow is too bold when used as a full spread, I will experiment with softer tones to create a more cohesive and pleasant effect.

Additionally, I realized that my title could be more unique and reflective of my personal style, which I plan to refine further. I also think my illustrations could benefit from incorporating more playful and cute details to enhance their appeal. Finally, the quality of my print significantly affected the overall presentation. The paper I used didn’t do justice to the colors and details, so I plan to reprint my work using high-quality materials at an external print shop.

This feedback and reflection have given me a clear path for improvement, and I’m eager to see how these changes can elevate my project.

As for the final photography, I couldn’t secure a slot in the school’s photography workshop, so I decided to purchase a small photography setup for home use. This allowed me to take high-quality, professional-looking photos of my work, ensuring that the final presentation met my expectations.