Week 12 30-31/05/16 Monday-Tuesday

For the past few days I have been preparing for the methodological frameworks assignment. It is due tomorrow, and there are a couple of things that need fixing. I also need to proof read it over again. There is also a seminar presentation next week, so I need to practice for that. I hate public speaking, but then again I believe most people do. There is not much to add at this point, I know what I need to do, but not yet how. There is still a lot of planning to be completed before I am confident enough to continue on to the production stage. I have asked a friend who had made an APP the year before last year, and how she made her project; she replied saying that her focus was on the design aspect, and she had someone else to do the coding for the application. This is a way out, as I, too wish to concentrate on visualizing my project and animating it, rather than the coding and programming. Though it is a useful skill to have, but I probably won't have the time to do it all on my own.

Additionally, I have completed the design for my protagonist.

Week 11 26-27/05/16 Thursday-Friday

I continued to work on the narrative of my project. I didn't know how to end my story, so I guess I'll sleep on it for now.

Here's what I have so far:

In pitch darkness, Nelly sees a pair of terrible white eyes glaring at her. Slowly, they inch closer towards Nelly. She tries to run but her body is weighing down like lead. She then wakes up as her eyes shoot open. Nelly peers out her window; it’s a sunny day outside. There in the corner of the farm is a large, overgrown bush of roses. She goes into the dining room where mum and dad are having breakfast, discussing the farm work that needs to be done today. She tries to tell her parents about the nightmare, but they quickly brush it off and head out to work. Nelly stays in the house; she plays computer games and watches videos online. The internet goes down suddenly, and her video cuts off. When Nelly tries to fix it, she feels something lurking behind her. Yet when she turns around there is nothing there. She focuses back on her screen, and she feels a warm breath on her ear. She looks behind her abruptly, still, nothing there. Nelly becomes frightened as she exits her room. The corridor seems much longer and darker than usual. As she walks, she hears something crawling right behind her. Without looking back, Nelly dashes out of the house and goes to find her parents. Who will she go to?

àMum: Mum is sorting out the roses into their separate colours. When Nelly arrives, mum asks Nelly to help her; not pausing to listen to what Nelly has to say. Nelly has no choice but to help mum. She puts on a pair of gloves and begins sorting out the roses. (Interactive time: the reader must try to match the name of the rose to the correct rose variety; if they get it right mum will ask Nelly what had happened; if they get the wrong answer mum sends Nelly away to dad)

è Right answers: Nelly talks to mum about the dark figure. Mum tells Nelly that is not real, and she should not be afraid. She then sends Nelly off to play in the farm. Nelly receives a pair of gloves from mum. She goes and plays by herself. When Nelly is occupied by an activity, she does not sense the dark presence. But whenever she settles down to rest, she feels it behind her again. This time when she turns around, she sees something slither into hiding from the corner of her eye. Nelly begins to feel it creep up closer and closer to her whenever she turns her back towards it. She stands up and begins walking backwards, until she trips and tumbles into the large bush of roses. In it, Nelly discovers an entirely different world to her reality. The unknown figure continues to follow her. She tries to run away and hide.

è Wrong answers: Nelly gets sent away by mum. Jump to dad’s side.

     

      I have made some changes, but I think there can be more done about the interactivity. This comic is not really a game; but a reading experience. I want the choices to matter. 

      

      Furthermore, I asked my sister some informal questions regarding her fears. I asked her: "If there is a really scary, creepy place that you must go into, what would you do?" Her answer was: "I will find any kind of excuse to get out of it. Or get someone else to go for me." This was interesting, but also understandable. A young reader may try to avoid any situation that may frighten them. When I asked her: "If you're so scared of those creepy things, why do you always go search urban legends online?" And my sister replied: "Because it's interesting! Well, I mean, I can read them in daylight, but then I regret when the night comes." I went on asking: "Do you still see the white eyes?" At this point she squeezed my hand a bit and said: "Yes. At night, in the dark." I questioned: "Do you see them when you open your eyes, or when you close them?" She replied: "When I open them. Any clothing, or shadow or shape, when I see two circles, I see them (the white eyes)." I comforted her: "You know it's just your imagination trying to make up for what your eyes can't make out in the darkness." And she exclaimed: "I know! But it's still scary!" I was glad that I had this conversations with my sister; I can relate to her fears, because when I was around her age, I, too, suffered from the fear of the supernatural. We discussed the things that we were scared of; I was particularly afraid of skeletons, vampires and the headless horseman. My sister agreed how skeletons frightened her, and that one would come to life and turn her into a skeleton as well. She was also scared of zombies, and how it was possible that a zombie apocalypse would happen. I said that it was not likely, and she protested that there was a time my brother and I were talking about that it was possible. My sister then let me know that she felt embarrassed for being afraid of so many things; most of which is not real. To that I said that there is nothing to be ashamed of; everyone is afraid of something. I hope that my project will let young readers understand this.Yes, there are many things to be afraid of, but that's ok. Admitting to that fear is in fact, bravery. 

I did more character sketches. I've slowly started to narrow down the design options. 

Week 11 25/05/16 Wednesday

It has been decided that the story will have the theme of the fear of neglect and loneliness. How can I convey this through my interactive comic? How can it help children with this issue?

A rudimentary idea is that the protagonist is constantly being left alone by her parents, and therefore she searches other company (similar to “Coraline”). The protagonist is very attached to her computer (like most children today), but one day it breaks down and she is forced to find other stuff to do.

I want the readers to make tough decisions during reading. Moralistic decisions that will alter the story, but I don’t want the narrative to be too complicated either, as it will be difficult to manage.

I was thinking that the fear of loneliness can be represented by the monster, or the "big bad". And it is something that appears when the protagonist is not occupied by some sort of activity or when she is alone. I've decided to bring back the old greenhouse, and it is where the monster dwells. The monster is something that lurks just behind the protagonist, something that she knows is there, but she can't really pin point what or where is really is (I'm ranting at this point, but I just want ideas to flow freely right now). The monster ensnares the girl's family, as a symbolism that work and other priorities have made her family too busy to be with her. The girl then faces her fear and burns the monster, freeing her family from its claws. 

I think there should be some educative information in the in the beginning of the story. Information that will further the narrative later on, or affect the decisions made. An idea is that when the girl tries to look for things to do, she can learn the names of the roses, which the readers will be required to remember in order to journey further in later parts of the narrative (I was thinking that these could be presented as challenges later on; if the reader doesn't get it right the first time, they enter a different path. No second chances). There are many things to consider when writing a branching narrative. I don't really want any "dead ends" in my story, as they seem rather lazy and meaningless. For my project, I am looking to develop a couple of narratives, and create the illusion of a multicursal story line. Goodbrey's works are a good reference point, but his comics are mostly single-paneled and they are all static. I hope to incorporate animation and sound into my project, and the interactive elements are what affects the narrative, which are then determined by the readers (i.e, certain items picked up by the character will have an impact on the story later on). 

I think I might sleep on these ideas for now. I've tried to continue with my narrative, but I am just not happy with it. My supervisor has been unwell the past couple of weeks, so I haven't been receiving a lot of feedback. But nevertheless, I will push forward.

It rained again today; so I went and coloured this piece.

Week 11 24/05/16 Tuesday

Today we were briefed about the seminar presentation that is going to take place in early June. I don't have a lot of to prepare, but I'm glad that I have some sketches and drawings to show and tell on that day. I have quite a few concept drawings, some diagrams and also a couple of examples I can present to the audience as well as the examiners. I also have the appropriate theoretical frameworks and context to discuss, all I need to do is to construct a power point or pdf for the presentation.

I have continued to work on the treatment for the project. A branching narrative is more difficult to write than I expected, but it's getting there, hopefully.

Here's an excerpt from the current treatment:

In pitch darkness, Nelly sees a pair of white eyes glaring at her. She tries to run but her body is weighing down like lead. She then wakes up as her eyes shoot open. It’s a sunny day outside. Her parents have already made breakfast, and are heading out to go to work. Mum tells Nelly not to stay on the computer for too long. But Nelly plays on her laptop anyway; her parents never know how long she has been on. Suddenly, a huge spider drops down from the ceiling onto her keyboard. She screams and leaps out of her chair. The spider is unwilling to move, and begins crawling across the keyboard. Nelly is too afraid to do anything. She goes outside and finds her mother picking roses in one of the greenhouses. Nelly asks her mother to help her get rid of the spider. Mother responds to her impatiently, saying that she is too busy working. Nelly then goes to find her father, who is spraying chemicals in another greenhouse. Nelly knows better than to go into a greenhouse that has been sprayed, so she leaves. Without her computer games to entertain her, Nelly seeks other activities to keep herself busy. Around the farm, she picks up various items that will assist her in future events. She finds a pair of secateurs, a sketchbook and a pencil, some matches and a stick. She goes on to play ball with her dog, Rosie. They linger and wander around the farm aimlessly, until Nelly finds a long branch and begins to play pretend, she is a warrior and Rosie her noble stead. She skips rocks at the stream, catches butterflies. Rosie finds a ball and drops it at Nelly’s feet. Nelly plays fetch with Rosie, but instead of bringing the ball back, Rosie takes the ball and runs into the old abandoned greenhouse. Nelly chases after Rosie, unaware that she has stumbled into another world.

It was raining the past few days, so I drew Lu hopping around in the rain. 

She likes rainy days.

Week 11 23/05/16 Monday

I finally had the chance to try out the Madefire Motion Book Tool. I went through their tutorial and used the examples they provided to create a one page motion comic. The motion book tool was really easy to use and understand, and I can see a lot of potential in it. The tool allows the creator to integrate sound and some limited animation in the comic, as well as some form of interaction. I guess the only problem I have with it is that the process of assembling all the assets together to create one page is quite slow and repetitive, but that is a nitpick. The amount I can fit into one page is also limited by the memory, as the tool is used online. For viewing the comic, I need to either go to Deviantart or download the Madefire App to read it. This is similar to the Electricomics App, and I think wifi is required when reading the comics. In summary, I enjoyed the user-friendly interface of Madefire motion book tool; some improvements are needed in sorting out the assets library. Maybe I haven't explored this tool well enough yet to discover its other capabilities, but all in all it was rather simple to use, and I am looking forward to creating more comic with it in the future.

I need to continue to consolidate my story further in order to create the layouts of my project. But right now I think I have a clear path of what I am going to take. I think the comic should remain static, silent and black and white when the protagonist is in the real world; animation, sound and colour will then be added once she crosses over to the fantastical one (Much like the idea of  "The Wizard of Oz").

Here are some screenshots of me working with the Madefire Motion Book Tool:

The images above show the effects panel of the Madefire Motion Book Tool. The comic panels and sound were examples provided by Madefire.

This last image are pages from a comic made for 24-hour Comic Making Day. I am able to upload simple pages without any animation or sound, and the tool will merge together to create a digital comic.

Week 10 19-20/05/16 Thursday-Friday

It is time for me to continue to refine the story for my project. I recalled how my sister would always look for things to do when she is bored. She would mostly stay on her laptop all day and play games or watch videos. My parents would tell her off for being in front of the screen for so long, but they are too busy to monitor her. When I am at home I would try to keep my sister off the computer. This is when she would actually go outside and play. I think this may be an interesting introduction to the comic; kids being too glued to their digital devices seem to be a relevant thing that happens today.

Here is a part of my treatment so far:

In pitch darkness, Nelly sees a pair of white eyes glaring at her. She tries to run but her body is weighing down like lead. She then wakes up as her eyes shoot open. It’s a sunny day outside. Her parents have already made breakfast, and are heading out to go to work. Nelly is playing on her laptop again. Suddenly, a huge spider drops down from the ceiling onto her keyboard. She screams and leaps out of her chair. The spider is unwilling to move, and begins crawling across the keyboard. Nelly is too afraid to do anything. She goes outside and finds her mother picking roses in one of the greenhouses. Nelly asks her mother to help her get rid of the spider. Mother responds to her impatiently, saying that she is too busy working. Nelly then goes to find her father, who is spraying chemicals in another greenhouse. Nelly knows better than to go into a greenhouse that has been sprayed, so she leaves. Without her computer games to entertain her, Nelly seeks other activities to keep herself busy. She lingers and wanders around the farm aimlessly, until she finds a long branch and begins to play pretend. She skips rocks at the stream, catches butterflies, and then goes on to play ball with the farm dog, Rosie. Nelly plays fetch with Rosie, but instead of bringing the ball back, Rosie takes the ball and runs into the old abandoned greenhouse. Nelly chases after Rosie, unaware that she has stumbled into another world.

The comic's theme is how to deal with fear and loneliness. The rough concept now is that there will be two outcomes of the story, one where the protagonist seeks help to face her fear, while the other she runs away from it. Neither one of the outcomes is right or wrong. I hope to let younger readers know that there is nothing wrong about being afraid or frightened, and there are many ways they may react to it. The moral of the story is that everyone is afraid of something, and there is nothing shameful about it.

Here are some more character sketches:

 

Week 10 18/05/16 Wednesday

Today is the deadline for the literature review submission. I must be frank that I feel quite accomplished when I submitted my copy. There a few things that I am working on right now: refining the story for the comic, sketching more concept designs, and investigating the vehicles that will carry my comic to the readers.

For reference for the world I am building, I have taken some photographs of our family farm. Our greenhouses are quite modern, and even though the look of an antique greenhouse is fascinating, it has little relevance to the story I am portraying. I am planning to use symbolism to represent certain aspects of my sister's life: her fear of bugs and the white eyes watching her in the dark; her love of running around on the farm and her sense of loneliness when everyone else is doing work, too busy to keep her company.

I also have some personal projects on the side to keep me busy; a few Instagram drawing competitions that I would like to enter, an animation I am collaborating with a friend and a manga competition I am planning to participate in. If all goes well, I should end up with some decent prizes for myself. I put my faith in God, and trust that his hand will help me in my way.

Here are some additional character sketches I did:

Week 10 17/05/16 Tuesday

During dinner I asked my sister some a couple of questions concerning her life on the farm. The first question was: "What do you like best about living here (on our farm)?" And she answered: "There's a lot of space for me to play!" And then I asked: "So what is the worst thing about the farm?" And she replied: "There're a lot of creepy crawlies, and bugs. I hate bugs, they're always flying around."

That was a casual conversation between my sister and I. I believe that simple back and forth questioning will be able to produce the most honest answers, so the atmosphere is always kept light and relaxed. If I indicated that those questions were for my academic purposes my sister would have felt rather nervous, which would affect her answers.

I have continued to write my methodology and make concept sketches for my project. I have come to decided that the whimsical world the protagonist ventures in will not be an old greenhouse, but a large overgrown bush of roses, to fit the title "Through the Rose Bushes". I am also going to base my character design on my sister, though obviously I will reduce the amount of detail so that the design becomes "iconic"--- a simplistic design for readers to substitute themselves in.

                                                         Some character concepts

Week 10 16/05/16 Monday

I have sent my first draft of the methodology to my supervisor, and I am waiting for her critiques. The next step is to gather photos and pictures that are inspirations for me, and I can include them in my methodology writing. It may be worth mentioning that action research is somewhat employed by many animation studios in their pre-visualization stages, where they are constantly designing and re-designing the character concepts, examining the variations of the appearance of the character, and determining which one emerges out to be the best design.

I know I have been procrastinating a bit on this, but I really do need to find out how an app is made. I have consulted a former classmate who may have some experience in this field but I have yet to hear from them.

Here are some rough sketches I did about branching narratives. I will include them in my methodology and maybe find some examples of existing materials that utilize these types of narrative structure.

Week 09 12-13/05/16 Thursday-Friday

I managed to have a friend to proof read my literature review for me on Thursday, and I edited again on Friday. I have also written quite a lot on my methodology, the next step is to add in my work-in-progress.

I really don't have a lot to discuss in this blog, I basically went back to refresh my memory on what I had in mind for my project this year. So instead of more text, I decided I will post some of my new sketches I did.

Week 09 10-11/05/16 Tuesday-Wednesday

Again I apologize for not posting anything yesterday. I watched a good movie with my brother and it was a good experience. The movie had my blood pumping and I had a dream about kicking ass. I like those kind of dreams.

Back on topic, I went back to read some of my past posts on my project. From a post a couple of months ago (more specifically Wednesday, 09/03/16), I wrote:

"I was struggling to come up with a theme for my project. At this point I did not have a particular direction I could take. I only knew I wanted to create a comic that was a bit creepy. It was after dinner when my sister, age 11, told me how she felt there were white eyes staring at her when she was in bed. I tried comforting her by explaining how our brains could frighten us when it cannot perceive anything in the darkness, and it imagines things in order to make up for that emptiness. From this I suddenly had the idea to have a theme about overcoming a certain fear. This was no fear in particular, as the feeling of creepiness came from the sensation of uncertainty, and therefore I felt like this theme would be perfect for my project." 

I'm glad I went back to read my documentation. This is evidence that documentation is helpful; as I was reminded again why I wish to use my sister's experience as the basis of the narrative of my interactive comic; as well as the genre of the story to take place. I also have established quite early on in the year that my objective is to produce an interactive comic that is read on a handheld device. I have not made this specification yet in my updated abstract, because I still hope to experiment with web-based comics, and then conclude to why I believe handheld devices are more beneficial. 

Aside from reflecting upon past thoughts, I have continued to write my methodology. I have related my project to narrative inquiry--- the study of experience understood through storytelling. For this project, I am studying my sister's experience and converting it into an interactive comic narrative, which will in turn allow others to experience it through this medium, and that they may become informed and educated of another's life. This then pertains to the concept that narratives stories are ways for the transaction of knowledge, supporting my idea of an educational experience through reading my comic. I attempt to create a personally meaningful story line, so that when readers experience the comic, they will feel a close connection between the protagonist and themselves. For this reason, it makes it appropriate for me to choose someone who is in the range of the target demographic, and I have a certain level of knowledge about. Such a person will be my sister. I am planning to base my protagonist's design on her, and the world in which the character inhabits will also bear certain resemblance of our home. The twist will be that there is a hidden world in one of the greenhouses. And the protagonist goes on a self-discovery journey through the greenhouse. I have also thought of a title for the comic: "Through the Rose Bushes". It is important to note that the narrative will evoke emotions in the readers, emotions that my sister may have felt in her life. This may prove rather difficult, as I must be able to understand in-depth her emotions, and then simulate that in a comic.  

Back to the actual form/vessel that my interactive comic will take, after a fair amount of consideration, it may be necessary for to specify that I am going to make it for handheld devices. The trouble here is, I have not mentioned anything regarding portable devices in my literature review. To go back and add this topic would be tedious and troublesome; I also risk going over the world limit (I spent a lot of time trimming it down). but I hope it is not too late to address this in the methodology. I know this blog is all over the place, but I am only recording whatever comes to mind. And my thoughts tend to drift from place to place. 

I have made more sketches for my project, but I have not scanned them yet. So bear with me, and I will post more visual aid to support my arguments. 

 

Week 09 09/05/16 Monday

Apologies for the lack of documentation on Friday. I was helping with the preparation for Mother's Day. My family runs a small scale horticultural farm, and it gets extremely busy during this time of the year.

Aside from that, I have been continuing with writing my methodology. I found myself repeating many things, especially concerning the definition and employment of action research, practice-led research and active documentation. I feel like these three are somewhat interrelated, and I'm not sure how to communicate my justification of utilizing them for my particular project. I have around 1000 words, and I am already running out of intelligent things to say regarding these approaches. Perhaps I need to produce more work in order to better justify the reasons of me employing these frameworks. And also, there may be a way which I could discuss all three of the approaches together as one, and narratology would be something that I write in about the development of the narrative alone, while the other frameworks could be employed for every aspect of the project; as reiteration can be used to improve narrative.

I have also begun looking up tutorials on how to create a motion comic with the Madefire Motion Book Tool. I don't need to download anything, and I am able to create a motion comic online. I have yet to research deeper into this tool, and it may be useful for me to elaborate on this further in my methodology.

Some Gravity Falls fan art

Week 08 05/05/16 Thursday

I met with my supervisor who read my contextual review. She critiqued that it there was a lot of improvement, but I need to fix the introduction a bit so that it provides a better overview of the essay. I also sent my essay to a friend who will proof read it for me for any grammatical errors.

I also discovered something called "Electricomics", a project launched by Alan Moore et al. Daniel Goodbrey was also involved in this project, and it sounds extremely interesting. It also pertains to my honours project, and therefore I am looking to test it out. Electricomic is an app that allows readers to download and read digital comics on a handheld device. There is also a Generator that gives creators a chance to make their own digital comic. I have not yet understood how it works yet, but I must make time to figure it out, as I really want to attempt to make one. I have already downloaded the Electricomic app, and briefly read through the comics pre-installed on there. The art was wonderful, and "Big Nemo" surprised me pleasantly with some limited animation. It may be useful to make note that comics created by the Generator can only be read via the app. Personally, I really enjoyed reading those digital comics. Some had more creative layouts than others, but I hope this is something that will catch on. There are, inevitably, some problems while reading --- as this is a new project --- some pages take a while to load, and my tapping can seem unresponsive at times. And it appears that the comics can only be read with WiFi connection. I am uncertain whether these issues are the app's problem, or because my wireless reception is really poor or my iPad is too old. Nevertheless, I think there is a great amount of effort many people who love comics put into this project; it is a wonderful idea, and I really want to be involved in it as well.

I didn't post any drawings yesterday, so here are four pieces of doodles to make up for that.

Week 08 04/05/16 Wednesday

Today I have begun writing about my methodology. I know what methodological frameworks I am going to employ, but I also need to justify my reasons for utilizing each framework. This assignment should not be as difficult as the previous one (literature review), as it does not require a lot of research, but demands my own evaluation on why and how am I applying these frameworks to my project.

I have attempted to formulate a plan for the research methodology:

Practice-Led
-Identify what it is (Practice-lead research is concerned in advancing knowledge about or within the practice, and can be standalone, meaning it does have to produce an artefact).
 -Why I am employing it (it will allow me to test out the various different forms to create an interactive comic narrative, and lead to an optimum creative product).
  -How am I employing it (I have done research on numerous ways readers interact with digital         comics. The term "interactive" is very broad, and can range from simple mouse clicking, to readers shaping the narratives themselves. My definition of interaction is more specific, and is concerned with engaging the reader, rather than just a feature that can be used. Practice-led research will require me to experiment with the different ways readers interact with the digital comic, and will hopefully give rise to new knowledge, or transformed knowledge on this topic).

[The same steps will be applied to the all the other discussions on methodology]

Action Research
-Action research is a cycle between work production, evaluation and reflection on that work, and making improvements by creating more work.
 -I am using this approach because similar to practice-led research, it will allow me to effectively and systematically work out solutions to certain problems through iterations. Though practice-led research can be understood to be included within action research, but action research is employed more specifically to remedy issues and impediments.
  -Like what I have done unconsciously in the past, I have utilized action research to bring forth and create vivid visualizations of my project. At this point where the project remains in an abstract stage, action research is a way to slowly aid me shape and realize my project. Through iterations of past works, I will be able to improve on practice, and overcome obstacles that may be presented in the journey of my project.

Active Documentation
-The documentation of process and progress.
 -I will use this framework because it will create a record of all my work, and thus assisting in creating the basis of an exegesis. Active documentation supports action research as it provides the necessary materials for me to reflect on in the future.
  -I have already made many documentations on my thoughts and progress in the form of this daily blog. I have both textual and visual documentations on my progress. Documentation is a continual process, and can be in any form I choose. In this case, I am typing thoughts that I deem vital to developing an exegesis. I also have a designated sketchbook that I use to illustrate any concept ideas I may have in mind.

Narratology
- The study of narrative structure and how humans perceive it.
 -As I am looking to develop a story for my project, it is obligatory that principles of narratology is understood.
  -A narrative has many distinct layers. I must be aware of these layers when constructing my own story, as each plays an important role within the narrative. A narrative includes a fabula, according to Bal, it is the series of events experienced by actors. Actors are given identities, transforming them into characters. For this project, I am attempting to create a very personal experience, one that is based around my life and the life of my family. David Carrier once wrote that comics are read like books, by one person, without anyone peering over their shoulder. Thus, the project necessitates a close encounter between the reader, characters and the events within the narrative. Narratology has taught me thus much, and to create a deeper connection between those elements, more knowledge into this field may be required.

Lastly, I would like to mention that by employing these methods, I have arrived at a mixed method approach. Different aspects of the project require different methodological frameworks. Though action research can also be applied to form a narrative, since reiteration and reflection will also help lead to improvements in the story. A living example of this will be my project from third year, when I hit a wall when writing my script for the story. Iterations and re-thinking was demanded of me to finally come to a solution to the problem, but it was a valuable lesson learned. Action research is therefore extremely appropriate for me to use, as it helps rectify issues in both the designing of the project, and the development of the story. With all this in mind, I can conclude that with all these frameworks combined, a mixed method approach if formed for my particular project.

Week 08 03/05/16 Tuesday

I continued my research on methodology. I found some useful articles on action research and reflective practice. Apparently these two are quite similar, as they both involve the improvement of practice through reflection on the process and experience. But action research embodies strategic action, which is the attempt at solving issues and problems by means of systematic and purposeful approaches. In that sense, action research is a deeper level of reflective practice. I believe that I am employing reflective practice now, as I am not addressing any particular issues at the moment; though it may be necessary to present a problem in the future to invoke further and deeper discussion around this topic. In my findings I discovered that reflective practice seems to be methodology employed by many educators, as there were numerous papers surrounding teaching and this method together. I also read a journal article that discusses some philosophical backgrounds of action research. Mary Brydon-Miller et al. argues: "Action research challenges the claims of positivistic views of knowledge which holds that in order to be credible, research must remain objective and value-free. Instead, we embrace the notion of knowledge as socially constructed and, recognizing that all research is embedded within a system of values and promotes some model of human interaction..." (from "Why Action Research?") I like this description and Brydon-Miller et al.'s belief's surrounding action research. I enjoy learning about the human interaction involved in this methodology, since most things we do is regarding humans. We are humans, and therefore it is in our nature to see ourselves in everything. There must be some deep philosophical idea here that I am not well-read enough to address, but I can connect this to narratology in some way. Narratology is wholly based on human experience, and probably originated from the oral communication of stories to pass on that experience; and therefore it makes it appropriate for me to utilize these methodologies as I am working towards a narrative will evoke certain emotions in the reader.

There were other ideas concerning action research, like Tim McMahon's statement: "Thus, learning is seen as the creation of knowledge through'the transformation of experience'. This emphasis on transformation creates a more active concept of learning than being merely the acquisition of information or skill." (McMahon, 1999) I have alluded this idea with the process of reading comics, which leverages on the cognitive knowledge of the reader.

I also looked up active documentation. Here is a quote from Mario J. Silva et al.: "Good documentation promotes reuse of design objects and processes, as well as providing a deeper meaning of the understanding of design." I am uncertain as to where to apply this statement to, but I do agree with it. Personally I believe active documentation supports the exegesis, and provides materials for future reflection, which in turns upholds the concept of reflective practice and action research.

I might begin to write about methodology within this week.

Dark fumes and gloomy clouds.

Week 08 02/05/16 Monday

I have begun my research on methodology. I read an exegesis from a former student, and focused on how they stractured their methodology research. It was supported with diagrams and images, and the passage explained and justified why the chosen methodologies were appropriate for the practice. My idea on how to construct my own methodological framework is much clearer now. I also discovered a methodology called "active documentation"; which is essentially what I am doing right now--- documenting any work in progress and concepts that come to mind. It is great that there are actual theories out there that I could discuss concerning my methods. I will be able to write about this when constructing my methodology.

I borrowed "Narratology: Introduction to the Theory of Narrative" by Mieke Bal from the library and began reading it. It is a very interesting book with in depth analysis and examination of the structure of narratives. So far it has discussed the layers of narrative: the narrative text, the story, and fabula. At first the distinction between these layers were hard to grasp, but it is clearer to me now. Narrative texts refers to the form, the vehicle the story takes to be conveyed (film, novel, comic, etc); the story consists of key events, and also embodies the theme, in which is presented in a certain way; the fabula is the logical and chronological series of events. Bal then delves into the voice of the narrator, who, can be a character from the story and/or unrelated to the story. The narrator is the agent that the writer uses to present the story in a subjective perspective.

Much can be learned from this book, I probably will not be able to finish it, but I hope to get as much from it as possible. Narratology will be the framework I will employ for the construction of my own narrative, taking into account the voice of the narrator and the layers in the narrative. I should also research pipelines on how to create an APP, so that I could combine it with the animation and comic pipelines. I will also mention the mixed-method approach concerning my project. I believe I am off for a good start, I just need to be able to discuss these in a scholarly, academic language.

Xiao and Lu resting after a long day's work.