Illustration and Visual Narrative - Task 03: Sequential Art (Digital Triptych)

 11/11/2025 - 25/11/2025 (Week 08 - Week 10)

PHANG QI YU / 0385732

Illustration and Visual Narrative / Bachelor of Design in Creative Media / Taylors University

Task 3: Sequential Art (Digital Triptych)

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Table of Content 

1. Lecture

2. Instructions

3. Process Work

4. Reflections

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LECTURES

Week 8:

This week is Independent Learning Week, so there will be no lecture in Week 8.

Week 9:

There is no lecturer this week; we will be working on our Task 3 instead. 

Week 10:

Task 4 & E-Portfolio Briefing

For task 4, our final project, we are required to create a poetic, life-lesson animated video complete with captions, designed to be suitable for social media posting. Mr. Fitri also shared several examples from previous students to give us a clear idea of the quality, style, and creative direction expected. During the lecture, he explained in detail the process, requirements, and guidelines we need to follow in developing this project, from conceptualizing the message to designing the visuals to finalizing the animation and captions.

This week is also our last lecture class, but we will still have consultation sessions afterwards to guide us as we work on the project.

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INSTRUCTIONS

COM61304 Illustration & Narrative 2025.pdf

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PROCESS WORK

Task 3: Sequential Art (Digital Triptych)

1. Short Narrative Exercise 

Last week (week 7), we were required to prepare a short story following the three-acts structure based on the character we had chosen in Task 2. 

Act 1: Setup

Once upon a time, in the quirky town lived a one-eyed detective named Mr. One. Every morning, he put on his detective coat, adjusted his eye patch, and gripped his trusty magnifier. Every day, he walks on the street, not chasing criminals but searching endlessly for his missing hat. Famous for uncovering every hidden truth, Mr. One could never solve the mystery of his own lost hat. Yet whenever he cracked a mystery, he would lower his magnifier, smile proudly, and shout his lines.

Act 2: Conflict

One day, in the grand castle, the queen lost control, crying and shouting in despair. The royal crown, usually resting beside her bed, had disappeared. Because of that, panic spread through the kingdom as people searched desperately. But after two long days, their efforts were in vain. The crown remained missing, and hope began to fade. Then word spread of a legendary detective known for uncovering any truth, Mr. One. Because of that too, the desperate townsfolk set out to find him, believing he was their last chance to bring back the queen’s precious crown.

Act 3: Resolution

Until finally, the missing crown was found with help from Mr. One and his Magnifier. Confidently, he exclaimed, “There is only one truth, and I have only one eye!” The mystery secret was finally revealed; the queen’s mischievous pet had bitten it and hidden it behind its little house. From that day on, the queen swore never to let her pets enter her chamber again, and each night she slept with the crown safely upon her head. For his remarkable detective work, Mr. One was honored by the royal court and gifted a brand-new hat, since his own hat was still nowhere to be found. 

2. 3-Panel Comic

After writing the 300-word story, it's time to break it down and plan our comic. We'll turn one important moment from the story into a 3-panel illustrated comic (triptych art). We need to consider the continuity of the story. 

Step 1: Pick one key scene from your story (something exciting, funny, emotional, or important). Make sure the scene can be clearly shown in three parts: a beginning, a middle, and an end. 

Step 2: For each of the 3 panels, write down: 

• What's happening (the action)
• What's being said or thought (dialogue or captions) 
• What the reader should feel (emotion or mood)

Beginning (1st Panel):

Figure 1 What's happening (Scene 01)

Middle (2nd Panel):

Figure 2 What's being said (Scene 02)

Ending (3rd Panel):

Figure 3 What the reader should feel (Scene 03)

Step 3: Sketch your comic. Draw simple, rough sketches for your 3 panels. Focus on who appears, what they're doing, and how the scene flows. Make sure the story is clear and the panels are connected. 

We are required to apply one of the five transitions (from Week 7 lecture), in our illustration. 

• After sketching my three panels, I added dialogue to help the reader understand what's happening and what's being said. 

Beginning (1st Panel): 

Figure 4 

Scene 01 with dialogue added

Middle (2nd Panel):

Figure 5 

Scene 02 with dialogue added

Ending (3rd Panel):

Figure 6 

Scene 03 with dialogue added 

3. Mood board/ References 

 

Figure 7 & 8 Reference images from Pinterest

Figure 9 Reference image

Source: Pinterest

4. Digitizing 3-Panel Comic

I consulted with Mr. Fitri about my three sketches, and he approved them. He suggested that I use the three-panel layout shown below to begin digitizing my scenes in Adobe Illustrator.  

Figure 10 & 11 Three-panel layouts  

Figure 12 Progress (Adobe Illustrator)

Figure 13 Progress (Adobe Illustrator)

5. Create opacity mask and texture

Step 1: Make a mask. 

Step 2: Create Freeform Gradient. 

Figure 14 Creating freeform gradient (testing)

Step 3: Create shading and add stippling texture. (Effect > Texture > Grain)

Figure 15 Grain Type

Step 4: Apply to other shapes too!

6. Appearance Panel

Creating editable text effects using the appearance panel, gradient and swatches panel. 

Figure 16 Progress (Adobe Illustrator)

Editable text effects following Mr. Fitri's tutorial slides:

Figure 17 

Editable text effects (text has not been outlined yet)

After completing the first editable text effects, we will create another one by opening the file provided in Microsoft Teams (week 9 file).

Figure 18 

Editable text effects following the tutorial slides

7. The use of texture & Appearance Panel (3-Panel Comic)

We are required to include the use of texture in our 3-panel comic, applying it artistically for shading where appropriate (examples: backgrounds, trees...). We must also include a title using the appearance panel, using a one-word or one-phrase title for the comic. Finally, we need to insert the logo into the final output.

Below is the progress I made while incorporating texture in Adobe Illustrator:

Figure 19 Use of texture (Panel 1)

Figure 20 Use of texture (Panel 3)

I decided to use "Case 07: The Missing Crown" as the title of my comic. It reflects its detective-style storyline while maintaining a sense of mystery.

Then, I use the appearance panel to create the title of my comic. I decided to use a detective-style color theme for the title.

Figure 21 Appearance Panel (Adobe Illustrator)

The title of my comic: 

Figure 22

The title of my comic using Appearance Panel (Adobe Illustrator)

After adding the texture and the title, we have finally completed Task 3! For the background of the comic, it is not necessary to export the final output with a white background. Mr. Fitri said we are allowed to use a black background as well if it suits the comic. Therefore, I chose black as the background for my comic and exported it! Below is my final output for Task 3!

3-Panel Comic Final Output: 

Figure 23

Final Output (PNG)

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REFLECTIONS

Experience

My experience with this task was a bit stressful. I had to manage two other subjects at the same time, and this project was due within a week. I was worried that I wouldn't have enough time to finish everything. I also wasn't very confident with my work because I felt it wasn't as perfect as others.

However, it was still a fun task to complete. It was the first time creating my own comic with my own ideas and characters. I can't say that my comic is the best, but I am sure that I put in my full effort to complete the task.

Working on the comic in Adobe Illustrator made my laptop lag quite a lot ha-ha, and I was constantly worried that my work might get deleted at any moment TT.

Observations

My observations for this task are that creating a food flow for a triptych can be quite challenging and choosing the right transitions is also very important. I noticed that there are many small details that need attention, such as line art, colors, and the background. Selecting the right scenes and color combinations is also essential for creating a strong composition in a comic. It plays an important role in attracting the reader's attention and sparking their curiosity.

I also found it fun to learn new skills in Adobe Illustrator. For example, I had never tried using the Appearance panel before, and it was exciting to discover how fonts can be designed in many interesting and creative ways!

Findings

My findings are that creating a comic is never easy. Even a simple 3-panel comic takes a lot of time and effort to complete. This task was honestly fun but also stressful. It helped me become more familiar with the tool in Adobe Illustrator. I now understand and can use most of the tools much better compared to when I first started. 

I would like to thank Mr. Fitri for all his feedback on this task. His comments were truly helpful for me!