For this week, I finished coloring the last few panels that needed to be digitally inked and colored, as well as added four panels to the comic story that serve as “Did You Know?” facts for the user to select and read about, however, those panels are not mandatory to click on to progress through the story. I also added speech balloons/bubbles in the comic panels where it made sense to include them. Here are the remainder of the panels I finished this week (just the inking and coloring stages):

The first three “Did You Know?” correspond with panel #3 in the comic story, where the cat is looking at the television screen displaying the various environmental issues occurring, such as littering, ocean pollution, and air pollution. There is a light purple aura around each major crisis, allowing the user to click on them where they will then be linked to the following fact screens, each color corresponding with said environmental crisis the user clicks on. These facts discuss how these issues are affecting the environment.

Light Brown: Littering

Dark Blue: Ocean/Beach Pollution

Light Grey: Air Pollution

The last “Did You Know?” comic panel corresponds with the second to last panel in the comic story, where the cat tosses the picked-up waste on the beach into the recycling bin on the turtle’s back. That exact panel is shown above in the post before the facts panels.

Dark Green: Benefits of Ocean/Beach Cleanliness

As discussed in previous reports, the objects highlighted in gold/yellow with a glow around them are the clickable objects the user must click on to progress through the story. That is why I incorporated a panel in the beginning that discusses what the user must do to give more context for them, otherwise they would aimlessly click around each panel, not knowing how to proceed. The END panel with the cat floating atop the turtle’s shell indicates the user/player has reached the end of the story. Once the user clicks on the END caption, it will redirect them back to the main “start screen” of the comic.

This week, I plan to begin prototyping each panel in InVision again to create a functional and cohesive final story all around. I’m currently just adding the speech balloons and am about halfway through finishing those. Personally, I’m glad I was able to get caught up significantly these last few weeks. They have been quite productive not only from doing course work for various classes, but also from my graphic novel job and catching up on commissions/freelance work. I was a bit concerned about falling behind again, however, I committed this weekend to catching up. The story isn’t perfect, but I am impressed of the transition from rough storyboard sketches on Bristol board to the final digitally inked and colored version. I put so much time, heart, and effort into this capstone, and I’m hoping my instructor, colleagues, and other faculty members recognize that. The project also represents my personal passions for digital illustration and storytelling, the career I’m continuing my pursuit of.