2023 Grad Show

Katherine Denney

AUArts Grad Show Untitled Artwork

VCD – Character Design & Illustration

Intro Visual Small illustration to establish the loving relationship of the father and daughter, Kazu and Ichika, as well as the turmoil that faces them with the wave.
Kazu and Ichika's Stuff Originally drawn traditionally in a sketchbook but edited and coloured digitally, these are a few things I imagine the protagonists would have on hand.
Ideation For Additional Characters Sketchbook scans of early planning for characters besides the central family. Some other characters in the story would be Ichika's teacher and two close friends, maternal aunt and grandmother, as well as her paternal uncle.
Environmental Sketchbook Studies As I've never been to Japan myself, it was important to do as many studies as I could to better understand the environment. Most of the exploration I did was in my sketchbook, so this is an example of how I went about that research.
Kazu and Kana - Relationship Sketches It was important to also have a grasp on the relationship dynamic between Kazu and Kana, so being able to let loose and explore the love they have for each other was very fun and helped me a lot to establish their bond for the comic.
Ending Visual A small illustration of Kazu and Ichika together. Though the disaster impacted them, their survival has encouraged them to value life and each other more than ever.

Higher Ground Ideation

The premise and characters for Higher Ground spanned the entirety of 4th year, as I had much research to conduct on a culture and event I did not participate in physically. The most fun I had was going through and putting ideas down traditionally in my sketchbooks and bringing them in digitally, so here is a small collection of some of that planning work I did before going into the comic.

Higher Ground Ideation AUArts Grad Show Higher Ground Presentation-2
Intro Visual Small illustration to establish the loving relationship of the father and daughter, Kazu and Ichika, as well as the turmoil that faces them with the wave.
Higher Ground Ideation AUArts Grad Show Higher Ground Presentation-3
Kazu and Ichika's Stuff Originally drawn traditionally in a sketchbook but edited and coloured digitally, these are a few things I imagine the protagonists would have on hand.
Higher Ground Ideation AUArts Grad Show Higher Ground Presentation-4
Ideation For Additional Characters Sketchbook scans of early planning for characters besides the central family. Some other characters in the story would be Ichika's teacher and two close friends, maternal aunt and grandmother, as well as her paternal uncle.
Higher Ground Ideation AUArts Grad Show Higher Ground Presentation-6
Environmental Sketchbook Studies As I've never been to Japan myself, it was important to do as many studies as I could to better understand the environment. Most of the exploration I did was in my sketchbook, so this is an example of how I went about that research.
Higher Ground Ideation AUArts Grad Show Higher Ground Presentation-5
Kazu and Kana - Relationship Sketches It was important to also have a grasp on the relationship dynamic between Kazu and Kana, so being able to let loose and explore the love they have for each other was very fun and helped me a lot to establish their bond for the comic.
Higher Ground Ideation AUArts Grad Show Higher Ground Presentation
Ending Visual A small illustration of Kazu and Ichika together. Though the disaster impacted them, their survival has encouraged them to value life and each other more than ever.
Page 1 - Meeting Kana One of the main characters of this story is a single father named Kazu. At the time of the 2011 disaster, Kazu is about 38 or 39, but on this page he's in his mid to early twenties. While young Kazu works part-time at a convenience store, he's caught off guard by a customer looking for bean buns. Little does Kazu suspect, this young woman will come to make his life a lot more lively.
Page 2 - I'll Go With You Anywhere. Taken by the employee's gentle and kind aura, lonely Kana is immediately smitten with the clumsy Kazu. As time goes on, the two of them see each other more often. Kazu realizes how hard he's fallen for Kana, yet he's crushed by the inevitability of her finishing university and moving back to her home prefecture of Miyagi. He gathers the nerve to confront her and promises to never leave her side no matter where she goes.
Page 3 - Marriage and A New Baby Newlyweds and freshly settled in the city of Natori in Miyagi, Kazu and Kana enjoy their lives together. Though it doesn't seem like Kana's relatives are pleased with their union, they keep their distance for the most part. Much to the joy of the couple, they discover that they'll soon be parents!
Page 4 - The Family Ends As Quick As It Began Kazu and Kana welcome their daughter into the world, whom they name Ichika. She grows up inquisitive, bubbly and compassionate. But tragedy suddenly befalls the family when Kana ends up admitted to the hospital after an incident involving water. Kazu is beside himself with grief, guilt and regret. How will he and six-year old Ichika be able to live without her?
Page 7 - He's Alive?! This is a look into how Ichika is managing after the earthquake and tsunami drives her to an evacuation shelter. On the verge of losing hope that her father made it out of the wave, her teacher lets her know that Kazu has been found in a hospital in Sendai. Without hesitation, Ichika demands to be taken to the hospital and be at her dear father's side.
Page 8 - Reunion Ichika makes her way to the hospital, but now she must find Kazu in the midst of other survivors also frantically looking for loved ones. She finds Kazu but fears she may be too late. Miraculously, the sound of Ichika's pleading cries wake Kazu as if nothing happened at all. They embrace. Relieved to finally be together again.

"Higher Ground" Pilot Comic Pages

These are some of my favourite pages of an 8 page comic based on a story that spanned throughout my 4th year work. As for the story itself, I was inspired by the stories of survival from those who endured the 2011 Great East Japan earthquake and tsunami. Though my characters are fictional, I did my best to create them and their experiences believable and emotional. I aspire to have this story be a multi-volume series that explores the lives of the characters before, during and after the natural disaster, but this comic is a brief taste of what befalls the characters in the wake of catastrophe.

"Higher Ground" Pilot Comic Pages AUArts Grad Show Untitled_Artwork 5
Page 1 - Meeting Kana One of the main characters of this story is a single father named Kazu. At the time of the 2011 disaster, Kazu is about 38 or 39, but on this page he's in his mid to early twenties. While young Kazu works part-time at a convenience store, he's caught off guard by a customer looking for bean buns. Little does Kazu suspect, this young woman will come to make his life a lot more lively.
"Higher Ground" Pilot Comic Pages AUArts Grad Show Untitled_Artwork 6
Page 2 - I'll Go With You Anywhere. Taken by the employee's gentle and kind aura, lonely Kana is immediately smitten with the clumsy Kazu. As time goes on, the two of them see each other more often. Kazu realizes how hard he's fallen for Kana, yet he's crushed by the inevitability of her finishing university and moving back to her home prefecture of Miyagi. He gathers the nerve to confront her and promises to never leave her side no matter where she goes.
"Higher Ground" Pilot Comic Pages AUArts Grad Show Untitled_Artwork 7
Page 3 - Marriage and A New Baby Newlyweds and freshly settled in the city of Natori in Miyagi, Kazu and Kana enjoy their lives together. Though it doesn't seem like Kana's relatives are pleased with their union, they keep their distance for the most part. Much to the joy of the couple, they discover that they'll soon be parents!
"Higher Ground" Pilot Comic Pages AUArts Grad Show Untitled_Artwork 8
Page 4 - The Family Ends As Quick As It Began Kazu and Kana welcome their daughter into the world, whom they name Ichika. She grows up inquisitive, bubbly and compassionate. But tragedy suddenly befalls the family when Kana ends up admitted to the hospital after an incident involving water. Kazu is beside himself with grief, guilt and regret. How will he and six-year old Ichika be able to live without her?
"Higher Ground" Pilot Comic Pages AUArts Grad Show Untitled_Artwork 11
Page 7 - He's Alive?! This is a look into how Ichika is managing after the earthquake and tsunami drives her to an evacuation shelter. On the verge of losing hope that her father made it out of the wave, her teacher lets her know that Kazu has been found in a hospital in Sendai. Without hesitation, Ichika demands to be taken to the hospital and be at her dear father's side.
"Higher Ground" Pilot Comic Pages AUArts Grad Show Untitled_Artwork 12
Page 8 - Reunion Ichika makes her way to the hospital, but now she must find Kazu in the midst of other survivors also frantically looking for loved ones. She finds Kazu but fears she may be too late. Miraculously, the sound of Ichika's pleading cries wake Kazu as if nothing happened at all. They embrace. Relieved to finally be together again.
Aurora Leigh and Sonnets from the Portuguese These are the covers and spines for Barrett Browning's two most notable works. Aurora Leigh is a semi-autobiographical epic poem written in blank verse. It's a rather well-known piece in feminist literature and delves into issues involving women balancing a career, love and the weight of societal expectations. Sonnets from the Portuguese is an incredibly personal collection of love poems written by Barrett Browning to her husband over the course of their relationship.
Aurora Leigh Mockup
Sonnets from the Portuguese Mockup
Elizabeth Barrett Browning Stamp Design A portrait of the poet against a floral motif background for potential stamps to remember the poet.
Stamp Mockup

Elizabeth Barrett Browning

A commemorative series of illustrations focused on the prolific female Victorian poet, Elizabeth Barrett Browning. Included are mockups of book covers for two of her most famous works of poetry, as well as a stamp design for potential circulation in her native country of England.

Elizabeth Barrett Browning AUArts Grad Show EBBBookSpine
Aurora Leigh and Sonnets from the Portuguese These are the covers and spines for Barrett Browning's two most notable works. Aurora Leigh is a semi-autobiographical epic poem written in blank verse. It's a rather well-known piece in feminist literature and delves into issues involving women balancing a career, love and the weight of societal expectations. Sonnets from the Portuguese is an incredibly personal collection of love poems written by Barrett Browning to her husband over the course of their relationship.
Elizabeth Barrett Browning AUArts Grad Show ALEBB
Aurora Leigh Mockup
Elizabeth Barrett Browning AUArts Grad Show SFTPEBB
Sonnets from the Portuguese Mockup
Elizabeth Barrett Browning AUArts Grad Show EBBStamp
Elizabeth Barrett Browning Stamp Design A portrait of the poet against a floral motif background for potential stamps to remember the poet.
Elizabeth Barrett Browning AUArts Grad Show AuthorAuthorStamps
Stamp Mockup
Yukata Yukata are common summer attire for men and women in Japan. You're likely to see people wearing them at onsens (hot springs), summer festivals and more! More often they're worn during hotter times of the year on account of them being unlined and made of light materials.
Furisode The furisode is an extremely intricate and detailed type of kimono commonly worn by unmarried women. Aside from their bright colours and detailed patterns, the easiest feature to identify the furisode by are their long swinging sleeves. These kimonos can reach prices as high as a wedding dress, so it's not unusual for families to either rent one or pass them down to new generations of young women.
Tomesode The tomesode is a type of kimono worn mainly by married women and have far shorter sleeves than the furisode. In terms of their patterns, they are also very detailed but are located along the hem of the garment where the legs are. They come in variations of pattern with black (kurotomesode) and pattern with subdued colour (irotomesode). These variations also feature small round family crests called kamon. The more of them there are on the garment, the greater the prestige.
Hakama Hakama are a kind of split trousers worn over kimono. In more recent times, men have worn hakama more frequently than women, but women are still able to wear them during traditional sports and graduation ceremonies. Even Shinto priestesses (Miko) wear bright red ones.
Montsuki Haori Hakama This traditional outfit is the most formal worn by men. Like the tomesode, there are black and colour variations, with black (kuro) being the most formal and with the most kamon on the haori (kimono overcoat). These outfits are also set apart by the distinct vertical stripe pattern on the hakama. Montsuki haori hakama can be worn at a variety of formal events by men, such as weddings, graduation and Coming of Age ceremonies, as well as funerals.
Couple in Yukata Aside from the descriptive clothing pages, I wanted to also have figures wear the traditional attire in an environment to add some depth to the project. Here is an example of both a male and female figure wearing yukata in a summer's evening setting.

Traditional Japanese Clothing Book

I was interested in studying clothing during a figure illustration course in 4th year, so this was a great opportunity to examine clothing and having it be focused on a culture I'm interested in. I researched various traditional Japanese garments during the semester and compiled what I learned into this brief illustrated book!

Traditional Japanese Clothing Book AUArts Grad Show Untitled_Artwork 15
Yukata Yukata are common summer attire for men and women in Japan. You're likely to see people wearing them at onsens (hot springs), summer festivals and more! More often they're worn during hotter times of the year on account of them being unlined and made of light materials.
Traditional Japanese Clothing Book AUArts Grad Show Untitled_Artwork 16
Furisode The furisode is an extremely intricate and detailed type of kimono commonly worn by unmarried women. Aside from their bright colours and detailed patterns, the easiest feature to identify the furisode by are their long swinging sleeves. These kimonos can reach prices as high as a wedding dress, so it's not unusual for families to either rent one or pass them down to new generations of young women.
Traditional Japanese Clothing Book AUArts Grad Show Untitled_Artwork 17
Tomesode The tomesode is a type of kimono worn mainly by married women and have far shorter sleeves than the furisode. In terms of their patterns, they are also very detailed but are located along the hem of the garment where the legs are. They come in variations of pattern with black (kurotomesode) and pattern with subdued colour (irotomesode). These variations also feature small round family crests called kamon. The more of them there are on the garment, the greater the prestige.
Traditional Japanese Clothing Book AUArts Grad Show Untitled_Artwork 20
Hakama Hakama are a kind of split trousers worn over kimono. In more recent times, men have worn hakama more frequently than women, but women are still able to wear them during traditional sports and graduation ceremonies. Even Shinto priestesses (Miko) wear bright red ones.
Traditional Japanese Clothing Book AUArts Grad Show Untitled_Artwork 22
Montsuki Haori Hakama This traditional outfit is the most formal worn by men. Like the tomesode, there are black and colour variations, with black (kuro) being the most formal and with the most kamon on the haori (kimono overcoat). These outfits are also set apart by the distinct vertical stripe pattern on the hakama. Montsuki haori hakama can be worn at a variety of formal events by men, such as weddings, graduation and Coming of Age ceremonies, as well as funerals.
Traditional Japanese Clothing Book AUArts Grad Show Untitled_Artwork 14
Couple in Yukata Aside from the descriptive clothing pages, I wanted to also have figures wear the traditional attire in an environment to add some depth to the project. Here is an example of both a male and female figure wearing yukata in a summer's evening setting.

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