Starting experiment!

After the presentation today, I would consider storybook to have a horizontal slide. Instead of just sliding, it will have an arrow to go to the next page and instead of of a totally different scene, the background (- or any visual) is connected to the next slide. This, is very similar to parallax scrolling except that it uses arrow instead of scrolling.

Examples of horizontal parallax and scrolling :

http://www.reverenddanger.com

http://www.gavincastleton.com/index2.htm

http://www.drugtreatment.com/#next

Since, we should start experimenting already, I started on the character design. I tried drawing the girl in four different ways from different inspirations and this is what I get:

From here, I would pick 2 & 3. Hence my character style would be the body of 2 and the face of 3 since I think it would be cuter that way. Besides, drawing small kids like that would be easier to color. 

For the color, I may consider physical watercolor painting while digital painting as an alternative. Before that, I would have to consider practicing my watercolor as it is not my forte in it. I will take this as a good opportunity and reason to learn this technique.

Finalized idea

I'm finalizing on doing an interactive storybook with my own storyline. Since some of the seniors had done this, I would like to make it more interactive then the simple gif in it. Some I will have to research more and also based on what I had in mind.

The story board of the story…

- animated text

The following is broken down into pages.

1. There was a pretty young girl who is always seen in a white and pink dress. She is sweet and cheerful.

 - Her hair and dress blows in the wind (gif)

2. Everyday, she is seen playing in the playground all by herself the whole day.

- tap on the playset to see her play

- animated background

3. Her favorite time of the day  would be in the evening where the other children would play around in the playground. Every time, she would play hide and seek with them as it is one of her favorite game. 

- Find the hiding children.

- When found, the children do a different pose.

4. When it is time to go, she would just wave goodbye to the kids. No one ever saw her leave the place ever since she has first seen here.

- The girl's hand wave (gif)

- moving side characters as they are going back home

5. As a young boy is walking with his mother, he told her that he had fun and made new friend. He talks about the girl and he was suddenly curious. He asked his mother, " Mom, why her mother is not there to pick her up?"

His mother just look at him and told her son, "That's because she can't go back home anymore".

- Background moves as if the character is walking (bg gif)

- characters move up and down

6. As the mother look back, it is revealed that the girl died a few days ago in a car accident near the playground.

- character turns to look back (gif)

-zoom out of the girl in the park to see the flowers outside the park.

Character References: 

http://blaine.org/jules/ramos_monca_55_lr..jpg

http://whattoreadtoyourkids.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/sophiessquashinset.jpg?w=300&h=187

http://blaine.org/jules/Spot%20172dpi1.jpg

http://www.awn.com/sites/default/files/image/featured/2918-little-matchgirl-matchless-watercolor-experiment_0.jpg

https://img1.etsystatic.com/014/0/7607560/il_340x270.436713979_mcpq.jpg

Overall reference:

http://www.axure.com/forum/6-x-tips-tricks-examples/4595-interactive-kids-storybook-worm-story-animation.html

http://www.wanderfulstorybooks.com/Storybook_Sampler

What inspires me most:

http://oakleighss.edublogs.org/2012/11/12/the-artifacts-new-interactive-storybook-app/

One of the most interactive storybook, The Artifacts by Slap Happy Larry.

One of the feature that I like most and would like to implement it into my storybook is the ending part of it. Where reader swipe (wipe) the screen and it changes into another scene. However, I am still searching for it.