FINAL REPORT

ACCELERATE! - SPECIAL ABILITY UNIT C

Carissa Fiory Ardiani (0418190006)

SMA CENDEKIA HARAPAN

2018/2019
 1. INTRODUCTION

Studying is a process that differs to everyone; enjoyable and easy to some, yet tedious and
obstacle-filled for many. This may be caused by various reasons, one of them being the lack
of visuals in learning. Research shows that as visuals provide concrete images, the human
brain has a better capability to remember such information in comparison to abstract words.1

However, the purpose behind studying is not necessarily to memorize, but to comprehend in
order to develop critical thinking skills. A learning method dubbed ‘deeper learning’ allows
students to understand concepts through real life situations. Study also shows that this method
builds a collected way of thinking and behaviour in the students alongside skillsets gained
from the activities done in ‘deeper learning.’2

With the purpose of incorporating visuals to develop further comprehension from classroom
materials, this challenge to make a subject-integrated Webtoon is done. With graphics
providing images for the readers to remember easily and a story sequence that creates
situations for the reader to think critically, this Webtoon entitled Accelerate! – Special Ability
Unit C aims to serve as an alternative method in learning Physics and introducing one’s self
to Art & Design in the IGCSE (14-15 year olds) stage. Regardless of its target age, however,
other audiences may be able to gain knowledge as well.

Although the concept of educational comics is not brand new, this product aims to be
accessible for all. As Webtoon is a free online platform, it can be accessed by anyone,
anywhere. With the premise of teenagers with superpowers, this story connects fictional
situations with concrete facts. The arrangement for a genuine fictional plot and development
has the goal to interest readers in a genuine manner in which those who are not willing to
study will change their minds.

Aside from the aim of being a useful studying tool, this challenge also aims to increase skills.
Skills that are developed in this challenge include comprehension, creativity, and technical art
skills. Comprehension is required to summarize and dissect the material to be easily
understood. On another hand, creativity is used to present the content in an interesting
manner, such as creating the universe where the material will be given, and in what way it is

1
Haig Kouyoumdjian Ph.D., “Learning Through Visuals,” Psychology Today, July 20, 2012,
https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/get-psyched/201207/learning-through-visuals.
2
Luke Towler, “Deeper Learning: Moving Students Beyond Memorization,” neaToday, November 25, 2014,
http://neatoday.org/2014/11/25/deeper-learning-moving-students-beyond-memorization-2/.
given. Technical art skills (mainly digital painting and drawing) are used to clearly convey
the content in an aesthetic and appealing manner through visuals.

2. FROM COMICS TO WEBTOONS

a. Comics

Comics as a noun are defined as ‘a periodical containing comic strips, intended chiefly for
children.’ It also has a North American definition as ‘comic strips.’3 However, other specific
definition for comics also exist; a known example is Greg Hayman and Henry John Pratt’s
(known as the Hayman-Pratt definition) which states that “x is a comic iff x is a sequence of
discrete, juxtaposed pictures that comprise a narrative, either in their own right or when
combined with text.” They suggest that comics include two components: sequences and
pictures.4

Although comics may be associated with a certain culture, different types of comics originate
and are circulated in different countries. Some mostly known are American comic books,
Japanese manga and Korean manhwa. Each type of comic have features that are noticeably
different, for example American comic books are usually coloured meanwhile manga are
drawn and printed in black and white. Further differences lie in composition and style, as
well as the effect it creates. Over decades, different types of comics began to influence each
other in many aspects.5

b. Webtoons

Webtoons are a type of digital comic. As the use of internet grew, print comics began to be
uploaded online in various platforms, taking the term ‘webcomics’ and other variants. In
South Korea, the term Webtoon was picked up, referring to the words ‘web’ and ‘cartoon’.
Originally launched as NAVER WEBTOON in South Korea on June 23, 2004, LINE
WEBTOON, a popular online platform for digital comic readers and artists, has been
launched globally in 2014. As they provide free comics and serve as a publishing platform for
artists, along with the international audience, the number of users and popularity has
significantly increased over the years.
3
“comic,” Oxford Dictionaries, accessed November 21, 2018,
https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/comic.
4
Aaron Meskin, “Defining Comics?,” The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism 65, no. 4 (Fall 2007): 370,
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-594X.2007.00270.x.
5
Neil Cohn Amaro Taylor-Weiner, and Suzanne Grossman, “Framing attention in Japanese and American
comics: cross-cultural differences in attentional structure,” Front. Psychology 3, no. 349 (2012),
https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2012.00349.
Although the horizontal viewing like print comic format was the norm, Webtoon’s
introduction of the vertical viewing had created a major difference in the digital comic era.
As mobile phones were more accessible day by day, comics that scroll down instead of
sideways had an increase in popularity. Nowadays, most Webtoons are created in this
format.6

As more creators begun using the vertical format, new ways to make use of the format had
increased. Long gutter spaces (space between panels) are often found in Webtoons as a
graphic display of the passing time or location change. This can be used to create certain
effects on the reader. For instance, long gutter spaces can be used to display a slow, mellow
scene meanwhile small gutter spaces indicate fast-paced action and movement. Colours and
monologues are also added in the gutter spaces to ascertain the situation or atmosphere.7

The vertical scrolling format, however, has its own disadvantages as well. Unlike print
comics, it is difficult to create cliffhangers between panels without using long gutter spaces. 8
Webtoon are also similar to storyboards in its lack of variety in panels, which contrasts with
the multitude of shapes and sizes of panels in print comics. This may be caused by the limited
space for the readers to read comfortable in their devices, especially mobile.

3. METHODOLOGY
a. Planning

Before the Webtoon is created, the basic step is planning. The first step is to decide the plot,
the genres, and the setting. These components must be flexible and suitable in handling the
materials for Physics. Furthermore, they must be interesting and fun. Superheroes and slice of
life are the decided genres because the universe it is set in is flexible in introducing new ideas
into the story and can be developed easily. The contrast between the facts in the material and
how superheroes and superpowers in general defy the law of physics may also be found
interesting by the readers. Planning also includes the C3 form where the connection between
the topics and the story is determined.

6
Heekyoung Cho, “The Webtoon: A New Form for Graphic Narrative,” The Comics Journal, July 18, 2016,
https://www.tcj.com/the-webtoon-a-new-form-for-graphic-narrative/.
7
Ibid.
8
Ibid.
The next step is character design. After the basic setting and plot is created, characters are
placed into the fictional universe. The personalities and names are decided, and the dynamic
(how the characters act towards each other) is determined. The dynamic is important in
introducing new concepts in order to make the story colourful, fun and not monotonous,
especially since gag-stories will be used to introduce some concepts in Art & Design.

Next is the design process in which the characters’ personalities are taken into account. The
clothes, features, and colour palette of each character is determined. Technicalities like paper
sizes and whether the pages will be ‘full bleed’ in case of print are also decided. The product
design in Webtoon is a long vertical comic strip that is viewable in both web and mobile.
Meanwhile, if the comic pages are printed, it will be staple-bound in booklets per chapters,
with the size B4 and ‘full bleed’ pages.

b. Storyboarding

Picture 1. Example of a Storyboard Page

Storyboarding is the process of creating a rough general idea of dialogue, panels, and how the
drawings will be. It does not necessarily need to be intricate, detailed drawings yet and thus is
drawn on A4 paper with a pencil only. The storyboards are drawn for each chapter and take
form as storyboards for pages. The size of the panels conveys the significance and details in a
drawing, thus planning it carefully is necessary. Since panels guide the readers’ eyes, trying
out different shapes beforehand is also crucial. Drawing a general idea and baseline for how a
page will ease the drawing process later on.
 c. Drawing

Picture 2. Workspace and Canvas

The program used to draw is Clip Studio Paint EX, which is a digital drawing program that
has special comic-making features like paneling, rulers, and effect lines. A Wacom Intuos
Draw drawing tablet is used along with the program. Another program used is Design Doll,
which is a 3D modeling software for drawing references. However, Clip Studio Paint EX is
used instead as they also have a 3D model feature.

The drawing process includes five basic components: sketching, panels and dialogues, lineart,
colouring and final touches. First, the canvas is created. The paper size used is a B5 paper
that can be scaled down for printing. The paper also has a 5mm trim margin for full bleed
pages if it will be printed and bound into a book or booklet. The blue lines outside of the
rectangles on the corner of the canvas (shown in the picture above) are the trim marks that
will be cut off. Meanwhile, the drawings inside the rectangle on the most outer part of the
canvas before the trim marks will not be cut off. The blue lines serve as guidelines and are
not visible when exporting into a digital file.
 Picture 3. Basic Sketch

Picture 4. Panels and Dialogue

 Picture 5. Detailed Sketch

First, the basic sketch is drawn from the storyboard. Changes and additions can be made from
the storyboard if it is unfitting after reconsideration. Similar to the storyboard, it serves as a
general outline. Next, panels and dialogue is placed into the canvas—the shapes that divide
the sequences and speech-bubbles are also drawn. In the process of adding dialogue,
typesetting is an important one. The main font used is CC Wild Words, which is a common
font for comics. Other fonts are used for effects like background dialogues, shouts, sound
effects, and more. Typesetting is important as a font conveys different things; for example,
bolded words convey shouted dialogues or loud noises. After that, a detailed sketch is drawn
on another layer and the basic sketch layer is hidden.
 Picture 6. Lineart

Picture 7. Lineart With Effect Lines

The next step is lineart, which is when the sketch is drawn over with a pen, usually of a dark
colour. In this stage, effect lines are also drawn to convey motion and movement. If series of
lines are drawn towards a certain direction and follow an object, the object is moving in that
direction.

Picture 8. Flats

Picture 9. Shading and Final Touches

The next process is colouring, usually done in layers under the lineart. The first step in
colouring is flatting. Flatting is a process of filling in the basic colours from a lineart. This
will make it easier to shade in the next step, which is shading. Shading is a process where
darker and lighter colours are added to the basic colours to give an object a form by its lights
and shadows. The final step is adding the final touches, in which components are added to
give a certain atmosphere. In this step, sound effects and other colours are added to give a
certain atmosphere.

d. Formatting

The final step is formatting. Because the drawings are drawn in pages in case printing will be
done, the drawings must be reformatted into 800px wide and less than 1200px tall in order to
upload it to LINE WEBTOON. After opening a 800px wide canvas on Photoshop, the panels
are rearranged and the title and some sound effects are added as well. Next, the canvas is split
into several images and the work is uploaded. The chapter icon is also chosen and cropped
into the right size, which is a 800px-length square.

4. PRODUCT DISCUSSION

Picture 10. Cover of Chapter One (Book Version)

Picture 11. Page 1 of Prologue (Book Version)

Picture 12. Page 2 of Prologue (Book Version)

 Picture 13. Page 3 of Prologue (Book Version)

Picture 14. Page 4 of Prologue (Book Version)

The final product, a Webtoon entitled Accelerate! – Special Ability Unit C is accessible in
https://www.webtoons.com/en/challenge/accelerate-special-ability-unit-
c/list?title_no=236930. Above are pictures of the four pages (untrimmed) of the prologue in a
book version, as well as the cover for the first chapter and booklet. In the Webtoon version,
the four pages are split into two chapters with the format of vertical strips. An image of the
two Webtoon chapters are shown below.
Picture 15. Webtoon Chapter 1 and 2
The story tells about two protagonists, Quinn Rose Edison and Newton Pascal Mars, or
simply Quinn and Newton, in a world where 0.78% of humanity have superhuman abilities.
They are high school students who secretly have abilities. Quinn has the ability to remember
everything. However, her memories are stored into an internal mind library, which means that
she has to look for a certain memory before she can access it. Her personality is of apathy and
neutrality. On the other hand, Newton has super strength. Sometimes, however, he loses
control over his powers, and overusing his strength will bring him exhaustion. His personality
is hyper and slightly arrogant.

The government assigns high school students with abilities to form top-secret Special Ability
Units under the guise of a study club. Quinn and Newton are assigned under Special Ability
Unit C, which lead to their studying club name: “The Studying and Ugh Club” or SAUC for
short. Together, they must solve missions related to other superhuman with abilities, as
ordered by the government.

The topics from Physics will be incorporated into the plot. In the first story sequence
separated into a few Webtoon chapters, Newton attempts to save Quinn and stops a baseball
that broke through a window near Quinn, almost hitting her. He states that force changes
motion. However, Quinn retorts by saying that force also changes shapes because Newton
crashed into the window and also left a crack on the ground as he jumped with too much
force to reach the ball in time.

Other topics will be discussed in similar gag-stories or as a general plot. For instance, a gag-
story where the Newton tries to travel faster than vehicles will help to explain graphs in the
topic motion. Then, a villain who holds hostages will make them solve questions related to
measurements to get through an obstacle to save the hostages. There will also be a scene
where they fall into a trap and have to use the principle of density to save their own lives. A
few studying scenes before the action takes place will be shown too.

5. CONCLUSION

The strengths of this product are its explanation on concepts through fictive situations, that it
may be more fun to read than textbooks, its ease to interpret as it is visualized in drawings,
and its accessibility as it is uploaded online and can be read for free. On the other hand, the
weaknesses include the intervals between each chapter are long, how the readers may find it
difficult to separate which is fiction and which is fact, the lack of skill in the drawings, the
content that includes mild violence which makes it unsuitable for some to see, and the
material lacking in detail for some readers.

Thus, the follow-ups include giving enough content in each chapter so that even if the wait is
long, the readers will still be satisfied. An age restriction of 13+ will also be added so that
younger people will not read it. Notes will also be given so that the readers can separate
which is fact and which is fiction, as well as understand the material further. Some drawings
will also be redrawn after skills are improved. If the ability presents itself this product can be
made into a real comic book and perhaps published in the hopes of allowing a wider
availability for everyone to access an alternative learning method.

6. REFERENCES

Cho, Heekyoung. “The Webtoon: A New Form for Graphic Narrative.” The Comics Journal,
July 18, 2016. https://www.tcj.com/the-webtoon-a-new-form-for-graphic-narrative/.

Cohn, Neil., Amaro Taylor-Weiner, and Suzanne Grossman. “Framing attention in Japanese
and American comics: cross-cultural differences in attentional structure.” Front.
Psychology 3, no. 349 (2012). https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2012.00349.

Kouyoumdjian, Haig. “Learning Through Visuals.” Psychology Today, July 20, 2012.
https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/get-psyched/201207/learning-through-
visuals.

Meskin, Aaron. “Defining Comics?.” The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism 65, no. 4
(Fall 2007): 370. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-594X.2007.00270.x.

Oxford Dictionaries. “comic.” Accessed November 21, 2018,

https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/comic.

Towler, Luke. “Deeper Learning: Moving Students Beyond Memorization.” neaToday,

November 25, 2014. http://neatoday.org/2014/11/25/deeper-learning-moving-
students-beyond-memorization-2/.