Narrative 1

Narrative design is the use of storytelling to shape the experience and meaning of a project. In my work, I explore narrative through art, music, and design. Narrative art tells stories through visuals, while narrative music tells stories through sound and emotion. These projects reflect my interest in using creative media to communicate ideas and connect with people.

Narrative story is the way a story is organized to share meaning, emotion, and experience. It gives a project structure and helps the audience connect with what is being told. In my work, narrative story helps turn ideas into something engaging and memorable.

Alice’s Candle

The wood below Alice’s fingers could be colder, but the bright peachy candle was warm enough to possibly set the table on fire. Alice thought a few times of setting the table on fire by knocking down the candle. Was it a coincidence that she only showed up to the club when he was performing? No, she had his schedule memorized, pinned in the back of her mind and her bedroom. Not the best bedroom, the bed was a few flattened cardboard boxes and behind the club next to the industrial compost bins. No one in a 5000 mile radius knew where she lived, and how she ran her life back there. She liked it that way.

Sometimes she’d sit there and count the stolen watches, pocket change and jewelry. Looking across the street, the small house had been on sale for the past year. Then Alice would look at the comedy club’s schedule. They call themselves the Coolest Corner stapled against the wooden fence behind her.

Back in the club a guy sitting next to her, one of those men you think of when you hear white haired dad bod, he was laughing so hard he grazed her hip which startled her out of her thoughts. The guy noticed her angled glare before saying sorry and sitting right back up. She ignored him. Stare back up at the man of her dreams on the stage. Tall handsome man whose skin was a mix of topaz and sand, his figure was fragile in the same way as it was relaxed, with one hand on the mic and the other waving around trying to describe his first-born illiterate nephew.

Sinking back into her seat, Alice raised a weary eye to the guy on her right before snatching his wallet and walking to the bathroom. A classic way of not getting caught always made her feel a bit guilty.

Inside the bathroom, the light flickered above her like it was watching. On the edge of the sink, she opened the wallet. There was a picture of a woman, smiling, maybe his wife. The photo was creased at the corners, like it had been carried for years. Alice ran her thumb over the woman’s face, then looked at her own reflection in the mirror, tired eyes, smudged lipstick, a faint bruise under her chin from sleeping against concrete.

She set the wallet down and stared at it. The sound of laughter from the stage echoed faintly through the walls. The air in the bathroom smelled like soap and metal. Her chest tightened. For a moment, she imagined being out there with him, laughing at something harmless, something real, the candles on each table joyously lighting up brighter with laughter. 

She took the cash anyway, but slower this time, as if each bill weighed something. She hesitated again, then stuffed the money into her jacket pocket. Before leaving, she slid the empty wallet onto the ground near the stalls so that when the man found it, he wouldn’t think of her at all.

When she returned, the comedian had changed topics.

“Ever notice,” he said, smiling at the crowd, “that liars always laugh first at their own jokes?”

Alice’s stomach twisted. She forced a laugh, her throat tight. For a moment, she was sure his eyes met hers.

After the show, she stayed behind as the crowd thinned. The wooden chairs creaked like whispering ghosts. She imagined herself on stage, the lights blinding and soft, her voice cracking through a joke that wasn’t really a joke, something about stealing hearts and wallets and not knowing the difference.

A tap on the shoulder. It was him. Silken jet black hair swirled around in curls, eyes of chocolate sprinkles, and amber skin. The man Alice always wanted to talk to. The comedian that she was there to see. 

“You dropped this.” He held out the wallet she’d emptied. Alice froze. She nodded, not knowing how else to respond.

He didn’t look angry, just tired. “You could’ve just asked,” he sighed and pointed at the poster pinned to the billboard, a “We’re Hiring” sign. “Night shifts,” he added. 

As he turned to leave, his eyes flicked briefly to her jacket pocket, the faint outline of folded bills pressing against the fabric. She could see his disappointment in the slight curve of his mouth.

For a moment, she almost reached into her pocket. But her hand stayed still. The candle light from earlier still glowed in her mind, small and stubborn, not enough to set anything on fire, but enough to burn.

Narrative illustration is artwork that tells a story or shows emotion through visuals. It uses images, details, and composition to communicate meaning. In my projects, narrative illustration helps bring ideas to life in a clear and creative way.

In this collaborative creature corpse project, each student created one part of a larger creature while using connecting lines to guide the next artist’s section. I designed the green deer head and wanted it to feel eerie, gentle, and imaginative through its glowing color and stylized features. I enjoyed seeing how each person’s individual art style came together to form one unexpected creature. This project taught me how collaboration can challenge you to stay creative while also considering how your work fits into a larger whole.

Using Illustrator felt different from using Photoshop or drawing on paper. Illustrator made it easier to create clean lines and shapes, which worked really well for a clothing design. Since it is vector-based, everything stays sharp even if the size changes. Photoshop is more useful for editing photos, but Illustrator was better for making this design from scratch.

For this project, I made a black hoodie design based on a king chess piece. I chose to do a hoodie because I feel like what someone wears can say a lot about them. People naturally look at clothing and make assumptions, whether someone is wearing something flashy or something simple. I wanted to make a chess design that could also say something about the person wearing it, but not in a way that was too loud or obvious. I chose the king chess piece because it can represent power, leadership, and strategy.

I wanted the design to look simple but still feel strong. I did not want to add too much because I wanted it to stay clean and not feel overwhelming. This project helped me see how Illustrator can be used to make art for real products, and it made me think more about how design and clothing can express personality.

Music narrative is how music tells a story through sound and emotion. It can show feeling, change, and movement, even without words. In my projects, music narrative helps create mood and make the experience more meaningful.

Linear perspective is the use of lines to create depth and space in art and design. It helps flat images look more three-dimensional and realistic. In my projects, linear perspective helps make compositions feel stronger, more organized, and more visually interesting.

This illustration was based on my narrative story Alice’s Candle. I used Adobe Illustrator and linear perspective design to create depth and make the scene feel more realistic. The perspective draws attention to the stage and helps tell the story through space and composition. This project helped me turn my narrative into a visual scene that feels more alive and engaging.