JUDITH POLITI: Midterm Portfolio – #1 Alt Text Comic

ALT TEXT COMIC PROJECT

The first of three comics shown on the screen is hand drawn in blue pen. The background is of a mountain range, and at the horizon a few trees fill the space. The sky is filled with stars and a crescent moon, in the top center of the square. In the foreground, there are two letters: an uppercase letter "A" and a lowercase letter "a" to its right. The lowercase "a" is slightly rotated to the right, and has a speech bubble on top that says "Mom! When is dad coming?" .
A child “a” asks her mother “A” when her father is coming home. It is the middle of the night and the mother and daughter are waiting around in nature.
In the second of the three comic squares, the moon is towards the right side of the sky and less stars are shining. The mountains and trees remain the same, yet baby "a" is closer to her mother, "A". Mother "A" comforts her baby saying "He'll be here soon love".
The moon has begun to set; the stars begin to fade and the mother “A” reassures her daughter that her father will join them soon.
In the last of the three scenes, a gigantic sun comes into the left side of the square, shining behind one of the bigger mountains in the mountain range. A letter "M" is coming into the scene, closer to the viewer to emphasize perspective. The mother "A" and her husband "M" with their daughter "a" are reunited at last. "M" exclaims, "Good morning sunshines!"
“A” is joined by her husband “M”, the sun comes out and baby “a” is happy. All things shine!

 

There is a comic strip with three scenes that shows letters, a nature scene with a horizon, mountains and trees, and a setting moon and rising sun. There are captions the go along each of the three scenes and a title that says "Good morning Sunshines!".
“Good morning sunshines” comic screenshot

Project Description 

Simple comic strip “Good morning sunshines!” with alt text provided. 

Documentation 

Doing the alt text project was not only very fun but it also gave interesting insight on how to describe graphics in order to create the most accurate and rounded (stylistically) alt text possible.  

The image shows three different scenes of a comic made three dimensional with white clay. The wooden board on the background is a light birch and is placed on a light wood table
Final product
This was my first draft of the comic I started drawing. The idea was to create something simple but that had both some sort of artistic component while also being complex enough to write both a caption and an alt text on. 
 
I drew an “A” and asked my friend what letter she thought of when she thought of “A”; she responded with “M”. From there, the idea of “AM” and morning came about. 
 
The second and final draft was mainly just to iterate stylistically and refine some of the wording. 
 
When I put the three scenes into google slides, i realized that the captions I had done in my sketch were more like speech bubbles. I therefore wrote different captions for the three scenes that related more to the actual content. 
 
I then installed Grackle and got to work to organize the order of the comic and the alt text. 
 
For the alt text, I really dove into the details of the scenes – so that when paired with the caption, a rounded and effective comic reading experience would come about. 
 
One of the only problems I encountered with Grackle was figuring out how to actually delete object in the slides structure panel – I was able to drag everything in the correct order, but there were two extra components that I needed to delete that would not be removed.
 

 

Reflection Questions

1.  What is the theme of the work?
The theme of the work simple but effective; the comic itself is stylistically and content-wise, simple. It is intended to be understood without extreme engagement. Through the use of alt text and screen readers, the comic becomes more accessible.
 
2. How is that theme particularly expressed through the modality of the week? 
It is interesting because while doing the alt text I was paying much more attention to detail – even though the cartoon itself is not stylistically advanced. The alt text and caption adds much more substance to the image, speaking to the importance of alt text and captions and how they can transform a graphic onto different layers. 
 

3. Which elements of the work are beautifully/wonderfully/perfectly expressed through the modality?

The description of what is actually happening within the comic strip is expressed beautifully and the power of words and good description comes through because of this. So many connotations and emotions can be transmitted through diction. 

4. Which elements are lost or inexpressible through the modality of the week?

Visual elements that are purely subjective are lost; one who will hear a description of the comic will regardless not be able to form their own objective understanding of what is actually on the page.   

5. Who does this project exclude? Who would not be able to interact with this work? Who is this modality not accessible for?

The project excludes peoples who might not be able to hear or see; neither the alt text nor the visual element will come through. 

6. Now that you’ve identified who is excluded, what is one way you could remix this piece to include another population? (You don’t have to make this part, but think about it and write about it).

One way that this piece could include another population is by creating a physical, 3d iteration of the comic, even in its simplicity, it can provide an added experience for an individual. 

Additional Modality (if applicable) 

1. What modality did you apply? 

I applied the 3 dimensional component by making the comic a physical medium that one with touch capabilities can interact with.

2. How did you decide on this modality?

I decided on this modality because I feel as though sight and hearing are perceived as the most common way that we humans interpret reality; yet touch is as equally fundamental (as are the other senses) and when confronted with this idea paired with the comic, it was exciting to figure out the different paths I could take to make the experience as holistic as possible. 

3. What does the beholder gain from this additional modality? Why? 

The beholder gains their own interpretation of what the image and visual looks like. With only alt text or a description of the image, the beholder has not yet had their own direct interaction with the visual, only through their interpretation of someone else’s words. Through the additional 3d modality, the beholder creates their individual interpretation. 

4. Does the beholder lose anything from this modality? What? 

The beholder could lose the original purpose of the comic strip – which is simply a comic. By adding the modality and enhancing an experience, it culminates to something that could be much more powerful than simply a three scene silly comic. Though, this could be interpreted as a positive. 

5. Show documentation of this modality, and describe it if it’s not accessible on a screen (ie, if it’s tactile if it’s a scent) 

 

The image shows a wooden slab with the leftmost third showing thin pieces of clay shaped into what seems to be the beginning of a scene. There are tools lying around.
First of documentation series
The image shoes a close up of two of three comic scenes where there are letters, lines to show mountains and horizons and a moon. All of these objects are made of gray clay and stuck onto a slab of wood. The work station can be seen in the background as there are tools and a glass of water.
Process documentation 2/3
The image shows all three of the comic scenes depicting letters, the moon setting and sun rising, and a horizon line with trees and mountains in the background, all on a rectangular wooden slab. The background of the image shows the workspace with a ruler, a glass of water, the original comic strip and clay working tools laying around
Process documentation 3/3
The image shows three different scenes of a comic made three dimensional with white clay. The wooden board on the background is a light birch and is placed on a light wood table
Final product

WRITE UP – in class presentation notes:

The project was super fun to work on – I loved learning how different physical elements communicate and show visual ones. It was definitely difficult to work with this specific type of clay but it was interesting because it produced almost a dynamic product. Not for this specific project, but for future projects this medium provides room for a different version where a user can move around the pieces and create their own stories and comic strips, with different characters and different outcomes.