MARIANO PASCUAL - 36 DAYS OF TYPE

Just absolutely love the abstract shapes, colours and textures he creates! think its really interesting how he combines texture and line to create a very 3 dimensional type face. I also love the fact that each letter has its own character yet they all work together as a group. 

LUCY JONES- BOOK COVERS

REALLY SIMPLE, SLIGHTLY ABSTRACT BUT EASILY COMMUNICATES THE IDEA OF THE BOOK WHILST MAKING VISUALLY EXCITING AND INTRIGUING IMAGES! I love her use of composition and the simplicity of each concept for her book covers. I like that she focuses on pattern and completely fills the page without over crowding. 

MAT MAITLAND

ABSOLUTELY LOVE Maitland's weird collage work! Think his colour palette, subjects and overall composition is really interesting, they definitely tell a story and its fun as a viewer to work out what it is it's saying. I think the clarity of the image and the crispness really create a sense of professionalism also. 

LUKE BEST

Really admire Best's use of shape and texture created through mark making in his work! I think the layering of paper collage works really well against the flat patterns he designs. Think his work is just GREAT!

OUIL403 MODULE EVALUATION

Leeds College of Art BA (Hons) ILLUSTRATION	Level	04
OUIL403 Visual Skills	Credits	20
End of Module Self Evaluation

NAME	Ruby Shelton

1.  Which practical skills and methodologies have you developed within this module and how effectively do you think you are employing them within your own practice? As part of this module I have developed analogue skills such as line drawing, paper cutting, collage, tone and shape. I have also developed work digitally using Photoshop, which is a relatively new skill for me. I feel I have used each of these skills successfully in my work, and although there is room for improvement I feel I have implemented these skills in my work to a professional standard. I definitely feel my collage and line work have improved through media trials and have helped communicate the concepts of each brief well.
2. Which principles/ theories of image making have you found most valuable during this module and how effectively do you think you are employing these within your own practice?
Using roughs as a principle for developing ideas has been really valuable throughout this module. It has enabled be to keep generating different ideas and understanding which composition and concept helps best communicate the brief. I also found it really beneficial as it meant from an early stage I was thinking about the dimensions of the final pieces. I feel I have implemented this principle really well in my work as my final outcomes have been much more innovative and clearly communicated than illustrations I have produced before starting the course. I found that the principle of roughs has really helped with my time management and not finalising work too quickly. Working with a limited colour palette has also really benefitted my work; it enabled my designs to have more of a professional approach and also resulted in some really eye-catching images.
3. What strengths can you identify within your submission and how have you capitalised on these?
Throughout the development of each brief I definitely feel my strength has been risk taking when trialling media. This risk taking has definitely allowed me to produce innovative aesthetics in my final pieces, and has also allowed me select and uses the most successful combination of media.  I also feel my thorough development of ideas at the start of each brief has been really successful, it has allowed me to have a real understanding of each subject before looking into roughs and composition.  My blogging and self-evaluation throughout I feel has also been a success; it enabled me to pinpoint why things were successful and why things weren’t and really informed my decision-making. Therefore this helped me to produce the best work possible.
4. What areas for further development can you identify within your submission and how will you address these in the future? I definitely feel I need to start using a more diverse range of media and application in my work. I rely on using line a lot and understand that this can be quite restricting; pushing myself outside of my comfort zone by using wet media and block shapes could really inform my knowledge of image making and therefore how different media can communicate different ideas and emotions.
5. In what way has this module introduced you to the Ba (Hons) Illustration programme? This module has really informed me that communication of ideas in illustration is key, otherwise it is just image making. The briefs, ‘A day in the life’ and ‘do judge a book by its cover,’ has really informed this idea of communicating concepts and how symbols and simple imagery can implement an idea. This module has also taught me that its important to learn through drawing and work doesn’t have to be successful all the time. I have definitely learnt more about how a subject really looks by repeating a drawing until I have a real understanding of the shape.
6.How would you grade yourself on the following areas: (please indicate using an ‘x’)  5= excellent, 4 = very good, 3 = good, 2 = average, 1 = poor
	1	2	3	4	5
Attendance		x
Punctuality					x
Motivation					x
Commitment					x
Quantity of work produced				x
Quality of work produced				x
Contribution to the group					x
The evaluation of your work is an important part of the assessment criteria and represents a percentage of the overall grade. It is essential that you give yourself enough time to complete your written evaluation fully and with appropriate depth and level of self-reflection. If you have any questions relating to the self-evaluation process speak to a member of staff as soon as possible.

·       A printed copy of this evaluation should be submitted with your work.

·       A copy of your end of module self evaluation should be posted to your studio practice blog. This should be the last post before the submission of work for this module and will provide the starting point for the assessment process.

·       You should also post a copy of your evaluation to your PPP blog as evidence of your own on going evaluation.

Notes for the Module Leader

Illness has effected my attendance, but I am getting everything back on track.

Signature                    Ruby Shelton

Date:          15/11/2015

WHAT IS ILLUSTRATION? PART 1

PROCESS

DAMIEN TRAN. Really love the overall simplistic layout of his collage pieces. Also love the different textures created through different uses of media, such a screen print, lithograph and collaged paper. Just exciting to look at. 

DANIEL FLETCHER. I enjoy the relationship between the shapes, textures and layout of this piece especially. Again as this has been screen print rendered it creates a really broken line quality and bold colours. 

ELIZA SOUTHWOOD. I really love the texture the mark making in this piece creates. I also really like the fact that even though it's digitally produced it holds handmade qualities in the line and shapes of the characters. Also really like the vivid colour palette and strong application of colour to the page.

KATE PUGSLEY. She creates the majority of her work with gouache which enables her to layer colours and get a beautiful wash of colours. I especially like the fact her application of colour is stronger and weaker in the same shape. 

TIM ROMANOWSKY. His application of pencil crayon to the paper is almost incomplete leaving this lovely soft texture through mark making as opposed to colouring things in fully. It works really well with his composition of negative space and pattern in the design. 

CONTEXT

COLE CLOSSER creates beautifully messy comics. I really enjoy reading the text that fits perfectly with his endearing characters, which also matches the messy nature of his line quality and the out of line print in a second colour. I feel this is a really good example of matching media to a concept to enhance the impact of the illustration to an audience. 

JEAN-MICHEL TIXIER FOR M LE MONDE. Really love his use of colour and line in creating characters and concepts. I think the simplicity of the line paired with block colour and some pattern creates a really clean overall look to his work and focuses the attention from the audience more to the fun ideas he is communicating. 

OSWALD OBERHUBER FOR BAU MAGAZINE. The repetition of shapes and line paired with block colour really adds to the overall idea of perfect architecture. The way he has rendered this piece perfectly matches the subject of the work. However the bold colours and contrasting colour palette keep the piece from being boring. 

RUNE FISKER FOR ESQUIRE RUSSIA. I'm unsure of what text this piece accompanies, however it really tells a story of movement, confusion and lack of control. His use of line and shape at a diagonal really emphasises the idea of movement. The tone of voice in this piece is really unique, even though its very neat and particular its has a sense of messiness, I feel this is the result of small mark making in the shadows and the placement of the lines. Its a really interesting composition and exciting to figure out. Therefore successful!

WREN MCDONALD FOR NEW YORK TIMES. The characters Wren creates are very simple yet fun to look at, the facial expressions really create a sense of anger and masculinity within the characters which sits perfectly with the concept. Absolutely love the soft quality of print and the colour palette. The deeper red highlights the tools being used by the characters to bulk up so it really draws the eye to the main idea the illustration is trying to communicate. 

AESTHETIC

AFFICHES SERIGRAPHIE.I really like the simplistic shapes and forms created in this, I think when juxtaposed with the bold colours and the texture created through mark making it creates a really visually interesting piece even though it is quite plain. 

GRACE LEE.I think the colours, pattern and textures created in these vignettes are just really captivating to look at. I like how as a trio they look really strong and instantly know what they are, yet looking in detail it takes a while to work out how the shapes and patterns fit together to make each overall designs of the fish. 

JEANNIE PHAN.The textures created in her application if colour really match the textures of an actual tennis court, almost fuzzy. I like her use of simplistic shoes and smooth lines as well as attention to detail, for example creating shadows on the court.

JONATHAN CALUGI.Absolutely love the minimalistic approach to created body forms using smooth simplistic lines. I also really like the depth created by the coloured shapes underneath, it definitely creates a very contemporary abstract style of illustration. 

KEVIN LUCBERT.I feel the overall composition of this piece is very exciting because of its precision however the messy textures created through the application of pencil and mark making techniques really adds a handmade quality and an endearing aesthetic. I also feel the monochrome use of colour also adds to the conformity of the piece and really communicates the idea of suburbia.  

NUPUR PANEMANGLOR. Absolutely love the application of media here. I like the comparisons created through the highly structured, mark making shapes and textures of some plants, compared to the completely full coloured shapes of others. I feel the use of ink creates  an organic aesthetic anyway, however I really love how some areas and lines are really dark and concentrated with colour whereas some have washed out. Just think the difference in saturation of colour creates a really nice death to the piece. 

PRODUCTS

ALEXANDER MEDEL CALDERON for LAZY OAF. I think his bold colours, shape and line work are just very fun and exciting. They also work really well as a composition on clothing as they are cut up and misaligned patterns which just adds an extra detail to the overall design. 

GEMMA CORREL- CARDS. I think her use of character and set colour palettes allow her work to be really received and relatable to the public. I absolutely love her use and variation in her work. 

MICHAEL BOSWELL. I feel his compositions and colour palettes are very harmonious and just appealing to look at, I particularly like his illustrative use of text, and feel the lithograph print finish creates a really lovely monotone colour and crisp texture. 

OSCAR GRONNER. Again I admire his use of layout and colour palettes, however I feel his simplistic use of line and precision is beautifully crafted and lovely to look at. 

TADASHI UEDA.Absolutely love the contemporary yet oriental inspired characters, symbols and typeface, I feel this creates an authenticity to his work. Again I feel the colour palette and composition of his posters are just fun and weird and exciting to figure out what each design is trying to communicate. 

CONTENT

AOKI TETSUO. Love the characters created in this piece. You can feel a sense of sombreness through the elongated proportions of the figures and the overall washed out tones. The lines are so precise considering its produced with wet media, it has a beautiful craft also. 

JANNE IIVONEN. Again love the characters in her work, she creates a diverse range of people considering clothes, positions, facial expressions which have a relatable quality to them. 

JOHNATHAN GARDNER. Think the observation of this set of work is key, I like the fact that each object is placed accordingly. As a girl I think the characterisation in this series is brilliant, the facial expressions and body language presented are so true to humans and its exciting to look at. 

MONADNOCK. I think the simplicity of this piece is great, the overall composition makes this relatively plain house suddenly really interesting. I also feel the crafting of digital media and colour palettes add to the outcome, especially the details like shade inside the windows etc. 

SATO KANAE. Really cute and exciting characters, I love the weird proportions of the animals and the simplistic bold shapes. I think the vibrant positive colours which are placed within the image create a really fun and endearing piece of work to look at. 

JULIE VERHOEVEN

Really enjoy figuring out the figure and details of her very suggestive shapes and line work. I think her abnormal proportions are great, and her loose quality of line work and choice of mismatched colours are just really fun and exciting to look at.