OUIL402 FINAL EVALUATION

1.What learning have you inherited through this module and how has it impacted on your own understanding of professional practice? Consider yourself as a student at University as much as an illustrator This module has allowed me to have a greater understanding of what illustration is and can be, as well as understanding what criteria illustration can be marked against in terns of successes and weaknesses. For example, I understand my work or a practitioner’s work can be successful in its crafting and image quality however not strong in its use of communicating it’s context. I feel I am now more confident in discussing and identifying strengths and weaknesses in my own work as I have a broader understanding of where my works sits against professional practitioners. I also feel my general knowledge and vocabulary in regards to this creative field has broadened and improved as well.
2. What approaches/ types of research have you found most valuable over this module? Why did they have such an impact?
I found during this module spending time on websites such as itsnicethat.com, tumblr and pinterest have been really helpful in keeping up to date with contemporary practitioners and generally creating a broader understanding for past and present art culture. Another approach to research I’ve found to be really useful has been visiting exhibitions, galleries and shops as I’ve stumbled upon work or practitioners that I have referenced or identified strengths in that I can apply to my own practice. The third research strategy I’ve found really beneficial has been spending the odd afternoon in the Henry Moore Institute Library where again I’ve been able to broaden my knowledge from the amazing array of art culture books they have available.
3. In what way has PPP informed the way your work in other modules and your illustration practice as a whole?
This module has allowed me to look at other practitioners and creatives and therefore to move away from just comparing my work to my peers. It has allowed me to see where my work in the future can go in a variety of contexts, for example I’m really interested in furniture design and fashion so I think over the next few years I want to start considering working towards that context. The planning for my final presentation has really made me understand my strengths and weaknesses and what aspects of my practice need to be addressed or moved away from over the next few years at university and afterwards.
4. What weaknesses can you identify in your PPP submission and how will you address this in the future? I think I’ve addressed this brief well, however I feel I should have documented my thoughts after seminars and day trips more regularly. For example I do a lot of observational drawing on day trips which have really benefitted my practice, however I haven’t documented these endeavours so I feel I haven’t done as much learning as I could have done as blogging really helps me to realise and evaluate my work. Otherwise I just know whether I like or dislike something but not really understand why until I have broken it down.
5. What communities of practice and professional contexts do you intend to investigate further as you approach level 5? Why do they appeal to you? In level 5 I really want to approach and develop my skills in printing techniques further as this is something I’ve touched on briefly towards the end of this year and I have identified that this is something which makes practitioners work so successful. I also really want to keep pushing my work in to 3D work, as I’ve really enjoyed doing woodcuts and love the work produced by Charlotte Mei and Studio Arhoj.
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.

FINAL PPP SLIDES & NOTES

One of the biggest challenges I've faced this year was moving away from home and from the countryside. In hind-sight moving to the city has made me realise how much I am defined as an individual and as a practitioner by my upbringing of being surrounded by fields and plants, so it has been a big adjustment to get used to not seeing green everyday. The same as cooking, cleaning and just generally looking after myself was a big adjustment and admittedly I didn't do too well at this at the start of the year. I definitely consumed way too much pasta and not enough veg!! 

Another of the biggest learning curves I've undergone over the past year has been being more open-minded to what illustration and image making can be. The Visual Language and Visual Communication module has been key in allowing me to think about illustration as a broader thing than just pen and paper. One task set that I really enjoyed and brought me to this turning point was the challenge of using 3-D, costume & Art Direction as a means to communication. Being involved in pantomimes from a young age automatically meant I was really invested in this task because I associate dressing up as fun anyway! However I had lots of fun creating these characters and I think they allow the possibility for an audience to interact with my work more than just drawn pieces. I developed this idea in to a moving gif which again I really enjoyed, however was stained blue for the most of the following two days. Therefore I really want to capitalise on this technique in the future because it's just an interesting approach. 

Another thing I've learned about myself this year as a practitioner is the importance for just giving things a go! Trial and error as a process when trying out other processes is something I love doing and really informs my work and allows me to know that my final outcome is the best it can be. I touched on repetition and a variety of ways to approach image making such as blind drawing. However this is something I've really understood about my practice as this year has come to a close especially as I've been introduced to and introduced myself to new techniques such as paper collage, screen printing, mono printing and wood cutting (just to mention a few.) This idea of playfulness is the main inspiration for where I want to take my practice in the next year to come and is also the inspiration for my visual manifesto poster. I've made a six step guide to my approach of playfulness within illustration. I created several different versions of the same subject using techniques such as paper collage, screen printing, mono printing, blind drawing, painting and wood cutting. These techniques sum up where my successes have been in the last year and the techniques i want to keep building on in the future.    

One of my strengths I have discovered over the last couple of briefs is my willingness to approach research in a hands on way. Observational drawing on location is something I really enjoy, however it's been really beneficial for my understanding of the subjects I am tackling. For example, In the 'Greetings From' brief where I made postcards for cities with botanical gardens, I went a drew plants in an orangery which enabled me to have a better understanding of the plants forms, textures, shapes and colours. This development of understanding allowed my sketchbook development and final outcomes to be much more genuine and more successful with it's communication. It also meant that I had more of a connection to my work and felt more inspired to start the project in the first place. This technique is therefore something I want to keep reiterating in my future projects as it helped me so much when I have used it. 

Another of my strengths I feel I have capitalised on and understood throughout the last studio practice module is the importance of simplicity and how shape can be used really effectively in communicating ideas whilst still keeping an sense of ambiguity and abstraction which is something that I love (PICASSO FOREVER). Throughout the first couple of studio practice briefs right at the start of the year I felt my ideas were getting lost in communication, however since implementing more shape in to my projects my peer crits have shown that my communication skills have massively improved. I also really love the naivety and immediacy of shape based illustration such as the work from Daniel J Fletcher and Nicolas Burrows, so it's been really nice to create some work I enjoy and feel proud of. I think it's important for me to keep pushing this use of shape because it just brings enjoyment to my work on a personal level as well as it helping my communication of ideas.    

When thinking about my future practice I know that I am not suited and I'm not stimulated by editorial work, I found the article brief we had at the start of the year to be really hard and stifling of my creativity. Therefore I think it's important that I bring my love for fashion, interior design, furniture and magazines in to my work as I really loved the crafting of the woodcut blocks I've made recently. I felt really inspired and by Charlotte Mei's discussion about her practice in the big heads when talking about translating her drawings in to ceramics. Therefore in the future years I think I need to start thinking about making products and prints in my practice more and apply my creativity to a purpose. 

Another element of this year I've really enjoyed has been the working environment and sense of community within the studio. I've learnt a great deal from my peers in crits and through general chit chat which has been so helpful and encouraging to my work and I hope to everyone else's too. This has made me think that I would love to be part of a collective in the future or to be working in a joint studio because theres nothing like asking a friend when I'm really stuck for a bit of advice with that to do next. I'm a really strong believer in two minds are better than one and that a problem shared is a problem halved. I also think when starting out after university it will be enable me to have faith in what I'm doing because of strength in numbers.   

When thinking about things I need to improve for next year I automatically think about COP! My time management throughout as generally been a bit of a shambles as I prioritised studio briefs over this module. This was due to the fact I haven't done any kind of academic writing since my GCSEs and with this lack of practice I felt very overwhelmed and didn't know where or how to start researching. In hind-sight I should have asked for help sooner and timetabled sessions in each week to just focus on this module, especially seeing as I know I struggle with it so I could spread the load. I think this also applies to the visual response element to this brief too. Again I kept putting it off as I was unsure what was required of us and how to go about this brief. However I definitely know I need to be more proactive and organised when tackling this module next year.  

Another aspect of my practice I think I need to improve on next year is my digital skills in regards to image making. I feel throughout the year I have just used it where I have had to as I don't really enjoy work that is created digitally. There's no room for happy mistakes, however I do understand that in future briefs it may be a requirement and I think when digital processes are used well it can add an element of crafting that that analogue can't cover. And also it's necessary for work in regards to animation. I really struggled when using illustrator for my 'greetings from' postcards and found that my lack of understanding of what the programme could potentially offer I felt it hindered my creativity in this brief as my research and development was was really strong. I think over summer and next year I need to set aside some time for me to play around with Photoshop, Illustrator and Indesign so I can use them effectively in future briefs as opposed to stifling my potential.   

Overall something I need to improve on is my procrastination levels and just generally making the most of my time to create work and to enjoy my spare time. However, over the past few months I have made steps to being more proactive through exercise. It helps me to have more of a routine, a positive attitude and to generally feel more energised, and of course better about my self image and health. Therefore my TOP TIP, which we've been asked to provide, is park run on Saturday mornings. Theres one around Hyde Park, but obviously over summer there is one in most towns in the country. It's free to do and a really good way for me to set myself up for a productive weekend as I've got the rest of the day to feel awake and to crack on with things. The atmosphere is great as you aren't running alone and everyone is really supportive and everyones welcome no matter your ability. It's really fun and nice to be part of something so positive. 

So that's my year!! 

FINAL PPP PRESENTATION

FINAL PPP POSTER

I thought some text would help to portray the idea of my practice focusing on playing around and trial and error was important so I added text to 5/6 tiles using a label maker saying 'MY SIX STEPS TO PLAYFULNESS' which I think really adds to the communication of what I've learned about myself over the last year! Really happy with my final outcome I think the colour palette brings the different processes really well without being too cliche and boring. I just think generally it communicates simplicity, shape and the idea of playing around and repetition therefore I think its really successful without it being over kill. 

ILLUSTRATED SELF - MONO PRINT

I think this process is so key to the idea of trial and error and literally playing around. I haven't used this process since my induction so was a bit cautious about using this process but I know my work produced in the induction has been one of my favourite pieces of the year and was the turning point for me realising how strong shape can be within image making. I made several pieces and really struggled to chose from them which to use on my final poster, However I think this piece is the best in showing off shape and colour and trialling layers. 

ILLUSTRATED SELF- WOOD CUT

For this tile on my poster I silly drew the four shapes i wanted to cut out from wood and used the band saw in the workshop to cut them out. Because I'm presenting this on paper as an analogue piece I had to use very think wood which was harder to work with as it could have snapped easily and my hands kept getting very close to the equipment because of the size of the pieces. However I'm really happy with the outcome of this and think this sums up my journey to loving simplicity I have gone through over the past module. The navy paper I've used really shows off the forms well which is great. I also didn't want to paint the wood as I feel it would have made the process ambiguous and less obvious what material it is. 

ILLUSTRATED SELF- SHAPE COLLAGE & PAINTING

I sketched out general shapes that I wanted to translate in to shape first, I found making this design the most easy as I've used this technique a lot over the past module and feel I've nailed the understanding of shape and simplicity. Really love this design. 

I struggled with this technique a lot because I wanted to move away from using line work with painted areas because I love the simplicity of just bold shapes. However, I felt it was important to think abstractly when creating this piece as I love Picasso and the overlapping of shapes I've drawn in my sketchbook of Henry Moores' work. I think my final outcome for this is really captivating though as it's very different to the there styles I've developed so far and it's full of colour. It definitely replicates the idea of playfulness and fun. 

ILLUSTRATED SELF- BLIND DRAWING & SCREEN PRINTING

I played around with drawing in pencil, fine liner and posca pens on various coloured paper. I found that the hello background and bold posca pens were the most successful as they created some really bold images. I think the abstraction of these are great. 

Because of only having a week to produce these images I quickly translated these in to a screen print as this is the longest process. I wish i'd have spent a bit more time mixing the paints as they came out very bright and almost a little too light compared to the paper I had worked my general colour palette with. However, because these were drawn with posca pen for the negatives I think there are some really lovely textures to this image and feel its a success. 

ILLUSTRATED SELF- ACTION PLAN

Been thinking lots about which processes have been really important to me over the past year and which have positively implicated my work. I narrowed it down to six steps:

• BLIND DRAWING
• SHAPE COLLAGE
• SCREEN PRINTING
• PAINTING
• MONO PRINTING
• WOODCUT

When thinking about what to draw in repetition I instantly thought about self portraits however I've done this and I don't want to keep falling back on the same thing. Looking at my diagram I think it's really obvious that I enjoy fashion, architecture, art and general design from the modernist movement so started playing around with plants, housing and the modernist sculpture forms I was drawn to at Yorkishire Sculpture Park. I think the shapes I came up with actually really depict my cultural interests which is a nice over arching theme to work with. I like this aesthetic. 

Colour Palettes are also really important to my process and I really enjoy this development, it helps create a mood for my work. As this poster is all about playfulness and fun I thought bold primary colours are really important to bring an element of nostalgia to my work. 

I think now I just need to get playing around with these forms in the six processes discussed. Excited for this

THE ILLUSTRATED SELF- CRIT FEEDBACK

WHAT DID PEOPLE THINK?

Overall when talking about my idea people really liked the idea of creating my own versions of people work but felt it could be restricting. Suggestions including doing versions or copied of my own work in there too. People also talked about the way I would approach the image making to make it my own, generally in the past people enjoy my paper shape work and bold lines so this is something I should definitely consider. However after talking about my idea the less I liked it and the more stuck I felt as it feels very impersonal and almost a lazy approach top the brief. 

TALKING TO MATT

I spoke to Matt about my struggle on ideas and we discussed that over the last two projects it's really apparent in my work that process and playfulness has been very crucial and has defined success in my work. We spoke about maybe creating a vignette or tiles of processes that are important to my practice such as blind drawing, shape, colour, woodcutting, art direction and costume etc. I feel really excited by this idea I think now i just need to figure out what I am going to draw. I know I love form, portraits, furniture, shoes and plants as well as many other things so I just need to get drawing now. 

I made a list of what my work is about as a starting point for this: Repetition is key!!!!!! 

THE ILLUSTRATED SELF- YORKSHIRE SCULPTURE PARK

Visited Yorkshire Sculpture Park with some friends on the course and had an amazing day out and saw work from Joan Miro, KAWS, Barbara Hepworth, Henry Moore and lots others. Sat and did some drawings of the forms I though were really interesting and fun and just enjoyed sketching for my own enjoyment. 

After this trip I got to thinking about ideas for this PPP illustrated self and I understand that other artists and practitioners have such a massive influence on my work and started thinking about possibly producing a vignette poster with studies of my top ten or 15 different practitioners but in my own study or version of their work. Similar to Jay Covers work. I'm unsure about how personal this solution to the brief is though. I feel what I'm about as an illustrator is much broader than just the peoples work I enjoy, however I'm finding it really hard to focus or group together elements of my written diagram, but i also feel if i were to try and include everything there would be too much to cover and it would;t make any sense. Just gonna see what is said in the crit.