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!!
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