Monday, 18 May 2015

OUIL402 - End Of Module 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 been so useful in terms of driving my practice forward. It has motivated me to look into existing artists and really reflect on my intentions and aims for the remaining of the course. Through this module I have really sculpted an idea of what I want my work to look like, gaining inspiration from a variety of contextual sources. It has helped me to capitalise on my strengths and reflect on why sometimes things didn’t go completely to plan, and most importantly think about what I want to get out of the course, and set up goals in order to achieve it. Another thing I have thought about during PPP, is how I would market myself as an artist, especially in the Advert task. Although I took it quite light heartedly, I feel like I managed to convey humour and a sense of playfulness in my work, which when eventually coming down to it is how I would sell/show my work, something that I am thinking about investigating over summer.

2. What approaches/ types of research have you found most valuable over this module?
Why did they have such an impact?

Throughout this module I have gained a lot of inspiration from social media sites such as Instagram and Tumblr, which I discovered during Study Task 4 where we were asked to create a number of lists of where we could find Illustration. Although I found the task quite simple, it was very beneficial in terms of just getting ideas down. I also learnt about pinterest for the first time in study task 3 which is now my go to source for inspiration when starting a project. 

3. In what way has PPP informed the way your work in other modules and your illustration practice as a whole?

The main way that PPP has informed my work would definitely be through contextual research. With knowledge of existing sites such AOI, pinterest and other various publication websites, I have been able to explore in depth artists that create the kind of work that I feel inspired by. In relation to my practice as a whole, I haven’t really explored illustration outside of modules, which is something I am definitely starting to work on, beginning with personal sketchbooks. In other parts such as Big Heads, I have learnt so much about existing artists and noticed patterns as to what contributes to your success as an illustrator, for example collecting small items/treasures that you can gain inspiration from, something I never would have thought about.


4. What weaknesses can you identify in your PPP submission and how will you address this in the future?

The main weakness I can identify is perhaps my lack of research and depth when blogging. When recording artists on my blog I haven’t really spoke about them in a lot of depth, mainly because of the way that I use my PPP blog to merely look back for inspiration. To work on this I intend to add to my PPP blog daily, which would be really straight forward, especially when I have signed up to things like It’s Nice That newsletter, that provides me with daily inspiration anyway. The next year will really be about utilising things like newsletters and websites to help shape my practice further. I am really looking forward to a fresh start in level 5, especially now that I know I will be able to bog consistently, for all aspects of the course.

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?

Something that I have been thinking a lot about lately is making a zine or maybe a book, based on my experience in Visual Narratives, and how much I enjoyed creating it. I really loved the feeling of investing a large amount of time into an end product like a book, as opposed to posters and postcards. I feel like I am really starting to get a taste of what kind of illustration I want to produce and enjoy creating, which I am so grateful for. I intend to start investigating using shape and texture so much deeper as I really enjoy the tone of voice/aesthetic it creates. I have mainly discovered this through PPP tasks, looking at artists like Michael Driver, Tom Cole and Brian Edward Miller, who’s work all fall into the category of digital and analogue media combined, something that I am currently really interested in.


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