Evaluation

I've definitely learnt a lot about illustration and myself as an illustrator in this module. I've learnt a lot about what illustration actually is and how it can be applied through the different study tasks and PPP sessions in the studio. The presentation planning and study tasks have helped me in discovering strengths and weakness I have which I can now focus on improving. I feel like I've had an almost epiphany during the illustrated self maps and being told to actually reflect on myself has made me realize what work I want to make and what message I want to communicate. I've thought a lot about how me, my interests and my work all relates which is something I haven't thought about before. The metal music I listen to, the interests I have in space etc, the games I play and the horror/fantasy films I watch all tie in with my work and I need to let this come out through in my work more now that I realize this. PPP has made me realize my interests and how they could influence my work to be enchanting, magical, adventurous, mysterious which is the direction I now know I want to go in. After realizing all this, I managed to create an A2 poster which I'm fairly happy with. I tested and trialed and thought about this piece a lot using analogue methods which I am happy I did. I still have room to improve but after piecing together what I want to include in my work and what I'm trying to communicate, I feel I am going in the right direction with my enchanted/magical A2 poster.

I could have improved with blogging things that influenced my practice such as all the gigs I go to, but I didn't even realize how much it influences me and my work. However, I have blogged certain things that I felt were of interest to me such as illustrator talks such as when Louise Lockhart and Dominic Kirkston talked to us about their work, I feel these were transformative moments and it's massively reassuring to hear their journey and how that could be similar to my own. Reassurance is something I definitely need as I have such low confidence in my work and this is something I need to work on. I could have also improved with the creativity of my presentation, this is something I've never done before and I'm definitely going to be very nervous, I wish I had thought about this more and maybe created a film. I've realized through the study tasks in this modules how much looking at other illustrators work and going to exhibitions motivates me and inspires me. I've learnt that this is something I need to do a lot more to further my practice. I've massively improved on my criticizing  skills, which helps me on the whole as an illustrator as I need to be constantly critically reflecting on other practitioners work to realize what work I like and don't like so I then can make work I like and that I'm interested in that I can also critically reflect to realize what I like and don't like so I can constantly be improving. PPP has completely changed my thoughts on my work and other illustrators work.

Final A2 Poster

My final poster is finished yay

What went well

-I took my time with roughing, planning and executing this and I really got into this task

I actually enjoyed painting and really got into the zone and it was fun to go back to something that I've always loved, painting is what I've done since I can remember 

-I like the colours and limited colour palette, I'm not great with colours but I like these, purples with the greys and blacks just make me thing of magic 

-I personally think it creates the atmosphere I was going for but I'm unsure if my audience would get it

-Feel like I'm going in the right direction in making the work I want to make and work that has a sense of magic and mystery 

Thinking about the effect I have on the audience of making them feel enchanted

-I like the texture I've created in the sky with gouache, makes it a bit more interesting than a very flat painting

-I really like the small character within the huge frame, the contrast is what I was going for

What didn't go well

- I don't know if its because I've been staring at it for hours but I don't like it that much, I keep thinking maybe its too obvious of a concept? Is the execution a bit A Level? I tried to create texture with the sky but idk if it worked

-Did I take any risks? Not really, used the media I've always loved but that's what I enjoy? But aren't I meant to be trying new things all the time

-I don't like the character, I wanted a girl to represent me and to show the contrast of the huge night sky to me but I feel like I'm not very good at character designing

But I did want to go pretty simple with the character as its not about her, its about the sky and the universe

-I feel like its a bit unoriginal and idk why? Couldn't someone else could come up with idea quite easily? I always think that though because I'm in my brain is seems obvious to me 

Overall I'm quite pleased with it, think it sums up where I want to be going with my work, I tried to capture more of the magic of the universe and also the unknown.  It could definitely be improved, my work will always be changing and improving.

Final Slides

A2 Poster Roughs

Finding this brief hard. What do I want to include? In my presentation I've been exploring incorporating the idea of magic into my work. I realised I want my audience to feel enchanted when looking at my work. I've tried to come up with an image like that. I kinda think this works? Maybe the girl is me? I think about space a lot, how mind blowingly huge the universe is, what's out there, how big stars are but they look so small from earth, it makes me feel small and insignificant though. I tried to capture more of the magic of the universe and also the unknown. I'm worried this wouldn't be translated well to the people looking at it at the show? What if it just looks like a night sky to them? It's meant to be more than that. I've been making roughs and thumbnails and what I want to show on my A2 poster. Going back to the brief I should be creating 'an illustrated diagram of yourself.'

Thinking about concept, the girl isn't necessarily me but I felt I needed a girl in there to show the contrast of the huge universe. Without the girl would it just be a night sky?

Thinking about media, I want to use paint. I chose paint so I could create texture and the colours I want, I need to experiment more with this for the final piece.

Think about composition, I like the idea of having a small girl on the A2 poster. I think the contrast of the size is really effective and communicates the message of how big the universe is and how crazy that is.

Which composition is better? I like one including the girl looking out the window because it has a sense of being on earth but looking out to the galaxies and beyond (maybe shows introversion too?) but I like the one on the right because I think it shows the contrast better of how small the girl and earth is. 

I'm gonna try more roughs with a smaller girl? a bigger moon? Trying different ways to create the night sky, using more texture?
Maybe not use black, could use blues and purples?
I like the direction this is heading but definitely not there yet.

Planning Presentation

After my tutorial with Matt I feel a lot clear on what to talk about in my presentation. 
Notes to include:

Slide 1- My past and why I'm here. I started a chemistry degree and changed my mind.
What I thought illustration was? What do I think it is now?

Slide 2- LCA first year
-making friends, going to key club to many times, too many hangovers, going to a lot of gigs, laziness
- but I learnt a LOT

Slide 3 and 4- Successes, show the work I like, sticker, how to poster
- Sticker/Illustrator/Vectors- I was all about detail before this year and I never thought I would like simple shape work but I love it? Dominic Kirkston
- I feel my mains success is actually learning the process of making work and the thought process around making work rather than the actual work I've made
-using sketchbooking and rough, not something I've done before at all really
-vectors
-transformative moments? illustrator visits, visual language module

Slide 5 and 6- Challenges
- I have definitely got out of the mindset of every sketchbook page has to be beautiful but I still have it in the back of my head that I can't take certain risks in case it doesn't turn out so well? Why am I so scared of failure?
-my attention span is about 5 seconds, procrastinating, when I am in the zone I am in the zone for a while though
- I have no confidence in my work and need reassurance all the time, I need to learn to have confidence in my work and stop letting my worries and overthinking from holding me back, I need to GO FOR IT
- show work I don't like and talk about it- illumination? persons of note?
- I think you can tell in some of my work that I've struggled with it and I haven't enjoyed making it.
- my book!!!! I think I overcomplicated this brief immensley and maybe it had a good concept and thinking behind it but I probably should have gone for a more simple idea and executed it better, made it difficult for myself
-looking back now, I didn't make the briefs my own at all like other students did, I felt restricted by some of the brief but I definitely didn't push myself enough into making it my own
-every crit I would think ' why didn't I think to do that?'
- When I struggle with a brief I hide from it 
-I didn't like much of my work this year at all but I've learnt so much that I feel I'm ready to make work I like
- Maybe I'm too hard on myself, definitely worry too much about this whole style thing, I think about how to make my work abstract/illustration-y/ stylized when that's exactly what Jamie and Matt said not to do but I just need to focus on what I want to do.

Slide 7 and 8- Where do I want my work to go?
-I want to spend more time on crafting, feel I've got impatient with it when I used to spend hours and hours 
- Feel like I've had an epiphany from this brief forcing me to think in detail about my work
-I want it to encompass me and my interests more and I've realised I enjoy it more then and can then make more work
- Why haven't I drawn things I enjoy drawing and only thought about what I 'should' be drawing?
-themes I want to include in my work: myth and magic, gothic, strange, other worldly, halloween, horror, space, witches.
I've realised these themes are in my life everywhere and why haven't I brought it very much into my work ? the films I watch(horror, fantasy, documentaries), documentaries on space, the unknown! the music I listen to(metal, heavy), my clothes, my bedroom, examples??
Music I like is extreme and I like that theres a lot to it GO INTO THIS MORE
WSS? ENTER SHIKARI? KORN? escape from reality, want this theme to be reflected in my work
WSS and Enter Shikari both do what they want
Korn lyrics, screaming FUCK on a breakdown? Why do I like that so much? I think its the thought of being different
What do these things mean to me?? I don't want it to be cliche, It's more than just the aesthetic that I like.. desire to have knowledge beyond ordinary human understanding! The imagination and mystery!

This is the direction I want my work to go in but I still don't know how I want to situate myself as an artist or what context I envisage my work to exist in. I think that's ok and I need to stop worrying about it so much. With more experimenting and finding what areas interest me, this will become apparent.

Slide 9- Other practitioners
Who inspires me? analyse why I like them critically
Vania Zouraliliov, Sabrina Scott, Katie Scott, Holly Exley
Holly Exley Youtube videos- showed her old work and shows she made her style and career over time, by focusing on making the work she likes
Katie Scott- botanical illustrator, all I was interested in when I was younger, I wanted to be a florist, I think I would like this but with dark colours?
I like delicate and beautiful but I also like strange and the unknown and other wordly
I find when I look at other peoples work I feel so motivated and inspired, I need to do this more
How do I want people to feel when they look at my work?
Enchanted! Under a spell, charmed.

Slide 10- Manifesto, next year 
- Get up earlier
- Make the briefs my own
- Stop thinking so much 
-Draw for pleasure in free time
-Stop comparing to professional illustrators and students
-Don't be defeated by others successes, be inspired

Need to make the powerpoint slides and cue cards now 

I've gone over what I want to say a few times now and its about 9 minutes, maybe I should cut out a couple of things? I'm so worried that I won't present well and my mind will go blank and I'll forget stuff anyway :(

Study Task 7- Self

5 strengths as a practitioner

- Roughs and thumnailing is something I see as very important now, to try out all your ideas in an exhaustive approach and see how they look, even if they might be terrible, something successful will most likely happen

- Open minded and willing to change and try new things, at the start of the year I did not appreciate any work that was simple or shape based or didn't show a lot of skill. This has changed a lot and I can appreciate work from Dominic Kirston or Louise Lockhart and I even aspire to make work like this now.

- Experimenting with different medias and techniques is something new 

- Identifying my mistakes and things I don't like to do 

- Becoming familiar with photoshop and illustrator, had never tried before this year and now I feel fairly comfortable with them even though I do need more practice

5 struggles as a practitioner

- Critical reflection turns into me being negative and unconfident in my work and then not being able to execute the final image very well

- Research is not something I'm very comfortable with when it's outside of the internet and something I need to improve as it helps a lot when trying to communicate a message in my work, you need background information about the subject

- I don't think about the message being communicated in my work enough and how it is being communicated

- Craftsmanship is something I want to improve a lot, I've become impatient and I want to bring back when I used to spend hours perfecting a piece of work

- Comparing to professional illustrators is something I do a lot, when they have been practising a lot longer than I have and everyone is different anyway, I need to just be inspired by them, not demotivated

5 strengths as a student

- Always punctual to uni, actually get there 10 mins before 9:30

- Always attend, I don't like to miss anything and see every session as very important, I think the only sessions I have missed is when I was ill once

- I'm always ridiculously organised with a to do lists, kind of obsessed with them which helps when organising my time effectively to get the work done before a deadline

- I have a good work ethic and will do all tasks set with a lot of effort put in

- Using the ILOs to help me reflect on my work successfully and helps me move forward in each module

5 struggles as a student

- Something I've noticed recently is how I rush everything and I'm not sure why, I set a time for something to be checked off my to do list when I should just take my time in order to do it to my best ability but I always have something in me to rush everything

- I'm a bit lazy and don't use my time properly, I'm not massively lazy but I know I could put more effort into my work 

- I'm too easily distracted and procrastinate too much, I need to delete my apps and just DO THINGS, its always 'one more youtube video..' '10 more mins in bed..'

- I can only actually make work 'when I'm in the mood', I need to change this and just sit down for 8 hours of a day and MAKE

- I need to read a book, go to the library. This is something I always think about doing and I want to do but I never do. I think it will really enrich my work and me as a person. My attention span is awful and I really need to improve it.

- I don't use 'studio development days' to my advantage, I'll do my washing, a bit of work, some cleaning, I should go to uni for the whole day to do work and then come back and sort other stuff out

Study Task 6 - Interdisciplinary

Discuss an example of a cultural product, place or interest that informs your creative practice in some way. 

Focus on the synthesis between this interest and what you are trying to achieve with your work, or how it has informed your outlook more holistically.

MUSIC

I've chose to talk about music as it is definitely my biggest interest outside of illustration. Also, I've been a lot more interested in metal music since the start of this academic year. I've been to Key Club almost every Friday to the metal and rock night. The gigs I have been to are crazy; Nickelback (lol), Billy Talent, Bring me the Horizon, Don Broco, Soil, Black Stone Cherry, Skindred, Alterbridge, Korn, Limp Bizkit, Deftones. I have lined up; Slam Dunk Festival, Download Festival, While She Sleeps, Northlane, Novelists. I really love listening to music, finding new bands, going to gigs and it definitely influences me as a person. I think music and art are both in sync with each other. It's an artist trying to express themselves and communicate an message important to them. I'm find this blog post hard as I feel like its not something you can put into words and thats why these feelings can be communicated with music or art.

I often listen to SWIM (Someone Who Isn't Me) podcasts by Daniel Carter. He interviews mainly band members from various metal bands. Ones that have stood out to me are Sam Carter and Dan Searle from the band Architects. They are truly inspiring down to earth people and they use their bands popularity to highlight issues going on around the world. The whole band is vegan and they promote the charity Sea Shepard. Sam Carter is an ambassador for the charity and the band have raised a lot of awareness for this great charity who defend fragile marine wildlife and the destruction of their habitat. I think this is an amazing way to communicate this important message through art, and it's working and touching peoples lives and raising a lot of awareness. I like that these kind of message could also be communicate through art and illustration.

These kind of music and also the podcasts just inspire me immensely and make me rethink my creative outlook on life.