OUIL403 - End of Module Self Evaluation

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?

I've been able to explore a lot of different media, recently I have been enjoying experimenting with brusho to create textures and used it in some areas of my Play Play Play images. In this module I have worked a lot with paints and inks. I think I have effectively used these media for different purposes for example I used gouache in two briefs (Day in the life, and A-Z Typology) but in my typology I have used it in a way that is creates flat colour whereas in Day in the Life I have used a dry brush approach. My work with inks could definitely be improved to be more controlled and less patchy.

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?

Making roughs has been a really helpful in this module as it provides a chance to see your ideas and compare them – adding suggestions of detail etc without having to do a full picture and find it hasn't worked. Before this course I had done thumbnails in projects but reluctantly – now I understand how important they can be for the design process. Initially my roughs were terrible, particularly for the typology they were totally unrecognisable as images, but throughout I realised spending a bit more time on the roughs adding media and colour as I have done in Day in the life and Play Play Play really helps in communicating the images – especially when other people have to critique the roughs. While working with particular dimensions in Day in the Life working within a frame was very useful for designing the layout of the images. This will definitely come in handy when doing future projects with dimensions that are not standard (A4, A5 etc)

3. What strengths can you identify within your submission and how have you capitalised on these?

My biggest strengths have been my use of colour. In each of the projects I think I have had a good eye for what colours are appropriate for each piece. Play Play Play is my favourite use of colour as it really communicates an atmosphere and gives the images a narrative. I believe that the ideas that I create are strong as I am able to think up a lot of different ideas, though I do need to work on the overall execution/communication of the idea in imagery.

4. What areas for further development can you identify within your submission and how will you address these in the future?

Crafting is something I definitely need to work on as a lot of pieces are not as polished as they could be, I will be able to address this by just setting aside time to really work carefully on pieces so I am not rushing through the crafting process. Along with this, time management is another thing I need to improve as I always end up doing things last minute and although I have met all the deadlines I would like to be more comfortable and have finished everything I need to in good time. I will have to use my diary more.

5. In what way has this module introduced you to the Ba (Hons) Illustration programme? The range of briefs has introduced me to the breadth of styles (editorial, narrative etc) that will be covered on the degree, which is pretty exciting! I can't wait to continue. Blogging has been a pretty new experience for me, previously I have just had a critical journal blog but I'm finding it great for documenting my process rather than writing it all in a sketchbook (sketchbooks are for sketching!)