OUIL403 Evaluation

Throughout this module I developed many practical skills, particularly the use of gouache and more diverse ways to use inks, through pen, dry and wet brush as well as the use of different colours and tones. I also explored my Photoshop skills through the development of scanned hand rendered images, which I feel worked well aesthetically.

Because I was unable to use the print room, I had to create a similarly looking alternative to print, and developed my own acetate stencil and painting technique, which created an appearance I felt was effective and aesthetically pleasing. I also found cut paper important during this module as it is an effective way to quickly add a colour as well as a new element to the piece to add interest.

I inevitably found myself comparing my work to my peers, and I questioned whether my work fit into the course. However, I realised I need to see what others are creating, but not grade my work alongside theirs, as we all have different skillsets, and once I accepted that our work would be varying, I found it incredibly beneficial to be working alongside so many talented peers. In Studio Brief 2, I didn’t find the article stimulating, and struggled developing roughs. However, I should have experimented more to begin with, and let the roughs come through my trials and play with media. Although I feel the editorial pieces were not the best I could have made, I found it invaluable, as I began to learn how to break through creative blocks, which is a vital skill for an illustrator. Something I could have developed further is the composition of the editorial pieces, as the message was unclear, but I feel with more time I could have made them communicate better.

At the start, I found the project structure quite disjointed, as I was trying to fulfil ‘roughs’ quota rather than freely experiment and see where it took me. However, by the end of this module I found the mid-way group feedback invaluable, as I thought of it less as a half-way assessment, and more as a chance to discuss my ongoing work, which I believe is down to my improved time management so that I wasn’t worrying about getting the roughs done in time, thus allowing myself more experimentation time. In addition, I feel I have learnt many problem solving skills, due to the specifics in format and content, as the responses had to be appropriate and communicate the correct theme and tone, which is something I really loved exploring through different designs and roughs. Therefore, I feel the most prominent strength of my work is the design, especially in the last brief, as I have used my design skills to create interesting compositions and colour pallets.

Overall, I feel I have learnt a huge amount from this module, mainly on the way I view working processes and how I can think of new ways to problem solve, both to fit the brief and when working with unfamiliar media and methods. I also feel this introduction to Ba Illustration has changed my mind set quite a bit when it comes to how I exist as an illustrator, and am really looking forward to my practise developing and evolving over the next three years.