End of Module Evaluation

Visual Skills OUIL403 Module 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 practice?

• I have been getting used to working within a time frame of two weeks that were given for a project. At first I found it challenging to know how much work to do in a day and how developed our ideas should be after a week. Peer groups and feedback sessions helped with this. Setting myself mini tasks for each day has been very helpful in dividing my time.
• Before starting the course, the tools I used most were fine liners and dip pen with ink. I have found that using a brush has a certain gestural quality to it that a pen doesn't have; I can produce different widths of line and tone, which has been a lot of fun for me to experiment with. Using this method has been effective in producing more expressive work.

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?

• Researching and developing ideas through drawing through reflection has been something I wasn't sure about to start with. I have since been surprised by how much you can gain by drawing even the most ridiculous, seemingly irrelevant ideas.
• The introduction of roughing was also very helpful for me. It really helped with learning how to plan a composition within a frame and scale. I have started automatically drawing boxes all over my sketchbook when thinking about ideas.
• Restrictions on colour scheme within the brief were a bit of a challenge for me to start with. Until recently I had worked with a mainly monochrome colour scheme. Using two colours has actually been helpful in knowing how to set tone to a piece, following this I gave myself a limited palette to work with for the latest project.
• Knowing what type of media to use has been a bit of an obstacle for me to tackle, as I am fond of detailed naturalistic imagery. I realised during this module that certain styles of drawing/image making are more appropriate for certain contexts. For the book cover project in particular, I stepped out of my comfort zone to produce more naive characterised illustrations that worked well for the type of cover I wanted to produce.

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

• For me, Craftsmanship has always been a big factor when working on any kind of imagery. I like my work to demonstrate a quality that has been considered and well thought out. I believe my own craftsmanship has been capitalised through drawing constantly, observational and from reference as well as from imagination.
• I have learned pretty quickly when to scrap an idea if it doesn't seem to be working. I think I am getting better at not getting attached to initial ideas and maintaining an open mind of the project's potential. Feedback sessions and using my sketchbook as a visual playground have helped with this.

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

• I found getting into the swing of blogging difficult to start with as I wasn't completely sure what were supposed to be writing. I now understand that it is a reflection of my own practice and something I should be writing personally rather than in statements. To improve my blogging skills I will remember to include more contextual sources that inspire my creativity as an individual.
• Development of skills using different types of media is something I want to pursue in the progression of the course. I aim to try a variety of print techniques such as screen-printing and letterpress (something I am very interested in) and continue to explore the use of digital media.

5. In what way has this module introduced you to the BA Illustration programme?

• Visual Skills has definitely been my favourite module so far. The challenge of making work that fits into the context of a brief has been very insightful and progressive for me. Learning about the communication of an image is the main reason I wanted to come to University.
• Time management was something I was very aware of at the start of the course. The overall structure helped me with separating the different projects and tasks. The introduction of Visual Language also influenced my experimentation in this module.
• Future projects will benefit what I have learned from this module and I am excited to continue developing my skills within the programme.