Friday, 15 April 2016

End of module eval

Responsive has been such and interesting and exciting module. One that I have found to be challenging and also very rewarding. I have never entered a live competition brief or particularly been very confident in showcasing my artwork publicly, So this brief was a great way for me get some artwork out there. My ability to discuss ideas and concepts with my peers has definitely improved through this module and it has definitely become more comfortable doing so.

Entering such well known and highly competitive contests is quite daunting, but I also feel like its a great way to prepare me for the real world of illustration. I have found the aspect of competing with other practitioners actually quite motivational. I think the fact that I'm surrounded by such talented illustrators, it has made me want to push my self that bit further with interesting briefs, and stepping out of my comfort zone a little, such as creating abstract and expressive response through the secret 7 brief, or the large scale of the john lewis brief.
With this module being so broad, there was such a range of competitions available to us with many being quite unlike any i have previously done. I decided to take a creative challenge, and enter the john lewis brief. Each one of my individuals briefs has been challenging in someway, but john lewis was such on such a large scale and very unique brief, completely unlike anything i would have previously thought of entering.
 Thinking conceptually is something that i wanted to continue to develop. I have shown the ability to do in one of my most recent modules and successfully too, but it doesn't perhaps come the most natural at times. I wanted to explore this side of my design process more, and felt that tackling a large brief such as john lewis would be a good way do that. This brief is much more about the coming up with a strong concept over producing a finalised version of a design which i found quite challenging, as I'm used to aiming to create final images of a high quality. I learnt a lot through this process such as how to create a well informed fleshed out concept, thats backed up by thorough research.

I really enjoyed getting to work with other creatives for this brief, and I feel that my confidence has improved largely because of it. I got on really well with the other members of my group, and we had a good level of communication with each other. When i spoke out about my ideas, they were well received by other members which really encouraged me to let my opinions be heard, I feel that i also demonstrated the ability to listen to others, and showed willingness to compromise and take on board criticism.

With each brief I aimed to keep pushing my aesthetic. I didn't want to create the same styled artwork i wanted to keep moving onto something else or developing the techniques in some way, i aimed to keep an open mine throughout the module and be willing to keep trying new things.
  I Found secret 7 to be quite a a difficult one, because i created a broad range of imagery - each song inspired me in a different way, and each artwork has a completely different aesthetic and approach; i was producing work so different from each other that it would get a bit muddled at times. I think it was good that i took risks and felt inspired to try different techniques instead of sticking to one approach however, and i did enjoy this brief, it was a lot more fun and open than the other briefs, so i took this as an opportunity to experiment with shape and mark making and become more abstract and expressive with my work which was quite new to me. I found that i really enjoyed responding to music, and creating artwork in the moment was actually quite liberating, and i enjoyed bringing a bit more freedom into my designing process.
Im often so used to having a very thoroughly researched and backed up idea, that it was nice to have a break from that and interpret the music directly. I forced myself to just go with my initial instinct, It didn't have to mean anything, just my own personal interpretations of the music, and they actually turned out quite successfully!


This self directed brief means I have been able to reflect much more over my practice as a whole, as i have had to work a lot more independently. It’s been largely beneficial in terms of allowing me to realise the kind of briefs i can really invest my time and and which have helped me to progress as a practitioner. The most recently submitted wallpaper design brief has been a particular favourite of mine. Towards the end of last year, i love of working with pattern design, but haven't explored this much further since until this brief. It resurfaced my interest pattern design, and how it could continue to be something i explore within my practice.
I have also found the clockwork orange brief to be very relevant and beneficial brief for me to work on, as book illustration is something I am interested in exploring as a professional. I have learnt a lot, essential what is involved in creating a cohesive book cover design. I would also like to continue to bring conceptual thinking into my work, as i am quite pleased with my design and enjoyed the challenge of inventing a unique and fresh interpretation of the novel.
Time management is something that still needs to be improved. I found it quite hard to juggle a range of briefs all with different time scales. I feel that the final outcomes of some briefs were impacted by the crossover of deadlines when i felt forced to rush decisions. Due to running so many different briefs and modules at once, i need to create a more extensive and well planned timetable that will give me enough time to complete briefs to a standard i am happy with. Saying that, i found that being pushed for time forced me to make important design decisions instead of perhaps spending too much time on development. there comes a point when you have to make final choices.

I think this project has improved my confidence in my abilities and encouraged me to continuously be taking risks further. I feel more open to new briefs as I've been pleasantly surprised by, and capable of tackling briefs that i though were perhaps quite outside of my comfort zone, and for each one i have create final imagery with some successful qualities. I look forward to entering more live competition briefs in the near future, and continuously take risks and push my interests with the choices i make.



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