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Evaluation and Reflection

Week 1

How are you settling in - how do you feel about being part of your tutor group?

I've been settling into the course fine and the tutor group has been friendly and welcoming
 

What are your first impressions of the environment? What are the differences to your previous learning and experience at A-Level?
my first impressions of the course so far are that it seems quite relaxed but assume this is just because it's the first week. At the moment it seems as though we're covering areas I've already been over at A-Level

 

What if anything, do you you need to find more about?

If anything I need to find out more about the animation department and the best programmes recommended for it
 

Where do you see yourself currently in terms of art/design/media?
Currently I see myself more focused on design and media as oppose to fine art

 

What are your current strengths?
My current strengths probably lie in graphic design and pen/pencil drawing 

 

What are the areas you need to improve on?
I have little practice in any sort of film making and would like to develop my skillset further

 

What steps are you going to take to help do this?

I will try to incorporate videos into my projects at this stage of the course in order to gain experience

Week 2

How did you understand the rationale for the Me You Us project?

Interesting approach to starting a new project, I found the Me You and Us project informative and engaging, especially the emphasis on research as that allowed ideas to come about organically.

How have you made use of your studio time?

I have made decent use of studio time so far but understand I should take advantage of it more, with the time I have been working I have been exploring drawing, painting, mark making and Model Making. I have also worked on being more free with the materials available. 

What is your understanding of the “Creative Process” and how it applies to your way of working?

For me the creative process shouldn't be too structured and methodical as this tends to make me more restricted and have less chance of inspiration striking naturally. However, I do agree that you have to explore and research in order to ignite a line of thinking.

How have the contextual references you have found helped you think about new approaches to your work?

Contextual references have proven helpful in finding different techniques to execute my work. Also, I realised that often the internet should not be a first resort when developing new ideas.

How have the practical and material elements of the work gone? (a) have you kept notes?

Yes, I have kept notes and have kept my work, however, I have been trying to keep notes and document more

What could you do better in the future / what are your plans for next week?

After having a one on one tutorial I have realised that I need to be experimental and except imperfections in work. Also I need to get in the habit of documenting my work more

Have you started photographing your work, keeping the images in a relevant folder?

Yes I have started taking photographs but need to take more and remind myself to do more

You had a tutorial this week, how might you use that to reflect on your progress?

The tutorial made me reflect more efficiently and take a closer look at my objectives whilst still motivating me

Week 3

How well did you respond to the first project brief?

It was interesting and certainly challenging trying to find inspiration from a word stemming from a questionnaire about myself, however, once I found the right methods to gain inspiration I saw the benefits in the process

 

How well did you use your time this week?

Moderatley well, I find it hard to be motivated without the pressure of a deadline which this week did not have so I became less productive at points 

 

What appropriate contextual references did you find?

I found the technique/approach of Eric Carle's work in the 'The Mixed-Up Chameleon' beneficial to apply to my project as well as the style of Albrecht Duher and the use of eyes and light in Man Ray's work

 

Which new materials or practical approaches did you try/test ? 

I used paper cut-outs when shooting my stop motion film and cardboard when experimenting with colour texture and structure for the mock up of my film

 

Did you maintain on-going annotations that might be useful in future reviews? 

Key annotations are documented in my sketchbook and on my blog.

 

How did others respond to your work and ideas during the week? What can you learn from this discussion or feedback? 

Others found that my work used a lot of ideas which is something I was intentionally trying to do after I was originally going to go for the first idea I had before my tutor told me to spend more time brainstorming

 

What do you need to do, find out about, or experiment with next week?

I need to do some more research on artists before I start story boarding for my final piece

Week 4

How effectively did you use your time this week?

During the first half of the week I found it a struggle to stay motivated and stay productive as everything I was doing was very distant from the structure of the creative process I'm used to

 

What new research or contextual references did you need to find to sustain your ideas/project?
I researched the film Tangerine by Sean Baker as the entire project was shot entirely on an iPhone and this method inspired my approach to my comic as I originally shot the comic as a short film. John Cassardes also inspired my methods as I originally was going to shoot a short film with naturalistic acting as he does in Cinéma Vérité.

 

How well did you maintain on-going annotation and the documentation of your work?
I think I probably documented the bare minimum during this week and should spend more time reminding myself to document each day as the projects continue

What did you learn from the project review about your work and others?
I learnt from the assessment that I should spend more time trying to present my sketchbook in a more organised way just as some of my peers had done

 

What strengths did you find in yourself?
I realised that I might be better adapted to more spontaneous methods when working through my creative process 

Was the last two weeks experience of art/media/design what you expected? If not, how was it different?

What was unexpected was the ways in which we where told to record work, for example on sheets of paper and sketch books. Every part of research had to be documented which was informative to look back in retrospect but difficult to get into the habit of doing

 

Have you continued to photograph your process work and outcomes where appropriate, and what have you learnt from this?
I have managed to start getting in the habit of photographic documentation in my sketchbook. I've also learned from this that it is better to not be stubborn or become too attached to one idea

Do you have a Blog and how useful are you finding it?
As of now I do not have a blog but will make sure to type up my weekly reflections and also use it to present research

If you had a tutorial this week, how might you use that to reflect on your progress?
I am starting to make steps in the right direction in terms of recording work and getting back in the habit of the standards of work I am used to producing

What are your plans for next week?

To get started with my blog 

Week 5

Looking back to the last project, what differences in approach and methodology are beginning to emerge?

I am becoming a lot less confined to my sketch book and instead of being afraid of experimentation I am enjoying it. The constant generation of ideas is trying at times but I am beginning to understand my creative process better as a result.​

Have you changed where you see yourself currently in terms of art/design/media? If so, why?

I have probably become more confident that I want to go into a pathway more graphic design based as a result of the previous weeks

Which skills developed in previous weeks have been useful this week?

My organisation skills in terms of laying my work in a digestible way in my sketchbook has helped me in this project as I feel as though I can follow my creative process more efficiently

How have new contextual references been useful in helping you think about new

approaches to your project?

New contextual references have allowed me to rethink my approach to certain projects as artists I have looked at have used unique methods to come to their final pieces and similarly have inspired me to do the same

How have the practical and material elements of the work gone - how well have you

kept notes?

The practical and material sides of the work have been enjoyable overall, however, I find the process of taking notes tedious sometimes when it feels as though I'm taking notes just to fill space in order to present a 'complete' sketchbook rather than just taking notes on what is beneficial for myself.

What could you do better next week?

I need to work faster and more efficiently, most importantly I need to be up on sleep so that I can work at my fullest potential


If you had a tutorial this week, how might you use that to reflect on your progress?

I did not have a tutorial this week but if I had I would have used it to better organise my thoughts as at the start of the project I did a lot of research and then was hindered by trying to present it all

Week 6

Write down the similarities and differences in approach between the first and second projects.

In the first project I had limited research whereas with this current project I have expanded my use of research and this has helped significantly when generating new ideas

 

If you had a tutorial this week, how might you use that to reflect on your progress?

If I had a tutorial this week I would note that I am slightly behind in my documentation of my work and that I should improve my organisation as soon as possible

Identify overlapping themes, particularly in your personally directed work: are there

connections between ideas, approaches to materials or attitudes that you have

used in both projects. If so, what are these? If not, what are the main differences?

Overlapping themes include an emphasis on graphics and linking my projects to sonics and the interrelationship between music and visuals. In terms of materials and form I have frequently turned to stop motion or generally video references to guide my work. Main differences include the dependence on digital art and the range of different experimentation as for my design project I was stuck in-between the confines of what the music artist I was creating the cover for wanted.

Compare how you have used your time between this project and the last, and

consider how you have managed the projects during these weeks, for example:

a) planning and organisation.

My planning and organisation was a lot better in my second project and also much better presented 

 

b) being open to different ideas and potential changes in direction.

I was probably more open to different ideas and potential changes in my first project for the sole reason that there were natural confines within what I could explore in my second as I was creating a piece for someone else 

c) exploring and evaluating different material possibilities.

I have branched out into digital drawing much more in-between the two latest projects and have developed my skills on photoshop as I draw. Once I have fully grasped and passed the teething stage in digital drawing I see it as a definite medium to take advantage of in future projects

d) creating more complex or unexpected outcomes.

I have definitely creating more complex outcomes in the second project through the use of multiple layers in photoshop and being able to return to certain areas in the drawing and manipulate them with ease, this also made for more unexpected outcomes as I hadn't realised the multitude of different possibilities with this new medium

e) developing an understanding of different artists and designers working in a

similar area.

I stayed at a consistent level with my depth of research into other artists in the same fields I was working in when it came to the two latest projects. Perhaps in both I could have expanded more on this 

f) creating a better understanding of the different approaches to practice in each area.

I was probably more narrow minded in the second project as I was determined to master photoshop whereas in the first project I experimented more with different approaches towards an outcome

g) presenting and/or explaining your ideas to others.

I improved my presentation and explanation to others about what my project meant significantly between the two projects however this wasn't really down to my understanding of the two projects but more to do with how attached I was to them

 

Using this in-depth reflection, describe what you might do better next week?

Next week I'll try to do better in creating multiple outcomes as in the last project especially while I was documenting my process leading top to my outcome it would have likely been best if I had alternate outcomes to present 

Week 7

Look back on the last two projects and review any connections between ideas used in this project and those you have begun to develop here.

I have continued the theme of incorporating video into my creative process and now possibly into my outcomes as I become more confident in the medium

What have been the main opportunities and challenges in developing ideas and approaches this week?

I have enjoyed the creative freedom in the media week as it is a refreshing change from the more restrictive creative process's in past weeks we have been made to follow. However, with this came a longer period of hesitation before settling with one idea

Have you changed where you see yourself currently in terms of art/design/media? If so, why?

I have probably become more confident that I want to go into a pathway more graphic design based as a result of the previous weeks

Which skills developed in previous weeks have been useful this week?

Learning to use After Effects certainly helped when editing alternate versions of my final piece this week

Have new contextual references been useful in helping you think about new

approaches to the brief?

French director So-Me who is responsible for Kid Cudi's Day 'N' Night music video inspired me to take a new approach to my project through drawing directly onto individual frames of a video to create an animation 

How have the practical and material elements of the work gone? Have you kept

notes?

Good, I am working in an illustrative way though I have yet to fully develop my final idea and concept but I am in between a few ideas so this will be resolved soon

What are your plans for next week? And for the longer term?

next week I will shoot the video in which I will give the digital drawing overlays to and for the longterm I will start to practice After Effects more often

If you had a tutorial this week, how might you use that to reflect on your progress?

This week while I haven't been able to document everything immediately into my sketchbook only some images of contextual references I am more passionate about the potential final sitcom and the new challenges with the process in general

Week 8

Identify overlapping themes, particularly in your personally directed work:
a. are there connections between ideas, approaches to materials or attitudes

that you have used in all or any of these projects. If so, what are they? If

not, what are the main differences?

Overlapping themes in my personally directed work include the idea of accompanying sound with visuals, keeping a clean graphic aesthetic to most of my final outcomes, welcoming new mediums such as After Effects and Photoshop into my rotation when developing ideas 

Compare how you have used your time between this project and the last. Consider

how you have managed the projects during these weeks, for example:

a) planning and organisation

My planning and organisation has slowly gotten better particularly by the end of the stage as I have learnt from my mistakes through not making the most of my time

b) being open to different ideas and potential changes in direction

I debatably still need to work in this area as I am occasionally hindered by my own narrow minded thought process and not open to others. This has been difficult to advance past, however, these weeks have opened my eyes to relaxing and letting my art lead me rather than the other way around

c) exploring and evaluating different material possibilities

I do believe I have developed a deeper understanding of the materials I use and there flexibility to fit a purpose especially when it came to developing my skills in After Effects and Photoshop

d) creating more complex or unexpected outcomes

The 'chance' project definitely allowed me to create the most unexpected outcomes, however, when it came to this project I was perhaps less attached to it and for that reason became less productive

e) developing an understanding of different artists and designers working in a similar area

My understanding of new artists I have researched over these past projects have been truly exciting to learn from and apply to my work as I have great appreciation for their methods and final outcomes

f) creating a better understanding of the different approaches to practice in each area

My understanding has greatly improved, however, I do wish I had utilised my time as in some areas I felt as if I was only scratching the surface of my development and what could be presented and discovered

g) presenting and/or explaining your ideas to others

I was ill prepared when it came to explaining my design project to others in terms of the sheets I had in front of me, however, I felt I was successful in portraying my ideas as I received positive feedback from my piers.

 

Looking back over the last eight weeks are there patterns emerging in how you manage your project work?

Yes I feel as though I am slowly building a habit of gravitating to experimenting within photoshop more often, which I feel is beneficial to not only my understanding of my projects but how well represented they can be

Begin to outline your own particular strengths and weaknesses in relation to all of these approaches. Consider where/ how you fit into these different ways of working.

My planning and organisation skills are probably what still need the most work as I still find myself becoming easily distracted by other ideas/concepts and forget to document them. I feel as though my biggest strength at the moment is my new found fascination with experimentation especially with the introduction to new mediums

 

List some of the artists, designers, photographers and filmmakers that have had the

most influence on you in the last eight weeks.

Man Ray, Dexter Navy, Sean Baker, Shomi Potwary, So-Me, Nabil Elderkin, Storm Thorgerson

a) what disciplines or areas do they work in?

Photography, Directing, Graphic Design 

b) what subjects did they study?

Photography, Film, History of Art, Visual Effects, English among many others

Use this week’s reflections to identify, or confirm possible future career directions

The career path which seems most likely and that has always stood out to me, especially considering the progression in the work I've produced as of recent and following these recent projects is Graphic Design

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