Where Am I Now? Questions

10 things that I have learnt about myself as an individual and as learner:

1.     Unforeseen issues can arise, how I react to them is what is important.

2.     Planning is integral. I need to know what I’m doing and when to keep my workload running smoothly.

3.     I can be very good with my time keeping. Due to the distance I have to cover every day to get to college, I have learnt to be very adept at managing my time.

4.     Receiving critical feedback about my work isn’t as soul destroying as it once was. (Critisism rather than attack)

5.     If I need help or advice I can ask for it. I’m quite reserved when it comes to asking for help – I’m slowly distancing myself from this issue.

6.     I can critically analyze my work in a way that allows me to better my professional practice.

7.     Comparing my work to professionals that have more years experience than I do can be quite unhealthy.

8.     I can be very lethargic at times, which can be detrimental to my working practice.

9.     There is so much I don’t know, and so much to learn.

10.  I am in a career that I want to be in.

10 things that I have learnt about myself as an illustrator:

1.    I can critically analyze my work in a way that allows me to better my technical skills.

2.    I really enjoy learning new processes in which to create illustrations.

3.    My technical drawing skill is constantly evolving.

4.    I’m becoming quite competent in Photoshop, specifically concerning halftone.

5.    I’m starting to understand how good illustration works, such as composition.

6.    My work will never be perfect in my eyes.

7.    I understand the importance of concept work and development towards a final piece of work.

8.    I am growing more confident talking about illustration with others and expressing my opinion.

9.    I need to spend more time developing my technical skills.

10.  I’m becoming more aware of the importance of a message within an illustration.

Visual Narrative - End of Module Self Evaluation

Since beginning this module I feel that I have developed several new skills but quite possibly the most important is the significance and difference between primary and secondary research. By building a body of research behind my work it gave it a purpose and allowed me to make an informed point which would not have been possible without. From an illustrative standpoint I have become much more proficient with Photoshop - specifically concerning the use of halftones, layering and opacity. These are definitely tools I plan to continually use now I have the knowledge to do so. 

By opening my mind to different methods of image making such as Photoshop I have managed to create a book very different from what I thought possible. In my development book I explored and documented a larger array of media than I have used before, this helped guide my work greatly. By spending more time exploring different tools and mediums I had a much wider choice of styles when it came to developing my ideas further. I also spent a bit of time looking into shape, specifically that of pigeons. Through the understanding of shape I realized how greatly my illustrations profit from it.

This time spent playing around has benefited me considerably and I feel it is a definite strength that I need to rely on more. I’m not ashamed to say that I prefer the work I produced in my development book than that which is in my final outcome. The work looks much more vivid and exciting than that which was produced on the Mac. I definitely spent far too much time on Photoshop with this module, and instead of complimenting my work, it becomes it. There is much more personality when I’m working in analogue and that’s why I will definitely be relying less on Photoshop in the future. Instead I will continue to work with tools that I have never used before or have little experience with. It’s only through this further exploration that I will become a better illustrator. For example, I will definitely be using matchsticks and ink again as these were tools that I felt worked exceptionally well and I regret not using them in my final outcome. If I am to use Photoshop again in the future it will most likely be to touch up images that I feel only need a bit of extra work to them.

There are several other points I must address moving forward, firstly; my technical skill is a weak area for me - I must work hard to improve it to a standard that I feel is acceptable. I must also spend more time thinking of what works and what doesn’t, whilst halftone was fun to learn, I feel I went way overboard with it. Finally, and this is the most important, I must remember to back my work up regularly! This module almost fell apart due to my laptop failure and I cant risk this happening again!

Eleni Kalorkoti and Lizzie Stewart: Big Heads

Today we spoke with Eleni Kalorkoti and Lizzie Stewart about their practises. What interested me most was the when they spoke about their bad experiences dealing with clients. I dislike dealing with people and if I am to work freelancing then I need to better my people skills. This was something that I hadn't really given much thought to in all honesty.

Time Management: Distractions

Distractions; identifying and managing them was the topic of today. By figuring out what prevents me from working I'll be able to remove these problems, or at least manage them. From today I identified that my mobile phone is quite possibly my biggest distraction, be it due to Facebook, texting of other my phone is my worst enemy. So I have decided that from now I will keep my phone in another area/room when I plan to do extended periods of work in which I don't want to be distracted.

Time Management

Today was all about time management. I myself have felt like I don't have enough time to do all the things I need to do be it coursework or home related. After today I feel that time can be freed up by removing some of my home related activities such as reading such a large quantity of comic books and spending a fair amount of evening time watching television. I won't say that I will remove these activities completely from my schedule as it is important to unwind, however I must cut back on them somewhat to allow for more time for coursework.

I've made a plan of how my average week works out:

New Years Resolutions

I have thought about 5 resolutions I plan to uphold in the next year to improve my professional practise.

1. Use my train time more wisely.
I usually read a book or sleep on the train. This is 20mins to half an hour each morning and afternoon in which I can get a bit more work done. Be it planning or recording my work for example.

2. Practise screen printing.
I really enjoy screen print illustrations and would like to work in this avenue, however if I want to do this I must be skilled in it, and that will only come with practise.

3. Draw something specifically each week.
To improve my drawings skills I need to practise, so I have decided that each week I will focus on one thing that I find difficult and draw it repeatedly throughout the week.

4. Don't neglect modules with distant deadlines.
Just because a module isn't due for several weeks to several months doesn't mean I should ignore it. By doing a little with things like PPP and CoP with their far of deadlines I will have less to do as the time to hand in approaches.

5. Have a more professional attitude.
I consider myself to be quite profession in certain aspects. However I can be quite lazy at times and this very unprofessional. I must stop getting distracted and concentrate more on my work.

Holiday Reflection

Over the past few weeks I've realised that the Christmas period is a nightmare to navigate through. With family and friend's arranging chances to meet up and with the lack of a decent work area to rely upon my work rate has been awful.

However, I am now back in York and am back to my old workspace (the dining room table), with no distractions in the form of family or friends. Now I just need to get back into the swing of things.