Where am I now? Ben Farr OUIL402
Practical Skills I think So far on the course the work that I’ve produced has been visually quite diverse. Through the briefs I have been pushed to explore and experiment with mediums and aesthetics that might not have chosen otherwise. Through Visual Language I have developed my use of line quality and shape and now think more about how to best create an image. Using cut paper to create images and having to think about how the shapes fit together was a completely different way of thinking and working for me. I found it challenging but ultimately rewarding.
The visual skills and visual narrative briefs have given me the opportunity to develop both my painting and hand drawn approach as well as digital skills.
Practical Skills I have screen printed for the first time, and was relatively pleased with the outcome, it’s a new way of producing an image that I have learned. Also through visual narratives I developed my use of InDesign to create a professional outcome
Study Skills Using Roughs, mock-ups and hot-dog books are tools I’ve really developed on the course. At the start I would rush I with a final idea and it wouldn't be properly developed. By the end of visual skills I think I understood more how to tackle a brief.
During Visual narratives a useful tool was using a storyboard. I found this really good for seeing the arc of my story and which pages worked and which didn’t or needed moving around.
Personal Management
Although I’ve met all the deadlines, I tend to leave work to the last minute, which sometimes works - but often leaves me frustrated with myself that I could have done more. At the start of briefs I need to throw myself in more, even if I’m stuck. Overall I think I’m juggling my time ok between uni work and training with the university football team twice a week and matches on Wednesday afternoons. I find the google calendar on estudio useful, but in the future I think having a personal timetable up in my room would be beneficial.
Professional Development Watching and listening to professional practitioners, like Kyle T Webster and Glyn Dillon, through big heads has been great for understanding the different career paths that are available and the level of commitment and dedication It takes to be successful.
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Professional Development I have experimented with different ways of creating images, from paper cutting, to digital work on a wacom. I have learnt that illustration doesn't have to be drawing or painting and that there are many ways to create and image that communicates something. I Especially didn't ever see myself creating the outcome that I did for the 3D illustration brief.
Purpose of Illustration I have developed my understanding of the purpose of illustration and its impact on the world. Through context of practice I can now see that illustration has the power to create powerful messages and can be a tool for good in society, and raise awareness for issues that don’t have a voice. I found the last COP lecture really interesting to see how working illustrators split their time between commercial work and work that might make a difference to the world. Such as Raymond Briggs’ when the wind blows - about the effects of radiation poisoning after a nuclear attack. Also Olivier Kugler reportage work, telling the stories of real people, and giving them a voice and exposure to their situation that wouldn't otherwise happen.
Context in which I see Illustration Over the last year I have mainly been making illustration with sport as a subject matter, with the view to making commercial work and hopefully gaining commissions. At A-levels however I made work about the London riots and the view of young people in the world today. Sometimes I feel the work I’m doing lacks the conceptual depth of the art I did during my A-levels. Maybe there is place in my practice for commercial work and personal projects that make more of a statements about society.