503 END OF MODULE EVALUATION

End of Module Student Evaluation BA (Hons) Illustration Module Code: OUIL503 Responsive Name: Jay Stelling Student ID: 254607 Please identify where the evidence for each of the learning outcomes is within your submission and how well you feel you have met the learning outcomes. Please also grade yourself in relation to the learning outcomes using terms: poor, satisfactory, good, very good, excellent (Note - This is so that the team have an understanding of how well you feel you have done. It is not an indication of the actual grade you may receive.)

Learning Outcome

Evidenced where?

Blog, Visual Journal, Roughs, Final Illustrations, Storyboards, Development Sheets etc. (No more than 75 words)

Your grade Using words: > poor, satisfactory, good, very good, excellent

5A4: Make appropriate use of a range of research methods to investigate a topic and produce work relating to the critical, cultural or social context of art and design. (Knowledge & Understanding - Research and Critical Awareness)

On my blog, I investigated the context of each of the competitions I entered, finding out about the clients and judges in order to understand what they were looking for and whether my work would be suitable. I also looked at previous winners, analyzing their successes to inform my approach.

I learned more about the topics/ themes of briefs, i.e., reading the books and watching live performances for the Roald Dahl YCN brief.

Very Good

5B3: Generate ideas, concepts, proposals, solutions and/or arguments using the language, materials, processes and techniques of a designated discipline. (Cognitive Skills - Problem Analysis, Problem Solving)

My blog and project report discuss the many decisions I had to make throughout this module, including choosing briefs (rationales for each brief can be found on the blog), responding to feedback and making relevant changes to improve my work My sketchbook (scanned pages posted throughout blog) contains brainstorms, plans, roughs and thumbnails through to refined ideas. This shows evidence of narrowing down ideas to the most relevant/interesting.

Very Good

5C3: Respond to set briefs or proposals in a professional context.

(Practical Skills - Visual Quality and Conceptual Development)

The design boards I made were A2 size and high Very Good resolution for a professional presentation; these boards are evidence of my participation in a substantial range of live briefs in a professional context.

I followed the directions for each brief and produced outcomes fit to their specifications (i.e. size, format, description) and I hope they are high quality visual submissions.

5D3: Exercise selfmanagement skills in managing their workloads and meeting deadlines/apply interpersonal and social skills to interact with others. (Key Transferable Skills, Organisation,

I organized myself efficiently during this module Good using timetables on my blog. I completed all of the competitions I intended to by the deadlines set.

I practiced interpersonal skills when I had to email the art director of Art Doll Quarterly and when conducting meetings with my group for collaborative. The collaborative brief also required group management, communication and scheduling

Communication and Evaluation)

across our timetables.

I evaluated my work for this module on the blog (though not as frequently as I would have liked to) and thoroughly in the project report.

Summative Evaluation Prior to this module, I thought that clients were people who paid you to do a certain job. I didn’t realise that illustrators could choose who to work with, that competitions could be a brief and that the people who set these challenges might be your client. This module was a chance for me to actively find opportunities and tasks that I wanted to participate in. It was refreshing to choose what briefs to do and how I might respond to them, rather than working towards a general brief set by the course.

I found it strange at first to make work that would be judged by individuals other than my tutors or examiners but it was stimulating to be unleashed into the ‘real world’ and make work for live briefs and clients. The most substantial brief I worked on was the Roald Dahl YCN competition, with the client being the Roald Dahl Literary Estate. As a huge Roald Dahl fan, this was a dream for me and I never would have thought that I could have the chance to produce work for this company.

I have learned how to communicate with clients, how to find briefs, how to choose appropriate briefs and how to submit my work. As well as learning lots of new skills, this module has also been really rewarding, with real prizes and awards for winning designs: my art dolls were successful in an Art Doll Quarterly call for entries and will be published in their Summer 2017 issue.

Since my practice has become increasingly centred around puppetry and stop-motion animation, I ended up responding to lots of briefs outside of the recommended list for illustration. Searching for more unusual briefs allowed me to pursue my individual interests. I was able to demonstrate my passion for puppet animation, for example, in the Moving Parts Puppet Festival Competition.

Although it was overwhelming to have so many modules and briefs ongoing simultaneously, I think I have managed most of my time well. I kept a timetable and managed to submit on time to every competition.

However, last year I blogged almost every day and this year I haven’t found it as easy to dedicate time to blog. I use my blog to talk myself through ideas, to balance out decisions and to place down my research as I go, but the fast pace and heavy workload of second year has meant that I’ve been blogging less often and less thoroughly. Not spending hours writing huge paragraphs on my blog everyday has given me the time I have needed to get all my practical work done, but it has left my mind unsettled at night when all I need is to straighten things out in a reflective blog post.

Some of the briefs (YCN and D&AD) required design boards for submission, but I had never made a design board before this module. I didn’t really understand what was supposed to be included and how they should look. I found looking at previous students’ design boards helpful but I was still a little confused by how different they all were. Everyone presented them in their own way.

We had a mega crit before Easter in which everyone showed their progress on design boards so far and I really valued this experience. The design boards I had made at that point were confusing and crammed with too much information but the feedback I received helped me to make them simple, concise and professional.

Thanks to the comments I received telling me what was and wasn’t working, I was able to see my boards with a fresh pair of eyes and alter them to these suggestions.

Knowing that the submission would be uploaded completely digitally, I didn’t spend as much time working in my sketchbook as I have in other modules. This means that I focused my efforts on the final responses and that I wasn’t restricted by the flat dimensions of a page, but I didn’t plan out ideas in depth or consider different compositions or colour palettes. The sketchbook work I did produce was limited and I know my outcomes could be better if I had developed them further in the design stage. Sketchbooks are important and

should always be documented for my own use, even if the client doesn’t ask for it .

Studio Brief 2 required me to work with peers from across the disciplines in a collaborative brief. I was really anxious about relying on other people and passing over responsibilities to someone else. I’ve worked in a team before, but usually I take charge and end up running the project because I want things to be done properly, but I knew that this needed to be a fair and balanced effort for all of us, so I tried to take a step back for this brief and work as a member, not as a leader. I believe I succeeded in this effort and used my control freak qualities to organize and plan our sessions.

My group worked really well together and we had a great time. I’d love to work with Molly and Jay F again, I’m really impressed with what we managed to produce for the National Autistic Society and I think we made a positive, productive campaign. The huge quantity of research we gathered (interviews, reading and watching existing documentaries) informed our animated documentaries and made them rich with both factual and anecdotal foundations.