OUIL 501 END OF MODULE EVALUATION

End of Module Student Evaluation BA (Hons) Illustration Module Code: OUIL501 Context of Practice 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)

5A1 Demonstrate a critical understanding of the aesthetic, cultural, historical, technological, social, political or other contexts relevant to individual subject disciplines.

(Knowledge and understanding) (Research / critical awareness)

My knowledge of the contexts relevant to illustration Good has been developed through attending lectures, taking notes and highlighting areas of interest for further reading. Notes from lectures can be found on the Context of Practice Blog under Studio Brief 1. Visual research of existing puppets and puppet cinema is also evidenced on my blog via Issuu presentations.

The references in my essay reveal the amount of studying I have undertaken, with a long Bibliography of relevant texts/sources.

5A2 Demonstrate an awareness of the relationship between the theoretical and practical contexts of their own creative concerns. (Knowledge and understanding) (problem analysis/definition)

Study Task 1 (establishing a research question) demonstrates my ability to write a specific independent research question directed by my passions/interests in the field.

The synthesis between my practical and written work can be seen in the poster made for study task 9 which summaries the main themes of my project and draws links between the physical processes of making and quotes about their value.

Very Good

5B1 Evidence the ability to use logic, reasoning and critical judgement to analyse ideas from a range of primary and secondary sources.

(Cognitive skills) (Critical awareness)

Study Task 3 (triangulation exercise) is an example of my critical analysis of texts in which I found similarities, differences, strengths and weaknesses in each of the sources.

My essay also evidences an ability to compare and cross-reference theories and ultimately make an informed conclusion from my research.

Very Good

5C1 Evidence the capacity for undertaking practical and theoretical research that demonstrates an informed application of critical, effective and testable processes.

(Practical and professional skills) (research)

I have used my visual journal to explore the topic of puppetry and presented the research findings in this book. I applied the knowledge I learned through Studio Brief 1 in my response to key quotes and theories through the visual journal. I used a practical approach to make puppets as a literal interpretation of the quotes around the topic.

The media and processes I used in creating

Very Good

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

puppets were inspired by artists I studied through my blog and in my essay.

5D1 Organise and carry out selfdirected projects and communicate outcomes through written and other appropriate forms. (Key transferable skills) (professionalism / technical competence / visual quality)

I have met all set deadlines and completed all study tasks, proving that my organization has been efficient.

My project this year has been independently driven and I believe I have conducted my studies in a professional manner.

I’ve developed my formal writing in the Essay.

My proposal for next year showcases my professional and ambitious approach to studies.

Good

Summative Evaluation (See Evaluation Guidance on next page for more information) You are required to write a 750 word Summative Evaluation of this module.

Please type up your Summative Evaluation in the box below. Make a PDF of the document and post the PDF as your final post on your OUIL501 blog.

At the beginning of this module, I knew that I wanted to learn more about puppets. This is an area of visual culture that I already had an understanding of but wanted to learn more about. I chose the ‘technology’ question to explore the impact of digital technology on the construction and use of puppetry since I had noticed the use of new technologies like 3D printing being used in stop-motion films like LAIKA’s ‘Coraline’ and ‘Kubo and the Two Strings’. I chose to look at an industry that I want to work within so that I could inform and strengthen my practical work through a critical understanding of its context.

I decided to narrow my focus from ‘handmade puppets v.s. digital puppets’ to the value of physical puppetry in contemporary cinema because I realised that the theme of puppetry and technology could be quite broad and speculative. I realised that I needed a specific direction and a question to answer.

My project was initially very subjective and biased towards physical puppets because I already had a greater appreciation for this art form and was initially quite dismissive of digital puppetry. After learning more about both sides of the argument I think I have a better understanding and more appreciation for digital art.

My journey began with a lot of research: books, exhibitions, films, companies and quotes. The passion I have for the topic fuelled my research because I already had a desire to find out more. I think that this was one of my strengths in the module, a willingness to learn and a determination to find answers through research.

However, due to the overlapping of modules, I do think that I could have done more research and that this would have made my project even better. I have already begun my research for COP3 so I will have a much longer timeframe to investigate the subject.

I learned new skills and methods through my visual journal because my practical research was very much practice and performance based. By looking at existing puppets, I challenged myself to learn these ways of making, using media like clay, paper mache and cardboard to make a range of puppet forms.

I wanted to learn about mold making, wood carving and ceramics but didn’t get a chance this year. I will take this forward to next year and use the summer holidays to learn, prepare and practice so that I am competent in these processes before the term starts.

I found the concertina book restrictive for my practice. The book was flat and meant I had to print pictures, so there was no space for videos or physical sculptures. It was difficult to record my work in this format but think I made a good attempt at solving the problem by blogging any video footage and taking lots of photos.

Having to photograph the puppet actually made the outcomes more relevant to my project because my essay explored the translation of tangibility on screen, so flat photos actually furthered the message.

As an outcome, I was happiest with the first piece I made (Fortune teller) because it was a complete, polished response to critical writing. I am less happy with the outcomes I produced towards the end of the project because they became quicker and more experimental which is not the way I usually work. It was a challenge for me to try and fill an entire sketchbook because I prefer to spend more time on fewer outcomes, but I did rise to the challenge and managed to finish the visual journal.

Time management was a bit of an issue in this module. I am usually very organized but I struggled to balance the workloads between modules. I tried to devote one day a week to cop but this wasn’t always enough – sometimes a puppet would take longer than that and I would have to rush or leave a piece half finished until my next devoted cop day. Not having the materials on hand at uni for making puppets was an issue so I had to move back and forth from home, carrying puppets on the bus. Next year I will plan my time better!

I had never attempted to write about myself in third person before and found this quite taxing. I’m not sure if it worked but I had a go and now have a new professional writing skill that I can apply in COP3. The session about ‘synthesis’ really helped me with to write about my process, drawing links and connections between what I have made and written/learned about through the module. I believe that my project has been cyclical and that all of the research I’ve done has informed my practice and visa/versa.

I attended every session, crit and peer review. I prepared questions to get answers from my peers to make constructive use of sessions but I could have got more from these sessions if I had given myself longer to blog each week and reflect on these discussions.

One particular session that I found useful was Pete’s Uncanny lecture; this was where I started to consider how a puppet can evoke an empathic response from the audience. After researching this theory, I found lots more academic sources to use in my argument, since before then most of the sources had been subjective quotes.

I have thoroughly enjoyed this project and definitely want to continue investigating this area. I was initially really nervous about the dissertation, but I’m now quite excited about it!