A Visual Evaluation

A Visual Evaluation Where am I now?

Shelly Kaur

Media I am being more explorative with the different materials and methods that I can produce work in with my more recent projects.

This is a massive improvement from when I first started. At the beginning of the course, I’d plan and develop ideas using only pencil or fineliner and choose a method of making work that I was comfortable with to then produce the final outcome. Now I’ve found that testing out other materials, particular ones I haven’t used before (shape, collage, photography) and ones that I’m not very confident in (Photoshop) has been really beneficial in figuring out what works and doesn’t work with different ideas.

Research Some of the briefs we’ve been given have required a lot of research. I’ve never been great at researching into things as I’ve not been too sure how to go about it or where to start. However, I’ve now learnt several different methods of carrying out research, whether this be primary or secondary, taking photos, talking to people, drawing, recording thoughts and feelings, writing notes or looking in books. I’ve found the more research you do the easier it is to develop multiple ideas.

Photoshop- Digital Skills Before starting the course I wasn’t very confident at using Photoshop and shied away from it for this reason. Now through using it a few times, particularly in the ‘Tell An Untold Story’ brief for Visual Narratives I have learnt the basics and a few clever tools I can use to produce work. I still feel as though I have a lot more to learn but for now, not being afraid of using it is a big improvement!

Colour I also want to mention colour as it is relevant to the images provided on the previous page. I was never a big fan of using bright colours and tend to only stick to one or two quite subtle ones, however I stepped outside of my comfort zone with these images and feel as though it paid off. I want to become better at using colour within my work and develop my understanding of it.

Time Management I’ve never been good at managing my time or being organised, but I feel as though I’m getting better at this as time goes on. I find it really helps to make lists of things I need to get done (ticking things off gives me a sense of achievement which I like) and also, blogging really helps too. Blogging makes it easier to separate what I’ve done so far and what still needs doing which means I can work out what days to do each thing and this means I can get everything done in time and also work around other stuff like my weekend job. Although this still needs a lot of work, I feel as though the intensity of the course has made me realise how important it is to use my time effectively and plan out a schedule for each week. Though I tend to do this in my head. It would probably help to start writing this down somewhere so I don’t forget what I’m doing.

Old

Blogging I was worried about starting a blog as it was something that was new to me. I feel as though my blog has improved a lot since the beginning of the course. When I first started it was more about just talking through what I’ve been doing as I wasn’t quite sure as to what I was meant to say.

But over the course I have realised that blogging is a really useful tool in terms of understanding where to go next with my work and what is working well. I’ve also been using it as a way to talk through my struggles and any problems I’ve encountered, which has helped me to work through those.

New

Being Exhaustive Drawing things out multiple times is a skill I’ve only recently learnt to do. I always thought it was a waste of time drawing things more than once because I am a perfectionist and try to get things right first time round. However I’ve now realised it’s really beneficial sketching things out more than once or trying to draw it in different ways as you then have a choice as to which one is best for what you're working on.

Confidence Having confidence in my own work has always been an issue for me. I struggle to find potential or strength in my own ideas because I tend to compare my work to other peoples and begin to doubt myself. However, this course has helped me to understand that everyone's work is different and we’re all individuals with different ideas and different ways of working. I have developed more confidence in showing my work to other people through crits and feedback sessions and I'm beginning to actually like some of the work I’m producing. Maybe not all of it, but I think every artists struggles with this.

I believe that’s just because we’re all striving to improve and become better at what we do.