Self Evaluation OUIL402

1.  What learning have you inherited through this module and how has it impacted on your own understanding of professional practice? Consider yourself as a student at University as much as an illustrator
I’ve inherited the ability to step back and see the bigger picture. Rather just focusing on my own work and trying to improve it through trial and error, I have researched and learnt more about what illustration means in the art world at the moment. Through extending my understanding of the world illustration it has lead me to a variety of different artists and practitioners who have informed me of how to do the things I want to do but I can learn from their mistakes and improve my own work through their knowledge.
2. What approaches/ types of research have you found most valuable over this module? Why did they have such an impact?
I think taking out books from the library was a main point, It really helped to look at different techniques of drawing and in particular the anatomy and through looking at this helped me to develop my own practice. Also being introduced to websites such as It’snicethat.com and AOI.com has helped me see what is trending in the illustration world and take that into consideration as I create my own work. Getting pintrest is also something which really changed how my work progresses, it is now one of the first places I look for research. It’s really easy to use and there is a bredth of illustrators on there which I have then found their personal websites and bookmarked.
3. In what way has PPP informed the way your work in other modules and your illustration practice as a whole? I think through thinking about things in the bigger world help you extend your own practice, if it weren’t for ppp I would probably still be in my own bubble which is limited only to tumblr and instagram and not have found as many practicioners as I like. It also helped me understand that illustration isn’t just drawing, its product design and billboards and a whole range of things in the world and it isn’t limited to drawing and that Lens and actual products such as embroidery are illustration too.
4. What weaknesses can you identify in your PPP submission and how will you address this in the future? I think blogging was the real weakness, I think that if I had blogged every movie I saw – the night I saw it. Then the descriptions would be more indepth and I could really describe what it was that I liked in particular. I’ve also not really explored much further than leeds this year and next year I hope to arrange more visits to comic book shows and other exihibitions
5. What communities of practice and professional contexts do you intend to investigate further as you approach level 5? Why do they appeal to you? I definitely will continue to watch different media, Im planning on looking at more foreign culture films to see what there is there. I also think I will continue to take books from the library to look more into how things are done professionally. I will be going to big heads more next year also as I didn’t got to as many this year and I think that they might improve my work otherwise.
6.How would you grade yourself on the following areas: (please indicate using an ‘x’)  5= excellent, 4 = very good, 3 = good, 2 = average, 1 = poor
	1	2	3	4	5
Attendance			x
Punctuality			x
Motivation			x
Commitment			x
Quantity of work produced			x
Quality of work produced			x
Contribution to the group			x
The evaluation of your work is an important part of the assessment criteria and represents a percentage of the overall grade. It is essential that you give yourself enough time to complete your written evaluation fully and with appropriate depth and level of self-reflection. If you have any questions relating to the self-evaluation process speak to a member of staff as soon as possible.

SB3: Creative Strategy

Presentation Slides

( I am an seed, I thought I was singular and alone and the greatest. coming onto this course was like being planted alongside other seeds to trees that grow faster or root quicker)

(Trees dont just appear, they have to grow under the surface before anything else is seen)

(talk briefly about my research roots) 

(Talk about my organisational roots)

(Artists I have found and love as a result, Phillip Light, Nina Cosford and Rebecca Mock)

Talk about improved digital skills on photoshop and illustrator 

talk about how I cant just digitally draw, I have to draw out first. Working out the way that works the best for you = 9+1=10 4+6 = 10 different ways to work it 

Friends opinions, make an impact 

aims for next year 

badges I made to reflect on this year 

I am just breaking out of the surface

SB1 Relfective Practice: Media Impact

These are films, Tv Shows and documentaries that I have looked (or rewatched) over the course of the year that really had an creative impact or have made me think about what I'm doing.

FILMS

Ex Machina -
This was a new one this year. It really impacted me in it's way of composition and concept. It is a very well shot film with a very distinctive and neutral colour palette throughout until the end which adds to the eerieness of the film. It has lots of continuous shots and has a lot of silence in it (in comparison to other films that have a full soundtrack in the background). It also has some really gorgeous cgi that looks very natural within it. The soundtrack for it was very singular and matched the film well. I think that conceptually it was a great film and provoked a lot of ideas about A.I for me and that is something that came through in my drawing at parts.


Moonrise Kingdom (rewatched) -
Now one of my favourites, I enjoy rewatching this because out of all of Wes Andersons work I think that this might be my favourite in terms of film shot and colour palette. I really thought about accent colours when I watched this film and it impacts my work after I've watched it. The yellow of his outfit contrasted with the green and the red of her dress contrasted with backgrounds. Everything in the film is very well thought out and everytime I watch it I notice something else that was considered.



Under the Skin -
This is the first time I have ever watched this and I thought that this, like Ex Machina was great in the way of its composition and concept. It is shot so it's very quiet and you can hear what is going on in the background which gives it a documentary- esque feeling when you watch it. The shots make you feel like you are on this journey also. It is a film that you really have to think about and one that stuck with me long after I had watched it in terms of it''s conceptual darkness and well composed shots.


Interstellar -
First time watching. This is one of my favourite sci fi films now, I think that the long silences in this film played up to that feeling of isolation and really left me feeling lonely when I left the cinema. Compositionally I feel like it could have been shot better in parts, there were some good shots but it was it's concept that really saved it and the soundtrack. Composed by Hans Zimmer it captured the curiosity of characters but also the loneliness that each one felt. I often now use the soundtrack to create my work as it is both calming but motivational.



Pulp Fiction -
First time watching. I have never seen this cult classic  but after watching I was impressed. I liked how it was set out in three parts and how the stories were connected but the characters didn't know each other. I think that the setting for this film really worked and the choice of clothing was distinctive for each character. I really enjoyed it as it was a good script but I was initially confused by the storyline(so I watched it twice and it made sense).



Eternal Sunshine of the spotless mind -
Rewatched. This is my favourite film of all time but I recently watched it again. I think that the use of long, mid and short shots in this really do it credit. It's really well thought out, the neutralness of his flat compared to the brightness of his memories was something I think conceptually really worked. The outfits for the charcaters in this were really considered as well and it complimented or contrasted the background at all times (especially clementines hair). It's a really considered film and every time I watch it I'm captured by it's strangeness and the need to draw down my memories.


TV SHOWS

Cosmos  (documentary)
Cosmos was a new one for me this year, I had never watched a documentary on the world before but this one I thought was much more interesting than David Attenbouroughs stuff (I'm not a fan). Cosmos really captures the spirit of wonder and makes you think about what you are coming from and what it's taken to get here. It makes you engage your imagination and think about things more.  It was something I will go back and rewatch but it is really good and leaves you with the sense of belonging and purpose.



The X Files -
New one for me again this year. I haven't finished it yet but I really enjoy the colour schemes and the concepts that go on through out it. Especially the way that some episodes are left very open at the end for you to imagine your own endings, that is something that I could pull into my own work. Also looking at scully's outfits through the seasons is something that I enjoy as it reflects the charcater (heavily shoulder padded at the start to assert her dominance, then more colourful to reflect her femininity and then very loose to reflect her changing attitude towards Mulders theories.)



Fargo -
This was also a new one for me this year. I think that the series is perhaps better than the film, if purely based on it's shots and the consideration of each thing inside it. Outfit design is something very strong in this film, and colour plays a huge film. When I watched it it made me think more about how our outfits portray our personalities and emotions at the time. I think it's really a good watch in terms of storyline but also creativeness as well.