Evaluation
OUGD205 Drawing Practise
Throughout this module I feel I have developed a range of existing and new skills, becoming more intricate with and challenging myself in hand crafting. Previously I had limited myself to small pieces of work in other module when using craft. Within this module we were given the brief 2d, to 3d, to 2d which was primarily to work in craft. This enabled me to push boundaries, creating large scale pieces of work, in a whole new range of formats, in this case I case created a 3ft long mobile made from over 40 paper forks. The scale, range of stock, materials and media of the piece was something I had never considered before due to the time consumption something like this would take; it was nice to spend time doing something I love, to result in something I'm very proud of.
With this came a new found photography skill, or so I would like to think. Creating an image was one thing, but the way you photographed the work could either make it brilliant, or awful. There were so many more things I had to consider when photographing my work, especially with the hand crafted work; scale, colour, format and orientation being just a few. I made it priority to use a digital SLR, previously I would have felt my poor quality digital camera would have done the job; I've become more conscious of how a photograph can represent your work.
My approaches to methods of design production have been consistent throughout, the way the course is run, by giving you a brief, and writing a rationale within the space of an hour has been a brilliant way to work for me. I used to always struggle to start work immediately, thinking of all the options available, feeling research would inform me of a decision. By working this way I was able to start work immediately thus saving time and having a better and well informed end result.
Within this module I do feel I have lacked research, letting my excitement get the better of me in getting straight into creating / designing the end product. Sometimes this worked, other times it didn't and I felt myself going backwards, but it was brilliant having such enthusiasm about design which I thought I had some what lost.
Another important element of design production was the printing of the end products, I tried to push my boundaries and limitations, asking James in digital print of his opinion on the best stock, and other ways of finishing my products; laminating became one of these when approaching 'Book works'. I didnt limit stock choice to that of what I could find in the library, I began looking in craft shops and online, this helped give my work some variety, giving myself a wider portfolio of work, media and stock. Sometimes, my chosen / found stock informed my design process too.
Throughout this module I feel I have come into my own, gaining a signature style which was unseen by myself before; this too was recognised by peers. Its certainly a positive, its nice to know my work is recognisable as mine, without having to inform people. This I hope to take through into the my work for the rest of the time I spend at university, its something which I will need when entering the world of work.
I feel too the quality of my work has improved immensely, as Its taken me a long time to create an image, I seem to have more pride and care for it, I've been extremely precise in cutting, folding and shaping my work. Which, when I intend on selling hand crafted work, is a very important aspect, potential customers will expect the upmost quality if they intend on paying for something.
I have recognised my time keeping has been on key within this module, a lot of my peers have really struggled alongside all the other work running alongside Image before easter. With my time keeping and enthusiasm for the module, I have been able to keep up without it hindering other work.
Some weaknesses within Image has been primarily my lack of research, sometimes the enthusiasm i've had to start my final outcome straight away has slowed me down, resulting in my final outcome not being as effective as I had intended. This has resulted in a lack of informed design, which seems to have appeared from nowhere, other than my head, when in fact it's an idea I've gained from some inspirations, but I've failed to note this.
From this, I intend on doing a few thins differently within my future work, more so when working with image. Researching more and noting down inspiration is certainly something I need to do more, more so for myself, theres always a need to look at something again, without it noted down you tend to forget. Alongside this, producing more rationales will keep me on track, informing myself and others of the direction my work is taking, in a sense it gives me a clearer idea of what I need to do next.
Obtaining more feedback in the middle of work is something I found quite informative, I had a tenancy to get feedback very last minute, which didn't give me the chance to respond to it. Next time, with every design decision I take, I should try and gain some, even if very little, feedback from a peer who hasn't seen my work up until then. The way you see and read your work can be very different to an outsider which is a very important aspect to consider.
Overall I have throughly enjoyed this module, its given my a new direction and better understanding of where my skills lie and the sort of work and briefs I would like to work with once I graduate. Its been very informing, I've learnt a lot about myself, the way I work, and how best to do so.
