Visual Skills: Module Evaluation

Throughout the module I have consistently documented my progress using the blogs, which have been a beneficial for reflection. By applying documentation skills I have better self-evaluated and improved my work with each new brief. By not spending too much time on rough idea sketches I have freed myself to produce a larger quantity of testing and ideas, which can lead to better resolutions if sufficient development takes place. An instance in which there wasn't sufficient development would be the third brief 'A day in the Life'; I struggled with the form of the panda in an anthropomorphic context. This would have been resolved with more expansive reference study. I did however redraw the image several times and there was a good deal of improvement, but I was not content with the final outcome.

I have sought to formalise the process of idea and concept generation, to do so I have undergone material and tool investigation to expand my knowledge of available processes. By investigating materials and processes I may better remove myself from the familiar and expand my knowledge. Similarly I have begun to apply my ideas to a frame from the initial stages, this helps to prevent my illustrations from becoming

The strongest elements of my work have been the quantity of ideas, though each idea may not be the most well executed or clear, they holistically show a process of improvement and refinement. Another highlight would be my strive for variation, the outcomes for each brief has been quite different in terms of material usage and general aesthetic, though I would say that I have reserved my application of intense detail. The outcome of the brief 'A Matter of Opinion' may appear to be quite dense but I purposely avoided applying nuances of lighting, tone and texture to prevent a visual disarray.

In terms of weaknesses I have not used digital tools often in this module. I consciously avoided photoshop due to familiarity and the desire to expand my use of analogue processes. I should resolve myself to appropriately use it symbiotically with analogue processes rather then neglecting it. The results of material application have not always been high quality, or suitable. In 'Your Initial Brief' I tested the application of ink to create minimal symbolic designs, but eventually resolved the brief using a ball-point pen, thus disregarding the development and falling back on the familiar.

There are areas in which I wish to pursue differently in the next module. I hope to add rigour to my material and tool testing, and better analyse how materials can be used appropriately to aid communication. Furthermore I wish to involve photoshop and illustrator to aid testing and development even if they are not the final point of production. Using digital tools I would also like to look into CAM processes such as laser cutting as well as more traditional equipment like screen printing. I wish to better use reference material in order to improve the technical accuracy of my work. Generally speaking I have not been absent or ill at any time during the module and this has benefitted the quality of work, this in turn has kept my motivation and commitment at a high standard.