Working on the 17 Skill Builder Tasks during the first year of the course, I have discovered media and art styles I prefer. Towards the last few tasks – having already pushed myself to explore and discover, which allowed my style and confidence to grow – I have created some of my favourite art pieces; I was really pleased with the outcomes of Task 13 (Learning from an artist) and Task 15 (Landscape painting). I was pleasantly surprised with the final piece for Task 15, since acrylics is a medium I’m usually not too fond of. I decided to challenge myself by using acrylics to achieve an oil painting look. I was over the moon when the painting turned out the way I imagined it

In addition to learning a lot of software skills (working digitally with art, using Powerpoint etc), one of the significant things I have improved in over the course is efficiency; I used to take hours to finish a piece of art, always wanting to get every single detail perfect With time, as my confidence grew and having learnt useful skills (for example the grid method, principles of colour theory, effects different media can create), I was able to produce art pieces I was satisfied with in shorter amounts of time.

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By Xenia plarre

Have you used the live lessons during your time?

The live lessons offered by OCAD instructors have certainly helped me throughout the course. They are filled with useful bits of information and are incredibly insightful with the work explained clearly. I have attended most live lessons during my time on the course for the Skill Builder Tasks and have used the time to ask questions I had regarding course work It is also an opportunity to interact with the other students doing the course and see how they find the work

What would you say to prospective students thinking of working with OCAD?

Before starting the course with OCAD, I was sceptical – how could art possibly be taught online? But I was proven wrong – the lessons are interactive and engaging with the teacher presenting the work on screen and switching to camera to demonstrate the task at hand. If I miss a lesson, there’s always the recording to look at and chatting to peers and tutors through private message is also possible. Both teachers and students bring a sense of enthusiasm to the course and lessons – one can tell the teachers care about the education they provide and the students on the course are there because they really want to be there and improve their art OCAD has been an all-round great experience for me to build and refine foundational skills in art and has been a safe space for me to explore my interests.

How is OCAD preparing you for the future?

I've been given a glimpse into the world of the art industry. I am considering animation as a future career and hope to enrol in OCAD’s course in animation in the near future. The basic principles of art I have learnt on this course are invaluable and will definitely be useful even if I don’t pursue a career in art.