Josh Atkinson OUIL502 End of Module Evaluation

End of Module Student Evaluation BA (Hons) Illustration Module Code: OUIL502 PPP Name: Josh Atkinson Student ID: JA259815 Learning Outcome

Evidenced where?

Blog, Visual Journal, Roughs, Final Illustrations, Storyboards, Development Sheets etc. (No more than 75 words)

5A3: Demonstrate an informed understanding of professional context of their practice within the creative industries and cultural environment. (Knowledge & Understanding - Research and Critical Awareness)

I believe that this is evidenced through my blog where I have analysed certain examples of illustration/design that have caught my interest and have looked into their practice and there methods of how they create their work. Examples such as looking at Album covers and analyzing how the influence and interest in album cover design can feed into my practice.

5B2: Identify and analyse the challenges and opportunities offered by future developments within individually appropriate areas of creative practice.

(Cognitive Skills - Problem Analysis, Problem Solving)

The one example that I believe demonstrates this is through the Richard Hawley brief as it has allowed me to understand the type of work that an illustrator such as myself who has a keen interest in music related design Illustration would produce such as tour posters/gig posters. I would love to branch out in the near future and take on similar opportunities that would allow me to once again get the taste of this line of work.

Good

5C2: Develop a body of work in response to a defined brief that effectively demonstrates professional working practices in research, planning and communications. (Practical Skills - Visual Quality and Conceptual Development)

In terms of my personal and professional practice I believe my blog demonstrates the key aspect of research i.e. looking into specific areas of my interest such as album cover design. This has also involved using books from the library or ones I have bought myself, books that help broaden my knowledge and determine that it is indeed an area of interest to and for my practice. I have not found a great deal of time for personal work however as I found the workload of this year far too much to even consider making any.

Good

5D2:Employ a range of appropriate professional communication methods to record and present their own creative practice, concerns and ambitions. (Key Transferable Skills, Organisation, Communication and Evaluation)

This is one area I have not really addressed this year as I have explained in my summative evaluation that I simply haven’t found time for the professionalization of my personal and individual practice however I have obviously recognized this and I know that it Is an area I ca address next year and in more detail in the near future. This entails such aspects as business cards or a website which are two things that would help an illustrator reflect a sense of organization and confidence.

Good

Summative Evaluation

Your grade Using words: > poor, satisfactory, good, very good, excellent

Very good

As far as this year’s module has been from a personal, reflective and professional stand point I feel its been very successful. Despite there being many points that have been stressful for me such as dealing with deadline panics and moral questioning of what my practice is about (mostly at the beginning of the year) there are many positives to take forward.

The first great positive point to acknowledge is the fact that I never need to be stuck on what to base my work around again as I have discovered the common link of music. This is evidenced from the first project of 504 and the final resolved outcomes to all the way along to the final project, all based and centered around music related imagery.

I have found great influence among many practitioners such as Jimmy Turrell who I have used as the creative practitioner in my report. I had not heard of him before this year and it wasn’t until my tutor suggested him to me and so it made me realize that you just need to keep your eyes and ears peeled in order to find that great new influence and somehow who can really kick-start new ideas in your practice.

In terms of professionalization there is a long way to go still as this year its bizarre but I feel I haven’t had the time to organize myself in such a way and just in general being able to think about aspects such as that. With this in mind my organization and time keeping skills will certainly have to show improvement otherwise I will suffer with workload and stress a great deal going into next year as that is where it is I feel needed more than ever.

Instagram, something I didn’t have before this year has represented a small step in a sense of getting my work out there into the real world and not just in the confines of Uni or even just sitting on my laptop. It has helped me grow confidence in my work and it has allowed me to reflect on how my work sits in an aesthetic sense and posting work that truly reflects my practice at that moment.

I would love to act upon this notion of getting out there and would love to be able to work on self promotion.

Whether that is in the form of a website which is highly important, a business card another important aspect of being a professional or even selling my work. Be it online, going to print fairs or branching into some idea of merchandising perhaps placing designs on printed t-shirts. These are all opportunities I have not grasped this year but I believe within good reason. Mainly because I haven’t been ready to do so as I am playing a patient game with my practice not wanting rush anything or make any work that doesn’t feel natural and it just feels and would look forced and above all false.

Process wise within my practice there are constants and there are new processes and as a result I aim to combine the two in whatever I do. Constant processes such as drawing and digital illustration to the newly discovered processes from this year of lino and print aesthetic, collage/found imagery and even the exploration into GIF. All examples of how I believe I am branching out as an illustrator as I am willing to not just be set in my ways and try out new possibilities within my practice. However, there is a point where I will need to refine my ways of creating outcomes but not in a totally restricted manner as I have learnt from practitioner such as Jimmy Turrell it is more than acceptable to use a whole range of processes and to carry on exploring in order to find new, exciting and interesting possibilities.

Briefs such as the Richard Hawley brief and Illustration 12 have allowed me to create music based work and have given me total reassurance on how I would love to constantly work on those type of music related briefs. They have definitely given me a slight taster of working on album cover design or even tour poster design for a client/musician which I something I never though about at the beginning of the year.

In summary I am very pleased with the way in which this year has rounded off and left me at a point of realizing I am where I want to be in terms of my practice more specifically focusing my ideas and concepts through music themes as I am enabled to channel my inner passion and merge it with my illustrative practice in order to get the best of both worlds.