Initially, I was excited for the freedom this module brings, finally being able to essentially do what we've always wanted to do. But, the thought of it being a heavily research based module scared me, as this is the area that I always loose marks in. I really wanted to prove that I can do it, mainly for myself. I also knew that it would help me discover myself, so I did want to do as well in this module as I could.
In this module, I have learnt some creative skills that I can bring into my future work. Strangely, I've learnt a bit about graphic design when putting together my cards. I think it is important as an illustrator to have at least a basic understanding of graphic design and vice versa, especially when it comes to type and layout. I've also learnt how to make my work look more professional, as this is the first time that I would show my work to a company and be proud of it. This is something that's very important for the future, as presentation is the first thing that a client would see.I’ve also learnt how to make stickers and double sided cards, which is a creative skill that I will need to have for next year, as well as helping me for PPP when it comes to self promotion.
My strengths for this module I think has been my time management, as I've been so into the module that I haven't been wanting to do anything else but. There wasn't a point in this module when I was looking around at everyone else's sketchbooks and realising that I 'm behind. This is something that I want to try and keep up in all of my modules, as it increased the enjoyment for the process. I think another strength in this module is my openness to trying new things, as this is the reason why my outcomes became so successful, taking the risk of choosing editorial. I also think my visual quality of my illustrations is another strength, because they are the reason why the aesthetics of my products are successful. I think I've found a material that is best for my practice and now I need to capitalise on this in later modules.
My weaknesses in this module I think is that I needed to do even more research initially when choosing which category of illustration to go into, as I think this is why I was so lost in the beginning. If I could do this module again, I would have given myself a better understanding of all of the options and routes I could have gone down.
This module has definitely taught me a lot about my practice. It's taught me that I shouldn't stray away from an illustrative practice because I haven't done it before. I've found out more about myself as an illustrator, which has been the best thing I've ever received from a module in illustration so far. I've realised that editorial and product combined works very well for my practice, and more specifically doing political satire. I think that this is something that I might look into in the future after university for my work, as this is the first time I've been extremely happy with the final outcomes that I have produced. It's also something that genuinely gets me excited, and will even do research into to develop my knowledge further. Which, if you know how I work, is quite a big step for me, as research is something that I usually avoid. Finally finding an area that really interests me is amazing, I'm actually relieved, as so far on this course nothing had particularly come out to me of complete interest.
It's also interesting to see that one of the first things I wrote down in my research book is that I said I'm definitely going sell my own work when I leave uni, and within a couple of months I know that this probably isn’t going to be the case. This shows that we are still in the learning process, and can't be for certain what's going to happen to our practice in the future. It also shows that you can’t disregard any options, even now, I still have another year to refine my practice.
