Trip to Saltaire and Hockney Exhibition

Saltaire

Observational Drawing

These are a few drawings from my sketchbook from this day. I didn't get as much drawing done as I would have liked but I got some photographs which I am hoping to draw from another day. 

'The Arrival of Spring'

David Hockney Exhibiton, Salts Mill

After watching the BBC's Hockney documentary, I was excited to see this exhibition. It didn't disappoint, I particularly loved the colours of the pieces because even by themselves they would still represent spring to me. Line of sight is really key in Hockney's work, in a number of his paintings in this show he uses a track or road to lead you into the picture and explore what he has created. 

Visual Language - End of Module Self Evaluation

1.  Which practical skills and methodologies have you developed within this module and how effectively do you think you are employing them within your own practice?
I have learned some valuable Photoshop skills during this module, I had never really used Photoshop before so these workshops at the start of SB1 taught me some of the basics which I have continued to build on through projects later on in this module and in other modules. Using pure shape as a way of creating images was something I hadn’t really considered properly before. I think this has been important in the development of my practice because it has moved me away from always using line to build up an image. The mutants task introduced me to using photography as a form of illustration. I didn’t find this method particularly inspiring but it definitely made me think about the variety of less generic ways illustrations can be made. My skills in screen-printing have developed again since the one week book task in the visual narratives module. I am feeling a lot more confident with this process and would probably be comfortable now using the print room facilities by myself.
2. Which principles/ theories of image making have you found most valuable during this module and how effectively do you think you are employing these within your own practice?
I think using roughs has proved invaluable during the SB2 part of this module. I have used roughs in previous modules but I think they have been especially important when considering the composition of a piece of work. I have become better and quicker at sketching out my ideas within a frame because I understand that these do not need to be neat drawings, as long as they are understandable and help me figure out the position of all the components in the image, they are doing their job. I think at the beginning of the module in SB1, I was really getting into drawing the same thing over and over again which was beneficial to my practice because it forced me to try different drawing techniques and media. Repeatedly drawing the same thing meant that I became used to the shapes I was drawing and I got progressively more confident with drawing the image.
3. What strengths can you identify within your Visual Language submission you capitalise on these?
I think I took more risks with my image making the SB1 sketchbook tasks and I should have capitalised on this by continuing with this level of experimentation throughout the rest of this module. I think the variety of media and tools I used during the first stage of this module really benefitted my image making and pushed me to think about mark making and quality of line and the effect these things can have on an image. The sketchbook tasks definitely helped to loosen my drawing style. I was very much in the mind-set that successful images were clearly representative of the reference imagery used but this module has helped me to use photographs as ‘reference’ and not just something to copy from. My final outcomes from SB2 feel a lot more informed and considered than any images I have made in the past, I’m not saying they are the best pieces of work I have ever made but in terms of and in depth consideration of composition I think they are the most advanced.
4. What areas for development can you identify within your Visual Language submission and how will you address these in the future? Experimentation slowed down towards the end of the module so I think in future I need to push myself to continue to draw things over and over again until I reach something I am happy with. I think I was too easily satisfied with my imagery in the last few tasks when I should have been challenging things and seeing how I could have done parts differently, experimented with more media and maybe referred back to the drawing exercises from the start of the module for inspiration. I feel I got caught up more in making roughs and most of my experimentation was related to my compositions rather than the physical methods of image making. This is only relevant to a few tasks during this module but I did leave some of them to the last minute and I know I didn’t produce work of a high enough standard for me to be pleased with. I think this was all part of getting used to juggling the different modules in the early stages of the course and I am already on my way to organising my time more effectively.
5. In what way has this module informed how you deconstruct and analyse artwork (whether your own or that of contemporary practitioners)? I think my ability to analyse images has definitely improved, particularly being able to point out the compositional devices used in the work of others. Before beginning the visual language module, I would be able to understand whether an image was pleasing to the eye or whether it made me feel on edge but I often found it difficult to specify the actual reason why. My improved knowledge of composition, frame, depth, line of sight and value have been invaluable to my overall understanding of analysing images. Because of this, I think I have become better at using compositional devices in my own work, particularly with line of sight and the use of foreground, mid-ground and background. I have become better at noticing which compositions are working during the roughing stages and I have more of an open mind when it comes to composing an image now because I have a list of things in my head that I know I can play around with to try and make my images more interesting.
6.How would you grade yourself on the following areas: (please indicate using an ‘x’)  5= excellent, 4 = very good, 3 = good, 2 = average, 1 = poor
	1	2	3	4	5
Attendance					X
Punctuality					X
Motivation				X
Commitment				X
Quantity of work produced					X
Quality of work produced				X
Contribution to the group			X
The evaluation of your work is an important part of the assessment criteria and represents a percentage of the overall grade. It is essential that you give yourself enough time to complete your written evaluation fully and with appropriate depth and level of self-reflection. If you have any questions relating to the self-evaluation process speak to a member of staff as soon as possible.

Eiko Ojala

I came across Estonian illustrator, Eiko Ojala, when I was researching shape based illustration for the vectors brief. I thought his work was really innovative and individual and I hadn't seen anything like it before. I love how simple the shapes and lines are but the crafting of the paper adds such depth and form to the image that you forget about how simple the designs actually are. It is said that Ojala uses real paper cuts with digital editing so I am doubtful that all of the shadows shown are entirely truthful but the idea behind his method of producing imagery is something I find really interesting and unique.

Hockney Documentary

I watched the BBC2 Hockney documentary about his life, work and theories about art. 

It became clearer to me how Hockney tries to communicate what he sees through the most direct way possible. He speaks about interrogating your own work and being critical of yourself in order to strive to create something you are truly happy to call your own. 

I have always admired Hockney's pure skill of drawing so seeing some previously unreleased line drawings of his was interesting. 

Statements and Rules

I will get at least seven hours of sleep every night. 
Go to bed before 1am. 

I will go to Budapest, Vienna and Prague this summer, learn about the cities, take lots of photos and do lots of drawing. 
Book train tickets, accommodation and buy sketchbooks. 

I will research the political parties and policies in preparation for making an informed decision of who to vote for in the election in May. 
Buy a newspaper every week and read about policies online.

I will keep my workspace organised and tidy. 
Organise my work into folders and only have one project out on my desk at a time.

I will get the Creative Cloud on my personal laptop and practice using digital media more to gradually develop my skills.
Spend one evening each week practicing digital skills. 

I will start eating a healthier breakfast to set myself up for the day. 
Only by healthy cereal and eat fruit with breakfast every day.

I will not avoid work for certain modules and leave it to the last minute. 
Make a plan every week allocating time for each module. 

I will spend less time on social media. 

Don't spend longer than one hour on social media each day.

I will give myself time out when I start to feel stressed and overwhelmed.
Make time to go running or watch a film to de-stress from time to time. 

I will get on a train and see some of the Yorkshire countryside.
Book some train tickets and plan my week so I have a free day at the weekend. 

'10 things' Lists and Position Statement

10 THINGS I WANT TO GET BETTER AT

Managing my time. 
Digital skills. 
Keeping my workspace tidy. 
Avoiding distractions. 
Dealing with stress. 
Balancing work load and social life. 
Using colour in my work. 
Getting enough sleep. 
Typography. 
Not avoiding certain modules and tasks. 

10 THINGS I WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT

The news / current affairs.

Life after university. 
What its like work freelance. 
Myself and what I am interested in. 
How to get my work out there. 
Politics. 
How to stay healthy. 
Trends. 
Pricing my work. 
Good films.

10 PLACES I WANT TO GO TO OR PEOPLE I WANT TO MEET

Barcelona.
Vienna. 
Prague. 
Budapest. 
Ireland. 
Reykjavik. 
Countryside around Leeds. 
Stephen Fry. 
Louis Theroux. 
Will Ferrell. 

10 THINGS I WANT TO CHANGE

My attitude towards work in the mornings. 
My bank balance. 
The weather. 

The benefits system. 
My biscuit consumption levels. 
My usual bedtime. 
My cooking skills. 
The amount of time I spend on social media. 
The amount of debt I will be in after university. 
Poor treatment of animals. 

POSITION STATEMENT

I will get at least seven hours of sleep every night. 

I will go to Budapest, Vienna and Prague this summer, learn about the cities, take lots of photos and do lots of drawing. 

I will research the political parties and policies in preparation for making an informed decision of who to vote for in the election in May. 

I will keep my workspace organised and tidy. 

I will get the Creative Cloud on my personal laptop and practice using digital media more to gradually develop my skills.

I will start eating a healthier breakfast to set myself up for the day. 

I will not avoid work for certain modules and leave it to the last minute. 

I will spend less time on social media. 

I will give myself time out when I start to feel stressed and overwhelmed. 

I will get on a train and see some of the Yorkshire countryside. 

Promotional Poster of Me

 I started this task by using Pinterest to look at promotional posters, I soon noticed that a lot of them revolve solely around type. A lot of posters combined both type and image and worked effectively but the very few that used just image were not very clear in their message. I particularly like Kyle Metcalf's image because it shows a glimpse of his style of work as well as showing a bit of humour and personality. 

Michael Mandahl

Kyle Metcalf

Muthahari Insani

Self Promotion Poster

After researching other self promotional posters and products, I wrote down the information I wanted to include and in note form, it started to form into small categories of information. To use this, I thought I would make the poster as if it were a product description form which has been filled out by me, about me. I tried not to take this task too seriously and I think this has worked in my favour as it makes the poster more interesting and relatable to others. 

The comments I received about this poster said that it was professional, honest and it contained a lot of information but not in a boring and overwhelming way.