Summative Evaluation

End of Module Student Evaluation

BA(hons) Illustration

Module Code: PPP3 OUIL602

Name:   Naomi Smith

Student ID:   254958

Learning Outcome	Evidenced where? Blog, Sketchbook, Roughs Final Illustrations, development sheets etc.  (No more than 75 words)	Your grade Using words: > poor, satisfactory, good, very good, excellent
6A3 Demonstrate specific knowledge and specialist understanding of the professional and contextual location of their practice. Knowledge and Understanding - RESEARCH	Blogposts specifically including ‘who is my market’ and ‘unpack your practice’. Finding common ground between my work and creative practitioners by blogging the relevance of their practice to mine. Listing and writing about live briefs and competitions I have been involved with. My presentation shows where I hope to see my work by identifying contexts, clients and how I see my practice working in the future.	Excellent
6B2 Undertake research to identify and evaluate their personal and professional skills and the career or progression opportunities available to them. (Cognitive Skills - EVALUATION & REFLECTION	Contacting people in the greetings industry to find out about their experiences and ask for advice. Research into other illustrators’ practices. Finding out about the structure of an advertising agency while working at TBWA Manchester. My notes from numerous life after college sessions link to this, especially the Easter program workshops. A blogpost I specifically wrote about my plans ‘Creative Strategy – My Plan’.	Very Good
6C2 Develop and implement a personal promotion strategy to communicate to relevant organisations. Practical & Professional Skills - VISUAL QUALITY)	Structuring and development of my website making it easy for potential clients or customers to find what they are looking for. Development of my branding and identity, discarding unsuitable ideas. My creative presence presentation boards show my cohesive set of promotional material. Each component is specifically needed and relevant to my practice right now and in the future.	Very Good
6D2 Use a range of appropriate communication methods to present themselves as a professional practitioner to a relevant audience. Key Transferable Skills - PROFESSIONALISM & COMMUNICATION	My evaluative blogposts about my online presence, looking at the successes and failings of the current platforms I use and explaining why I have stopped using certain ones. Website development. Participating in and attending art fairs and exhibitions and conducting myself as a professional in person and via email.	Excellent

Evaluation (See guidance below for more information)

You are required to write a 500 word evaluation of this module.

At the beginning of this module I felt really daunted by the prospect of graduation and entering the real world of work, but coming towards the end of my final year I can now say I am actually really looking forward to it. This time last year I was very focussed on making work for application onto products and I thought this would be the route my practice would go down. However, now I am presenting a much broader practice which spans editorial, publishing, product and maybe even scientific illustration. I have definitely developed my practical skills this year through tackling a range of briefs which have taken me right out of my comfort zone. I have produced public art, found a new approach to linocut printing, developed my pattern design skills and developed a strong, detailed drawing style which I now understand is commissionable. A lot of my briefs for extended practice have been completed under a short deadline and I have proved myself to be very efficient working under pressure. I have learnt a lot about myself, the way I work and what I need to do to boost my productivity and motivation. I have said ‘yes’ to a lot of things this year and I am so glad I did, engaging with live and competition briefs has led to most of my successes this year. Entering my design for the Virgin Media communication box competition led to me bringing my design to life, being part of an exhibition, having my work featured in Independent Leeds and making valuable contacts along the way. Entering the Papyrus colouring book brief led to a great experience of doing a day’s work in an advertising agency, learning about how this industry works while also getting paid to complete extra work for them which is soon to be published. At the time these things seemed very daunting but I have a real sense of achievement from completing them. Receiving feedback from my peers about how my practice appears from an outside perspective has been influential on the way I choose to present it. I have been torn this year about dividing my practice and have received conflicting opinions, but the feedback from my peers has given me confidence that all of my work is recognisable as mine. I really struggled with reaching out and making contacts. I thought it was because I lack confidence in myself but I actually now realise I lack confidence in the presentation of my work. I think I am afraid of my work seeming irrelevant to the people I am sending it to. This is why I have made it the aim of my final major project to produce work that has a specific purpose and context. I feel like I did keep on top of my PPP blogging with regard to session and workshop notes, tasks and events but what I could have done better at was taking the time to continually reflect on my practice, my creative concerns and my thoughts about the future. I think if I had done this consistently throughout the year there would have been a more natural written progression to the point I am at today. Thinking ahead, even after graduation I think it will be useful for me to take the time to evaluate my practice from time to time. I need to recognise the progress I am making and consider what my next steps are to get where I eventually want to be.