Reflection of the last two years

Year one

Exploration

As part of this unit, I learned a lot of different skills. Through the graphic design side of things, I was able to further improve my abilities. I was able to hone my Photoshop skills and build work that was a little more complex than what I had done previously. In certain ways, I was also able to strengthen my photography skills, but I don’t believe it was especially difficult because I already knew a lot of what I wanted to know. I learned how to use various camera settings, but I believe my abilities improved more when it came to photo editing in Photoshop. Since I’ve used Photoshop as a key factor in graphics and photography, I’m more familiar with it. I feel like my drawing skills were pushed to the edge, and it’s what I changed the most. I had to work on a wide scale, which I’m not used to, but I’m glad it got me out of my comfort zone. I was able to use a variety of drawing materials on one piece of work, which was something I wanted to improve on since I had previously just used pencil and ink.

On a smaller scale, I had to use my drawing skills. I learned how to shade bright and dark areas with just white and black paint, as well as a pencil and a pen. It was a fascinating technique to practise, and the end result was well worth the effort. With ceramics, I didn’t feel like I learned any new skills to add to what I already knew. It wasn’t challenging enough for me as I’ve done it in the past in a very similar way I continued it this year. Yeah, I was able to work on incredibly small pieces, but I’ve done so before. I learned nothing new, which is a shame because I love working with ceramics. When it came to basing our work on current events, I developed skills in a number of areas at the same time. The most important skill I acquired was deciding the composition of my work and putting everything in the appropriate positions. It’s something I’ve struggled with in the past, but my abilities in that field have improved significantly. When it came to the altered pages, I had to construct an image based on a word or phrase, which I thought would be challenging, but I believe that if you have a creative mind, the possibilities are infinite. When it came to making them, I found it to be moderately easy. I wanted to create a piece based on Keith Haring’s work after visiting the Tate gallery in Liverpool and seeing his show, so I decided to use my skills from the current affairs section and develop them to create a piece in Haring’s style.

Food for thought

I learned how to adapt my own work from the work of another artist within that unit. I learned how to personalise something. Many of the pieces were inspired by other artists. It was difficult for me to make my own work based on another artist’s work without copying what they had done. It was a completely different experience studying an artist and creating a piece of work in their style than selecting a movement of art and investigating it to create pieces of work on different artists and learn their techniques and how they composed.It was more complex than that because I had to figure out why they did this and that, as well as why they used this in their work. I also learned how to set up a blog and write about my work on it. I figured this was a very cool way to show off my work. I’d never done anything like it before when it came to comparing two pieces of art in terms of how they looked and what tools they used, and I thought it was interesting to compare drawings from various eras. Creating something with letters was the method I was most interested in learning. You can make a lot of items with letters, such as ceramic pieces paintings and drawings.

Feast

This was by far the most challenging unit for me. It got very boring when it came to the utensils section, but I understand why. It’s so I can learn the shape of a 3D object and how to shade it so you can see where the light and dark areas are. It was so that I could grasp the shape of utensils and figure out how to make them myself. It was fascinating to learn how to make my own utensils in various and special ways. I learned how to join various materials such as metal, wood, and plastic.

My favourite part of the project was making my own drawings in Illustrator. Turning my sketches into a digital piece was daunting and unfamiliar ground for me, but it was fascinating.Creating drawings has always been one of my favourite things to do, and learning how to do it digitally was a lot of fun. To make sense of each example, I had to learn how to tell the story inside it. I was able to develop a detailed understanding of how to create large pieces of work when focusing on the composition. In addition, I was able to obtain a better understanding of figures in light and dark. I also learned how to use only one colour to draw the foreground forward while pushing the background back, making the foreground stand out even more. Digital illustration and printmaking were unquestionably my favourites. They’re the ones I’ve had the most fun with. I loved seeing the result because anything could have happened. When it came to mono prints, this was particularly true. It was always a way for me to express myself in my work, I believe. It’s the same as living life, which I find rather exciting.

Creating 3D models had to be my least favourite technique in that unit. I didn’t like it because it was boring, but I understand why it is that way so that I can continue to learn. It’s the most successful way to learn and develop. But it wasn’t fun for me, and I wasn’t looking forward to seeing the results as I was with my other projects.

Year 2

Exploration

The year began with an analytical drawing session outside. I spent the day sitting by the lake, using charcoal and white chalk to draw what I could see. Those helped me to improve my understanding of the background, middle ground, and foreground. I have strengthened my understanding of composition and how to put together a drawing. It was incredibly therapeutic and soothing, which was an excellent way to begin a year that we all knew would be difficult.

The big painting I did about childhood was the most difficult part of this unit. I struggled a lot with the part where I had to draw myself at three different ages because I’m not very good at self portraits, or any portraits for that matter. This project was about incorporating all of my childhood favourites and telling my journey through a painting.I used a number of mediums, including watercolours, acrylic paint, and charcoal. Trying to get this painting to flow was extremely difficult, and it has never been completed. Having said that, creating development pieces based on the large painting was a lot of fun for me. I simply don’t like working on such a wide scale. Hopefully in the future it may get finished and I will be better at working on such a large scale.

One of the most enjoyable elements of this unit was hand stitching. To me, it’s very soothing and therapeutic. It was fun to start creating stitch pieces with sketches of seed heads, but it resulted in a very pleasant texture in the work. I was able to improve my stitching skills by studying various styles of stitches and experimenting with a variety of techniques. Learning how to lift the surface with materials and stitch was fascinating, and it pushed me to develop both my sewing and composition skills. I’m excited to put this experience to use in future experiments and ventures.

When it came to felting, I already had experience in this field because it’s something I’ve done before, but the technique for the compositional piece was totally different from what I’d done before. I’ve used a felting needle on dry handmade felt in the past. It was a lot of fun to develop my skills in this particular way. I expect to use this technique to create compositional illustrations on handmade felt in the future.

Life drawing was entirely new to me, and it was by far the most fascinating of the unit’s sections. It was a challenge in the best way to be able to draw the human form in this way. I produced a detailed picture as well as a number of quick charcoal sketches. I never expected I’d have the ability to do anything like this. I’m happy I got the chance because it showed me how to transfer what was in front of me onto paper with my pencil and thumb.

Independent project

We had to select between the titles “night in” and “night out” for this project. In terms of COVID’s circumstances, I opted for a night in. I struggled a lot with this project, but I’m glad I did because it forced me to push myself in ways I hadn’t previously. I learned how to push myself outside of my comfort zone and was able to complete a 3D project, which I had never done before. I’m not used to working on a 3D scale, so I was very happy with the end result. I not only learned how to enhance my skills in that area, but I was also able to fully exploit the research I had conducted.

Progression

This unit was designed to help us prepare for university applications. There was a lot of doubt and it was a really nerve-wracking process. I spent my time researching various universities and what they had to offer. I needed to prepare my University application and double-check that everything was relevant and that I had entered everything correctly. Attending online virtual days and visiting the websites of all the universities I was studying took up some of my time. When it came to planning for Portfolio, all I had to do was take as many pictures as possible of all I had done. This was to ensure that I had a sufficient number of photos to construct portfolios for each university.

Engaging with the audience

This was without a doubt the most difficult unit for me. I have a lot of trouble getting into gear and coming up with new ideas. I’m well aware that I didn’t produce as much as I should have, and that the results were subpar. With that said, we’re in lockdown, with little to no equipment and not in the place we’d prefer to work in. We’re trapped in the house with nowhere to go, so no creativity has been ignited. So, after all of that, I think I did a fine job. I was seriously limited in my ability, but I did something, and sometimes that’s all that matters. All you can do at times is try. Making homemade paper was a huge step for me because I didn’t have any supplies at the start, but I found enough things to do and got it done. It was a hard process that took a considerable amount of time. I know I wasn’t very good at keeping track of time this time. But I’ve learned that all you can do is work with what you’ve got and make something you want.

What I need to focus on in the FMP

I need to schedule my days and weeks for my FMP so that I don’t waste too much time on one thing. I need to be more organised about my time to keep on track. If I’m having trouble coming up with ideas, I need to try to take a break and come up with new ones. It’s also important for me to note that it’s okay to ask for support if I’m having trouble. And, in general, I need to relax and enjoy myself rather than being excessively stressed.