Self evaluation , 500 words

 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 been able to develop my print skills. Using lino printing I have been incorporating repetition within my work to create pattern, movement, rhythm and narrative. I have also found a new medium, gouache, which I have used widely across the three projects and have played and experimented within sketchbook, and development work. The method of using shape to make images and communicate ideas is something new that I have learned during this module and it has helped to develop my own practise, I am now not as interested in making images that are very detailed but simple and effective. 

 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?

 Learning how shape can communicate. Shape is something that we all relate to very early on as children, we have a great understanding about and it is something we use to communicate with e.g. fire exit signs. Using shape to communicate is clear and direct, even if it is a poor translation of the object it is supposed to represent, yet we understand it. I have used shape in this module to communicate, for example in Don’t judge a book by its cover, on the front cover I printed a big hat shape, this give an immediate message as to what the book is about and gives clear communication to the viewer.       

3.    What strengths can you identify within your submission and how have you capitalised on these?

I have used print a lot in this module. It is a very effective and useful way producing images and when finished it looks final and professional. A lot of careful crafting, planning and developing of an image is involved however once the image is completed it has a strong aesthetic, bold colour and shape++ Print can also be mixed with different medium for example paints, pencils and cut paper, and by mixing up mediums I was able to get different textures and refine certain details. However print is time consuming and I think that it took away time that I could have used for development, so finding a way in which to speed up this process is an aim for me.   

What areas for further development can you identify within your submission and how will you address these in the future?

The types on the poster and on the book cover I think really needs more development. They can be hard to read, especially the posters type. In the future I really need to take the time to focus on type more by learning the best type to use and how to position it on the page, because it has let me down I think when it comes to the final pieces. Also I really want to use digital medium to create images because printing and repeating shapes in the correct place is hard by hand, but with digital it would be easier and quicker to do this and will allow me to be more accurate and undo mistakes. Experiment more with different mediums as well, I don’t think that I did enough of this and it may have improved my final images and given me more ways of approaching the images.           

In what way has this module introduced you to the Ba (Hons) Illustration programme?

 It has taught me that illustration is about communicating just as much as image making. A good piece of illustration should include both of these things. The briefs set tried to get us to include communication in our work and think about how we are going to effectively visually communicate a message e.g. Day in the life, is a good example of this. It was a challenge to try to visually communicate the main points of the given article but, I learned a lot in that brief about how symbols and simple imagery can communicate effectively and that it doesn't need to be a massively complex image to make people want to read that article, bold shapes and colours I think can do the same thing. 

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

        

Artist:Olle Eksell - graphic designer.

Olle Eksell swedish graphic designer, published by Pie books.

• Really nice composition , spaced out well not over crowed and an easy to read image.
• Brave choice in bold bolck colours, really effective and the colours compliment and go together well , not too over powering.
• Well chosen type , very simple, well spaced and easy to read.
• A child like aproach/effect, things are drawn simply but it is very clear what they are. Really nice used of shape.
• Line drawn people add a good amount of small detail, not enough to control the image but just enough to create a good narrtive. 
• Well crafted , everything is postioned with presition and care. It has all be though through.
• Same colours are used just 5 but they a distibuted well throughout the image, good aesthetic.  

Artist: Nate Williams.

http://designlust.blogspot.co.uk/

This is a book cover designed by one of my favourite contemporary illustrators. You can get some idea of process when looking at this cover. Print and digital medians looked to have been used, the textures in the shapes and type is definitely print, not all of the solid colour is there within the shape especially in the blue head,  but it give the cover a really nice atheistic , the print around the edge as well. The digital element looks to have been used towards the end of the process to put the different elements. a texture underlays the print and text, and it is right opacity because it doesn't overpower the light tones and colours of the main print sections. The text is hand drawn which I think adds more character and authorship cover, it is a better approach I think than using  digital / ready made type. Hand printing type is a great idea! it is easy to read and well composed, not over crowded and well balance use of capitals and lower-case letter. In fact the cover as a whole is well composed, simple(shape), again not overcrowd and a the main focal points of the cover are central.

Artist:Tom Gauld.

 Tom Gould work involves line work heavily. he use a wide variety of line work, crosshatching, quickly draw short lines to make up he fur of some of his monster and more fluid lines.

His illustrations have a odd ,imaginative  humorous side to them. For example the tiny guy attacking the monster with a giant fountain pen is funny and ironic.The colours use are dulled down and it emphasise the marks and textures of the pen. So the image is well balanced. It is also composed well. It is not over crowed and everything can be seen cleaerly , but it is so detailed that having a very crowed image I think would spoil the clearlty  and it would be had to see the elements of the image. Plain background helps show the main element of the image and the simplisity of the shapes mixes well with the complex etching.