OUIL 406 Visual Communication - End of Module Evaluation

Leeds College of Art BA (Hons) ILLUSTRATION	Level	04
OUIL406 Visual Communication	Credits	20
End of Module Self Evaluation

NAME	Alice Dear
Throughout this brief I have really developed my Illustrator skills. I think I have effectively applied them especially in my Postcards from cities around the world project. I spent a long time and a lot of effort on these postcards and they really helped me get to grips with the programme. I really like the clean cut effect of Illustrator and I will definitely go on to develop these skills even more. I have also developed my time keeping and organisation skills through working as a group in Studio Brief 1, it was crucial we all communicated well in order to create a succinct final outcome. I think that project could have been improved much more but it was a learning experience and I think if we were to do it again we would plan it out from the beginning a lot more clearly. I have also developed my Photoshop skills particularly when using scale and organising work to fit the criteria of the brief; I started out some of my projects without really thinking about the scale and size of the end result, however I have learnt over the time of this brief how crucial it is to keep this aspects in mind throughout creating the work and by the time I had finished my person of not project I was thinking a lot more about how I could improve the pieces, given more time, to look most effective in the format given.
I really enjoyed experimenting with felt tip pens and adding water as I found out if I used a particular card it allowed the ink to run like water colour but created a stronger and more powerful effect. This method to image making is something I have developed through my Person of Note project. I have also developed approaches such as drawing out a rough design and then reworking into it digitally, this informs my concept development process as it means I have to organise my time wisely and think about what methods and approaches are best to use on digital programmes. Also informing my concept development process has been the approach to printing; through this project I have discovered how important printing can be as I have often had problems with my final outcomes. I learnt from this and carefully scaled and used a professional approach to printing my Person of Note portrait using A2 matt paper which I think worked really well.
I think my strengths, from looking at my work in this module, are definitely attention to detail and use of colour and pattern. I will capitalise on these by continuing to try to portray the atmosphere and intention of the pieces through using colours to symbolise aspects, and by creating even more intricate and detailed work, whilst trying not to overwhelm the piece. I also think water colours and hand painting are one of my strengths so I will aim to do more of this in the last brief; I find more thought goes into my work when I am hand rendering it especially when using an irreversible media such as paint.
I definitely have weaknesses when planning out format in my pieces; I spend ages on the content of the image but then fail to execute it professionally which leaves my work lacking. Especially in this module my work has ended up not fitting the recommended sizes and I have had to edit the images slightly which I think I rushed and ended up having final pieces that weren’t as succinct and effective as I would have hoped. I also think I need to take more pride in my final work and ensure that how it is presented is thought about as much as the image content itself, I will address this issue in the future by consistently think about scale and drawing all sketches to its final format (although perhaps on a smaller scale if necessary) and by spending time making sure it is printed out appropriately and professionally, by using the right paper and ink.
Five things that I will do differently next time are: 1.    Spend more time planning my design to the scale intended – this will mean my final pieces will look more professional and will work better at their intended task e.g. postcards/stamps. 2.    Print my work out more professionally- this will really improve the effect of my final pieces and help them look finished. 3.    Experiment more with borders and small but essential details- I sometimes forget to spend much time of these aspects but that time will make a huge difference in the final image. 4.    Draw more scamps for layout- The more options for potential layouts I have means the more likely I am to have a successful one that fulfils the brief most effectively. 5.    Think about limited colour palettes too, - I love colour but always use a lot, next time perhaps using more limited ranges will create a different but interesting effect.
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						/
Punctuality						/
Motivation					/
Commitment						/
Quantity of work produced					/
Quality of work produced					/
Contribution to the group						/
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.

A copy of your end of module self evaluation should be posted to your studio practice blog. This should be the last post before the submission of work and will provide the starting point for the assessment process. Post a copy of your evaluation to your PPP blog as evidence of your own on going evaluation.

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