Jessica Dawson
BA (Hons) Illustration –
Level 5
OUIL505 Applied Illustration
255593
OUIL505
Summative Evaluation
This module has been a complete enjoyment from start to finish as well
as a huge learning curve for myself, my practice and my approach to personal
set briefs. Choosing my own area of focus has meant that I have been able to
research, investigate and “become an expert” in an area which has always
interested me – environmental conservation – in particular our oceans wildlife.
My research skills have developed massively throughout the duration of
this project and I found it really beneficial to not limit myself in this at
the start of the module – but instead branch out and explore various ways of
gathering key information to inform my work. As my project focused primarily on
the environment and destruction of our oceans coral reefs, fact collecting was
vital and I found that keeping up to date with current data, news articles,
journals and documentaries helped me stay in the know and also increase my
knowledge in an area I had not known in much depth previously. As well as
online research, I have been able to utilise the colleges library facility and
gather books not only just on environmental conservation, but in other areas of
interest I wished to focus on such as patterns, nature as a whole, various new
media techniques and practitioners in related fields within the industry.
Researching online in this way has not only provided me with the breadth of
information to help form my initial concept for this project, but has also
widened my knowledge of online presence and the importance of this application within
industry and my own personal practice.
As well as secondary research, I have really made the most of exhibitions
available to me throughout the course of the module. “Object & Environment”
as my chosen context links directly to the physical, therefore the experience
of exhibits (such as KAWS)– has helped me to gain a wider understanding of how
my creative work and illustration can be applied successfully by way of
physical objects, the importance of placement and setting, audience and the
variety of extended product ranges linked with a body of work.
On the topic of new skills, 505 has shown me the importance of exploring
new creative techniques and approaches to image making that I hadn’t attempted
before. A key skill I have learnt is airbrushing, something I have been a bit terrified
in the past to give a go due to its complexity, however felt free enough within
this brief to experiment, producing some successful pieces that I was able to
apply within my final resolutions for the module. As well as airbrush I gave 3D
modelling a go and found that, like most other 3D image making techniques, I
love working with clay. This medium provided me with a great base to explore
the natural coral based organisms I was studying – moving away from the 2D and
applying what I had learnt so far about patterns and textures within nature.
The area of my submission which I feel is most successful is my 3D
sticker bomb collection. I am really pleased with how these physical clay
pieces turned out aesthetically – being as high quality as I could have made
them at this stage of my ability whilst also linking strongly to my initial
idea of exploring the patterns within nature and oceanic organisms. The concept
for the 3D stickers I feel really pushes my project and concept for the campaign
part of my brief – to new heights and links my work directly to the issues I
have been exploring throughout my research. To me- object & environment as
a context is just that – the placement of artwork within environment, using
atmosphere and interaction as a way of getting people involved with creativity
and exposing the audience to deeper meanings and messages within work. I feel I
have achieved this within my collection and enjoyed being able to use my
photography skills to promote my collection of work and environmental campaign.
From the get go I knew I wanted to achieve a lot with this module and my
concept for a full environmental conservation “campaign” provided me with
enough scope to do just that. I feel I have challenged myself successfully
throughout and found it beneficial to refer back to my own project proposal,
revisit this and edit this appropriately to help focus my findings and
approaches as well as reaffirm my aims. As with all other modules, I take it
upon myself to attempt new creative techniques where possible and this was the
case throughout 505, gaining a lot from the structure of the brief and making
the most of the time available.
This said, I have found time management extremely difficult throughout
the whole year including the course of the brief, due to my struggles with
personal issues. I have big ideas for all creative work I do and have the true
passion and aspiration to be ambitious and push myself creatively any chance I
can get. However, I have learnt that I need to be more realistic as a practitioner
and a lot more reflective of my true abilities of the moment, not to get lost
in something which is going to be too difficult and stressful to achieve in the
time allocated. The advice of the tutors whilst on the course is so valuable
therefore I need to be more willing to accept the help and understand why
toning down my ideas on this course will help me to still achieve all I want to
whilst on BA (Hons) Illustration – without damaging myself in the process and
affecting other modules in an almost domino effect.
-In further reflection, what really helped me narrow down my research
and approach for this brief has been the on-hand help from tutors and my
peers, reigning in my ambitious ideas for creative work and helping me to focus
on what is important – often strengthening my development and leading to a
concise and substantial body of work I am really proud of.
If I was to attempt this project again, I would like to revisit my final
artwork and produce a full range of physical pieces and products as well as a
wider range of finalised large scale proposals. It has been extremely difficult
to find high quality digital mock-ups for billboard pieces and murals/public
art spaces and I worry that this has let let my collection of final resolutions
down. To combat this, I would like to go BIG and produce an actual billboard
piece, printed and applied within a real world context, as well as create an
actual mural on a sourced wall space. Proposing these ideas in this project has
been fun, however continues to feel unfinished to me as a proposal is not a
physical finished piece of work.
Continuing on into Level 6, this module has provided me with the one
thing I have been searching for whilst being on the course. I have found that
artwork with a purpose, meaning and impact on society is what really inspires
me, in others work as well as my own and I would like to make this my main aim
/ focus within my practice. As an area of application and context to work
within, Object & Environment will enable me to think about the setting in
which my work will be received – using this as a platform to enhance the
message within my work and I hope to explore this context in a lot more depth
throughout final year.
