End of Module Evaluation

This module was much more self-directed and independently driven than previous modules, it gave me the freedom to select and conduct briefs that are relevant to my practice. Whilst I did try to make the most of course-directed briefs in other modules and solve the problem of these not necessarily suiting my practice, I appreciated choosing more specific challenges in this module. For example, my interest in model-making and 3D illustration is quite niche so I chose briefs I knew could fit my practice (LAIKA Challenge and ADQ Submissions) and wrote my own briefs to suit my process (Classic Stories). This freedom also allowed me to explore and research themes I am passionate about, such as storytelling and world-building.

It was refreshing to see so many different directions in the mega crits with all of my peers pursuing their individual interests. Being able to choose the briefs we undertook meant that the images made were fuelled by unique objectives rather than just to fulfil the learning outcomes. The work I have produced in this module will fill the majority of my professional portfolio because they are briefs I am enthusiastic about and would be happy to talk about to clients.

I have definitely built on my confidence levels since first year. I attended every tutorial and tried to get the most out of these by preparing pitches and questions to get the feedback I needed from my peers and tutors. I took on board feedback I was given, making the necessary amendments and learned not to take constructive criticism to heart. As we all were doing completely different briefs, I didn’t catch myself worrying about what anyone else was doing or how I compared at all. I have overcome a lot of the anxiety I suffer with and I have changed my perspective from viewing myself as a student to considering myself as an

 artist, which will be important in beginning my career. I am no longer terrified to work without direction from my tutors because this module has shown me that I am capable and can make decisions myself.

In working more independently this year, I made decisions about how I could best use my time. I organised my time efficiently and made action plans to keep my projects running on track. I didn’t use the studios at college as much as I could have because my work was mostly 3D and required a larger amount of space than was available in the studio. Working from home also provided me with more time to work because I wasn’t spending as many hours commuting. I didn’t use my blog as much to reflect on my progress as I have in previous years but I spent more time in this module making than writing which I think is evident in the quantity of work I have produced.

I have learned new skills in this module, such as creating atmospheric lighting and giving the illusion of depth in a miniature scene. I do still have a lot more to learn (for example, about making industry standard armatures) but I hope to always be learning and improving, not just in my time as a student but in my career beyond.

Collaborating with an animator, Stacy Straub, gave me valuable insight into the roles involved in stop-motion and how I could fit into this industry. I learned a lot from working with Stacy and we formed a productive working relationship. I also collaborated with event organiser Gaynor Gray for the Fairytale Hunt. Collaborating gave me a great experience of working professionally, communicating and organising projects collectively. I would have liked to collaborate more in this module as I can see that this would have pushed my work even further. I am excited by the prospects of working as part of a team to share skills and knowledge and I am sure I will collaborate again in the future, especially with animators.

I much prefer longer projects so this module has been the most rewarding as I had the time to fully dedicate myself to projects. I put a lot of effort into Whistle-Stop Thistle, my biggest project yet, and was pleased to finish the course with a fully-realised children’s book. Whistle-Stop Thistle is a project I will be taking forwards and developing further. This has become a world I believe in and want to continue expanding. I achieved everything I set out to in my statement of intent and I am really proud of the work I have produced in this module.

DESIGN BOARDS

STATEMENT OF INTENT

Notable Moments

October

‘Who Am I?’ Pitch: I presented a pitch about my work and my practice, in usual Jay-style in the form of an elaborate poem and a film (here) using clips of my collections, things that inspire me and the things I have enjoyed making so far on the course. Who I am is a storyteller, a maker and a performer. Doing this pitch helped me to establish where I stand in the industry (somewhere between a model maker and a children’s book illustrator) and how I could build on the skills I have developed so far. This task also encouraged me to reflect on the briefs I have enjoyed in previous modules and to consider the sort of briefs I want to work on in this module (more research, longer projects and plenty of stories).

My main aim for the module is to have fun and make work I am proud of to go into my portfolio!

Confessional Statement: This task asked us to move out of our comfort zones, address an area of illustration we weren’t familiar with or to use a medium we avoid. I chose to explore scene building instead of relying on real-world backgrounds in my work. ‘In first year I approached briefs with an open mind and tried to be innovative. Taking risks and being explorative was important to me, but over the second year I lost that playful quality. I got used to the same process of making dolls and relied on this because it felt comfortable. Experimentation with media was unnecessary because I’d found something that worked. Making to the same ‘formula’ was restrictive. I never allowed myself chance to make in different materials/improve. I became quite arrogant and my work became stiff. There was some success in this: an exhibition and lots of commissions, however, I’m bored of making that work and want to break away from my habitual process. Also found myself holding back from making sets/scenes/props because I was spending so much time making dolls. I’m bored with using the same garden backdrop and really want to construct scenes!’ (full statement here)

Confessional Statement Visual Response: (see outcomes here) ‘Taking time to do what I've wanted to do for so long but have avoided since I've been spending so much time making dolls. I finally made a scene! Really happy with how it looks, it does look ready to use for an animation. Used really simple painted backdrops inspired by Chris Sickels and his combination of 3D props and flat illustrated backdrops. Worked well, adds a lot more interest than a boring plain white wall and demonstrates more skill and more imagination than using the garden all the time... BRINGING BACK PLAY! I had fun making this. Building the scene allowed me to make, place, change, re-arrange until I was happy with how the whole thing looked. Reminding me of my How Hill project in Level 4 and how much I enjoyed controlling the whole scene I made of the landscape in felting wool.’

Extending the Visual Response: I took the project a step further, pushing it and extending beyond what was asked in the brief and using the set with dolls I already had in the studio. (see extended outcomes here) ‘The painted backdrops make the image so much more interesting to look at as a work of art than if I'd used natural scenery. I also felt proud looking at these images and knowing that I had controlled and produced everything in the image, from the doll right down to the fence. By making the scene, I was also responsible for all of the colours in the shot which allowed me to design my own colour scheme.’

December

Time Management: Struggling a little to balance the overlapping modules. ‘One thing I am struggling with is time management/project management and routines. I'm keeping on top of everything but I do feel as though I am juggling and that without a clear routine I might drop something.’

Action Plans: Organising my time and working logically through briefs (example here).

Briefs: After a Megacrit on the 4^th (here), I realised that live briefs and competitions aren't the most important thing - I should be choosing briefs that are relevant to my interests, skills and portfolio. Choosing briefs that I found exciting rather than ones that would look impressive in my submission! ‘The idea of making images for an existing book was appealing to me, but the competition and the Folio brand is what ruined it for me. I'm going to make illustrations using models for existing classic for MYSELF and MY OWN PORTFOLIO, not to please a company competition. I do hope that certain publishers or clients would find these attractive, but I need to be specific and aim for the ones I would want to work for in the future.’

Fairytale Trail: I collaborated with Gaynor Gray for the Fairytale trail which gave me a useful experience of working professionally with individuals outside of the university environment and meeting to discuss plans (here). The focus of this brief was on the event rather than the dolls as illustrations or products so the biggest part of this brief for me was seeing the reactions of children doing the hunt. The trail was a huge success and all the winners were photographed with the character they discovered (here’s one of the blog posts about this). ‘There was such an enchanting buzz around the city and I'm so pleased with how well it went. The trail has got my name out there a little more, since all Ripon residents get a Review Ripon through their door and lots of people took part in the hunt, but it feels so great to be part of something that has made all these children smile and actively support their community.’

February

The End of Cop: The submission of my dissertation and the end of Cop made way for a lot more time to spend on Extended Practice. I was ready to play but also ready to sink my teeth into some bigger projects after skirting along the top of smaller ones.

Scenes:  Experimenting with lighting and atmosphere in the lion the witch and wardrobe scene - attention to detail, ‘Shining light through the window adds a real mood and atmosphere to the dark room. It's really mysterious and adds to Lucy's curiosity.’ (images here) ‘the illustration doesn't have to be an exact copy of the text, or it would be boring. I'm being selective and directing the scenes from the text, not spoon feeding the reader’. Making images for portfolio and 'vanity' projects, trying to produce images that look like full illustrations – considered, composed and refined (more images and reflection here)

Another Pitch: Using my tone of voice, passion for performing and telling stories by presenting my pitch as a dramatic poem again. (here) Presenting in this way gives me a lot more confidence, makes me stand out and be remembered by an audience. It suits the way I think, work and explain things so this is definitely the way to go for me!

Group Crit: (blog post here) ‘It was suggested that I do some collaboration, working with different disciplines, or at least consider how this project could be improved/extended by working with others. As a director or working in an animation studio, I would have lots of different people with different skills that could help in bringing a world like this to life.’ Starting to think about my career path and how this project could prepare me for that. Shortly after this mega crit and being given feedback about working as part of a bigger team unit, I plucked up the courage and determination to apply for a work placement in the design team for BBC Children’s.

Character Design: (here are some character design sketches for Whistle-Stop Thistle) ‘I've not drawn for a while and I know I often overlook it/avoid it in briefs in favour of MAKING but I have had fun drawing these characters and I definitely have spent longer figuring out who these characters are than I usually do. I like the big, round shape of the bodies - think this could be a distinctive 'characteristic' of the Thistle-folk that makes them distinctly recognisable.’

March

Research: I conducted a lot of research into my audience, product, market and similar projects. I looked at SoftStories (here) ‘I love how their worlds are very obviously and unapologetically handmade; they let the material show (cardboard and felt) and don't try to hide its rough edges or make it look perfectly crisp. They seem to celebrate the fact that all of these items are made by hand and encourage children to get creative too.’ I fell in love all over again with Smallfilms (here), discovered the Whatamagump (here) ‘They've been really active online on social media throughout the process, sharing behind the scenes images and footage of the team on-set which is lovely to see as it makes the entire product more personal and inviting. The creators are only human and they have made all this work! Using Instagram in this way demonstrates just how much work they have put into the book too. I think this would help to sell the book as it is intriguing and engaging for artists and art-lovers to see this kind of content that goes into the production, they know that the book is a product of value and that the team have put a great deal of work into making the story that they might buy in order to support these artists.’ and analysed the merchandise and products of Ben and Holly’s Little Kingdom (here).

Making: Using skills practised in smaller briefs and applying to a bigger project (WST). Spending a lot of time in my studio at home making, testing and playing. Having a lot of fun! Lighting (experiments here) makes a difference in set design and atmosphere! Something I'd never really tried before. Using the blog to upload photos of my buildings in progress then stepping back to reflect on how they look (here) and (here).

May

Collaboration with Stacy Straub: I worked with animation student Stacy Straub to create a looping short animation for LoopdeLoop. I made a puppet and Stacy animated it (video here). This collaboration was really valuable as I learned how I can work with animators, what they would expect from me and how different animators have different skills that suit different puppets/forms of animation. Stacy and I worked really well together and will be doing so again.

Final Products: I put so much work into this module, especially for WST I am really proud to finish the course with a book (Blurb link here) I love, some more experience of animation (trailer link here) and a portfolio of work I have enjoyed putting together. If I was asked by a client to do more work like this then I would be ecstatic. I am pleased to have work I can exhibit at the EOYS and a portfolio to take out into the industry.

FINAL MEGA CRIT

The LAST EVER CRIT. Feeling a bit emotional!

What I saw:
Kyle's Books! Kyle has done an awful lot of work this module and I hadn't seen much of it as we were in different tutor groups. I always look forward to seeing Kyle's work because he invests a lot of time into learning new methods of storytelling (AR, VR, 3D Printing, laser engraving etc) and this module was no different. He had two finished book projects on display which was incredible to see and he had printed and bound his children's book himself. Impressive, inventive and inspiring. I don't know how he does it!
Joe's portfolio - Joe has used this module to practice areas of illustration that he knew clients, publishers and agents would want to see. He has finished the module with a really well developed portfolio full of character designs, sketches, compositions and narratives. He has used the module to prepare himself for going into the industry which is brilliant and a really productive use of his time. Do I have enough of this sort of work in my portfolio? Do I need two separate portfolios - one for model making and one for illustration?
Sophia's Spreads - Sophia hasn't limited herself to just one area of illustration, but has demonstrated in her portfolio that she can adapt to a range of ages, genres and contexts. Is my portfolio too specific? Too niche?

What my peers liked
Professionalism of the book - this isn't my handiwork so feeling a bit bad about that!
The detail and amount of work - great to get some recognition for this. I was worried that because I couldn't bring the town in that my space in the mega crit would look small and as though I hand't done much work but people could see in the book and the photos that I had actually put a lot of hours into this and that everything (except the artificial flowers) they saw in the images had been MADE.
The story - I am pleased with my story and I love writing them! I'm glad that it was well received.

What I will do now
BE PROUD - I need to take a step back and appreciate what I've achieved.
Start to look into the submission process for publishers, who I would want to work for, what I need to know.
CONTINUE MAKING.

BOOK PRINTED!

My book arrived from Blurb and I am so happy with it! I managed to get the book finished before I went to the BBC last week because I knew I wouldn't have time after that to print and bind it myself. I'm glad I did because my week at the BBC was incredibly busy.

It does feel like a bit of a shame that I didn't bind it myself and maybe that makes me look a bit lazy but Blurb did a way better job than I could have done. It's so neat, professional and beautiful! 

What worked:

My favourite part of the book is the yellow binding design, it brightens the whole book up and it just seems reminiscent of Little Golden Books or old cloth-bound books to have the yellow bind come over the sides.

I'm happy with the story and really proud that I managed to finish the whole book. A massive achievement!

It's great to see the book in the flesh and having a tactile copy should be useful in demonstrating the book to publishers.

With spending the last couple of weeks designing the book and putting the photos together, I'd almost forgotten just how much MANUAL WORK went into building the set and it really does look impressive to see it in print, all the tiny details! The proof is in the proverbial pudding.

To improve:

The text on the spine is slightly too big so comes over the edges a tiny bit.

Some of the photos appear a bit dark. Perhaps this is something to do with my laptop screen and how it appears differently on there to how it does in print/on a different screen.

I'm not sure about the typeface I chose inside the book anymore. It seems a bit clunky and not soft, rounded enough for children. It also doesn't fit that well within the cloud shapes on all of the images so this could be neatened up (especially with the help of a graphic designer).

What's next?

Approach a publisher?

Self-publish?

Will need to do some research into this before making any rash decisions! If I got a publishing deal for this book would the publishers own the rights to the world?

Better photos of the finished book - collab with photographer

ANIMATE THE WHOLE STORY? A post-uni project perhaps...

The next story!

Make promo material/merchandise?

Whistle-Stop Thistle Trailer

Whistle-Stop Thistle Trailer from Jay Stelling on Vimeo.

Rachel suggested that I should do some more animation and I did really enjoy making the animations I did so I would LOVE to do more! Model-making for television/film is what I'm really interested in at the moment so it would be great experience and relevant work for my portfolio. I'd love to get more people involved, make some real music for a television proposal and get real animators to have a play with these puppets BUT time is running short! Really short.

I go to the BBC next week so that's a whole week out before the deadline. Unfortunately I don't have time to make any more animations, but the idea of making a trailer/sting for my book caught my attention so much that I used WHAT I ALREADY HAD to make something that resembles a book trailer... I used a clip of stop-motion I'd tried out earlier and then used After Effects to pan across the huge image of Whistle-Stop Thistle.

What works well:
Offers readers an engaging and dynamic view of Whistle-Stop Thistle.
Brings the world to life
Extends the 'brand'

With more time:
The panning scene could have had small elements of animation happening within it (blinking, waving, walking)
Interactive element for Whistle-Stop Thistle (online game, website, app - I could still propose these)
Pitch for a children's TV Series
Pitch for a series of books (more stories in the same format)
Whistle-stop products/merchandise