OUIL 404 VISUAL LANGUAGE END OF MODULE EVALUATION

1.  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’ve developed a productive and playful sketchbook practice that’s helped me to be more experimental, trying out techniques and ideas in this space as often as I can. I’ve used sketchbooks before but this module’s taught me to use it as a tool rather than a diary. I’d been precious about my sketchbooks before but have come to appreciate the unfinished and uninhibited nature of development. The mini-briefs tackled specific practical tasks each week. Drawing is the most obvious and trusted method of illustration and I’d taken it for granted prior to this module. I’ve unlearned comfortable drawing habits and embarked upon using the whole body not just the wrist to make an image. The Photoshop workshop refreshed my knowledge of digital software, which I employed within the VALUE brief and used again for my Visual Narratives book. I’ve found a great passion for 3D illustration and have independently explored practical processes related to this, such as model-making, photography and costume fabrication.
2. 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?
Being exposed to different principles of image making has changed the way I’ve approached challenges across the modules. I embraced COMPOSITION within the week’s ELEPHANT challenge but also applied my understanding of composition to the postcards I made for Visual Communication SB2. Since learning what makes a successful/interesting composition, I’ve noticed that the way I plan images has become a lot more of a structured and a strategic process. The illustrations I’m making are a lot more successful in their immediacy as the result of these sessions in line of sight, depth and scale. As the creator, I have control over how the viewer ‘sees’ my artwork and I’m excited to see how I can use this to my advantage in future work. Understanding the rules of value and colour theory has changed the way I see the world and in turn has affected the way that I use value in my work, making the images I produce much more aesthetically pleasing.
3. What strengths can you identify within your Visual Language submission you capitalise on these?
I think I’ve produced quite an ambitious body of work– especially towards the end of the module, I have been taking challenges seriously and making some really inventive outcomes. I’ve invested a lot of time on these tasks outside of the taught sessions. I’ve used my blog consistently to reflect on my own progress from the start of this module. My curiosity has led me to investigate artists and fields of image-making alongside the practical tasks. I’m constantly expanding my knowledge of artists and this is educating the work I’m making and the artist I am becoming. I’ve become a lot more confident in presenting my work through the weekly routine of showing our outcomes; this is a personal achievement that I am really proud of.
4. What areas for development can you identify within your Visual Language submission and how will you address these in the future?
I’ve tried to be playful and open-minded but I still hold back. I am still a perfectionist at heart and hate the uncertainty of experimentation. I’m getting better at this the more I practice making and sharing my work. I need to continue keeping a personal sketchbook for myself. Visual Language requires attention, reflection and development, so it shouldn’t stop just because the module has ended. I want to continue developing my visual language throughout my personal and professional work. Though I tried to avoid sticking to a ‘visual signature’, I think it is still present in lots of my work. I should intervene and question my habitual image-making decisions.
5. In what way has this module informed how you deconstruct and analyse artwork (whether your own or that of contemporary practitioners)? In the sessions we were encouraged to draw out the basic arrangements of existing illustrations and this opened my eyes to see how all visual products are deliberately constructed and carefully considered.  Using this process, I can visually decode the elements of artwork and identify where image-making principles have been followed. ‘What makes a good drawing’ is a very subjective measure, but I do believe that this module has refined my taste in artwork and encouraged me to have opinions. Reflecting on my progress and reviewing the work I’ve made for Visual Language has helped me to identify the strengths in my skillset and which practical skills I need to continue developing. I am even more critical of my own work, because I know what I am capable of and I am very aware that I could always improve.
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
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.