Demonstration of technical and visual skills:
Materials: I’ve been very restrictive of my material use in this area of the course. Primarily I have used charcoal, pencils and ball/fine-point pens. I think my use of medium has been suitable and worked really well in what I’ve produced over this part of the course. I particularly think my use of material in the assignment pieces was good, as the choices work really well with the skill/technique that I was trying to show. I have also worked primarily on cartridge paper and in sketchbooks, as I felt the materials I was using would be shown best upon these surfaces.
Techniques: I think, again, I’ve been fairly restrictive through use of technique in this part of the course. I am a lover of line-work and I stuck to this through many of the pieces I created through this part. I think working in line/tone when you’re drawing the human form and face is the best way to depict what you’re drawing, and as I have been finding my feet with this area, I felt that this was best for me. That being said, I have tried my best to experiment with a range of line and tone and the materials that I use for these.
Observational Skills: I can see definite improvement in my observational skills. Looking back through all that I have created over The Figure and The Head, I can see that by ability to accurately depict the body and the head has come on leaps and bounds. The proportion and layout of the body is something that has really improved in the past few weeks especially. One thing that I do still struggle with, and that bothers me a lot, is that when I add the surrounding features such as a sofa, a table, a chair, I tend to spoil the piece. It doesn’t look as effective as it did once I’ve included these parts. Incorporating these features is something that I’ve definitely got to work on.
Visual Awareness: I think my most effective piece in regards to this is the portrait of myself for the final piece. I’ve struggled with facial feature layout, and adding the different areas of tone/line upon the face, but I think I have done this really well in this piece. I think this is because I didn’t go too far, as I have done in many pieces before. Also, it may be to do with the fact that it’s my own face and I am used to it. Even without looking at it in a mirror, I know the general layout of my face. Maybe inspecting someone else’s face as often as I do my own will be the key to drawing a portrait as accurately as I can my own. Also, studying the textures of skin and showing this in my work is something I need to work on further, but over time, I know I will be able to do this. One thing that I have grown better at drawing is facial hair. My partner has a beard and at first I hated drawing it, but I’ve grown more confident and skilled in drawing this.
Design: This has been a little trickier in this part of the course. One thing that we have focused on a lot is the technique of foreshortening. Over time, I’ve grown more confident in creating pieces where foreshortening is a strong part of it. I loved researching the use of foreshortening, and practicing it by drawing myself in a mirror. It also features slightly in one of my assignment pieces. It’s a really interesting and useful technique to use. It has also been really insightful to practice drawing heads and bodies from a side-on angle. I find I’m better when I am drawing a head/face from the side.
Compositional Skills: Over time I’ve grown better at drawing portraits. I find that this is because I’ve developed my own technique in composing a portrait. Originally, I would loosely draw the face shape and work from there, but my pieces always turned out a little wonky. After this, I began drawing the nose first, and working out from there. This made my pieces wayyyy better. I’ve come to realise that a strong outline on a portrait takes so much strength away from a drawing. Also, loosely outlining the full body is something that I find supports me. Having an object or item as a base for length also helps a lot. For example, as mentioned above, having a sofa to compare to the length of a body is really useful.
Quality of outcome:
Content: I think the content that I have included is relevant and of a good standard. I don’t enjoy the writing part of the course as much as the drawing part, and often find myself babbling a little, however, I think I have added a good amount of all parts. The research is an area that I find challenging, but I always try and add a range of artists from different time periods and a range of styles. I’m confident that the content of my work is at a good level.
Application of Knowledge: I’ve used my research findings a lot more in this part of the course. I’ve taken a lot of inspiration from the artists that I have looked at, and have tried to remind myself not to keep my creativity stuck in a box. I’ve tried to allow it to spill over and to experiment with some of the techniques I’ve learnt. Especially in my final piece, I’ve used the reminder from my tutor that sometimes less is more!
Presentation of Work in a Coherent Manner: I think my blog is consistent and easy to follow. I hate looking at a blog if it’s confusing and there’s a lot going on, so I make a conscious effort to keep mine simple and easy. I think I am a little bit of a waffler, and sometimes I think things I’ve written only make sense to me, but, as times goes on, I’ve managed to sort that out a bit and I think I am getting better at displaying my work and writing about it in a way that won’t be confusing or an overload of information to those that view it.
Discernment: I found this tricky to answer. I think this is one of my downfalls, as I often find it a bit tricky to work out exactly what the brief means sometimes, and also what to think/say about some research pieces. Often, I have to visit the learning logs of other students so that I can take inspiration and decipher what exactly it is that the brief is asking of me. I don’t copy the work of other, however, I rely on them greatly to assist me in my work.
Conceptualisation of Thoughts: I think I have been rather coherent in getting my ideas and methods across, but I find that I have often stayed within what I know and what I am comfortable with. I think this is something that needs practice, as I need to branch out on what I know and broaden my horizons.
Communication of Ideas: I think I’m good at communicating the ideas that I have, and showing them on my blog. Again, I tend to stay with what I know, but I think I’m good at explaining my reasons. This may be an areas that I work on in the future, as I definitely need to start branching out with my technique/material use.
Demonstration of Creativity:
Imagination: I think I’ve used my imagination pretty well in this part of the course, especially when showing movement through form. I think it’s clear what activities the people within those drawings are taking part in, and I think I chose fairly ambitious ones to depict, considering I wasn’t not overly confident with the human form at the point of drawing them. I do think I would like to work in colour, as I’ve stuck very much to black and white. I feel much more confident working in black and white, but I think it would be useful to branch out a bit more and add some colour to my pieces.
Experimentation: I think my experimentation is good, but could be better. I’ve been completely swamped over the past few months with work, and I’ve also been unwell, so the time that I have had to experiment hasn’t been as long as I’d have liked. The research that I have completed inspired me a lot in my experimentation, and I have carried that into some of my work, but not as much as I could have. As mentioned above, this area is one that I’ll definitely need to find more time for.
Invention: I don’t think I’ve been exceptionally inventive in this part of the course. In the movement section, I was experimental and created a couple of fairly abstract forms, however, I didn’t really carry this into my main pieces. I worry that the work that I create won’t be accepted or won’t fit the brief if I’m too inventive. My tutor has advised me not to think like this, however, I’m always a little anxious of going too far or spoiling a piece. I really need to shake this, as it’s something that could possibly transform my pieces.
Development of a Personal Voice: As mentioned above, I contain myself quite a lot. I think, slowly but surely, I am beginning to project some of myself into my work. I work mainly in monochrome, however, I’m starting to consider branching out and working in colour, but I don’t feel confident enough for that yet. Eventually, that will happen, but, I’m not quite there. Looking back through this part of the course and my work with monochrome, I am starting to see more and more confidence flow into my work, and I am see more excitement and enthusiasm creeping into the work I create. The Structure of the Human Body and Three Figure Drawings are areas that I can really see the passion and love I have for the course starting to show.
Context Reflection:
Research: I think my research has improved massively over this part of the course. I think this mostly because I have started to enjoy it more. I’ve really enjoyed this part of the course, and researching artwork of human forms is far more interesting than researching Still Life or Landscapes. I really appreciate the work of many artists I’ve looked at, and I’ve gained so much inspiration. I also find that I have more to say about portrait art. I find that the portrait work I have looked at evokes more of a reaction and they’re far more interesting to look at. I really loved the Depiction of the Face Throughout History and the Artists’ Self Portraits research points. They were interesting, insightful and really inspiring, and I really enjoyed them. I think the research that I have completed in this part of the course has been really extensive and beneficial to my work.
Critical Thinking (Learning Logs): My learning log is clear, to the point and includes all the information needed for each exercise and research point. I think I show my honest opinions of things, and I think I display my critical thinking well through my learning log posts. Again, I often refer to the learning logs of other students to help me in knowing what exactly I should be looking for in certain tasks, but overall, I think I do a pretty good job on my own. I’ve also found that if I create a piece of work, I can leave it for a few hours or a few days and then I am able to return to it with fresh eyes; I then notice things that I didn’t before, whether good or bad, and I feel that I have a good ability to reflect on that and show it in my writing.
Jesy Gilkes 