OUIL404 - Visual Language Final Evaluation

• Which practical skills and methodologies have you developed within this module and how effectively do you think you are applying them within your own practice?

 I found that this module has helped me the  most throughout the year, I think that without this module my practice would not have improved as much as it has. Each visual language session taught me something that I found to be extremely useful even if I did not fully understand how to apply it properly to my work. I found that I have most effectively started applying composition, viewpoint and depth to my work. I now feel myself considering these things a lot more when planning out and sketching work, which is not something I would do before, I find that it is helping my work look a lot more well put together and thought out, understanding composition and combining it with the other aspects of this module that we have learnt really does help your work to visually improve and I can definitely see a drastic change between my work now and my work from the start of the year.

• 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

Alongside composition and the other points I mentioned in the last answer, I have found the different ways that we have been taught of how to create an image, like how to use shape and texture, very valuable. I find myself being able to use different methods of image making than I have before, using shapes and textures that are not exactly true to life but communicate something more and create a more visually pleasing image. This module and the different sessions we have been taught have helped me to develop my skills in testing and playing around with how I make pictures, I think this is one of the most valuable things that I am applying to my work, because if I were not able to play around and experiment then my work would not improve.

• What strengths can you identify within your Visual Language submission and how will you capitalise on these?

I think the main strength in my submission is just the amount I have improved over the year we have been having the sessions, looking back on my work and the work I submitted for the first couple of briefs, I can see how I would have done them differently to come out with a much better finished image. I think one of the other strengths I have noticed is how I am learning to better use composition to create a strong piece of illustration, I think my work is beginning to look a lot more professional and learning these different techniques is definitely helping me to identify what directions I want my work to take.

• What areas for development can you identify within your Visual Language submission and how will you address these in the future?

I think I am still struggling a little bit with exploring loads of ideas, although I know that in the real world, you wouldn't necessarily have to do 5 or 6 variations of the same idea to come up with a finished image but for the purposes of developing and becoming better I know that I should keep trying to do more development of the ideas that I don't think I would continue with, rather than just developing an idea that I think works best. 

• In what way has this module informed how you deconstruct and analyse artwork, whether your own or that of contemporary practitioners?

Learning and starting to understand all of the things we have been taught throughout this module has helped me learn how to reflect on the different elements of my work when I am evaluating it and has allowed me to ask more questions in order to improve my work throughout the development periods of each brief'; I ask myself questions about the composition and how I can change it, whether the colour palette is right and balanced correctly and how I can add more depth to my image. Now when I am looking at contemporary illustrators for inspiration I can pin point exactly what it is about the image that I like, whether it be the composition and the way they make marks and create texture, where as before I found it hard to describe what I like, which in turn made it hard for me to incorporate this into my own work in my own personal way.

• How would you grade yourself on the following areas?

Attendance - 4

Punctuality - 5

Motivation - 3

Commitment - 4

Quantity of work produced - 4

Quality of work produced - 4

Contribution to the group - 5