Sunday, 29 November 2015

UNIT 1, 2 & 4 Evaluation of 'Hands On' project

Whilst creating my glossary pages and workshop outcomes I ensured to use medias in way that explores the characteristics of a wide range of visual language. I tried to be creative with my choice of media and how I would use them to further illustrate the visual language on each glossary page and when creating my workshop outcomes I tried to use the available materials to the best of my ability. I wanted each glossary page to explain the definition of the element or principle of design so well that writing the definition wasn’t necessary, for example on the texture page I applied the paint thickly and made patterns within it so you could feel and see texture on the page. Within My workshop outcomes I tried my best to apply the elements of design to my work in order to create outcomes that had a clear resemblance to a hand, when creating my ceramics hand I focused on the lines and shape.

                The experience of making my glossary was challenging due to the fact that I was insistent on the illustrations being a good enough substitute for the written definition of each word however I did write the definitions down for clarity. That meant I had to be quick when working to make up for the longer thought process; in the end I didn’t manage to create the minimum amount of pages although I tried to make up for this through the care and effort I put into the pages I finished. Learning about the terminology and producing the glossary pages hasn’t made that big of an impact on my English skills, if anything I have only widened my vocabulary and learnt the correct terminology which should prove useful for future evaluations and blog work.

                In my sketchbook I have produced pages using primary, secondary and artist research to show a wide range of research skills within my work. I photographed family member’s hands for my primary research collecting photographs of different aged hands including some close up photographs to capture the unique texture of the skin in which I would try and replicate in my sketchbook work. My secondary research consisted of many photographs from Pinterest, therefore I made a Pinterest inspired page to show my secondary research, which I then used to create further sketchbook pages. My main goal for my secondary research was to look at the different fields of art (Drawings/Paintings, Photography and 3D) to create a wider range of research and also give me inspiration for my workshop outcomes. My final source of research was my artist research on Henry Moore, these sketchbook pages are more specific to the style of art as I copied his work and also recreated his work by drawing my friends hands in the same style. Overall, my research has proven effective in improving my skills of paying attention to details such as recreating texture and tone, also my research has aided my workshop outcomes heavily as it provided me with inspiration and guidance. If I were to improve my research, it would be to experiment more with the research in my sketchbook work and further develop my work.

                Through the workshops I have learnt a lot since being introduced to each of the workshops: Photography, 3D, Ceramics, Print making and textiles. In photography I learnt the about the settings on the camera (aperture, shutter speed ISO) and how they affect the photo, we then proceeded to apply our knowledge and took photos of each other’s hands; At first I was confused with the settings but slowly got the hang of it as the session went on. Out of the photographs I had taken I believe only a small majority were successful due to the fact I was experimenting and still figuring out how to use the settings effectively. In the 3D workshop we familiarised ourselves with the concept of shape scapes: the first sculpture we made was simply a practise to understand the process of slotting together pieces of card to create a desired form which resulted in creating abstract sculptures however the second sculpture we made was more relevant to the project therefore we created a hand shaped sculpture. I believe my hand sculpture was successful in representing a hand however the slots were very loose so my sculpture didn’t stay in place for long.  In ceramics we were taught how to handle and prepare the clay correctly and then proceed to creating our designs; I decided roll out my clay to a reasonable thickness then cut and mould the clay free hand to form the shape of the design, to add a skin like texture to my ceramics I used a variety of tools that were available to create the creases on the hand. Personally, I thought my ceramics work was my most successful workshop outcome due to the amount of detail I applied through the use of different tools creating a more realistic appearance. Textiles is the workshop that I learnt the most in as we were taught several new techniques and processes throughout the day, my favourite technique was batik as it was quite unusual and the idea of sketching out the barrier that formed the blank spaces was really clever. My textiles work was varied in successfulness as I tended to put more effort into the techniques I enjoyed the most therefore lacking in other areas. I found that overall I had managed to create by the end of each session at least one successful outcome from each of the workshops and I am confident in knowing how to perform many techniques and processes throughout the workshops.

Overall I think my portfolio varies in effectiveness: I believe the quality of some of my work is to a high standard then some of it is rushed and lacks in quality. Also, my portfolio is much smaller than it should be as I handed in less work than other however I tried to make up for my lack of work the quality in which I put all of effort in to achieve. If I was to improve my portfolio I would definitely have managed my time better so that I could have produced more work in order to create a more stronger portfolio and I would have dedicated more time than I did to my sketchbook as I neglected it more than I should have to work on glossary pages.

My definition of creativity is the use of imaginative and original thinking; creativity has no limitations as anybody can be creative in many different situations as long as you open up your mind. During this project I have learnt that creativity can applied to a wide range of contexts and also that our creativity was the most active as children due to our open mind set; therefore ‘play’ can be very useful in inspiring your creativity as it allows you to open up your mind letting your imagination go wild. In retrospect I believe that my creative skills have improved over the project immensely by allowing myself to be less serious in my sources of inspiration and becoming more open minded.

I found working independently quite easy as I know what I wanted to achieve personally and I knew how I would achieve the results therefore I could just work without planning as I already had it planned out within my head however group tasks I found more challenging. When working with other people it meant creating a collaboration of different ideas and styles therefore negotiations were needed which I found difficult due to the fact that we needed to come towards an agreement which took a lot longer to plan out unlike when I work independently.

Time management has always been a big struggle throughout my education as I tend to dedicate a lot of time working on perfecting small details which results in having less work in comparison to others and often as a consequence I have failed to meet the minimum requirements. However due to my flaw I believe I have managed to create the best outcomes I could have possible made in terms of quality however given the time limit I really should have produced more work and I will try very hard to be more in control of my time management on the next project.


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