I found this module quite
challenging, however still enjoyable at the same time. The Visual Journal
brief, I found was quite similar to our Visual Language brief last year. However
the main difference that made it a little more challenging is that it is a more
focused visual investigation of line, mark, colour, shape and texture. The
brief encouraged me to think about these in relation to a particular theme that
I wanted to investigate and how these visual choices can have an impact on the
atmosphere or tone of voice that you want to communicate. From undertaking this
module, I have also gained new skills and understanding in a number
of different software, printing processes and tools.
This first brief helped me
to recognise how the exploration of drawing, image and media is an important
aspect of the image making process as it would allow me to see all the
different possibilities and ways of capturing and illustrating the tangibles
and the intangibles of a subject. It can also be used as a way to test out what
would be suitable and appropriate for its audiences and context. I am usually
very quick to move on from the experimentation process once I feel like I have
the visual or the tone of voice that I’m looking for, pinpointed for a project.
For this particular project I felt like I found the aesthetic I wanted quite
quickly in the process, which I think explains for the quantity of work
produced in my Visual Journal.
My interest in the
animation industry meant that I was very excited about the Moving Pictures
brief. Although I approached the brief enthusiastically, I still found this
brief just as challenging as I have never made an animation or used any of the
programmes to create one before. However, the workshops and study tasks that
were prepared greatly helped deepen my understanding of basic principles in
stop frame animation and Adobe After Effects. With the brief encouraging
me to think sequentially, I was able to vision how images would move when
animated and the transition between frames down onto paper through a series of
simple storyboards.
In this module, I was also
introduced to project proposal forms. These forms helped clarify my intentions and it also helped to give other people a sense of
where the work is going/what it’s going to be and who it is for. During the
development of my moving and printed pictures work, I found myself revising my
proposals a few times to make my intentions clearer, more specific for
those who were to review my project, so that any feedback received would also
be relevant to my work.
My familiarity with the way Adobe programmes work meant that I was able to adapt to After Effects
quite quickly, which really helped with the production of my animations. I was
able to carry out what I needed to do independently and with little assistance,
which made the production of my pieces a lot more efficient. I
approached both briefs with a simple mindset because it would be the first time
I use this particular medium and printing process. My aim for both of these briefs was
to create something simple, but also showcase my technical ability for such
techniques and tools. For moving and printed pictures, I decided to animate and
illustrate selected quotes from the book ‘Coraline’. I wanted to see how
effectively I could communicate said quotes by challenging myself to do this
with limited colours and decorative details, but still make it visually
appealing.
I think my prints work well
as a set, but individually I feel slightly anxious about my one-colour screen
prints. Although I feel they communicate the respective quotes quite clearly, I
fear I may have made these too simple. The reason I made these two prints one colour
is so that there would be a slight variation to the set when displayed side by
side in the proposed order, but others may not know this if they were not
informed beforehand.
I think the downside to my
body of work, as explained before, is the lack of more practical visual
experimentation. I don’t necessarily think that making quick decisions is a bad
thing; if suitable and appropriate, then I believe it would work just as well.
However, I guess I would have liked to see me push myself further with my image
making and experimentation.
Overall, this module has
enabled me to broaden my skills and try out things I would otherwise not have
and has helped further develop my understanding of contemporary illustration in
relation to publishing and promotion for print and screen based distribution.
