End of Module Evaluation

Leeds College of Art BA (Hons) ILLUSTRATION	Level	04
OUIL406 Visual Communication	Credits	20
End of Module Self Evaluation

NAME	Jack newbert

1.  What skills have you developed through this brief and how effectively do you think you have applied them? I have developed my photshop skills, not by much and not at an advanced level but im more comfortable to do the basics which make my work look more professional.  Iv lernt to group layers, using multiply settings, use levels to edit my drawings and aslo I used the clone stamp tool to correct an error on my original drawing.

2. What approaches to/methods of image making have you developed and how have they informed your concept development process?

I have developed my sketchbook work and roughs to help me plan my final piece. This also helps me to generate ideas for a tighter finished piece. Using illustrator for studio brief two has helped me consider shape and colour. Its was a challenge drawing with shape instead of line but iv feel that this has given my practise a push in the right direction

3. What strengths can you identify in your work and how have/will you capitalise on these?

my strengths are pencil drawings and observational drawings. Even though these ability’s have worked with this project and others beore it im starting to feel like a photo copier. I think taking this skills and creating my own concepts will strengthen my skills even more so and make my illustration stronger

4. What weaknesses can you identify in your work and how will you address these in the future?

My weakness are computer skills illustrator especially! My computer skills made me so far behind that I wasn’t able to submit work to dead line (very disappointed in that) I was in a snow ball effect trying to do vectors and gifs at the same time before I knew it, it was time to star another brief. Im considering taking part on a short summer course for photoshop and illustrator. Just to get the basics skill for the secend year.

5. Identify five things that you will do differently next time and what do you expect to gain from doing these? I will use photoshop for finalizing al of my work, it gives my practice a professional finish. I will make more artist research in my practice. I feel this will be a good impact on my work. I feel both of these will push my illustration abiltys forword. Ill time manage beter to meet deadlines. More experimental with my media tests in my sketch book. Focus more on my blogging. Get a beter understanding of design including text and type.

Person of note - post card development

Thumbnails 

Battle scenes. Battle stance. Teleporting pose ( beam me up scotty) 

Layering using mid ground and foreground 

I feel that the more simple images work better. Would work better as a over all se. Worried that if I did the battle scene that it would be too complicated and would look out of another set. 

Three images with 3 things that relate to spoke and his life

• starship 

• Vulcan greeting 

• wise old self ( as seen in the latest Star Trek)

Person of not- stamps

For my stamps I wanted to keep them simple but visually pleasing to look at. Through out the set iv gone from a detailed poster to a symbolic postcard set and now I want to take it even further.  I think if I remove everything figurative it would be a challenge for to create something I'm pleased with I feel this would be a good test and a good step forward if I can pull it off. 

I cropped down my back drop. Experimented with levels with the colour. I added different colours and brush types to get the dusty effect. The main part of this was the highlights and the star clusters. Everyone draws too many stars or not enough or the placement of them look wrong and fake. I didn't want to be one of those people. 

I'm really happy with the results of my digital galaxy's I knew that I pulled it off when I was accused they was photos from Google (HA IN YOUR FACE)

I would have liked to have printed them of and to paint on top of them and go threw the same procedure a few times and see were it would have ended but didn't have the time 

Person of note - poster development

Drawn from photos. Three images from different ages of Leonard's life of Spock.

 

Through out this course I learnt about changing levels on a image in Photoshop 

Iv learnt now that it's a must in my practise. It removes textures from the paper and can flatten the image witch makes it look at a more professional  level.

Thumb nails 

Creating a galaxy on A2 cartridge paper 

I used brusho as a base colour and removed parts of it with tea towels. Removing the top layer of brusho that hasn't reacted to the water yet gives of exposes the reaction under it. In other places I let it react for a longer time. 

To give it depth and to make it look star busty I used water colour pencils to high light some of the edges of the reaction to make it look lighter and more of a buil up of dust. Then white gauche for the stars to make it really Pop. It doesn't do it justice on the camera.

I then scanned my galaxy back drop and my Spock drawings into the computer, I decided to use photoshop to create my poster because I have some little level of knowledge on that one. 

 

Using photo shop to college the back drop and the drawings I felt the spocks looked too still they sit there refusing to come to life. I used different levels of opacity as I would shades of pencil to bring them to life. the different levels of white works well I think. The drawings are not sat there flat they appear to be lifted of the page, rounder and have more life and charcter. This was a huge importance to me, the main thing was to get the character to be recogniseble and to bring his personality across to.

 

Experimenting with competition. Some areas of the back drop is darker than others when a drawing was later over them areas the drawing would go flat and still like. E.g (above..top spock..left cheek) 

Aranging all three to avoid them dark places and to fit the expression of each face 

Notice middle age Spock looks flat and dark! Hate it. 

I find it hard to image what things look like of screen so I print images of to make notes on to, so I can refute to them as I work. 

Notes such as arrangement of objects so there is even boards to the frame of

my poster. And Test txt. I wasn't going to have txt however after testing it on a print I thought it made it look more like a fan boy poster, made it look more pleasing to look at. 

Using my notes on the printed poster to arrange the faces evenly. I'm a lot happier with my photo shop skills iv learnt more basics that help my practice. I feel that my work is been pushed to a next level a level that looks a little bit more pro... Exciting 

Bring more highlights to the faces, so now there sharper and more alive (no pun intended) more relatable. 

Printed Final poster

Person of note artist research

From the body of work I have now and the reference from films I feel like I'm able to start ideas for poster 3 postcards and 4 stamps. Fir my poster I am thinking of making a montage of leonard nimoy life journey with in the Star Trek... Younge to old. For the 3 post cards I want to express 3 things he's known for in the film. And the stamps I want to base them on known places he's been or places of note that people relate spok to. 

Ideas for post card

• quotes

• battles 

• his job on the ship

• knowledge

Ideas for stamps

• badges 

• symbols 

• Galaxy 

• journeys 

• home planet 

 Iv always been highly inspired other illustrators and artists. But never related them to my own work. after feed back from my last project saying that I should tart to do so I thought I would tick the box and see if it helps. 

I researched a hole lot of different styles of illustrators but it's the one who draw realistically that get my attention.

Adi granov 

Robbery bailey 

I feel we share the same interest in drawings. Exaggerate highlights and shadows, keeping the realism sharp but at the same time there's a need for it to look crafted. Keeping that realistic connection to me brings a better relationship and understanding to the veiwer. Been able to creat something on paper that looks like it's alive or has real depth makes it satisfying for me. I get asked all the time why do I draw realism? blog about why you draw the way you do and why the need to make it look real. But I can't explaine it, its just visually please for me. It's a challenge. Making something flat come to life gets me excited. Maybe I'll be able to explaine it when I understand fully what an illustration Is.

 

Person of note.

I started a sketchbook during my little mental drawing block whitch I spoke about in the post before this. And in that I had a episode of frustration and screwed up my sketch book. Childish and regretibel I know. But there was only 4 pages of drawings and they was all crap. 

In the hole 4 pages from thesketch book there was only 2 drawings worth saving and even they was crap. 

I started the project with the idea that I would illustrate a key factor of his life or better still if I could capture his personality that would be perfect. I struggled to find anything that got me excited, struggled to find something I could make pencil friendly. After seeking advise from my tutor I was inspired to research the character Spock he played in Star Trek. My idea was to show his legacy through out the 50 years he had played Spock. 

I started my sketch by drawing lose sketches of nimoys face. Making cartoon characters of him would let me understand his face better. By drawing it like this it forces you to focus on the more important features of the face, with cartoons the only way to capture people is by suggestions of expression of the face. 

Some of my sketchbook work. 

 

Couldn't feel the character in these focusing too much on trying to picture the resembelance. Ego getting in the way yet again.

Top left. Leonard nimoy or mickey rourke?

I'm happier with these sketches symple line work expresses character and ageing. Even though its s simple sketch with very little information the resembelance is starting to come through.

Putting ego aside and trying to be more lose with my pen to get a better understanding I the face. The more I draw the face the more I understand and learn about it. If I was to draw it realistic I would have a better understanding of the creases in the edge of his lips and so on.

Looking at these sketches the cheek bones and jowls are becoming the main feature. When I draw this in what ever style this will be a key point to get right to capture the resembelance that people will recognise 

These two are my favourite sketches so far symple line work. Even though there's lots of negative space theres still enough information there to tell you who it is and the age and type of his fave 

I'm happy with the body of work I have for spocks face so at this stage I feel it was time to study his personality. May sound odd but when you get a understanding of a person that your goin to draw I think that the personality and character does come through. To capture that I will need to watch episodes and movies of star trek. 

Some sketch book work whilst watching the movies. 

Got  drawing silly spoke round heads and started to draw the star ship enterprise. 

 

 

When drawing the enterprise I realised that I can draw and think sbout illustrating things Spock was involved with,  didn't have to be about his face. 

Person of note - hit the wall!

I began this task with a positive feeling. Knowing that can sink my teath into something I will enjoy and produce something good! (Away from illustrator) I started the project and I couldn't draw! I had some kind of mental block. I don't want to come across pretentious but I had the positive feelings to draw and that nott you get when your inspired to want/need to draw but I just couldn't draw. The person I chose my project to be based on was Leonard nimoy. This was perfect for me, I imidiatly thought of Spock. I like sci fii and my practice is hugely inspired by movies and any thing  classed geeky. Anything with a large audience that people can relate to,im there drawing it... But this time nothing was happening. 

This is my the work I was producing in my block...this was me drawing my best at the time! 

These drawings of a woman made me realise I was in trouble...again this was me drawing seriously!

Everyone was kind and told me they wasn't rubbish! But conpare these.

I started the research for Leonard nimoy and was hyped to get  into the project. But this block wasn't letting me.

I had 4 pages of bad drawings of Mr nimoy and lost all motivation and lost everything I needed to draw! 2 weeks into the holidays and the project, knowing I need to work but couldn't.

 I chose to come away from any uni work related projects and focus on my drawing 

I filled a moleskin sketch book up of bad drawing of friends, objects and scenery. It was in the third week Of not been able  to draw when I started kicking my arse and had to real concentrate to develops work.

Started to get somewhere!

I found an inspiration to draw animals using ink and in a style iv not experimented with since the beginning of this course year. So I pushed this forward 

Little illustration of a monkey in his little drawing block! 

 This drawings took me ages to draw I knew I wasn't back to the level I was but I knew I was getting there. 

With the little ability I had I through my self into things that inspire me to draw 

Mix media 

This took me s total of 9 hours to do, any other time would be 3 hours maybe 4  max. 

I took time to study that iv always wanted to master to draw.

Ink dip pens A4. Levels on digital 

Pen ink A4 levels on digital

Water colour. Gauche.A4

A1 pencil 

I wanted to blog this as evidence of the struggle I went through for the first time not been able to draw! to evidence the journey and the fight I went through with my drawing. My moleskin sketchbook is probebly my best yet it shows a visual journey. The start all the drawings are rubbish and as you work through the pages you see the work progress.