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.
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