OUIL504 Evaluation

This module has been such an exciting but challenging module, and I feel as if I've really pushed myself and developed my working style a lot throughout the project. A big plus about this module is that I was excited about it from the beginning, there was no point where I thought “wow this is boring”. Being a cliché goth I chose Edgar Allan Poe as my author and I definitely went to town on the research, I found out so much about his life and works that I didn't know! I think the depth of the research I've done really helped me to have some insight into Poe’s work and made me more able to capitalise on key features of Poe to translate into my own work. The research was on-going through the module as well so it really informed the development of my work, which I feel took a big turn in the middle of the project. 

I think that this brief has enabled me to think a little more outside the box, in the beginning of the module I was making quite dark, spooky, predictable imagery in response to Poe’s work. Through crits and more exploration of sudden, seemingly random ideas I was able to come to a final product that was much more interesting than anything I would have initially made. This has made me realise / think that I should be doing this kind of thing for EVERY brief, and I am definitely going to try and be generating more ideas and breaking away from the cliché. However I've also found that it’s good to do some cliché stuff just to get it done and out of the way so you’re not tempted by it later on in the project. 

Through this brief I have been able to try out loads of different processes that I don’t think I would have bothered with before. I feel like I'm now more open to experimentation and trying different things to find out what’s really appropriate for what I'm doing. I came into this brief assuming I would probably do screenprint, because that was a printing process I was comfortable with. Although my end publication was screenprinted, it was not to accommodate my comfortability (or I would have digitally printed it and saved myself the struggle!). The workshops were really useful for me as I found a love for lino printing in this module. I did not really enjoy lino printing prior to this as it’s a long process and usually I do not have the patience for all that cutting.  The images I was making were coming out pretty successfully and matched the tone of the work I was doing so eventually the positives for my screen prints were derived from my lino prints. I feel a lot more comfortable in the print room, and with print processes in general, I definitely want to continue and do more lino and other print based work! 

I am really happy with how my final print work came out, though I made some minor and quite stupid mistakes I think overall my final outcome is good. Since I have managed to keep my blogging (mostly) up to date I think it’s easy to see the development and thought process that’s gone into this module. I think this is almost definitely the most work I've ever done on a module so far and the happiest I've been with any of my work. 

Although I do not feel like I've been stressed for time, and I've gotten most things done in good time I don’t think my time management and planning have been the greatest. I only ever made plans when there were definitely only certain times I could do things such as print drop in etc. We were even given timetables to fill out and I didn't, though I have been trying to get things down in my diary. I've found in the two weeks I did plan out and make lists for things ran quite smoothly and I got stuff done with time to spare, so I am going to start making comprehensive lists and plans for the weeks, as it seems to work.

If I were to approach this module again I would definitely dedicate more time to After Effects and sting as I feel as if I didn't try as hard as I could on it. I would have liked to have done some more experimentation but instead I just put off the whole process, as I was not particularly thrilled about having to make an image move. I did make a sting that I am mostly happy with though, I worried that it would be too simple but it’s better than nothing. 

Overall this module has been equally amazing and stressful. The whole project was so exciting for me and I loved doing it. I never got sick of my author or the work I was doing I just got more enthusiastic about the project the more I learned about Poe. I think I've come out of this module with more skills, better work, and a healthier mindset towards completing work and best of all I'm happy with and proud of what I've done!