Where am I now? A visual evaluation

During the first week I learned about line quality and how this can make a massive difference to a piece of illustration. Often I would use fine liners and made all the lines in my drawings the same width but now i would go for a brush and ink with varying line weight, making the work look more hand made. I put this method to use first during the article breif .

Something else I have learned are a few new Photoshop skills, such as making my own textures and using the wacom tablets. Some of the skills I will probably need to refresh my memory on but this shouldn't be too hard.

Another programme I have learned to use is in design, I used this whilst making my picture book. During the picture book project I also learned the basics of story boarding and how to create tension and atmosphere within a piece of work.

I have learned a few personal management skills since starting in September. These include time keeping and being more organised, I still have a long way to go in terms of being fully organised and not leaving everything till the last minute but I would say I have definitely improved since I started. The same goes for my motivation to do work. I am also finding it abit easier to wake up on time, although this might not seem like much I found it extremely difficult waking up and getting to college for 9.30 but now its not as bad.

I would also say that I have developed more as a person since starting the course, for example trying to be more talkative around people id never met before which is something ive always found difficult. Whether this be during group crits or just generally in the studio, I also feel much more interested in other peoples work and im more willing to make comment and discuss the quality's than I previously was.

Working professionally still seems a long way off, but I now realise that it will soon come by. This is mainly due to all the big head sessions, especially with those who have not long since graduated. One of the main differences ive noticed since starting uni is my understanding off illustration as a profession and what the purpose of the subject is, for example I now know that the reason for illustration is to communicate soothing through  visual means, whether it be drawing, painting, 3D, print etc. Even if what you are communicating is only small, it is essential for effective and recognisable illustration. I also know that what I would have previously called a 'style', is actually called a visual signature.