After receiving my feedback for part 2 I have a lot of points to consider when moving on with the course.
Firstly I’ve given the blog a bit of a makeover and added some quality of life improvements. There are now more subcategories in each menu bar to easily find each exercise in the right sequence, and I’ve chosen a theme that keeps the menu bar visible at the top of the page. In the future I need to be more consistent in referencing my sources, and can freely post more types of images for example, illustration or critique since my blog is not for commercial gain and I don’t need to worry so much about copyright infringement.
My main takeaway from the feedback is to really focus on meeting the brief in each exercise. There were several occasions where I went off-brief, in the exercise on using reference, mark-making, choosing content, etc. I need to ask myself what exactly am I being asked to do. This is going to be my biggest goal going into part 3.
Specifically being more methodical in how I question the remit of a brief. I got some good feedback on how much unexplored territory I went past in the second assignment, point of sale display. Making sure to explore ideas thoughtfully and thoroughly, maybe not being so quick to abandon ideas or avoid following different creative threads.
Thinking about how my illustrations can be in service to a bigger story is a key point in improving my work in the future. I was advised that I have a passion for drawing and storytelling, so being thoughtful about how all components of a given drawing can add context and meaning to a narrative will help to elevate my work.
I’ll also try to be less selective with sharing parts of my sketchbook, including parts that weren’t successful. Showing the full scope of my research process and various brainstorms and doodles.
Something that I would like to do for the next part of the course is to try to make time for more suggested reading, working through some books on illustration, field drawing and perspective.
Josh Robbins OCA Learning Log 