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Self-Reflective Writing

Conclusion

In conclusion for my self-reflective journal, I have made great progress during these three projects. I’ve learned to work in a team better, acknowledged my strengths and weaknesses, improved my illustration and creative skills, found new ways and solutions to work with lack of motivation. I feel that there is still a long way to go, but looking back, I’ve come to a new place professionally and mentally. Some projects I enjoyed more such as placement with FIO, because the work environment was lovely for me. Some I enjoyed less, but still it was a valuable experience to have.

I’ve made a lot of progress in understanding profession of illustrator, work environment, and basic needs. I gained knowledge of how social media is important for an illustrator. There is less and less illustrators that work traditionally without web presence. After working on a Cloth Cat brief I created my Instagram page, on which I put out consistent work. Before that I wasn’t consistent with my posts which led me to having non-successful pages. I’ve learned from my experiences to be more professional and down to earth in what I do.

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Self-Reflective Writing

Projected Reflection

I’ve learned that it is a pleasant experience to talk about the work I’ve done with  representatives, since both sides are interested in the progress. Other uni projects aside, it was very straightforward to work with Cloth Cat. As long as you keep it professional, and follow the advice given at tutorials, it was fun to work on creating characters and their stories. At the same time it felt stressful due to deadline and the fact we had other projects as well.

I’ve learned that I tend to be overly perfectionist, and think too much. I’ve learned that good illustrator has to produce more than think. Also I know now it is just as important to meet deadlines and being punctual as producing good imagery.

My thought process has changed, after Cloth Cat brief I started to treat illustration as any other work, and do the job even if I have no inspiration or mood. The only area I would redo in this project is my perfectionism, if I wasn’t too critical of myself I would have more time to work on the image. This experience made me feel like a professional, which I never felt before in Illustration or art area. I was given an opportunity to see how illustrators work. Now I can see clear picture of what is expected - mainly full range of work and professional attitude. 

For the future, I will recognise my strengths and weaknesses better. I am more aware of my skills and things that I am capable of. I have learned a lot about things I like to do more and things I am not passionate about. I will strive to build my career from the things that I like to do. Overall the Cloth Cat experience was enjoyable for me and it broadened my perspective on my style and the way I work.

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Self-Reflective Writing

Post live brief experience

While working on Cloth Cat brief it was problematic to manage time on each part of the project, as it took me a while to think about the idea for the comic. The amount of work needed to be done along with other uni projects was extensive for me. Adam and Abi said it would be preferable to present with a GIF as well, though it wasn’t obligatory. Main disappointment for me in this brief was myself, as I couldn’t manage the time and barely finished the poster and the comic. Every tutorial and feedback I received was positive, but each time I felt that I am competent enough to develop my results even further.

This brief had utilised my talents to the fullest extent, because a sufficient amount of work was expected from every one of us. Creating characters and their stories made me more thoughtful about the work I produce, and Cloth Cat representatives expected us to be professional. I am glad that I had took this opportunity as it gave me a great understanding how illustrators work with clients. This brief gave me freedom to show my skills, however I couldn’t  present the 100% of what I can do.

I had successfully created a good character design, with an idea behind every character and their story. It made me feel more confident as I had never worked  in character design area before, and I was worried if I would be able to produce good images. Cloth Cat’s response to the work was positive, they liked my ideas and wished to see everything complete. It was very helpful to receive some critique from them. After tutorials I was changing some details to create a better result.

There is a lot of benefits of taking the Cloth Cat brief. I gained some experience in creating character design, which is a nice addition to my portfolio. I got a clear grasp of what is expected from illustrators. I used an Ipad Pro for producing digital art for first time, and learned how to use Procreate app while working on a comic and poster.

The chosen illustrator will get to work with Cloth Cat animation, and possibly create a cartoon based on the characters. I wasn’t expecting for the brief to be as massive.

The brief gave me a nice opportunity to showcase my style and work to clients, who were truly interested in it. I wasn’t expecting getting good feedback, since the imagery I produced wasn’t very strong. Every time I got positive responses from the organisation, I gained more confidence in my work. This experience had successfully broadened my perspectives, even though, I didn’t receive any opportunities for future work, as I feel that character design is not for me.

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Self-Reflective Writing

Pre live brief experience

For a minute I was hesitating to undertake the Cloth Cat brief as I had no experience in character design. After Sarah’s suggestion to undertake it, I thought it would be a great opportunity to showcase my work to professionals. I did research on Cloth Cat Animation, and thought that my style of illustration would be suitable for the project. I’ve watched some episodes of their main cartoons: Shane the Chef, Luo Bao Bei, Rubbish World of Dave Spud. It helped me to think of my designs as these cartoons have characters that are memorable, and catchy.

While doing the research for Cloth Cat Animation, in order to create my own character design, I got to know many new things. I realised character design is an important feature for any cartoon, movie, video game or other multimedia. Every successful character design has a distinct signifying quality, that is easily recognisable. Very effective character design also possesses a special silhouette. 

It was very easy to find it as it was the opportunity presented for us in the Uni. It was much easier than anticipated and I was glad and grateful for this opportunity. Our role was only to produce the images and ideas. Our part in the Cloth Cat brief was to create design of two characters, a poster, a comic and possibly a GIF. The setting and background of the characters were decided for us, also we could choose one of three races, and the only condition was that characters had to be best friends or sidekicks. We didn’t have to secure the life brief project, it was a great opportunity presented for us. 

I thought that it would be a great opportunity to try something new, as I never had created a character design before. I wanted to use my skills and make a good work result out of what I have. I thought that the project would be easy to complete, even though I had no experience with character design before. The brief was clear to me and I had an idea of what to expect.

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Self-Reflective Writing

Projected reflection

New things I learned about preparing an exhibition were that it can be a lot of fun engaging with the work process when showcasing different works and styles yet having one theme. It was interesting to see completely different styles and ideas.I also learned there is a lot of new ways to express yourself, such as AR function with the app. I learned that it can be quite stressful to find a venue or a space in a limited amount of time, since not many places want to help out students who don’t have a big budget.

I’ve learned that my weaknesses in the team work can be a lack of passion and interest toward agenda, which does not help me to work at my best 100%.  To improve I would like to get more inspiration from fellow peers, and more support from the artists I know.

My another weakness is lack of communication toward the big group, as I feel more comfortable talking to smaller group of people, to improve this now I would try to engage more with other groups, to get the idea of what needs to be done. 

There is not much I would like to redo in the exhibition, however, I would make my piece in a different manner, as my style is always evolving. However, if I were to redo my whole experience with the exhibition, I would make the following changes:

Before the exhibition, I’d research more about the idea we had, and what sort of venues would be more suitable. I had an idea of what we needed to achieve at the beginning, but the best way is to do as much research as possible for a better understanding of how the outcome should be. The list of the venues could be shortened by half and I would add some more options now that I have seen how the exhibition had went, such as The Albany Gallery, or Off the Wall Art Gallery. After the exhibition I would try to engage more with the active group from the class to see what else is available for me to do.

This experience had given me another opportunity to be a part of organising an event. I got to be my own boss for a second and feel what it is like to think in terms of creating an effective outcome.

I am going to leave behind lack of motivation and try to persevere more. From now on I will attempt to be more engaging with the projects I sign up for.

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Self-Reflective Writing

Post exhibition experience

Preparation for the exhibition has been difficult for me, as the theme that was chosen was not really my thing. It was also challenging to work in a bigger group because the team work was not efficient. I thought it was more productive to work in a smaller group, but location team’s task has been finished. Before exhibition, took place we had to help everyone else. It was difficult, as the roles were already decided on, and no one needed our help. For me it was disappointing as I expected to be a more valuable part of the team but didn’t get the chance.  

The exhibition project had executed my abilities to work in a team to a certain extent. I have been doing everything I could to be useful, but I felt that my creative gifts have not been used to the fullest.The fact that I had lacked inspiration about the theme of the exhibition had influenced the overall motivation and outcome of my work. However, I liked the way it turned out, as I could draw simple designed tattoos that I liked at that time.

The exhibition developed my competencies as a part of the team, even though the venues I contacted were not the one that accepted us. The location team members had a good way of communication, and I got to be an equal part of the team work. Everything we were doing was known by other members of the team, there was no lack of communication. It made me feel as a proper part of the team, which turned out to be the key to a good teamwork.

Even though I didn’t enjoy the theme, I was happy I could display some of my personal style in the work I’ve done. The exhibition opportunities were great for promotion as an illustrator, showcasing the work and social media pages. The exhibition didn’t give me an opportunity to inspire for the future work, as the theme was not something I enjoyed very much. I couldn’t as well promote myself as I did not have any professional social media at that time, so therefore, I had no new contacts after the exhibition.

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Self-Reflective Writing

Pre exhibition experience

Exhibition was an obligatory part of the Client Studies Module, and the research for it was done during the class. I got to be in the logistics team for choosing and setting the location, as I felt it was the most suitable role for me at that time. During the class I did some research on some of the good locations in Cardiff I knew. While choosing the best possible options I considered possible price range, location with easy-access, suitable size of the venue and visual aesthetic (how it looks from the inside)

During the first class session we chose the theme and title of the exhibition. Out of many options, name got to be PORTAL, main concepts of it were augmented reality illustrations, time and space, travel or doorways to other locations. the venue we got a positive answer from was Jacobs Antiques Market. Promotional Material consisted of flyers, that were hanging on the campus building, Advertisement banner on the campus screen, Facebook group and Instagram page. Budget was minimal as we had to organise the exhibition ourselves, roles were decided on the first session of the class.

My role as a part of location team was to find and contact suitable venues. This moment was first crucial point for the event, as after the location is chosen it is all about organising the exhibition itself. I contacted several places by phone and e-mail. I also had asked Tramshed Venue to let us organise the exhibition there, as they had collaborated with USW before, however, I got no reply from them. Other venues were: Off Track Cafe, Castle Arcade, Morgan Arcade, Craft in the Bay. I received an answer from Morgan Quarter, however, they hadn’t replied after that. Off track Cafe was temporarily closed due to movie filming in the area.

So, the first positive reply turned out to be Jacobs Market, which everyone loved and therefore it was secured. Other venues I contacted either said they had full spaces or had not contacted me back without giving a straight answer.  

While communicating with the venues I felt quite comfortable, as I thought that I was a representative from the Illustration course. I believed some venues would be interested to hold the exhibition. Though, the location had to be found quick, as the rest of the preparation relied on it, and the time was limited. Venues I had called have either not called back or promised to look up on the space and schedule and contact back, which made me feel nervous. Other guys from location team provided support, as they encountered same situation.

The main thing I wanted to achieve was to successfully complete the brief and be a part of a team. I wanted to give my best piece and have fun completing it. I did not expect the exhibition to be as fun, because I didn’t enjoy the chosen theme. Therefore I engaged with the project moderately, and did what I could at the time.

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Self-Reflective Writing

Projected Reflection

During and after the placement I’ve learned many new things, such as basic expectations for a work placement. You’re expected to be a part of the group, therefore, options accepted in the end are the ones agreed by all, which is a good thing – usually the ideas chosen are the most easy to achieve, yet effective.

I’ve learned that my main weakness was a lack of experience with space design. Even now after trying it out it for one time I would have done some things differently. For example, I would do something about the foil decorations at the stage, as now I feel they look extra. It would be better if they were covered only with one coloured foil and little party decorations.

This experience has given me a chance to be a part of set design team, think in terms of 3D space. I understand now that space design is not an area I would like to work in, as it differs a lot from illustration and visual art. However, it was nice to see how my creative skills were executed in new ways.

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Self-Reflective Writing

Post placement experience

Budget of the event was zero – it included only organisation’s savings and our personal money. This condition made our team to think even more productive in terms of limited resources. My role in the preparation was to work as part of the team – think of creative solutions to decorate the space with minimal budget. My role had a significant impact on the overall preparation. As we were generating ideas for the set, some of my ideas got to be executed in the end, such as using wallpaper as *wrapping* for lower part of the stage. The team members liked the overall vibe of my sketch.

Preparations for securing the placement also included me sending over my portfolio. Members of the organisation liked it a lot, and were happy about me helping with the set design. Preparations for securing the Placement were getting an official contract, as well as sending over DBS Check number. I felt  comfortable to communicate via e-mail. Everything felt natural and clear. As for my expectations for the placement, I felt very fortunate that I got to complete the placement early. All my expectations were neutral, as I was just striving to successfully complete it. My expectations exceeded, as me and the team have had a lot of fun doing the work together, work environment felt very productive, at the same time it was easy-going.

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Self-Reflective Writing

Post placement experience

The placement helped me to develop my competencies in a way that I was a valuable member of a team and had my duties successfully performed. For instance, small tasks like visiting the local paint shop to ask for paint, or finish the final sketch of the set. I felt like my help was valuable. It was also very nice to see the result of your work used in the final space. Response from the FIO team was immediate as we worked in a team as well as spent some time in the Old Library company office, where other members of organisation were present. Usually we discussed our progress there and it was a great working atmosphere with immediate feedback.

Through this experience I gained more confidence to work in a group of people. As illustrator, I had a great opportunity to think outside of the box to imagine the space, which I never have done before. Even with zero previous experience my skills got to be executed and now I feel more confident as a creative.

I wasn’t expecting a great amount of work for the set design. When we started to generate ideas I thought it would take much less time, however, with my lack of experience I didn’t consider other needs. Such as preparing all materials, considering times we were allowed to be at the set location, the times when members of the team are available, and lots of discussions for the next steps we had to take. The placement gave me opportunities as now I have experience and perception of the process of designing a 3D space.

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Self-Reflective Writing

Post Placement reflection

For me the most difficult part of the placement was minimal budget, as I felt like many good creative solutions are hard to achieve without sufficient funds. For example, here is the moodboard I created for the design. It was out of the question to buy LCD lights or mic, or having a garland. One of the things I completed successfully was the welcome board for the event. It was nice seeing the board as a small detail decoration at the event. Guys from the team also loved it.

The placement utilised my talents in the most successful way, as I had to leave earlier the work I did needed to be done effectively in a small amount of time. Often I was entrusted with the tasks that had to do with creativity, drawing or in general aesthetic sense. For example when we had trouble deciding on how to introduce the wallpaper rolls we managed to get for free, my idea to put them as a hanging decoration was used. I suppose my creative skills were utilised as far as it was financially possible.

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Self-Reflective Writing

Pre placement experience

I was excited to start the placement at FIO the moment I saw Laura Dutton’s message from USW Work Placement team. After doing some research on the company I realised it would be a great opportunity to complete the placement with FIO. I read about their previous projects and checked their Instagram page and liked the work they do.The project they offered was to help at the youth talent show. In the past, I’ve been to many volunteer camps and I thought that my skills and previous experiences would be helpful and useful at the placement. I was worried I would not get accepted since I was supposed to leave before the date of the placement. However, they accepted me. Finding the placement turned out to be easy for me as I grabbed the chance the University had given. I anticipated to search for the right place longer, though I got lucky. The event was the Talent show. The venue was decided on by FIO, it was located at East Moors Youth Centre in Cardiff. As seen on the picture, it was a hall with the stage with lot of space. The theme, promotional materials have been already decided on. The flyer for the show looked as shown on the picture.

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Placement Blog 3

Wednesday 3rd July.

On 3rd of July we continued to work at the Eastmoors place. I was painting red more of the decorations for the upper part of the set. After that, I was cutting out the stars decoration made out of cardboard. To make them look shiny, we used golden spray. Together with Dominika and Wshear we went downstairs to see if they had any more stuff we could use. We found some wooden sticks glued together and fluffy red string - we combined them and thought of putting it on the right hand side of the set, near to the place where people sit. We agreed on having to blow the balloons on the day before the show or on the actual day, as we didn't have helium.

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Placement Blog 2

Tuesday 2nd July.

Today we've met at the office to decide on final ideas of what we are going to use for the set. Dominika brought some printed out pictures of almost all of our ideas. Then all of us decided on having balloons at the set. I brought my sketch, which was very helpful to visualize the final design. After that, we went to the set location at Eastmoors to understand where we need to start. We went to a local paint and textile shop to grab the materials. After me and Wshear went with Abdul to distribute the flyers to promote the talent show as well as the summer film school at the local high school. It was pretty hectic, as kids were moving away fast from the gates. 

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Placement Blog No 1

26.06.2019 Today I've met Dominika and Jasmine from FIO, and got to know basic details about the event and what I am supposed to do. I am very glad to participate, as I am leaving to Estonia on 9th of July, which is before the actual event. The event is Talent Show, held by the organisation for summer school. The place of the set is pretty wide, and the budget for the show is low, however, when we were brainstorming ideas, we understood that there is a lot we can do with this space, from making neon lights figures to doing circus-like theme. Everything could as well be low budget, like paper chains and balloons. We decided on making some moodboards, of how do we vision the final look of the set. This way, it would be easier to conclude, and choose the better version, or combine them.

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Communication Studies Blog 4

This week on communication studies I learnt how important it is to find the main information from the article - main points, it is very efficient to ask a question, read the material and try to answer with the information you’ve received.

Discussing the voice of an illustrator,  helped me to start thinking about what a voice is, and how to start developing my own.I understood that a voice is not only style but the way illustrator is thinking, “with what thoughts he/she wakes up with”.

Now I have better idea of what should be included in the essay, such as articles related to future of illustration, possible outcomes, new styles and movements.

Bett also gave us some reliable sources and magazines to read, for me particularly effective was ‘I’d Double Tap That!!’ Instagram research article from Lachlan John MacDowall and Poppy de Souza from university of Melbourne.This article has broadened my understanding of how street art movement is starting to shift with the age of social media, particulary Instagram platform.

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Communication Studies Blog 3

On Bett's third session we were listening to Study Skills's to get the better idea of how to write and reference an essay, some tips were very helpful, and the lady reminded us we can always use study skills services such as private tutorials. This is very helpful for me this year as well as the last year since I am an international student with english not being my mother language, to stylize the essay more academic way, as well as correcting grammar mistakes. In the afternoon we were discussing on what themes are possible to write essay about.Bett told us we can continue last year's theme or connect it to the new essay, or write about completely new theme, it is up to us.

I had several ideas and couldn’t yet decide on which theme I am going to write about. I wanted to write about fashion, advertisement, or continue to relate my last year’s theme of Art-Nouveau.