Assignment 2 : Reflection

The submission for assignment 2 doesn't contain nearly the volume nor the quality of work which I produced for assignment 1. I have been forced to ask for an extension to my course because of mitigating circumstances and have been out of action for a very long time. I clearly haven't hit my stride yet in terms of engaging with the tasks fully. However, although I am not satisfied with the work I have produced, I have decided to submit it at this point. If I don't send something in now there is the risk that I will never do so and will run out of time even with the extension I have been granted by the OCA. 

Demonstration of Technical and Visual Skills:

I am still a beginner and maybe expect too much of myself at this point in my studies but there are clearly areas which require a great deal of improvement here. In particular, I made a major error in the production of the multi-block lino print. However, having made this error, I have learnt a great deal which will hopefully help me to overcome some of the technical challenges as I move towards assignment 3.

In terms of visual skills, I need to work on planning my compositions more. trying to be organic and spontaneous doesn't seem to lend itself well to working in lino. It takes a long time to carve the Lino and I can't afford the time to carve hundreds of blocks and pick the best (neither in terms of time nor the cost of the materials) - this might work for monotypes because they are quicker to produce, but with Lino I really do need to work out the problems in my sketchbook before I even look at my carving tools. My impatience to get printing has penalised me in this respect.

On the positive side, I have demonstrated an ability to carve a variety of marks in the Lino and also to carve carefully around small details.

Quality of Outcome:

As detailed above, the quality of outcome for these prints has been affected by my impetuousness and lack of planning. I have produced some clean prints using oil based ink and the bottle-jack press. However, the multiple-block print was a technical disaster owing to my failure to properly read and digest the instructions. I want to re-do this but may not realistically have the time to allow this. 

The quality in terms of visual interest and composition is also lacking for the same reason of the lack of planning.

Demonstration of Creativity: 

I have not demonstrated my creativity to as great an extent here as I did with assignment 1. I need to get back into the habit of using my sketchbook more extensively. 

The prompt from my tutor has helped me move forward in terms of considering what I want my work to be about. The problem is I have lots and lots of ideas sloshing around in my head. I need to get them down on paper in order to work out which are good ideas to develop further and which are better discarded. 

Research and Reflection:

I have started trying to place my work in context a bit more but this is not yet coming through into my final pieces of work in a helpful or recognisable way. 

Before I became ill I had done a lot of research. I read numerous books and looked at numerous sources of information which were inspiring. My intention was to make notes on the best of these in my learning log. Unfortunately, I then stopped work altogether, the notes, summaries and reviews were never made and therefore a lot of the information I had gleaned got forgotten. I would like to remedy this by going over these sources and making notes as I go along. How far I manage to achieve this depends on how much time I can successfully put aside for my studies in the next few months. 

The coursework research points are variable in their depth. I have also researched other artists suggested by my tutor and made notes in my sketchbook. I have tried to relate other artists' work to the work which I would like to do. 

Unfortunately lacking in this submission are visits to galleries and exhibitions. I still need to write up my visit to the exhibitions at the British Museum and Bankside galleries last year but I haven't visited any other exhibitions since then owing to mitigating circumstances - this must be remedied during the next assignment. 

In terms of overall performance against the level 4 HE requirements, this assignment is probably at a level D or E as follows:

• Limited development of visual and technical skills, design and composition. E
• Adequate realisation of ideas and satisfactory presentation of work D
• Reasonable development of analytical and creative thinking, showing some independent judgements. Personal voice not evident. D
• Awareness of a satisfactory breadth of contexts and debates supporting your growing personal and/or professional knowledge and understanding D

If my own assessment is accurate, given that demonstration of technical and visual skills is more heavily weighted in the assessment than the other parts, then I am at risk of failing the course. If that is the case, then I really do need to somehow find the time to repeat project 7.  I will make a start on assignment 3 while I await my tutor's feedback and see if she agrees that I should re-do project 7.