Evaluation

Leeds College of Art BA (Hons) ILLUSTRATION	Level	04
OUIL401 Context of Practice	Credits	20
End of Module Self Evaluation

NAME	Megan Ojari

1.  What skills have you developed through this module and how effectively do you think you have applied them?
This module taught me how to generate work without a final outcome as a goal, which was a new experience to me, but I think it has helped to loosen up my working process and let me be more creative in what I make. I also managed to spend a lot of time in the print room, which helped me to improve my technical screen and lino print techniques, which I know ill be useful next year, as I want to focus more on print. Another skill this module has helped me with is academic research and communicating facts through language, as although I did English Language A-level, I have never had to analyse texts this closely, and found learning how to properly Harvard reference a very valuable skill.
2. What approaches to/methods of research have you developed and how have they informed your practical outcomes?
Because this module has been quite self-directed, I found it even more valuable than ever to look at contemporary artists work, and see how my work would fit alongside theirs in a ‘real world’ context. I also discovered the importance of gaining input from my peers, as through asking for their responses to my work, regarding colour especially, I was able to compile a reflective and accurate evaluation of my colour choices. Also, the mix of academic research and practical work, although being something I found quite difficult, really showed me how important it is to keep in mind context whilst creating work, as after university, this will be how my work will be received. I also learnt the importance of asking peers for help with my practical work, as I found the sharing of skills, such as lino and book binding, meant I was able to confidently and quickly adapt my practice in these areas. I also found the resources of the library invaluable to the production of my essay, as the compilation and analysis of theoretical books ensured I thought deeply about my topic before I started writing.
3. What strengths can you identify in your work and how have/will you capitalise on these?
The biggest strength I feel of my submission, is my more developed practical work, as the boxes/zines help to compile quite a lot of my research into fairly resolved outcomes. I also am really quite pleased with the finish of these outcomes, as I feel they are of quite a high quality. The screen print outcomes are also something I am proud of, as I think the ambitious use of different colours and overlays works to make them a successful set of prints. I also like the lino printing techniques I tired, as I found it a fun and quirky way to quickly produce hand rendered prints, and I feel my final prints from these offers a strong visual response to my task. In this module I also found the structure allowed me to quite freely explore the subject, and come up with inventive solutions, such as repeat pattern packaging and zines, which I had never made before, which I wouldn’t have experimented with if I had had a set outcome to make. I also feel that my broad research for my essay ensured I had a good, strong starting point which I could slowly pare down to the essentials.
4. What weaknesses can you identify in your work and how will you address these in the future?
I fear I lost sight of the content of my essay through this practical project, as I didn’t really look at branding too much, as I had initially wanted to, however, I found this freedom from a context ensured I experimented freely with media and ideas. Next time I will ensure that I stick to the subject matter more though. I also struggled a lot with motivation during the start of this course, as I think the lack of practical tasks, and uncertainty about how much/what to make meant I wasn’t really exploring the subject. But once I understood what was expected of me in this module, I really enjoyed the creation and development of different ideas. However, because of this lack of working at the start it meant I wasn’t able to complete all the work I wanted to near the end, as my time management wasn’t very good. During Context of Practice next year I will make use of timetables, as I have in my previous modules, to ensure I manage my time effectively. I also felt that near the end I kept adding new tasks and outcomes to my workload, which I should have been less ambitious with, as near the end I struggled to finish my essay to the quality I would have liked, as I had had to spend time finisheing off my practical work.
5. Identify five things that you feel will benefit you during next years Context of Practice module? - More effective time planning from the start and using timetables would ensure I was on top of my workload. - A more effective understanding of what is expected of me from the start would have helped to ensure that I was confident in the direction of my practical work and explored ideas more thoroughly. - A stronger link between the theoretical and practical work would have helped, if I had started my practical work alongside my essay production I feel I would have had more relevant and effective outcomes. - The strong theory of the subject and developing understanding of how my work fits into the context of illustration will help me in the production of work in all of my future modules. - I feel more deadlines and tutorials of both theory and practical work would have helped me to know where I was heading and given me the chance to discuss any concerns I had.
6.How would you grade yourself on the following areas: (please indicate using an ‘x’)  5= excellent, 4 = very good, 3 = good, 2 = average, 1 = poor
	1	2	3	4	5
Attendance				x
Punctuality					x
Motivation		x
Commitment			x
Quantity of work produced			x
Quality of work produced			x
Contribution to the group				x
The evaluation of your work is an important part of the assessment criteria and represents a percentage of the overall grade. It is essential that you give yourself enough time to complete your written evaluation fully and with appropriate depth and level of self-reflection. If you have any questions relating to the self-evaluation process speak to a member of staff as soon as possible.

A copy of your end of module self evaluation should be posted to your studio practice blog. This should be the last post before the submission of work and will provide the starting point for the assessment process. Post a copy of your evaluation to your COP blog as evidence of your own on going evaluation.

Notes