Final Evaluation : File 0419

The brief explained to me that in this first topic, What I would work on would very much be an introduction to a wide range of processes and techniques that I would be using in my time at Ravensbourne. I was very excited to learn about new materials and techniques as well as computer software that I had never used before. We were told that we should be free in the way we think and experiment in this topic, something that I wasn't quite used to after doing art at GCSE level.

I was particularly influenced by Tony Cragg's work where he explores the organisation of objects in their colours. I decided for my final outcome I would create a detective board where I am the subject. I therefore used Cragg's work to influence the way I laid out all of my objects. For research I looked into legitimate detective boards and the way they are set out. This helped me when it came to making my board. I also looked at tactile and mark making drawings to give me inspiration to produce tactile portraits for my board. I found that a lot of artist books are quite three dimensional therefore I decided to do something different. I made a three dimensional object, and my book would document sections of this object in a more two dimensional way.  

Throughout the topic I went through quite a structured process. I would complete some research, whether that be of artists or in the form of reading articles/books or creating mood boards. A significant experiment that I carried out was my mood boards along with my colour palettes. This is because it helped me decipher which colours represent me and one of the big inspirations of this project, my keepsake. I found it quite difficult to actually think of an original idea. I tried to think of something that wouldn't easily come to mind when thinking of 'The Self'. This took some time but after going through my sketchbook, I was soon inspired. I was pleased to receive feedback throughout the 5 weeks I spent on this topic, an example being that I should explore different ways to experiment rather than the obvious ones. I also had to remember to link everything together to make sure that my work flowed. 

I used many resources, most being galleries and gallery websites, but one resource that was particularly helpful was a science article that included many facts about what makes each human different. I found this very helpful and it was one of the inspirations for my final booklet. I thought about how I could use the fact that finger prints differentiate us with a detective theme. I used many processes throughout this five week period, many of which I had never used before, so I was very excited to experience them. I especially liked using Photoshop, and InDesign, both being pieces of adobe software. I had never used these before and I really wanted to learn more about them in order to improve the quality of my work produced at Ravensbourne. One new skill that I have learnt that I'm particularly happy about is the fact that I need to remember that when I am drawing I need to focus less on what it should look like and more about the lines and shadows.

I like to think that I am very organised in the way that I work and therefore this gives strength to my work. However it can also be a weakness. I sometimes work too structured which sometimes allows my work to loose flow. I need to remember to include every experimentation piece even if it didn't go the way I expected it to.

Finally the name. The name for me was an easy element of this project. For the last two years, due to exams, I have been known as a number, this number being 0419. My booklet resembles a detective document hence the 'file' in front of the number.