For my first exercise of part 5, I have been asked to go back and get inspiration by looking through my previous sketchbooks from this course so that I can think about which aspects of the course I would like to return to. I need to read back over my reflective statements and notes in my learning log and take notes of any points or thoughts that may have changed since I originally made them. I need to focus on the most positive aspects of my reflections. Below is a list of exercises or processes I did and didn’t enjoy doing:

Below is a list of materials and processes I feel connected with as well as words that I most empathise with the most from a list in the coursebook:

I will revisit the list of quotes from section one and answer the questions below to my initial responses to them, below is a photo of the comments that relate to me/I would like to apply in the future:

• Have your opinions and thoughts changed about how you keep a sketchbook?

Sort of, I think I’m still quite careful with what I put in my sketchbook but I have figured out a different process of collecting up my drawings.

• Which comments do you now most empathise with and why?

“I have a variety of notebooks which contain writing, drawings, diagrams and other
visual bits and bobs which are portable. Different projects have different notebooks.
I treat myself to Moleskins but use other, cheaper books, as well. I also have a box of
loose-leaf drawings”. – Christian Lloyd

“I purchase fairly large sketchbooks and remove the ring. I can then sift the pages and
lay them beside each other as I work. I will also have larger sketches done in its book,
and remove it when it is done to be stored with other sketches. I also have smaller
hard cover/ spiral bound sketchbooks that I might choose for more delicate media
(pen, pencil) or smaller images / time spans”. – Connie Kadey

Why: Christian and Connie both use a similar process to me, they take out the pages of their sketchbooks and collects them together with a bulldog clip. I also enjoy using different books depending on if it’s a written task or a drawing task.

• What have been the most surprising changes to your thoughts about sketchbooks?

The freedom and use of different media that I now use, including paints, charcoal and pens.

• Which of the exercises and assignments would you like to do more of or return to?

Exercise 2.1: Limited Time Drawings

Exercise 2.2: Blind Contour Drawings

Exercise 2.6: Pareidolia

Exercise 4.2: Storyboarding

Next, I need to go through my tutor reports and write down phrases or words that most sum up the goals or objectives that would be good for me to focus on now. I have made the words that sum it up BOLD:

Part 1:

“Be really experimental, take risks, mess it up allow happy accidents to reveal something interesting”.

“Never tear pages out of a sketchbook, what you think maybe rubbish others may see potential“.

“At the end of each research task and exercise you need to self reflect on what you have learnt, what you can utilise in your practice and what you need to explore and develop further”.

Part 2:

“Next time try to not necessarily create such finished illustrations but be more experimental with a broader range of approaches to generate lots of samples”.

“When researching illustrators/artists/designers try not to be over reliant on Instagram and Pinterest as you could be looking at work also at student level rather than professional practitioners. You also need to ensure your Harvard Reference all sources”.

Part 3:

“Consider the appropriateness of tools to subject you are documenting; capturing the shape, colour and form of people at the seafront in watercolour feels right as the sketches also start to suggest the atmosphere of the location”.

“The next stage you may like to further explore the physicality of your sketchbooks: consider different papers, bindings, foldouts, things hidden, and size. Investigate working very small and very large testing subject matter to scale of surface you’re working on, consider positive and negative space”.

Part 4:

“Could you explore adding a selection of your photos, maybe cropping sections? Try adding in pages to your sketchbook and/or adding flaps/foldouts? Using the same image to represent change in time works well for ‘Using Basic Narrative Structure’. Consider in your reflection, what type of projects you may use this approach?”