Part One: What Paint Can Do – Assignment Criteria and Reflection

Demonstration of Technical and Visual Skills (35%)

• Materials: I think this Part of the course was an excellent opportunity for me to experiment with different tools and surfaces, but to also reconnect with my love of paint and the methods available to me. I think, however, that perhaps I have been a little reserved in that I could have used other more unusual tools (such as wool or feathers) and surfaces (such as wood or tin foil), so this is something I will try to bear in mind going forward and to be a little more experimental.

• Techniques: I found this part of the course very interesting and productive. It has been a long time since I painted anything so I think following the exercises in this part of the course has really helped me relearn how to ‘ride the bike’ so to speak. I found myself remembering things I had long since forgotten that I even knew, such as how adding water can help to ease the flow of the colour and how white paint helps to thicken the paint whilst providing a difference in the range of hues. Whilst, again, I don’t think I have necessarily been as adventurous as I could have been perhaps, I think the things learned in the exercises and those I have put to practice within my assignment piece have really helped lay the foundation for my progression throughout this course.

• Observational Skills: For this area of the course, I think I have been much better at seeing objects and their values for specific exercises than I had been at this stage in Drawing Skills One and have been able to distinguish between the different objects well (hopefully!). I still feel I have a long way to go in this regard and think that perhaps this will hopefully improve massively by the time I get to this stage in my next course.

• Visual Awareness: I am finding that I am now looking at the world with an artist’s eye much more frequently and seeing the potential in everything to become a piece of work. I am noticing angles, shadows, contrasts in colours and so on. I think the exercises in relation to colour and hues etc has opened my eyes drastically

• Design: Looking at my assignment piece, I think I have worked well to create a good design and structure to the piece, trying to really sew the piece together by using the same colours within several areas and having built from my earlier exercises and the colours used within them, most notably the different grounds project.

• Compositional Skills: Again, I think I have done well in using what was available to me at the time, though I do think perhaps I could have applied more time to creating different compositions for more varied outcomes, so this is something I will consider moving forward.

Quality of Outcome (20%)

• Content: I think the content of this part of the course has been rather limited compared to those I have done before, however, I do feel I have kept the content accurate and easy to follow. I think the more I progress through the course, the more content I will be able to include. Also, I do think I could have perhaps spent more time on the exercises and carrying out more experiments and versions of each.

• Application of Knowledge:  In my final piece for my assignment, I tried to work back over what I had learned through the exercises and tried to apply them in an appropriate way; using several hues of one colour to create depth, working with a dark background and focussing on the way in which I applied the paint for the different areas.

• Presentation of Work in a Coherent Manner: Again, I feel I express myself well when explaining my techniques and trail of thoughts. I think my website is accessible and user-friendly and have tried to follow the same structure I developed in my previous course, Drawing Skills One, which I think has assisted in creating a smooth transition into this new one.

• Discernment: I have found some of the exercises a little difficult to discern and have had to really think them through before beginning, however, I have also found that I have gotten through some of the exercises and later looked back and realised I may have interpreted it incorrectly, which is rather frustrating as I do not feel they are always clearly worded (for example, Project Three: Exercise Two: Working on a Dark Ground offers no real direction or indication as to what is required, so I merely repeated the process from the earlier exercise).

• Conceptualisation of Thoughts: This part of the course has been a little sparse in terms of what has been expected from me for a final piece. As a result, I decided to build on my learning from my earlier course and use that as a foundation as to where to start from and the types of things to try to consider. I think I have been quite consistent with explaining why I have done certain things which have not actually been indicated and the links to previous learning. I hope that going forward I will be able to develop in this area with the help of my tutor’s feedback on this and subsequent pieces and that I will hopefully be able to see a clearer image of where I want to go as a result in a more specific way to painting.

• Communication of Ideas: Similarly to the above, I think I have been able to communicate well and have discovered relevant and suitable ideas. I do think, however, that I need to try to find a way to keep making note of my thoughts and their minuscule divergences and the impact they have on the overall final piece, such as how one completes a word ladder; changing almost unrelatedly from one word to another, but becoming clearer as you consider the inner steps taken.

Demonstration of Creativity (25%)

• Imagination: I think this part of the course has relied heavily on imagination, having asked for several pieces in whatever form seems most suitable. I think I have done well in creating pieces with relevance and from imagination; the landscape from memory, for example. I think my learnings from my other course have assisted in this, but I hope it will improve as I move through this course also.

• Experimentation:  Again, I think this part of the course has relied heavily on experimentation and discovering the best ways to utilise my tools, but also how to discover other sources which would not necessarily be considered tools or media etc. Again, I hope to further this naturally as I move through this course and to push my boundaries, being willing to attemp more abstract experimentations.

• Invention: Whilst I have the questionnaires etc I developed in my earlier course, and which have come in handy, I feel it time to develop some form of idea journal to try and show the workings in getting from points A to B thoroughly. I think this will help when trying to convey this information accurately and avoid grey areas.

• Research: There was only a limited amount of research to be found in this part of the course, however, I feel I handled it well and that it has provided me with some very insightful information which will be extremely useful going forward. I think I could have perhaps delved much deeper into the topic, however, I tried to stay relevant and concise, which I feel has been successful.

• Critical Thinking (Learning Logs): I feel I am able to use my learning log well, limiting excessive wording and trying to get a clear picture across for the viewer to fully understand. I try to look at all aspects of my work critically and from a distance so as to be able to see things in a more neutral way. When I first started my earlier course, I found this rather difficult to do as I was very emotionally invested in my pieces, however, I am finding now that I am able to invest fully in my pieces during creation, but then to distance myself and see them critically afterwards, as well as being able to take my tutor’s feedback much better and to build upon it moving forward.