summative evaluation

I have gained a lot from PPP this year; it has forced me to think in much more depth about my future and who I am as a practitioner, something I have put off in previous years. Throughout these three years I have continued to develop my practice while also relating it to the professional world of illustration.

My website is my main platform for displaying my work, along with other social media sites. All are regularly updated and used for varying uses; my Behance is for finished projects, similar to the website, but allows for feedback from followers. My Instagram and Tumblr are for more process and development posts, allowing an insight to how my practice works. The website can be improved, at the moment it is simple yet basic; the thumbnails could show a larger crop of the work and the way each project is viewed should be cleaner. However the design at the moment is acceptable for now, as it doesn’t take attention away from the work.

My branding conveys my process led practice while also giving a sense to the aesthetic of my work through the use of shape and texture. I went with a theme based around natural forms, as that is something my work is often inspired by. The icon I use is relatively simple but also bright and textural, matched with a cut out style type to sum up my practice. I wanted the promotional pack to be exciting and intriguing for whoever I sent it to while also giving a sense of my process based practice, so there are various bit to look at and open with a hand printed envelope, a fold out print, postcards, CV, business cards and an original lino print with a handwritten message. Admittedly it is a lot to include and not very economical, so only a few people will get the whole pack. For future use it makes sense to just have the postcards and lino print sent, as they are the most important elements to show off my practice. 

I was hesitant earlier in the year to contact anyone, as I was nervous and just didn’t feel they would have the time, or want to answer questions from a student. But once I started it became much easier and I managed to get quite a few good, useful responses. I found other practitioners were the most willing to share their experiences which has in turn informed how I think about my next steps; who I else I should be contacting, considering print studios, agencies etc. Receiving compliments for my work from the people I have contacted, some being very established illustrators or agencies, has been a massive confidence boost and has made me more inclined to send it out more often.

I feel I could have been more engaged with the module earlier in the year, and wish I had started contacting practitioners earlier, and generally asked more questions. However, nearing the end I feel I have developed a lot in terms of my confidence in talking about my work and selling myself as an illustrator. I have also learnt a lot about myself as a practitioner; how I work much better around other creatives as well as a need to continually experiment and play with processes. All of this has been essential in developing my decisions for my time after uni.