Part 2 Final Evaluation

So far, I consider that I try to not just only use graphic method to develop a project. Especially after the “collection” project. I started to use other subject discipline to develop my idea. Take “collection” project as example, my original idea is to make an album for my nutrition fact. it is a very classical graphic way to present something. But I think if I make book for every project, it must be boring, also book binding is interesting and I want to make different kinds of books. The most important is my tutor cannot see my malleability and ability in these project, it has impact on my future development. So I began to open my mind, found the interesting solution for the project. You can see, my patchwork by sewing and the fashion product design by collaging.

Before this course, I never do needlework, I think needlework is fashion students’ job, our graphic students do not need this skill. In fact, to make myself more different from other, I need to learn new things to enrich myself. I need to be a sponge, assimilate knowledge as much as possible. Otherwise you will fall behind, cannot keep up with the pace.

In the past, because my educational background, we have standard understanding of lots of things, so I am not good at express my thoughts, because I am afraid that what I say is incorrect. But the research and reflection require us be honest with yourself, make it very personal. It is a big challenge for me, first I need to face my heart, second, I have to reflect continuously, renew my ideas, improve myself constantly. Basically, I started quite basic, then try to add my thoughts into the text.

Research is very significant, but I still insist on having my own ideas first and then make deep investigation, because if I research aimlessly like a headless fly, it is time-wasting. Usually, I will improve my idea after I do the research. As for other change, because we have library now, we have more resource than before, I do not just only search information on internet, I will also go to library to find useful material.

To be honest, I do not think the course help me develop my appreciation of my specialist area a lot. Basically, it is more like a course help us open our mind and jump out of the box. The real part I can feel my appreciation have developed is the Pecha Kucha session. In the prepare process, I need to search plenty of material, during this period, I learned many good works from masters.

I was enjoyed the process of collaboration. Met a very good partner is one of the factor, the second factor is I really experienced the fun of mixed discipline, the collision of different thoughts forms an unexpected work. Third is it helped me have better understanding of others discipline.

I think I achieved one of my goal, like now I do not afraid to talk to foreigners, I overcame part of my psychological barriers. I consider my strength is adaptability, though it is not about the course, but it have great influence to my course, if I have bad adaptability, I will keep a bad mood and everything is different from now.

I want to know more about professional graphic knowledge and technique, because I was always asked to talk about what graphic design is, but this is a one-way output, for me, I only have new view with graphic again and again, the school never feedback on this knowledge and understanding.

July 17,2017

Today is our collaboration project finish day.
-The book is goof combination of graphic design and fine art.
-We had good communication, although we held different ideas, but we discussed and then reach the consensus.
-The outcome is playful, the audience have good interaction with the book.
-A successful collaboration.

Improvement:
-The book cut need to be fine. Like we need to measure the size of them first.
-The quality of images on the cover should be higher, because the cover of book just like the face of book, it has important effect to first impression.
-Making tools should be more professional. Because this time we did not use the professional tool, we destroyed a little part of the book, although it is not very obvious.
-We can make a series of book about famous Kim.

July 13,2017

-Carried out a specific division of work.
-Discussed the style of the outcome.
-Designed 5 cover for the book based on different element.

Improvement:
-Design cover of the book need to have a good command of photoshop, also as a graphic student, I should learn to use some design software.
-In communicating, I need to express my point of view directly.

Plan:
-Determine the final cover tomorrow and improve the detail of it then we can print it out.
-Purchase materials together.
-We divide the work on design, we also need a plan for divide the work on making.

July 10,2017

- Our daily projects are done independently, the cooperation project is a bit difficult to accept, because it means there will be a conflict in mind, something is not going according to my plan. I know I need to seek common ground while reserving differences, but I still worried about when I have different idea on the project with my partner. I do not know how to solve it. However, I hope I can learn something from my partner, like creativity and fresh view.

-I think all the process is to explore what make the item collectable, it is explore the value of the collection. This is my first time I realize that the museum not only collect the things have historical value, but also collect unusual, well-designed items. The important point is the meaning of the work instead of the time.

-I quite surprised that the thing I think is the adornment on body can related to anthropology and material culture. Then I realized that art can be everywhere, an expression of art is closely related to the survival and behavior of the nation. We not only can enjoy beauty in art, but also know more about a culture, a nation.

-I consider graphic and fine art have plenty of common, one is more digital and commercial, another one is more physical and individualistic, these differences are contradictory in a way, I am looking forward to combining different characteristic together.

July 7,2017

Stich illustration & Spatial drawing

Stitch illustration divided into two kinds. One is using sewing machine, another one is hand stitching. I quite admire the people who can use sewing machine to drawing, because it is quite hard to control the direction. Also my hands and feet are not coordinated, so it was my first time to realize that sometimes drawing also requires physical coordination. This is new understanding for me.

Spatial drawing, I think it is help us to think comprehensive in our project, like in spatial drawing, we need to draw three view, three view means we see an object in different perspective, so is the drawing. Do not draw something in only one perspective, try to draw it from different way.

July 3,2107

Progress tutorial

 

Deficiencies:

-Progress is tardy.

-Research is not enough.

-The project content is not complete.

-The understanding of my subject discipline is not comprehensive.

-My interest does not demonstrate well in my project.

-Reflection is not deep enough.

 

Improvement:

-Time management is significate. Reasonable arrange the time on sketchbook and workflow, do not spend time on only one thing. Because both of them need to be assessed.

-There is no conflict between my inspiration and artist research. Doing artist research can make my project more reasonable, it can help me to rethink the irrationality in my project, also it can open my mind, I can develop more idea from research. To be honest, I do not like to do artist research is because I do not like some of them and their artwork which given on brief, sometimes they are too abstract I cannot understand, but I have no choice, I need to do it.

-Artist research is related to my understanding of my subject discipline, due to my dislike, I lack comprehensive understanding of my discipline. The only one way to improve is do more research, not only on internet, but also go to library, museum, gallery and so on, a single survey channel is not so well.

-Sketchbook is free to put on my ideas, workflow is a platform need to be tidy, but sketchbook is not, so draw my idea as much as possible.

-Be honest, just talk about my thought in reflection, or it is meaningless to write a reflective journal.

June 28,2017

Today, I discussed my idea with my tutor and he made me think about more and let figure out how to improve my work.

 

When I waiting to explain my idea to him, I heard he told other student to think about the content and give your work a theme. Then I begen to consider why I collect nutrition fact. Nutrition information is related to health problem, nowadays, many people do not notice reasonable nutrition for the three meals every day, so they have serious obesity. I think this thinking is match the purpose I want audience pay more attention on nutrition fact. It is significant to give your work a theme, because a theme can help you think about your work and give you a direction.

 

I had two methodology yesterday,  but after discussed with my tutor, I think my second method is unworkable, because they are too many kinds of food in the world, without a plenty of research I cannot have a comprehensive collection, this method take too much time and energy,I cannot reach what I expect in only few days. But I can improve this method, like collect one product's nutrition fact in different language version or the nutrition information in different tastes. It is more easier but also can show my methodology. 

 

Sometimes do not define yourself completely, make a little chage may have unexpected result. This the most useful thing I learned today.

June 27,2017

Today we had a lecture about methodology. Basically, this lecture is to give us some inspiration to display our collection which we collected yesterday.

Yesterday I think it was interesting to collect the packaging related to eating. But today I look at the stuff I collected, some of them are quite boring, like the packaging for jerky, it only has a plastics bag with its name on it, it is simple and crude, strictly speaking, it even does not have design. I think collection must have at least one reason for us to collect it and some of them I cannot even reason why I collected them. So I think I need to change a direction. Then I suddenly found their similarity, all regular packaging for food have nutrition fact, why cannot I collect nutrition fact of different food. Because it is impossible for normal people to collect this looks useless things, it is unusual collection, so I have more space to spread my creativity. Also, I should always challenge myself, I think through collecting unnormal stuff, it may open my mind.

I gave up my original idea and started a new idea. For us, the packaging for food is a protection, when we no longer need this function, we will throw it as a rubbish. However, I believe that it is purposeful to print nutrition fact on it, anything on the packaging has the meaning of its existence. But I may say, putting packaging design aside, almost no one notice nutrition fact and additive on it. This phenomenon let me think about how can I make people pay more attention on nutrition fact. My first idea is sewing different nutrition fact up, you can say it like a patch or a collage, I hope to through compounding this way to form a weird piece to arouse audiences’ curiosity, thus they start to notice nutrition fact.


My second method is classifying them. Different food has different nutrition, but similar food will have similarity in nutrition, like drink, puffed food, meat product and so on. Likewise, customs seldom notice similar nutrient composition of similar food, so I can make a classification for similar food. Like a series of booklet, each booklet represents a kind of food. I think an exquisite booklet can attract the attention of the audiences.

I want to put the corresponding food beside nutrition fact and place them in their corresponding food named. I can experiment this method but I not sure it would be a good method, because the point is nutrition, not the food. But through this way can let people know more about the food nutrition. I also think about using non-visual way to present them, I can record the shaking sound of food, and guess what is it, contain what nutrition. But I think this way is not a proper way to present nutrition, because it is more about food not the composition. About the third method, I think I still need to consider.

June 26,2017

Today we had a critic and started a new project “COLLECTION”.

To be honest, I am very dissatisfied with my last project. Because my thinking is not clear, so that I often fall into bottleneck. What I decided to have a deeper research and develop cannot made me really interested in, I consider it is very terrible, it just like you lose your way. Although tutors gave me some advices, I felt my thoughts were clear again, when I start with it, I was confused again. After I saw other’s work, I think my problem is the starting point. The starting point I chose gave me limited space to develop. My starting point was using different plants to make a sign. It is more like a gardening, you can only change the shape of plants and then you can do nothing. This experience tells me that a good starting point can bring you more inspiration.

About the new project, I think it is simple but challenge, because collecting something you are interested in will make you very motivated to do this, however, I think I should collect some normal but unusual thing that I have more space to develop. Then I want to collect the packaging for food. Normally, they are rubbish, but I want audience to see their other side, the can enjoy the design on it. I was not sure it is a good collection and if there is any meaning, but I consider it is a good chance for me to find the beauty around our life.

June 21,2017

Basically, we had language and study support.

 

I think the study support is very helpful, because it gave us a guide to let us have better research and reflection. It helped me realize that my reflection is like a dairy instead of a real reflective journal. Like I only stated something, but I did not mention the reason or the solution, improvement. It is means that the previous reflection is totally meaningless. Because what you show have no depth, audience can not  get the information which they want to know, like why you chose this method to create this work, it did not reflect you process of your thinking. 

 

After today's lesson, I realized that my thought is important, you need it to show your ability and your thinking. 

June 20,2017

Yesterday after tutor gave me some suggestion, I found the direction of interest. I was interested in using plants to make some signs or devices. But I think it is also a challenge for me, because like sign, we usually use arrow to tell people direction, it hard to make some creative on it. For me, only one way for me to make something different is using different plants to build a sign, but I think it is like gardening, it is not a kind of creation.

 

I had a tutorial today, I found I have a serious problem is that I am easily fall into one way to think about a problem, like tutor gave us some advice that we can explore signs, then I just consider signs but forgot that the keyword is device not sign. Yesterday, I just thought about how to use plants to build a creative sign, but now I now I know I should consider more, like go to Camley Street Natural Park to explore wildlife, colour even the  textile of plants.

 

A device for a place should fit in the atmosphere at here, like the way of present, colour, format and so on, and then think about the creativity. Thinking about a design should be comprehensive, only conside one side of it is far from enough.

June 19,2017

Today we started a new project named THIS PLACE.

 

THIS PLACE is sound like a three-dimensional project, but I need to use this theme to do graphic. It gave me a peculiar feeling. It like gave a project to a person who do not know this profession completely. But when the day of class is over, my brain started to relax and I suddenly think about my previous work. I used to do graphic design, but I get more inspiration after I built up a sculpture, I suddenly cheer up because past experience told me that graphic and three-dimension can bring together.

 

Also I am always confused by the superficial meaning of the theme. I should jump out of the box, open my mind instead of thinking about a problem in one aspect. Like this project, because my narrow mind, I wasted some time to worry and felt anxious.

June 16,2017

Today, tutor introduced some artists to us. The artist who gave the deepest impression was Daniel Buren. The idea of his creation is "on-site", this means that his place of creation is where his work is displayed. This was the first point he let me have different understanding of drawing. The second point is he do not drawing in a noral way, he uses his iconic art symbol----white and colour stripe to cover on different object. This action turned drawing from graphic into three-dimensional.

 

And we drew in different ways today. By drawing objects negative space to create a painting made me see in a new way. We used to draw things in their postive sapce, it is the most common way we draw. But now, it was completely different, we draw the place between object and object, its effect was different from the normal way,  it was really interesting. It made me think about drawing should be always be innovated, like the way of drawing. 

July 14, 2017

Two positive outcomes:
-Division of work is clear. For the content, it is more about fine art, so my partner is responsible for the drawing things. As for the book binding design, this job is my major, so I am responsible for it. Cutting and binding need our collaboration, then we cooperate with each other and work together.

-Everything is going according to plan, there was no accident, everything went very well. The things we have designed are the same as we expected.

Challenge:
-In individual project, you do not need to talk about your idea to anyone, I can understand my own meaning, I just do what I think and do not need to explain to others, but now we need to communicate to each other, sometimes I met something difficult to explain and unclearly explanation made my partner confused.

-Having different views. If it is not alone, it must have ideological collision. Sometimes something you think need to do, but your partner do not think so, everyone has their own reason, it is a little hard to convince each other, so who make a concession is a very tangled problem. The process of solving the problem is a little embarrassing, but the problem was solved finally.

July 12,2017

Some reflection about today language class.

We practised our visual essay for the first time.

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July 10,2017 Image

July 6,2017

Observing drawing & On the body

Observing drawing is like character sketch which is an art examination subject in our country. In our examination, we need to draw a realistic character, but today I do not need to. It is interesting for me, because I can paint in my favorite way, I no longer need to stick to the provisions of the painting method. It like gain the freedom for me. I found in this way, it can inspire my creativity, like using different materials, different colour. Regrettably, I did not catch this chance to try unusual way to draw, I keep drawing in the way I feel comfortable.

On the body is new to a graphic student, for me, it is more like making a garment instead of drawing. But when we need to cut the masking tape and clean film on the body, it was started to like drawing, drawing on body, body is our drawing paper. But simply draw on body part is not good enough, I think extension of body parts is the most important point of this session. Because everyone can design something for normal body part, but how to extent body and make it look concordant, not everyone can do it. Unfortunately, I realize this point after I finish this class.

July 5,2017

Language class & Contextual practice

Practice how to talk a slide in 20 seconds.
-Make the words simplified. No matter in the task or in reflection.
We need accurate words. Incorrect choice of words leads to ambiguity for the reader. I resonate greatly with this view, although our subject is art and design, through such long practice, it can help people who are not native speakers of English to improve language proficiency.
- Well organization. Like using bullet point or diagram, so that at a glance.
I quite like this way, because reflection is not a special formal essay, it does not need too much transition. sentence, we do not need to pay attention to whether the context is fluent. I think pointing out what I think, what should be improved directly is more efficient. The audience can get your point very quickly and clearly.
Also use a simple way I think can help me organize my thought.

June 30,2017

Today we got a critic. My final outcome is a patchwork on wool. The patchwork is made of different nutrition fact. Also others call it is my final outcome, but I think it is not perfect enough to become finished product. Because it is too small, just like a piece of sample, I do not think audiences can guess what I want to explain. I believe that the theme I want to express is profound, but the outcome is not good enough, this is a pity for me.

 

I think the following points are what I can improve:

- Make it more bigger, maybe it can be a garment made by nutrition fact, I think it will be quite cool.

- For this time, I sewed paper up, but paper is fragile, it is easy to be broken, so I can try to print nutrition fact on fabric and it may look more natural.

- The nutrition fact can be in different shape and size, also the colour can be more.

- The workmanship can be refine.

 

I quite like this project, because I found the right starting point finally and it made me  know what I can do and had a clear thinking. I think it is important because it can help you keep your motivation.

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June 29,2017

Tomorrow we will display our collection. I am srtuggling with which one to choose.

 

I had my theme yesterday, it is about healthy problem, but I think this two way cannot clearly showing the collection is talk about health. Because the patchwork just like a new textile made by fashion student, two booklet like a product display. I decided to adjust my theme again and this theme is more like explain the patchwork.

 

When I see patch, I will think about the residents live in poor area. They do not have enough money to buy new clothing and sometimes they cannot even solve their subsistance problem, they are thin because the food they eat is not very nutritious. I sewed rich nutrition fact up, like a big patch, actually I want to make a satire, people in poor area use packaging sew their worn clothing, people in rich area treat this as fashion. So I think I use this small patchwork to reflect the gap between weathly and poor, thus draw people's attention on poor area.

 

Theme is soul for a work, the work has the theme is full, so I need to consider a good theme for my work inthe future.

June 28,2017Image

June 27,2017 Image

June 27,2017 Image 2

June 14,2017

Yesterday we began a new project which theme is self-portrait.

My first impression of this theme is corny. For me, self-portrait is like an identification photo, so I was confused that what can we create from this boring thing.

When our tutor showing us some artists’ photographs, she told us about the characteristics of the artists and their work. As far as I am concerned, their artworks are similar in some way, if our tutor did not explain to us , I think I cannot really tell you what the difference is. But our tutor’s works are more interesting than the artists’ works. Because through her works you can have different understanding, her self-portraits are no longer just a simple face or people. She used some props, body language and others thing to help her express deeper meaning.

Then we started to take our self-portrait by following the keywords on the briefing. To be honest, I was a little confused when I saw these keywords, I did not consider that these keywords can relate to self-portrait, I even thought that it was unachievable for me to take the pictures including these keywords when tutor suggested me to do more experimentation with different keywords. Now I think about it again, I think I would think like that because at that time my thought was sealing up by what it called the definition of self-portrait.

However, when I came back home and clear my mind, it seems easier than I thought during the day. We aim to though self-portrait to express our feeling and emotion. I chose lonely as my central theme. Lonely is an emotion, also is a status. In the daytime, I put most of effort to present a lonely state, like found a place where no one is to show I was alone, but I ignored I need to have emotional communication with audience through character or object in photos. For example, how can we know a person is lonely? We always judge a person by his/her expression and behavior, if we pay more attention on him/her life, you can also judge his/her state and character by where he/she always appears, what he/she likes to do. The content of photos is varied, the keywords what we got was more like a perspective which gave by our tutor, it help us open our mind. During the day, I thought these keywords were the content of our work mistakenly, that is why I have bad reaction in the morning.

The next day, I will focus on developing my original ideas in my sketchbook and pick one of my favorite idea as the focus of development.