End Of Module Summative Evaluation

Visual Evaluation of Synthesis

Megacrit

I was a bit worried about this crit as I wasn't sure whether I had used my visual journal right however the feedback I got reassured me that what I've been doing is fine. Everyone was super encouraging which is nice! Also, it was great to go round and see how my peers had used their sketchbooks. There was some really great work!

 At the end of the feedback sheet there was a section about issues that need addressing and someone asked 'How could you use collage in a way that represent the quotes in a non-obvious way?', which is interesting to think about. I may try to address this through more exploration in my visual journal.

Thanks buddies!

COP Submission Briefing (Checklist)

• Studio Brief 1- 
• Printed copy of essay & Bibliography 
• PDF on blog
• A digital version on TurnItIn- (word doc)
• Studio Brief 2- 
• Visual Journal 
• Blog other sketchbook 
• 10 page PDF presentation- sum up project (pictures & quotes)
• A PDF of blog 
• Printed version of Summative Evaluation 
• Digital version on blog (typed up)
• Studio Brief 3- 
• COP Research Proposal- 10 page PDF
• Last posts on blog:
• Written Evaluation 
• Final Essay
• COP3 Proposal 

Evaluation of Synthesis Poster

We had to create a poster based upon the 10 words chosen to synthesise our work. I used an image produced for my visual journal as the background as I felt as though it successfully demonstrated all of the selected words. My overall theme was fairy tales- a traditional form of narrative, made contemporary by the use of technology. The image was created through a process of reinterpretation and adaption, reflecting the nature of the genre. My research was focused primarily on the symbolism within the tales and their effects on society and lastly, the actual aesthetics of the illustration uses shape, colour and also texture (in order to incorporate a further sense of traditionalism).  

(I also want to point out that I am aware of the spelling mistake however, I could not actually go back and correct it as my laptop had a breakdown and the file was lost- apologies.)

Visual Journal- Wolf Exploration

So for the other side of my visual journal I decided to do something a little different. I wanted to look at the way in which fairy tales have been constantly reinterpreted and modified over the years and thought an effective way to do this visually would be to take an image and re-draw it over and over, altering each outcome from the last slightly, but making sure to keep the subject matter the same and quite obvious. 

I chose an image that I thought would be interesting to draw and was a key feature in fairy tales or one fairy tale specifically. I chose to draw a wolf, a key character in Little Red Riding Hood. 

I started off with a semi-realistic drawing, expecting the outcomes to become more experimental and interesting over the course of the journal. From the pencil drawings, I moved on to using pen and then paper-cut collage, changing the line quality, scale and technique. 

I proceeded to then move into digital software for the last quarter of the journal as a means of reflecting the way in which fairy tales have been largely distributed through TV, film and various other technological platforms. I found working digitally a lot of fun and tried to work exhaustively with the image I had created using vectors. I played with layers, incorporated colour and used print textures to express the underlying traditionalism of fairy tales.

I feel as though I have effectively demonstrated and experimented with the use of line, shape, colour, texture and collage. 

Wolf Ideas

I made a big spider diagram of possible ways I could explore the image of the wolf, suggesting techniques, materials and general ideas. I want to really exhaust this part of my visual investigation and left one side of my journal to do so, meaning I need 34 ways to draw a wolf (excluding the very last page for something else). Even though I want each outcome to be different, I still want them to link and show a journey, so I planned every thing out to help me. Hopefully it'll work!

(Visual Journal) Idea!

I had a thought. It is common knowledge that fairy tales have been reinterpreted and modified many times over the course of time. What if I used this idea to drive some visual exploration in my journal? I could pick out a key symbol or image or something within fairy tales and draw it over and over, modifying it slightly as a go or just creating different versions using different materials, but still keeping the same subject in the way that fairy tales do. They keep the original themes, features and lessons as the originals do, but in a slightly different way. This will be fun! I just need to figure out what I want to continuously draw.

Colour Connotations

I did some outcomes in my visual journal that look into connotations of colour. The first shows an apple. Presented in red it has connotations of poison, danger and death- most likely as a result of the poisoned apple in Snow White. However, the green apple suggests ideas about health and well-being. 

Secondly, I looked at the idea of the forest- a common feature within fairy tales. Presented in black in suggests danger and darkness whereas the green version has connotations of nature.

Colour Psychology

Another thing I found out in my research was based on the analysis of colours within fairy tales. Luthi states that the main colours that are specific within fairy tales are red, white, black, gold and silver. And also that the colour green is almost never specifically mentioned. I thought it would be interesting to find out the connotations of there colours, so I did some research:

-Red-

Red is the color of fire and blood, so it is associated with energy, war, danger, strength, power, determination as well as passion, desire, and love. Red is a very emotionally intense color. It enhances human metabolism, increases respiration rate, and raises blood pressure. It has very high visibility, which is why stop signs, stoplights, and fire equipment are usually painted red. In heraldry, red is used to indicate courage. It is a color found in many national flags.

-White-

White is associated with light, goodness, innocence, purity, and virginity. It is considered to be the color of perfection. White means safety, purity, and cleanliness. As opposed to black, white usually has a positive connotation. White can represent a successful beginning. In heraldry, white depicts faith and purity.

-Black-

Black is associated with power, elegance, formality, death, evil, and mystery.

Black is a mysterious color associated with fear and the unknown (black holes). It usually has a negative connotation (blacklist, black humor, 'black death'). Black denotes strength and authority; it is considered to be a very formal, elegant, and prestigious color (black tie, black Mercedes). In heraldry, black is the symbol of grief.

-Gold-

The color gold is the color of success, achievement and triumph. Associated with abundance and prosperity, luxury and quality, prestige and sophistication, value and elegance, the psychology of this color implies affluence, material wealth and extravagance.This color is linked to masculine energy and the power of the sun, compared to silver which is associated with feminine energy and the sensitivity of the moon.

Silver

The color silver has a feminine energy; it is related to the moon and the ebb and flow of the tides - it is fluid, emotional, sensitive and mysterious. It is soothing, calming and purifying. It helps with the cleansing and releasing of mental, physical and emotional issues and blockages as it opens new doors and lights the way to the future.

Green

Green is the color of nature. It symbolizes growth, harmony, freshness, and fertility. Green has strong emotional correspondence with safety. Dark green is also commonly associated with money. Green has great healing power. It is the most restful color for the human eye; it can improve vision. Green suggests stability and endurance. Sometimes green denotes lack of experience; for example, a 'greenhorn' is a novice. In heraldry, green indicates growth and hope. Green, as opposed to red, means safety; it is the color of free passage in road traffic.

http://www.empower-yourself-with-color-psychology.com/meaning-of-colors.html

http://www.color-wheel-pro.com/color-meaning.html

.....
The colours used appear to have both positive and negative connotations, and a pretty even amount of both. This represents the element of 'good' and 'bad' that is commonly used within fairy tales. It is interesting that the colour green isn't seen as significant within fairy tales when there is a lot of reference to nature, which the colour green represents. An example of an instance where the colour green has actually been replaced to portray a negative connotation rather than positive one is in the idea of the forest. The colour green is replaced with the colour black when visualising the forest in fairy tales due to it always being depicted as scary and dark- (i.e. in Little Red Riding Hood & Hansel and Gretel). 

Visual Metaphors

“communicate feeling in efficient metaphorical terms”- Jack Zipes, 2006

I used this quote that I found when reading 'Why Fairy Tales Stick' (Zipes, 2006) to inform some visual experimentation in my journal. I looked at the idea of creating visual metaphors and based these upon key features of specific fairy tales. I wanted to show clearly the way I reached the outcomes- produced in paper cut- so I did a page of roughs alongside them to portray my train of thought.

 

Roughs for Visual Metaphors

I did some quick roughs to help plan the visual metaphors I am going to make in paper cut. This was helpful in getting out ideas.

Paper Cut Quotes

I have illustrated 10 of the found quotes in paper cut. It feels great to have finally started my visual journal. This is one of the main things that I was dreading as 70 pages seems like a lot of work on top of what we already have to do in our other modules. However, I actually found doing these pretty fun! I decided to recreate the look of a fairy tale book, by having the quotes written (in hand-made type) on one page with the illustration to go with it on the next. I tried to make each illustration very simple and with a limited colour palette as I am working on the idea of simplification within my practice a lot more. Being able to say a lot with a little is a powerful thing. 

Paper Cut Inspiration

Recently I have been really inspired by the process of paper cut. In 505 I produced one of my outcomes in this method for the first time and have since been wanting to trying incorporate it more into my practice as I really enjoyed both using it and the final result that it gives. I had a browse on Pinterest to give me some inspiration and thought it could be nice to try and use it in my visual journal. It has a more traditional aesthetic to it due to the texture of the paper and being hand-made but by using shapes I can make it more contemporary, reflecting the development of fairy tales themselves from a traditional method of storytelling to interpretations in tv and film. 

Paper Cut Plans

I have started sketching out ideas for my visual journal based on the quotes that I have found in my research so far. My understanding was that the drawings in our visual journals have to be final outcomes. So, because I was scared to just go in and make something, I bought another sketchbook to plan. As I intend to do the final versions of these sketches in paper cut, I have been thinking in terms of shape. I find this is quite easy for me as a lot of my past work has been very much shape-based. 

Ideas of Visuals

So having carried some research into fairy tales, this has sparked ideas about what I could potentially explore within my visual journal. I was really worried about starting my visual journal because I wasn't really sure where to begin! But having come up with some ideas now, I think I'm ready to make a start, finally. 

Karolin Schnoor

I found this lovely collection of card illustrations by Karolin Schnoor, based on the Grimms  fairy tales. In some of my research carried out I found out that the most common colours in fairy tales consist of red, black, white, gold, silver and steel and also that green is not usually a significant colour in the stories. I feel as though these illustrations portray this theory but also, I just think they really lovely examples of being able to represent a whole story in one image. You can tell exactly which story each one depicts straight away and this is something I may want to explore within my visual journal.

The images are shape-based but also carry a lot of detail, and the blocks of solid colour alongside negative space make the illustrations more interesting. I believe the process she used to create these were letterpress and foiling which I have never tried! I don't think I would be able to do so in this module as the sketchbook we have been given in this module is a little bit limiting as it is an A5 concertina book. However, I might try and give it a go in another module or over summer. 

Changing My Theme (Again)

After receiving my feedback for my essay draft, I realised how much I need to find a focus for my essay. Pete mentioned perhaps looking at one of the subjects I was looking at in more detail, for example children's narrative or more specifically, Fairy Tales. I think this is actually a really good idea. I spoke a little bit about fairy tales in my draft and I know there is probably a lot of theoretical resources out there based on them. It also seems like a lot more fun than my topic at the moment. I made a spider diagram of possible angles to look at:

Some of these include :

• Affects on society- morals/ life lessons
• How fairy tales have changed over time
• Analysis of fairy tales- common features

Chosen Theme: Books vs. Films

I have chosen to explore into the argument of which is better, books or films? I want to look at this from the point of view of children's education and which is more effective in conveying information. I also thought about how I could potentially investigate the practical side with this theme in mind. For example, I could maybe look at fairy tales or neurology:

New Change of Plan

I've been having a think and have changed my mind once again.
I found it really interesting to research into the way children learn last year for cop, and have decided it would be more beneficial to choose a subject that I have begun to investigate into already. I don't want my question to be the same however, so I am going to try and look at a different angle. I have drawn a spider diagram of ideas: