Summative Evaluation

End of Module Student Evaluation BA(hons) Illustration

Module Code: PPP3 OUIL602 Name: Eleanor Chappell
Student ID: 255556

Learning Outcome	Evidenced where? Blog, Sketchbook, Roughs Final Illustrations, development sheets etc. (No more than 75 words)	Your grade Using words: > poor, satisfactory, good, very good, excellent
6A3 Demonstrate specific knowledge and specialist understanding of the professional and contextual location of their practice. Knowledge and Understanding - RESEARCH	Blog, working alongside creative practitioners/ teachers with Young Creatives, participating in group exhibitions, gallery visits and events, leading and assisting creative workshops, attending information days and open days about future study (teaching/art therapy)	Very Good
6B2 Undertake research to identify and evaluate their personal and professional skills and the career or progression opportunities available to them. (Cognitive Skills - EVALUATION & REFLECTION	Attending career track Tuesday/Start up Wednesday sessions, one on one careers advice,online job searching, entering competitions, consistently reflecting and evaluating progress, job interviews, voluntary work	Excellent
6C2 Develop and implement a personal promotion strategy to communicate to relevant organisations. Practical & Professional Skills - VISUAL QUALITY)	Social media, website, linkedin, contacting organisations, getting involved in local events. I feel like my branding and presentation could be a lot stronger.	Good
6D2 Use a range of appropriate communication methods to present themselves as a professional practitioner to a relevant audience. Key Transferable Skills - PROFESSIONALISM & COMMUNICATION	Networking with other creatives at events such as the Love Arts festival and Sustainability Symposium etc, communicating through email and phone calls with clients, commissions through Etsy, online presence, final presentation	Very Good

Evaluation 

This year I have truly appreciated the importance of PPP in helping me develop both as a professional creative and as an individual. Since day one I’ve always been apprehensive about sending my work out to people and establishing myself and my practice with confidence. Although I can still find it a little nerve- wracking at times, I’ve pushed myself to get involved with as many jobs, events, and other creative opportunities that have enabled me to make valuable decisions about my future career and how to get to where I want to be.

PPP has been a huge, yet valuable learning curve where I have discovered a lot about myself and the way that I work, especially acknowledging my need for a balanced lifestyle as an extrovert in a career that can present itself as being predominantly solitary. This is where I made the decision to split my practice into two, having one half as my illustrative creative practice, and the other as a socially engaging/ teaching arts practitioner.

I’ve exhaustively used my blog as a reflective diary to record of trials and tribulations on the course as well as a platform to record milestones and set myself goals. Within this I’ve also learnt how to properly negotiate with clients on a professional basis, and gained a huge insight into my rights as an illustrator in terms of being treated and paid fairly and properly. Additionally I have learnt how to present myself both online and in person, having to distinguish the correct barrier between my personality and professional presence.

At the start of second year, I told myself to ‘say yes to everything’, in other words, get involved with as many opportunities that come my way as possible. I’ve kept my word to this day, within reason, and its really enabled me to step outside my comfort zone, experiencing and achieving things that three years ago I never thought would be possible. With this I’ve had many valuable experiences that have benefited my practice, such as partaking in live and competition briefs, learning about public and large scale art, having the opportunity to teach and assist creative workshops; all have which have informed and shaped my ambitions and plans for the future.

One thing that I have struggled with year on year is planning and time management. Although by nature I have been described as quite an organised person, my mental health has massively interfered with this since starting college and has hindered my progress in numerous ways. I wish I’d have been more accepting of the things that I genuinely struggle with and not been afraid to ask for additional academic support in those areas. This way such tasks could have felt more manageable and achievable instead of completely overwhelming, resulting in rushing them at the last minute. I also wish that I’d have planned out what I wanted to include in my portfolio at an earlier stage so that I could have been more well prepared and confident when sending my work out to future employers and clients.

In summary, PPP has provided me with the knowledge, ambition and personal toolkit to embark on the next stage of my life, however scary yet exciting this may be. I’ve learnt so much about myself, how I work best and what I actually want to get out of my creative career as an illustrator. I’ve learnt how to communicate on a professional level with clients, including negotiating tricky topics such as unpaid work, presenting my work efficiently and how to maintain resilience in disappointing situations. The whole module has increased my awareness of my strengths and weaknesses, both as an individual and a creative, and how I can capitalise and address these elements in the working world outside of the art school bubble.