Week Beginning 10th December: Summative Project Report

The presentation of the development and resolved work:

• lots of sketchbook testing and development
• thoughtful consideration of work you're making and the ladies you're drawing
• exploration of different ideas and outcomes is good!
• lots of momentum within your sketchbook showing natural progression of ideas
• you should be v proud :)
• excellent journey from portraits to fully realised layouts
• you knew you wanted a book/ fabric prints but have clearly pushed your ideas through visual development instead of settling at portraits

The practical outcomes:

• Lovely! printing designs onto fabric links practical back to notion of protest
• very ambitious project with well finalised outcomes
• I'm excited
• dynamic layout, clever use of symbols, at once clear in meaning but leaving room to still notice things (like the coathangers!!!!!)
• nice synthesis of layout, type and symbols

The synthesis between practical and theoretical aspects of the project:

• YES! you obviously have a really good understanding of your subject and this comes through in both your written and practical work
• Feminist themes are clear
• does it purposefully play off protest poster aesthetic?
• do you purposefully use a square frame like and instagram image?

Any aspects that could be continued or further explored in 603?

• Definitley! I'd love to see you continue this project further
• your portraits are lovely, so enjoyable to look at!
• the grid format you've been working with is so nice and allows for a good balance of images/ text. GOOD STUFF!
• Have you made a publication? If not, make it!!! 
• As (possibly sexist) as this is, these would look really good as tea towels (reclaiming women's domestic roles)
• might be nice embriodered
• or as puppets for young girls!

3 words that sum up your feelings towards this work:

1. empowering
2. excited
3. it's very you!/ visually invested

What I can take from this:

I'm really happy with this feedback from my work, especially since I couldn't print my finals on to fabric as there was issues with the printers! I worried people wouldn't understand the effect I was aiming to achieve by printing them large scale and onto a cotton fabric. Although I'm still annoyed they can't be printed, its clear it doesn't take away too much from the meaning of the work. I'm happy that both peer feed backs mentioned they noticed different imagery the more they looked at the square compositions, such as the coat hangers and other small details. This was the kind of visual play I wanted to achieve by making such densely detailed pieces. They also picked up on the fact that the images are composed in a square format which reflects the format used for Instagram as I worried I'd not made this obvious enough. By far the most positive part of the feedback was that both said the work made them feel empowered. This was absolutely the intention of my practical work, I'd wanted to make a children's book that made the reader feel inspired and empowered by the content, and I feel I've achieved this in a different way with these fabric designs. For once in my work I can see a natural development throughout the course of this module, starting with the portraiture and moving into the text driven work. Then finally moving into combining the two into the Lisa Condon, grid inspired formats that you see in the final four designs. Where in previous modules I would have just stopped at my first idea of a book filled with portraiture, this time I've been able to push myself and my ideas a step further. And its meant me making something that I'm actually really happy with. This peer feedback session has also given me a lot of good ideas to take this project forward into 603, as I'm pleased with my outcomes but still feel there is more I could do. I'm going to definitely look into printing properly onto fabric and maybe trying to organise some kind of exhibition based on these works in the local community. In addition to this I will endeavour to make some kind of publication in 603. I'm still really determined to make some form of the children's book I'd intended to make in this module, however I've realised I'll need more time for this and to focus my ideas down and try and get a clear outline of my intentions. Now I've established this visual quality and the grid method of working which I really enjoy, I'm going to look at taking this further, perhaps considering making this the format for my children's book and adding colour or experimenting with other processes.