Study Task 1 - Why Am I Here - What do I want to Learn?

Why I chose to study on this program:

1. A large factor that made me want to study in this program was the fact that it was brand new - there was no established "look" or way that most people worked. This made me really excited as my year group is, in a way, making history and setting the bench mark. There are no pre-conceptions of what sort of illustration work LCA students produce since it has never existed.
2. I love illustrating. I actually only just discovered that I wanted to do illustration a few weeks into my foundation. Having done fine art for sixth form, I left there set with the idea that I wanted to do graphic design. However, when I specialized in it at foundation, I realized that although I can appreciate good graphic design and the aesthetic, I really didn't enjoy the subject. Typography and layout, etc, are things that really do not excite me. I wanted to go back to being able to just center on draw, and since I already had quite a graphic approach to my drawing, I thought illustration was a great choice in the end.
3. Having lived in London, I  feel as though I have been spoilt by all the galleries and exhibitions I had access to on a regular basis. When I was researching Leeds and reading the LCA prospectus, it had an emphasis on the cultural features of the city, including all the museums and galleries which I felt I would need to have access to over the next three years. The architecture of the city is also really interesting and inspiring.
4. Drawing is the only activity which I am passionate enough about to devote a huge amount of my time to. As it is already something I do and enjoy, I thought that if I can get a degree out of it and then a job, why not?
5. When given the tour of the college at my interview, I loved the look of the building's interior- the facilities all looked up to date and the number of them made me feel like I would have so many opportunities to experiment with new things here.

What I want to learn during my time on this program:

1. I think one of the most important things that I want to learn on this program is how to sell myself as an illustrator - knowing the correct practices and approaches to making money off my work and getting clients.
2. I want to learn how to maximize my time on this course and get the most out of it, in terms of improving my skills as an illustrator and making connections/networking.
3. I want to learn how to get better at digital painting. I own a tablet and use it every now and then, but it is mostly a tool to enhance traditionally done drawings I scan in. I would like to learn how to be able to create a digital painting from scratch on Photoshop.
4. I want to learn what type of illustration I am best suited to doing, i.e. editorial, book, etc.
5. I want to learn how to paint - I'm not bad at drawing and using ink, but my painting skills leave a lot to be desired. I want to be able to use oil paints well, as I began to learn how to use them in sixth form before abruptly stopping when I left.

5 skills that are strengths:

1. I am confident in using Photoshop's features and functions to enhance images that I have scanned in, adding colour and/or effects.
2. I have observed when getting feedback so far on this course that people consider my use of fine liner to be quite impressive - I believe that I can make confident lines and have fairly good line control.
3. I think that I make good use of my sketchbook, and the fact that I record ideas in it as often as I do can definitely be considered a strength. I also enjoy having something that I can informally bounce ideas off of and then return
4. I am willing to take on board any criticism of work, and in fact encourage others to voice any.
5. I think that I have good verbal/written communication skills. This allows me to communicate ideas to others regarding anything from my work/process or comments and thoughts during crit sessions

5 skills that I want to improve:

1. I hope to improve my skills in meeting new people and forming better connections that may help me down the line. These could be by being more confident or outspoken or simply learning how to go about meeting relevant people.
2. I want to improve the amount of work that I produce. I feel that sometimes I look over the work I have produced for a brief and am finished after turning only a few sketchbook pages.
3. I want to improve my confidence in using new and unfamiliar media to make different kinds of work
4. As stated above I really want to improve my painting ability. It's a medium which I find to be very fun to work with.
5. I want to improve in my drawing skills of figures. I'm really interested in figurative drawing/art, but am not very good at drawing people.

5 ways I will evaluate my progress:

1. I have my studio practice blog as a way to evaluate my progress - as long as I post on it regularly I can evaluate my progress through the year
2. Taking on board all criticism and seeing how I can apply suggestions to new work
3. Keeping all my sketchbook throughout the year, looking through the early ones later on to see how much my drawing has improved
4. Keeping a record of all sheets produced from a tutorial session to know how I'm doing periodically.
5. Keeping a record of all peer evaluation/crit sheets to know what peers think of my work periodically.