Assignment 3 – Reflection on formative feedback

Part three was a bit of a struggle and I was nervous to get feedback from my tutor. Once again she has been fantastic; encouraging and making suggestions as to how I can move forward.

Feedback on Assignment

My tutor said that I worked well and recognised that I had persevered with the painting and my intention for the outcome had informed how I would design the composition. She said that I can understand the body and its proportions but she recognised that my preoccupation with likeness sometimes hinders the outcome. She suggested that when I am more ‘playful and more confident’ with the paint this can positively impact the success of the painting more than the likeness.

I completely agree with this. I got very hung up on various aspects of this painting, particularly skin tone and it almost made me seize or ‘choke up’. Once I abandoned the idea of trying to make the skin look realistic and relaxed with the paints, the outcome was much more successful and this is something I intend to take forward.

Sketchbooks

She recognised that there is ‘lightness’ to the drawings which I find hard to convey with paint and that some of my watercolour sketches are more successful than the final paintings. She also said that she can see I have a determination to master acrylics and that the research has enabled me to experiment with new ways of painting.

Once again I totally agree with her observations. Particularly with acrylics I have a tendency to make the painting feel dry, heavy and still whereas I am much more fluid with watercolour. I am already trying to address this in Part 4, Exercise 2 where I am painting a soft landscape using acrylics but I am going to try experimenting with a combination of fluid washes as well as a more dryer painting technique.

Research

I really tried to expand my critical and reflective thinking within my research after the feedback from Part 2 and am pleased that my tutor has recognised this during this part. I have downloaded a small part of some sample coursework I found on the OCA website headed ‘Analysing other Artists work’ and have it pinned on the wall of my room to help me with my research moving forward.

Blog

I have a tendency to use my blog, almost in diary form, documenting every step of my painting and research process. I usually type my initial thoughts and feelings in Google Docs alongside my painting and I also take photographs of the work as I go along. By doing this  my reactions to the process are very immediate and as a consequence, every stage of my process is written about which is why I think my struggles with a piece becomes very evident.

I am glad my tutor feels I am mapping the process well and I will continue to do this alongside trying to be more emotive and reflective on my themes and ideas.

I have made notes in my blog of the suggested artists and will carry out some research on them.

Areas for development.

I will try to become more fluid and quicker and also consider surface texture and mark making with the paint; something that I am already trying to address in part 4. I am also going to extend my critical thinking as stated above.

My tutor’s final comment is to ‘balance the ways of working and trust your ability.’ I am incredibly grateful to her. This comment on its own has given me a little more confidence in my painting ability.