Assignment 2, Tutor report responses

Tutorial Ass 2

Notes from Assignment 2 tutorial.  Text in red added by my tutor.  My response in blue.

Overall Comments

As discussed:

  • You are tight for time. I recommend contacting the OCA regarding an extension as you are working full-time from home during lockdown which is time-consuming. However, it would be good to get the next submission in quickly.
  • I have a natural ability and the results of my work are good quality.
  • I am creative and able, and my technical and creative skills are good. I’m pleased that you’re not trying to ‘polish’ those skills but are using them as a starting point for exploration.
  • I have a knack for making interesting images and can manage different media.
  • Reflection about my work is good, my blog is organised, and I am very thorough.
  • Anything that is over and above the course write about it and reflect. Showing that you are engaged in the wider subject is always a good thing. You mentioned you have been watching Age of the Image, for instance. That would be good to demonstrate somewhere on the blog. I will update the blog with the review notes as I watch the programmes.

Feedback on assignment: Demonstration of technical and Visual Skills, Quality of Outcome, Demonstration of Creativity

As discussed:

  • Project 1: Space depth and volume:

○ Working in reverse drawings resulted in some nice drawings. Good way to think about things. It creates a whole new set of marks. Reflect if you noticed if you are working in a different way, its carving out a drawing, rather than using outlines. It is a useful technique to persevere with. MO = Modus Operandi aka ‘way of working’.

○ Drawings have some interesting marks, some of which you wouldn’t be able to make any other way, such as the smudges, shadow and the bruising of the paper. ‘Under the Bridge’ has a moody set of marks. You’ve managed to get a level of detail and control in the Cathedral drawing, you have managed the highlights and kept it clean.

○ Consider experimenting further with this technique in a more complex way that develops a sophisticated interaction of materials i.e. using masking fluid to preserves what’s underneath. Lots of ways to extend this method which I’m sure you’ll be able to explore.

  • Project 2: Mark making materials.

○ Some interesting experimentation. The post has been written well to describe the interactions with materials and supports, detailing those little accidents and the unexpected results, such as the chemical interactions between support ground and media. By noticing these things, the way they interact, you can begin to manage them in an artistic manner.

○ You are allowing yourself to build on your ability and relax and make interesting work.

○ Consider scaling up the mark making materials project. You will find that as you scale up the movements and gestures, it becomes a physical experience rather than a drawing experience, which can be quite expressive. Because you have this underlying ability to make good structured compositions, you will get more out of the freedom of making those gestural movements and those chemical interactions. Be aware that scaling up is not just as straight forward as making things bigger. Some things are predictable, but others start to impact in the work you make, such as paper thickness. Try and log these differences. I mentioned that large piece can fill the field of vision (see Anselm Kiefer), which is a different sort of experience from making an A2 work.  The blog has been updated as suggested. [Link]

  • Project 3: Narrative

○ This is a very good piece of work. The blind drawing and the colour studies are good. The research for the fabric, the blind drawing, the contours, the colour, the ink, and overlaying the watercolour and is well thought through. The material investigations have really informed the final piece. Update the blog to reflect in more detail, how the initial investigations didn’t work and how you came to the final piece. This journey seems to be an important moment for your and your practice. The ground work led you to make some unsatisfactory concussing work so you revisited and made another final piece. That works. Track how the work changed direction… I have updated the blog to reflect these suggestions [link]

  • Assignment 2

○ Good documentation on the blog. This is a very good piece of work, especially the mark making experiments. I’ve used lots of different ways of making marks to make vibrant drawings. I am inquisitive and curious. It is effective even though it is the same colour, black ink. Consider using different colours on different coloured papers, it could open up a whole new kind of practice. Make sure you include the sizes of drawings in the captions.

○ The final drawing is not a complicated composition, it’s positioned in the middle of the paper, but the way you’ve filled the page and managed a variety of marks and heavy marks, you are responding to the difficulty of the

medium and the implement, which is not typical. You have managed to get a lot out of it. It is really strong, and it has lot of potential.

All in all the work submitted shows that you are thinking THROUGH making, which is as it should be. Make sure that the blog posts don’t just describe the way you make the work and explain the decisions you make, but also analyse the results thoroughly.  I have revisited each blog post to ensure that they include analysis and checked that any artists mentioned are emboldened.

  • Parallel Project

○ You have the correct attitude to making, which will resume once the current restrictions are lifted.

○ Consider using the lessons learned in this part of the course to take through to the parallel project, such as the techniques used in the Assignment and Space, Depth and Volume.

○ Think about using motifs as a recurring theme for material investigations and experiments.

○ Consider scale, both huge and tiny in the Parallel Project. Reflect on how large and small works behave differently for the viewer as well as the maker.  I have updated the blog to reflect this. [link]

Research: Context, reflective thinking, critical analysis

As discussed:

  • I am linking other artists to artists such as Jim Shaw to Grayson Perry. The Manet reference is quite clear in Borremans. Keep doing that and link to artists you discover, too. Contextual understanding is crucial to doing well at this level. You should, by the end of Drawing Two have a pretty clear idea of the territory in which you’re working and who else occupies that territory.
  • Have a look at the BBC iPlayer for anything relevant to contemporary art. Write about it and reflect to show a broader understanding of the of the hinterland that surrounds art practice and some of the issues. You are expected to be aware of those issues in relation to art and the contemporary debate. Consider the relationship between art and the internet, or digital art or design in relation to art, to enrich your knowledge. Other artists may influence your work.
  • Good research and I have made some interesting points.

Learning Logs or Blogs/Critical essays: Context, reflective thinking, critical thinking, analysis

As discussed:

  • Critical Review

○ Shortlist two or three drawings and focus on a comparison. Consider other elements such as introducing people to the imagery. Find a relevant text/ statement by the artist(s) to refer to so you can test the work in relation to what was intended. Remember that the text can’t just be your opinion. You need to have evidence of reading / researching.

○ Bullet point the proposal for comment.

○ Manage your workload so that the Parallel Project and Critical Review are well underway before getting to Part 6. This will allow you to be more reflective and have time for corrections if needed.

Suggested reading/viewing: Context

As discussed:

Pointers for the next assignment:

  • Reflect on this feedback in your learning log.
  • Follow up on the suggestions I have made.

Well done, I look forward to your next assignment.

Research to do:

  • Deanna Pertherbridge
  • Mandy Payne
  • Jim Dine
  • Charles Sheeler
  • John Piper: ruins after the blitz
  • Anslem Kiefer
  • Turner: romanticness of ruins

To do:

  • Critical review: see above notes plus:
    • Find a text relating to 2013 Deller exhibition that you can argue with. Write a commentary about if agree or disagree with it. Keep thinking about it and do some work on it.
  • Update List of Illustrations and bibliographies

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