Having been disappointed in having to wait 6 weeks for a Tutor Report on Assignment 2, only to be told I was having a change of tutor, I was very relieved to have contact from Brian Eccleshall very quickly, and thought it was a good idea when he suggested using Skype.  He arranged this very quickly, and this helped to get my motivation back on track.  I hadn’t started Part 3 whilst waiting on the tutor report.

I was very impressed that Brian had looked at my work on my blog before the tutorial and had made some notes.

I was encouraged by his assertion that I needn’t worry about my drawing skills.

Project 1 Exercise for space, Depth and Volume

I was slightly disappointed in his comment about working from ‘contrived’ still lives because I am enjoying the fact I now have my own studio to work in.  I have set up a ‘still life area’ with a back drop to drape material over and have lots of vases lying around.  Having vases of roses around helped me experiment with the studies for Assignment 2.  Having said that, I totally understand where he was coming from and that using ‘found’ groups of objects can be more interesting.  If I felt strongly that I wanted to work from a still life I would still do so and would explain why I wanted to do it in my blog.

Project 2 Mark Making Materials

I was interested in his comments on the Mark-making materials exercise because the two versions that he was most interested in were ones that I liked too.  His comments made me realise that perhaps I’m not trusting my own instincts, and instead thinking about what would be most pleasing to others.

Project 3 Narrative

I was pleased with Brian’s response to these exercises.  He really got the emotion I was feeling when completing them and his comments about not setting up still lives made sense.  The items I was sketching were put together authentically, as they had been on my mother’s bedside table.  The unusual inclusion of the Irn Bru bottle made it different or quirky, and therefore more interesting than a conventional still life.

Research

I was very interested in Brian’s comments about the research I’ve done because I’ve always recorded it in my learning log in the same manner and no other tutor has commented, I suspect only because Brian is much more thorough in his review on my blog.  It’s good to have constructive criticism and a steer on how it should be done.  I will review this area and edit it.

Assignment 2

Brian began by asking me what my own thoughts were on my final piece for Assignment 2.  When I answered that I wasn’t convinced I had the best outcome and preferred some of the black and white drawings and he agreed with me, in a way having what you suspect confirmed by another is reassuring.  My gut instinct was that I could have had a better outcome.  I need to trust this instinct in future and not be swayed from it.  I think I’m still trying to come up with a final piece that others will like, i.e. the final piece where I used watercolour and ink and printing etc, I thought appeared more finished or polished that a black and white drawing.  If time allows I may have another go, or try what Brian suggested with collage etc.

Parallel Project

Brian’s suggestions for the way forward for the Parallel Project were very exciting.  He had an endless stream of ideas.  I felt encouraged by his enthusiasm and more confident about tackling it.

All in all the tutorial was a very positive experience.