Module Evaluation

The Professional Practice module was useful in experiencing the world of professional illustration through the publication of a personal newspaper, and conducting interviews with artists. As I retook this module, what I have learnt this year has further consolidated my understanding of what life is like for a professional illustrator, as well as get a taste of completing a project on my own. The newspaper project proved enjoyable when I was left to my own devices to write about a topic that I am passionate about, while work experience was successful yet had room for improvement.

During the course of the module, I noticed improvements with my ability to be independent in producing my own publication and approaching artists for interviews. By having done two years of artist interviews, I now believe that I have learnt a lot from the in-depth answers I have been given, regarding both freelance and hired illustration work. While most of the artists I talked to were based in concept art, this helped me to see what working in this field would be like, and is a career path that I would be interested in pursuing in the future.

However, I feel that the range of my initial work experience was not varied enough for me to get an array of experiences from within the illustration industry. As I changed from doing regular work experience to writing a report late in the module, I believe that I may have missed out on opportunities that I otherwise would not have approached or dedicated my time to. Although, because of this late change I was already prepared to write the report with fresh concept artist interviews, meaning that I could complete the report in an efficient and cost-effective way.

On top of this, I managed to keep on track with the work for this module and was able to meet deadlines for both the publication and report without a problem. I believe this is down to me having previous experience with Professional Practice and so knowing how the module worked and was laid out. While there was appropriate time for tutorials alongside completing the tasks, I did not attend many and this provided a reason for the late change in work experience. From this, I have learnt that it is important to meet regularly to not only discuss module progress, but also make it clear for myself what my next steps should be and how to take them.

Overall, I believe I have improved in my independence and professional skills when producing publications and conducting interviews, as well as gained a wealth of collective insight into working in the illustration industry - especially concept art. However, I feel that my work experience is still limited and I could have achieved more had I been more confident in my work and my progress in the module. With this in mind, I have learnt lessons on what to do and what not to do in being a professional illustrator.