Looking again at my tutor feedback forms from the course, I have reached the following conclusions in relation to four Learning Outcomes for this unit.
Learning Outcome 1: Demonstrate use of drawing to develop your visual ideas
I have enjoyed this process-oriented medium immensely. As a result, I have concentrated more on the process of learning about how best to pull a successful linocut, for example, than I have about development of designs. This is not to say that I have not thought about the development process. There is evidence of this in my sketchbook. It is simply that I have arrived at my desired design outcomes comparatively quickly. As a consequence, drawing has perhaps been my weakest area on this unit. Even though, on both the Drawing Skills and the Intro to Printmaking units, I do use my sketchbook for planning compositions and for recording reference material, it is my intention to further develop my skills of draughtsmanship and composition.
Learning Outcome 2: use a range of printmaking techniques and media
Throughout this unit I have used a wide variety of media and techniques to achieve positive outcomes. Learning much along the way about this highly process-oriented medium, I have gained so much confidence in my ability both to adapt subject matter to suit the medium, and to choose the right medium/method to create a particular effect. This has been true in both my coursework and in side projects, for example discarding one approach to creating a print of a tree with Linocutting techniques for the more detail-friendly intaglio dry point etching technique. Though this technique is not included in this unit, it illustrates my interest in printmaking in general and not just within the parameters of the structure of the unit.
For projects strictly within the course, I have tried to use complementary techniques to best achieve the production of positive outcomes; this has been largely successful. Indeed, I have been pleasantly surprised by the level of enthusiasm with which my work has been received. Sometimes this level of surprise has been quite strong – notably where a highly intuitive approach was required, as in the abstract collagraph. I had low confidence in my outcomes, as this represented new territory in subject matter as well as in method used. But my tutor’s response brushed aside all reservations I had. It is times like these I feel my levels of confidence and self believe really do grow.
Learning Outcomes 3: understand the historical and contemporary contexts that inform your work
As COVID rules begin to loosen up, I am revisiting London haunts such as the Royal Academy and the V & A. I have begun to look at ebook resources on the UCA website instead of relying totally on more general internet resources. I have also reached out to other artists, including Caroline Macey and Paul Catharall to seek advice on the printmaking process.
I have attended the RA exhibitions on Tracey Emin and Edvard Munch, as well as on David Hockney’s latest exhibition. I intend to do more in this vein in the near future. There are indirect historical influences in regards to some of the designs, including church window designs in my personal project, and cubist designs in my reduction print project.
Learning Outcome 4: reflect upon your own learning experience
My ability to reflect upon my work in relation to That of my contemporaries has also improved. This has been due in no small part to my tutor’s responses to my work and to my reflection on my outcomes. Also, her recommendation to read and absorb the Gerda Williams book “How To Write About Contemporary Art”, has been a formative influence. I feel I am beginning to get a grasp of how best to communicate my ideas when writing about my own, as well as other artists’ work. I have learned that in order to communicate more widely and successfully, it is necessary to think about what is relatable on a universal level, rather than simply list the specifics of one’s personal experience. Rather than say “I chose the head of a Buddha for a still life subject due to having been given said item by my brother who found it in a skip one day”, I can speak of my finished outcome being about universal experiences such as “memory” “personal history” or “emotion”. At first, this seemed a little vague, and I admit I’m still trying to get to grips with this concept. But I can see why speaking in universal terms helps others to identify contexts, even though they have walked a different path from me.
Maureen Walker's Introduction to Printmaking Blog 