Exercise: Making an action plan- Visually

Brief

Make an action list from your observations. A simple way to do this is to think about the outcomes you would like to achieve in this final assignment. This could be media skills you would like to develop further, approaches to drawing you would like to continue exploring, processes you would like to get better at, a series of “what if?” questions that you would like to try to find answers for.

A direct approach to take is to make a long list in response to this statement:

I would like to use the final assignment to …… you could use words for this bit.

Prioritise by numbering, ticking or circling whichever actions you think are most important and most enjoyable. Now translate this list visually in your sketchbook using icons , drawings, symbols and adding words inventively and creatively if you want to.

Use these headings as a starting point of things you may want to focus on in the assignment:

• Practice technical skills

• Experiment with more media

• Get better at using one media in particular

• Use different surfaces

• Explore composition

• Use line

• Use tone

• Colour

• Draw quickly

• Draw slowly

• Draw more simply

• Become braver

• Be more inventive

• Understand viewpoints

• Interpret

• Draw people

• Draw buildings

• Draw things that move

• Work in sequence

• Think more about meaning

• Show my sketchbook to others

• Hide my sketchbook from others

• Work in a circle

• Use words

• Write words

• Make mistakes

My Action Plan (Visually)

I wanted to do a spread on the first two pages of the sketchbook I plan to use for my assignment, this way I can keep reminding myself of these throughout my use of the new sketchbook. This sketchbook is reused and I had to tear out some older pages from years ago, I just added small icons and had a bit of fun with some watercolour- dripping watercolour on the pink page and blotchy/blobbing watercolour on the blue.

I would like to use the final assignment to develop my own style by practice technical skills like perspective, anatomy and narrative; all while trying to get better at traditional and digital mediums by studying artists and their techniques. With that I hope to grow in confidence as an artist, showing my work off and have fun while making mistakes.

Evaluation

This small exercise was really good to help me focus on what I need to improve on and what I want to get out of the last assignment of this elective. I hope that I can actually go through with the aims, hence why I put it on my sketchbook that I plan to use for the assignment.

I also wanted to get the idea that my sketchbook had to be perfect out of the head so I just let my perfection go on the first pages so I wouldn't be tempted to "fix" everything.