Old School

For this weeks tasks, we were given a set of manual tasks to do, with the focus being on developing our technical skills, ranging from developing our cutting out skills, copying, and following instructions. Generally, I found this set of tasks challenging due to the lack of creativity and the desire to get the outcomes as close to the instructions and examples that were shown. This proved stressful as it became evident that my technical skills lacked in certain areas, such as cutting out straight and perfect pieces of paper with a craft knife. 

With that said, I learnt a lot in doing this project, as going into the second week of tasks, I was more confident due to the things I had learnt in the first, and if I had of had time, I believe I would have been able to do the first weeks tasks better than I had first done. I particularly saw improvement when it came to the presentation tasks, such as the window mount and foam core mount, as although they appeared simple, I feared going into them that they would go wrong as there was room for error, especially given the week prior I had struggled with the cutting out tasks, such as cutting a perfect circle from a piece of card. It was for this reason, that I went back and redid some tasks, such as the circle task and the embossing task to make sure I was happier with the result. 

Having been able to polish up on my cutting skills, the next big task I faced was the putting together of three dimensional objects, particularly holding them together as the materials that I first used proved to be ineffective, hence why they began to fall apart. With that said, I now know what I would have done differently, using better materials, and not trying to fix too many little mistakes, as I believe that was part of the downfall, as the more I messed with them, the more issues I faced. 

Having been able to polish up on my cutting skills, the next big task I faced was the putting together of three dimensional objects, particularly holding them together as the materials that I first used proved to be ineffective, hence why they began to fall apart. With that said, I now know what I would have done differently, using better materials, and not trying to fix too many little mistakes, as I believe that was part of the downfall, as the more I messed with them, the more issues I faced

​Despite the stresses and struggled, I came out with a better understanding of technical skills, and more confident in what I was doing, as I learnt a lot along the way, allowing me to develop my skills going forwards, particularly when it came to cutting out and putting together three dimensional objects. But above all, these tasks proved how necessary these skills are, and how they are needed in the art world, whether it be creating art work or displaying it. 

Admittedly, my favourite task, and probably the one I was most proud of was the final task; making a pop up book surrounding a familiar setting. I believe this was a combination of it being the most creative, and too the final one, being able to put all of my previous learning into it. 

I decided to chose the saying, 'When the cat's away, the mice will play,' and played around with foreground and background with my pop up book. It did take a short while to try and understand how the folds worked, but once I understood it, it was simply a case of putting together the individual pieces. The way I created this piece was by using only paper where I could, with all but the cat's mouth and definition on the mice being made out of card. As small as it was of attention to detail, I believed it had a better effect, giving more dimension to what would have been a flat piece. But above all, it allowed me to use the skills I had used the week prior, as I was now more confident in using a craft knife and building up a layered piece than I would have been if this had been the very first task. 

I personally could see the progress made over the short time of two weeks, as comparing my very first cut outs of the circle to my final attempt, and too my pop up to the first sketchbooks made, I had become more confident, and in turn, knew what worked for me, and what didn't. Going forwards, I believe to develop my skills further, it is simply a case of continuing to use my technical and traditional skills, and being to grow less reliant on the digital processes I put a lot of faith into. 

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