What roles was I given?
My tasks included backgrounds, exterior and interior house designs, mood-boards, prop designs and colour pallets. I have been up to date with my work and reached all goals set for me on time. I’ve found this opportunity to be a really nice introduction to working in the industry. I’ve been given a lot of creative freedom as well.
Did I complete the roles and what feedback did I receive?
I performed very well during this project. I created high quality concept art that fulfilled the brief I was given and completed all roles given to me. The feedback I received was very positive and any suggestions have been incredibly useful and constructive. I have been asked to stay on as a background designer, which I will be doing alongside my other work this year.
Did I enjoy the experience?
This has been my favourite part of the course so far. Having a chance to use my illustration abilities has really boosted my confidence and sparked my interest in my work again. Polina is a brilliant project manager, setting realistic work goals and ensuring clear and open communication between us. She’s been a motivating force and overall a wonderful person to work with.
What new skills did you learn? What was challenging about the experience?
Especially with the prop designs I quickly learnt the necessity of giving multiple options to the project manager, a design was more likely to be picked up if I had provided various versions with slight design changes. I also learned how to use the project management website ‘Trello’. At first I found this slightly challenging to use but I quickly adapted and it really helped Polina and I to share work and stay on the same page about our progress. I also gained more experience with taking constructive criticism and feedback, which will help me going into the industry.
How did you utilize the skills you have learnt so far on the course?
An understanding of the animation process helped me in designing props and environments. Shape theory and a need for simplicity was something I considered when designing. Sue Tong’s seminar on background and layout pushed me to consider character and storytelling when creating the interior and exterior backgrounds. I incorporated the characters story and personalities in my designs, along with negative space to allow the characters to move within the area.
What would you bring into your practice from this experience?
The scheduling and management strategies Polina used will definitely be present in my future practice. Organisation is a brilliant skill to have and so I will be focussing on it more in the future. I will also look out for group projects and collaborative opportunities as I believe I work well in these circumstances.