The purpose of this exercise was to undertake a skills audit to identify what you already know and measure this against your investigation into contemporary practice to identify any gaps in your knowledge that you would like to address.
Key words from the brief:
- Undertake a skills audit to identify what you already know
Software audit
| Application name | Proficiency | Short-term improvements? |
| Adobe Photoshop | Proficient | Will consider doing Photoshop Master Class training – don’t feel a lack of knowledge is preventing me from working, but there are features that would make me more efficient |
| Adobe Illustrator | Competent | Currently doing Illustrator 2021 Master Class on Udemy. |
| Adobe InDesign | Advanced beginner | There’s currently no requirement for me to get a better understanding of InDesign although this might change. For example, the visual diary may require more advanced layout |
| Adobe Premier | Advanced beginner | I have enough understanding to produce video reflections. The area that would improve the outputs is understanding how to balance/normalise audio tracks, although this is currently not a high priority |
| Omnigraffle | Advanced beginner | There’s currently no requirement for me to get a better understanding of Omnigraffle. |
| WordPress | Competent | My current level of understanding is fine to manage my Learning Log. I may need additional training when I come up with more tailored requirements. |
Practical skills audit
| Description | How would you like to develop these? |
| Rostrum photography | MUST to a lesson in studio lighting and optimum camera setup. Have already got a quote and need to make time to do the lesson |
| Photography | WON’T develop any new skills at this time |
| Etching | WON’T develop any new skills at this time |
| Woodcut/linocut printing | WON’T develop any new skills at this time |
| Silkscreen printing | WON’T develop any new skills at this time |
| Watercolour | SHOULD to develop my skills. Follow exercises in One Watercolor a day (2013) Veronica Lawlor |
| Gouache | SHOULD to develop my skills. |
| Spray paint | COULD to develop my skills. |
| Collage | COULD to develop my skills. |
| Model making | COULD to develop my skills. |
| Video editing | WON’T develop any new skills at this time |
| Masking | WON’T develop any new skills at this time |
| Layout | SHOULD to develop my skills. |
Contemporary practice audit
| What aspects of contemporary practice would you like to develop? | What skills might you need to achieve this? |
| Life/figure drawing | Continue regular Zoom classes |
| Portrait drawing | Continue regular Zoom classes |
| Reportage | Attend workshops run by current practitioners e.g. How to look online workshop over the final two weekends of January. |
| Narrative sequence | Develop skills further in this area through OCA exercises and assignments |
| Practice research | Continue to incorporate research practice into my ways-of-working |
| Caricature | Continue to practice this skill. Zoom meetings are an excellent opportunity for this |
| Identifying themes and subjects | Pay attention to what I pay attention to. This is an area I need to work at |
| Identifying projects | As above |
| Collaboration | Look for collaboration opportunities – could be developing the pandemic diary idea or finding a writer to work with |
| Narrative illustration | Develop skills further in this area through OCA exercises and assignments |
| Use of colour | Add this to my practice research backlog |
| Sustaining my practice | Keep conscious of this but this is the subject of the final Level 3 course unit |
| Visual facilitation | Keep exploiting all opportunities that come my way |
| Marketing myself | Keep conscious of this but this is the subject of the final Level 3 course unit. Update whoshugh.com with the outputs/design from Assignment 1 Personal statement |
Conclusion
What skills do you think you need to develop?
- Drawing in crowds
- Using dip pen on location
- Use of watercolour
- Use of colour in general
What would you like to do that you’ve not done yet?
- Applying the visual language I’ve developed for figure drawing to a reportage context
- There could be an opportunity to combine digital with reportage Ref: the approach taken by Olivier Kulger
- Revisit relief printing, particularly woodcut
- Learn how to use rostrum lighting to take good quality photographs of flat artwork
- Find a way to monetise my drawings
- Find a substantial project to work on
- Work hard to identify new themes and subjects
Illustration 