PPD is finished! The penultimate module of the year. It stands for Personal and Professional Development and is focused on the background skills needed to succeed in your chosen area.

Not the most exciting of modules, its an online learning package, with lots of writing. Exploring techniques on problem solving, analysis and reflection.  Creating learning and action plans to keep focus and motivation.  Setting ourselves realistic targets and keeping track of our progress. 

It all makes sense and I did find some helpful strategies, such as the action planning.  I always use 'to do lists' and I used to prioritise the tasks on them in my old job, but for some reason I have stopped doing it. I have started again though.  Each task is numbered depending on their importancy or urgency, or just something that needs done at some point. It will stop me putting off the jobs I don't want to do!  I don't give myself deadlines for completing the tasks.  I have started to now though.

I already use mind maps to get my thoughts organised, so although that wasn't anything new, it reassured me I was doing something right! 

The other part of this module, was to keep a blog of my work and inspiration throughout the year.  There was so much more I should have put in! I missed telling you about my trip to London, the definite highlights being Liberty and the V&A.  Then along comes February and a trip to New York which I haven't mentioned.

Im going to keep my blog going, I've enjoyed looking back through it, although I need to work on my photographs. I need to use my 'proper' camera rather than the camera on my phone. Writing the posts gives me time to think about what I have done and about the decisions I made and why I made them. Its a good habit to keep.

So I hope you've enjoyed reading so far, I'm off to focus on my last module, the wallpaper designs. I'll have some drafts to show you next week...

Behance

Have a look at Behance. It's Adobe's online gallery type social media.

There are amazing pieces to view and be inspired by. The artwork posted is from professionals, amateur artists and students from many disciplines, from digital art and graphic design to sculpture and fine art.

My username is Lesley-Anne Pace. So when your account is up and running follow me and send a message, I'll make sure I follow you back.

Growing a photo

I worked on something similar a few months ago. I really like the idea of growing a photograph and wanted to try it again.

Here I zoomed into the centre of one of my photos and cropped.  Ive now stuck it into my sketchbook and I'm drawing the rest in.

This time I'm using a black and white print and drawing in colour. The opposite to what I did last time, variety is the spice of life and all!

It's coming along really well and I'm enjoying drawing it. Im thinking of what could be produced if I didn't stick to what was really there. Mixing up some of the drawings and photos. The centre of one flower and the outer of another? It's something to look at next time.

Screenprint Positives

Here are the screenprint positives cut ready to place on my screen.

There is a slight issue with one of them. As in the linear design and silhouette design don't match size wise!!

There's a lesson to learn, what's that old saying? Measure twice, cut once.

Anyway, rather than just writing it off I'm planning on using my artistic licence to produce some slightly different to what I originally planned.

Sketching

More pencil and fine liner drawings.

I'm looking forward to manipulating this drawing in Photoshop. I think it will lend itself perfectly to a background, curving and curling it's way around the main design.

I've prepared the positive drawings for my screenprint. See me being organised!

Drawing Ink

The best part of a new module is looking for new materials to try out! Enter, drawing inks!

I went a little wild and bought both the Henry and William sets from Windsor and Newton.

The colours are beautiful! Strangely the blues are my favourite, usually I tend to avoid those hues.

Stop being a wuss!

Apparently leaves seem to be my thing for this module!

Although, one thing I must address is my fear of working directly into a sketchbook.  I tend to work on single pieces of paper and then blutack them in, which is great, it works, but it looks a mess!

I want the pretty sketchbook pages without the mish mash.

I will make efforts in future, it's something I am very conscious of, so technically I am working on it.