Reflection

After reflection I have realised I should conduct more detailed preliminary research on the topic I have chosen, such as drawing more sketches of the parts that interest me during data search, and engaging in quick and simple creations such as collages, which will help me better understand the topic. These are additional avenues for inspiration and also a means of organising my thoughts in a more centralised way. Through gaining a deeper understanding I will be able to more fully realise the vision I have in my mind, which in turn will help add more detail to the final resulting work I create. Previously I did not conduct research or have an organisational method for creation.

While gathering information on other artists, I attended many different art exhibitions and took many photos as references. However, I found that there were differences between the details and textures of the artworks in the photos and in person due to the abundance of data. Photos can only record the overall appearance of the works, but some details and textures cannot be accurately presented. Therefore, I think I should also do more on-site sketches, which will help me better express the parts of the artwork that have left a deeper impression on me and make it easier to organize the information later on. I think I should also try out more new ideas in my artistic research and not be afraid to experiment. Sometimes, I get a creative idea in my head that I've never tried before in terms of form and style, but usually, I won't even try it because I'm afraid of wasting time if it doesn't work out. I want to stop that kind of thinking now because trying and failing can lead to creating better artwork.

My project is mainly presented in the form of painting. However, I decided to incorporate mixed media to enrich the content. Because I made this decision midway, I was not well- prepared in terms of materials. Normally, I would collect various environmentally friendly materials that could be used as mixed media background textures before starting the artwork. Luckily, I tried using an onion net bag and was quite satisfied with the result. Had prepared more adequately from the beginning, I believe I could have had more options to experiment with during the process as well as more material to draw inspiration from too. Drawing inspiration from the surrounding environment, and incorporating ‘waste material’ eg the onion net bag, is a great way to promote recycling and sustainability in my art. Being able to adapt quickly to make use of materials on hand has been a helpful learning for future work.

Due to the insufficient preparation of materials mentioned earlier, I did encounter some minor difficulties at the beginning. However, later on, I tried to use the food packaging and shipping materials that I regularly purchased, and I saved all the garbage packaging as much as possible. Although I did achieve a satisfying texture effect in the end, I believe that I should cultivate the habit of saving various odourless garbage in my daily life. It allows me to allocate more time to pure creation and experimenting with different texture effects. This would allow me to be more prepared when I encounter the need touse textures in my artwork, and I would have more time to experiment with texture effects without feeling pressured. In the later stages of my work, unfortunately, I caught the flu and had to spend three to four days completely bedridden, as my fever reached a high temperature of almost 40 degrees. At this time, I was grateful that I had done my research beforehand, especially in terms of colors. As mentioned earlier, I printed out my sketches and experimented with different styles of colouring. In the end, I still preferred the unexpected feeling and effect of the first attempt at coloring. Even though it set me back a few days, because I already had the experience of coloring before, when I officially started to color, I referred back to my sketches, which helped me avoid wasting a lot of thinking time and enabled me to complete it on time.

Although I had initially set a detailed schedule, my actual progress has fallen behind. Due to falling ill midway, I have consistently been unable to keep up with the work, resulting in having to rush to complete the remaining tasks. Aside from this, I believe that I could have spent less time confirming the topics and understanding the context in the beginning and instead focusing more on researching artists and developing my ideas. I could also do more sketching, so that I have more inspiration and choices, and in case I want to change my ideas during the process, I would have more time to make the necessary adjustments.

I believe there is still room for improvement in the project summary this time. However, I do not consider it a failure. I feel that I have made progress compared to previous projects. But I am not satisfied with this and still need to improve my time management, topic selection, and initial understanding by utilizing the internet and books, after which I can start researching. As a result, I think doing more research can help me clarify what I need and I can try out more styles. Pre-creating can also lead to unexpected surprises beyond my expectations. In the next project, I can also prepare materials for all possible art forms in advance during the initial stage. With this approach, I can avoid the stress and pressure of having to make sudden changes to the main subject in the middle of the project and rush to prepare for it.

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