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A lovely sketchbook assessed - The Open College of the Arts

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A lovely sketchbook assessed

This is a post from the weareoca.com archive. Information contained within it may now be out of date.
 
Reiterating the words of the assessors, I reviewed OCA student David Hazlett’s work. A short video, a beautiful sketchbook, well worth taking the time to view.
 


Posted by author: Jane Parry

14 thoughts on “A lovely sketchbook assessed

  • Yes, David’s sketchbook is lovely and is a credit to him. Thank you for showing it to us. I heartily wish I had such drawing ability!
    However, might I take this opportunity to say that as a textiles student I would like to see more examples of sketchbooks from textiles students appearing here – good ones, bad ones, intermediate ones, ones of all kinds. Our tutors refer us to books such as “Creating Sketchbooks for Embroiderers and Textile Artists: Exploring the Embroiderers’ Sketchbook” by Kay Greenlees to help with our endeavours, which is great. But as this clearly shows, our work very much gravitates towards the 3D rather than 2D, which does not readily align with the use of a standard 2D sketchbook once we include our gatherings of such items as pictures, paper, card, fabric, and ribbons alongisde scribbles and sketches and our own initial test samples etc. I think it’s fair to say that we become magpies! Before long, even with the largest spiral binding you can find, our sketchbooks can reach a point where they won’t even close, but start to become fan shaped and distorted, and that’s when they’re only half full. It has been suggested that some of the 3D elements should be kept separately, but this can break the train of thought, and creates further problems with cross-referencing and labelling (a veritable migraine when it comes to assessment), and makes a great deal of extra work.
    So I would love to see examples of how other textiles students cope with this issue, and most importantly be reassured that our personal tutors and those at the assessment session will readily accept that what counts as our sketchbook work can be presented in ways other than the traditional ‘stuck into a bought sketchbook’ format, that we can be imaginative in how we approach and record our endeavours so long as what we do is clearly labelled and shows that we are observing the world around us, picking up initial ideas and seeing ways to potentially develop them. From conversations with other OCA students both via the web site and in person it is clear that the use of sketchbooks – and presentation generally – cause students a great deal of angst, so further consistent* information, guidance and reassurance would be most appreciated.
    (*There seems at times to be a lack of consistency in the basic requirement guidelines that are put forward across the various OCA tutors and within the OCA itself. While it is understandable that flexibility is good, and of course everyone is entitled to their own opinion, receiving conflicting information and opinion from different sources is not good for the student experience.)

    • Dear Judith
      What lovely work – Congratulations David
      I am in agreement with you – in all areas it would be nice to have a little more information for Textile Students. This weekend I have to send my work for assessment and I have studied the recent video for sending/presenting your work but mine is all 3D and I will have to pack with foam or bubble wrap and it does not conform to the A1/A2 portfolio. I have been lucky enough to have face to face tuition which has made a huge difference and am devestated that this is no longer available so if I continue onto another course I will be posting more frequently

  • I heartily agree. My angst over how to cope with textiles and still come somewhere close to the required guidelines and formats has left me in a state of not being able to do anything and the idea of assesment is so daunting that I’m starting to listen to that little voice that says ‘if you give up this will all go away’. I imagine sculpture students have similar nightmares!

    • Well now you know you aren’t alone Penny, and there is definitely strength to be gained from such knowledge! That is partly why I left the reply, and also in the hope that it would highlight the issue, and encourage further debate and assistance, because it definitely seems needed.
      We all feel like giving up at some point – or perhaps more accurately, in my case at least, on a regular basis! – and our studies certainly seem to necessitate building up strong levels of resilience. It’s a shame a percentage of the marks in the assessment marking scheme aren’t based on that because I’m sure many of us would be awarded the maximum level for that element if truth were told!! ;o)

      • I have been discussing this with my tutor today. I’m continually wrestling with finding the best sketchbook format for my Textile course. Some ideas she suggested were having one thinner sketchbook per project (which would help with referencing) and photographing the pages to post on your blog, folding the right hand side of some pages towards to centre to create pockets to put samples in, tying things to the ring binders and using a strip of double sided tape just down the left hand side of whatever you are attaching so it still flips like a page and tends not to get damamged. I’ve been trying invisible thread this week to stitch samples to paper – this works really well. I also found that visiting a degree show was really useful to see how students present.

    • I am studying painting but have to agree with some of the points that are being made, things are becoming ever more rigorous and I too am feeling pinned down by guidelines and am almost afraid to make decisions about selectng work and worrying about packing it incorrectly (painters produce 3d work too)Angst is a good word !!

  • It’s always good to see such sketchbooks. So far as I know OCA has been involved in two Exhibitions of work done by Photography Students at Advanced level. Have there been any such Exhibitions for the other disciplines/are any planned? I always enjoy seeing the actual sketchbooks at Degree shows and it would be wonderful to see some done by OCA students.

  • wonderful colour. Really given me some inspiration and a nudge to loosen up my sketchbook work and experiment more to find my own voice.

  • I feel I have to reply to this one, as a textiles tutor. I feel quite strongly that the word ‘sketchbook’ is very misused and leads to confusion in our students. I would expect a student to keep a small sketchbook similar to the one above in which they should be recording their environment. They might also record things they have seen in exhibitions. What I would expect to see from a textile student is a large working notebook, – a visual diary, dated, possibly pages numbered to help navigation – which communicates to me how he/she has a. recorded source material, (this could be a photocopy of a page from a book such as the above, rather than cutting up the original) b. developed ideas from it, which might mean scribbling stippling, crossing out, sticking in cutting up, sewing in samples developed from that idea. It also might record useful information such as settings on computer.(hence the numbering to find it later). It should be a book you dont want to discard because it is too useful. Think ‘ telling the story of your idea to someone on paper (since you cant do it face to face it has to be clear), how you develop it, what materials you worked in, what didn’t work, what did, what you think you might make from it. yes it probably will bulge.

    • Thanks for the reply Pat, your feedback is most appreciated. The knowledge that you are a textiles tutor led me to hope that perhaps you might respond. I am also glad that you too feel the word ‘sketchbook’ is very misused and leads to confusion! I am going to contemplate what you – and also LizzyB of course – have said, and feel encouraged that I can experiment with enhancing the traditional approach with some options, adaptations and solutions of my own under the guidance of my own tutor. Thanks again.

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