DAN WOODWARD

The primary focus I have moving into my next unit is how I navigate a creative practice that spans both Tabletop Role-Playing Games (TTRPGs) and secondary school science education. I can't really stumble into it, but at the same time I want to avoid my predisposition to over-think and create unnecessary structure. Ultimately I'll need to operate two distinct streams in parallel rather than forcing a blend of approaches artificially. I can see a common thread that joins tablet

When I first looked at the Practice and Research unit, my first takeaway focused on some sort of fundamental reshaping of my approach to illustration, moving me away from rigid expectations toward a more authentic, and fluid illustrator's voice. However, if I look back further to my previous units, I can start to see a cyclical pattern of setting myself tight expectations followed by an aspect of 'unlocking' an aspect of my practice. My personal circumstances have threatened

My Emerging Illustration Voice It's interesting to see the path this unit has taken me, and the effect it has had on my practice. I also have to acknowledge the considerable personal challenges that I have faced; it's impossible to ignore that these will have had (perhaps unexpected) impacts on my work, practice and approach. I started out the unit with a plan to start smaller projects and explore different aspects of illustration that intrigued me. I also had some leads on s

The Critical Review While I took the time during the deferral period to focus on my wellbeing, it also afforded my some additional reading time. This has helped me to hone my concept for the module's critical review. My tutorials helped to refine some of my ideas, and I became intrigued with the idea of exploring style and meaning through the rifts and portals that appear in my Mostly Harmless Adventures setting. This gave me a tighter focus for the critical review, and I hav

I write this in August, having actually completed this review in May. To say that things have not gone as planned since Feedback point 5 in February would be an understatement. The toll of unemployment and an extremely uncertain and hostile job market took its toll on me. It impacted my mental health considerably, and constantly looking for work left me little time to work on completing my work for Mostly Harmless Adventures. A silver lining is that I was still able to contin

Project 3 - Worldbuilding: Checkpoint I had a really useful session with my tutor about my progress to date. My second map has also been successful, and it was useful to realise that a map doesn't always have to be accurate or to scale in order to feel real. What is important is the job the map is doing, and having a strong and appropriate visual language in order to carry out that role. I am thrilled that the map allowed me to bring together lots of disparate elements into a

I received feedback from my conversation with my tutor, so I am taking a breath to assimilate the feedback, look back on where I am and plan ahead. Rivenhall on Ice My initial direction was initially fun, but I started to struggle trying to emulate approaches and stylistic choices that did not suit me. My tutor noted that there was a breadth of work demonstrated in the tutorial that wasn't necessarily reflected in my learning log write-ups. As I move forward, I will try and b

For this exercise, I was asked to produce my first reflective commentary, an opportunity to revisit key learning moments, project...

For this exercise, it was suggested to build a glossary that will help me build up a reference for things like academic terms, unpack...

Introduction I feel like I have just managed to cross the line of a marathon, having hit the wall at the 20-mile mark. It's a combination...

It's wonderful to write a reflection post feeling the warm glow of inspiration and motivation again. I think I needed to have the...

It's been some weeks now since I completed my Critical Review assignment. I'm in the early stages of my next module, and the different...

Usually, I do a separate reflection post after I have received formative feedback from my tutor. This, time - it's actually the first...

Section Three confuses me. When I first read the course book I was convinced I would finish in a matter of weeks. I'm now writing this...

Coming to the end of this unit, I am pleased with how my confidence has grown with sequential storytelling. I have slowly but surely...

So, another stressful piece of work, which I will try my best to interrogate and unpack as part of this write-up. Having finished the...

In this research task I looked at four specific well-known comic artists. Wallace Wood Wood seemed to use the traditional approach of ink...

I realised when submitting the second assignment that I hadn't done my usual process of reflecting on my assignments. So I've waited for...

There is a certain irony of spending a day writing a blog post about managing your time because you have had so much to do that day and...

I extended the deadline for this assignment as I wanted to do it justice. Following my work from section four, I had really enjoyed...