Professional Practice

Overall this module has been a bit a bit up and down for me. There are positives I can pull form this module but there are also the negatives. First of all, I have struggled to find the time to complete this module with the schedule that I currently have and because of this schedule, being at uni at all has been difficult to get too. I think that one thing I have noticed form last year is that having that support group there at university is important and essential for some of these modules.  Another aspect I have struggled with in this module is trying to get a placement. It took almost seven months before any primary school even considered taking me on. Out of the schools that I emailed only four got back to me and only one out of them offering me a placement. I felt that the schools that did reply but did not offer me space did so because I was an illustration student. To them, I was inexperienced and would not have been of any benefit to them. I think for me this quite dis...

  I   started the day again at 8:30, which gave me time to prepare myself for the day and help out setting the first task out for the class. Today was going to be more numeracy and literacy activities to help with their upcoming SATs.   Again the same routine played out this morning, the children were welcomed in at 8:50, the register was taken and the children were read out their choices for hot school meals to which each of the children replied with which meal they were having for the day. Whilst Miss Boulstridge did a literacy activity of the mat with the class, I did one to one reading session with a couple of children in the class. Again, I wrote in their diaries whether they had read well or not and gave advice onto whether I thought they could be given a harder book to read or if maybe they needed to move a level down and just build up their confidence with reading.  Once this was done, the class did the same routine of splitting to go to different clas...

After enquiring about an opportunity to volunteer at the primary school, Abbey CofE Infant School were very welcoming and offered me a placement. Before I could start, it was needed for me to have a DBS check. When this was done, the school invited me into start at 8:30, just before the school day starts. Upon arriving at the school, it was required for me to sign in at the reception. Whilst there, I was also given a visitor badge and shown the essentials such as the toilets and staff room where I would store my coat and lunch for the day. I was then escorted to the classroom that I would be working in for the week. Here I was able to meet the teacher and get a real feel foe the classroom. Miss Boulstridge was the Year 2 teacher that I would be helping. She happily welcomed me in and ran through the plan for the week. She explained that with SATs being in two weeks, the children were being prepared for their Literacy and Numeracy papers. For today, I would just be observing the ...

Today I went up to the Links nursery to have a look around and to essentially see the workplace in action. Walking into the building, I already had a sense of the place being a modern environment.  Upon entering the place, my phone and bag was taken a side as mobile phones are not permitted in the nursery area. Once this was done, I was buzzed through to the main reception area of the building. The main entrance consisted of two staff offices, disabled toilet, stock and cleaning cupboard and a staff room which would hold personal belongings and lunch items.  Through another door brought me into the nursery area. Links caterers for children aged 18 months to four year old and so as a result, the area was split into three rooms. The rooms are light and airy, and where possible windows and ceiling lights were added to aid this effect. Each room was accommodated with toilets and sinks for the children. The areas were also bright and colourful and engaged children to play....

In the middle of November, I was approached to carte a piece of artwork for a friend as a christmas present. It was something that I happily took on. Even though my end career goal was to become a primary school teacher, I still welcome projects that allow me to paint and create work for people as it isn't something that I wish to give up.  At the first meeting, it was discussed what the subject of the painting would be. Something that I specialise in is landscape and seascapes and so perfectly, the photo he wanted me to paint was a seascape of Boscastle, Cornwall. Here is the photo of the landscape that the client wanted as a painting  Other items that were discussed were what size he wished the canvas to be and when would he like the painting to be completed. As it was a Christmas present he naturally wanted it to be finished for Christmas, however, I scheduled to have it done a couple weeks before Christmas Day so that if the client wished anything to be cha...

Contracts are essential for any illustration assignment. Depending on the industry your contract id for, there are going to be some differences. A book publishing contract, for instance, is going to have different needs than an editorial contract or a licensing contract. Every contact needs a introduction. This should include the date the agreement is being entered into, the names of the different parties entering into the agreement and their locations. There should be a description of the work that will be done. This will cover the full scope of the project. ‘You don’t want to commit to doing twelve illustrations for a certain fee, only to have the client later add three more and expect you to do it for the same price’. You must have clear understanding of what the project covers so there are no misunderstandings. Due dates are required for rough sketches and final art pieces as well as other important dates that must be met.  As an illustrator, you’re not ac...