Happy Accident - GraphicNarrativ: Teaching & Learning

Showing posts with label Teaching & Learning. Show all posts

Tuesday, 11 March 2014

20 YEARS A TEACHER - final reflections

Well that was a great few days where I could actually stop and reflect on my unexpected career path. If you travelled back to 25 years ago and told me my life would be filled with teaching and learning I would have probably told you to get stuffed or worse (I would have punched your lights out). I could not imagine anything worse than being around teachers again. My degree experiences had put me off education for life or so I had thought.

I am an illustrator what else could I possibly need?

The choice of working for either Parcelforce, KP work, Lambeth Council or putting something back and getting paid in full brought my options into sharp focus. Life is filled with choices but do we always make the right ones?

I contacted my friend Angus Mewse who I knew was doing some lecturing and asked him to hook me up. When I went into Hertford Regional College at Ware to show my portfolio and talk about professional practice to a group of Foundation students I couldn't have guessed at what this small event would lead me to. I really enjoyed it and the students appeared to enjoy it also.

Working at Hertford Regional College (1994 - 1995) led to work at Barnfield College in Luton (1995 - 1998) on the National Diploma in Graphic Design and Illustration course. Thanks to Roger Spencer for all your support. This work in turn led me to Milton Keynes College (1998 - 2000). Fiona and David Durrans really gave me the opportunity to understand the mechanics of teaching. A short spell at Luton and Dunstable College (1999 - 2000) where I worked on FE and HE courses in Graphic Design teaching digital design. During this time I maintained my career as a freelance illustrator truly believing that teaching was only a passing phase.

It took a spell at Croydon College (1998 - 2000) and then my work at LCP/ LCC (1999 - Present) cemented my teaching and my realisation that this was my vocation now and the illustration work trailed off. In 2003 after 9 years of lecturing I gained my PGCE in Teaching and Learning Art, Design and Communication.

In 2013 I gained my MA in Visual Arts - Illustration.

In the 20 years I have worked alongside some of the finest people I've ever met and had the pleasure/ pain/ joy/ laughter/ anxiety of working with students. I estimate that more than 3000 students may have benefitted in some way due to my work with them. Using networks like Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter appears to confirm this. Seeing or hearing Alumni good news makes me feel it was all worth it.

So as I look ahead to the next 20 or so years I really believe my best work is ahead of me. Doctorate here I come…

10 Lessons for young Designers

From John C Jay Global Executive Creative Director and Partner Wieden+Kennedy

10 Lessons for young designers

1: Be authentic. The most powerful asset you have is your individuality, what makes you unique. It’s time to stop listening to others on what you should do.

2: Work harder than anyone else and you will always benefit from the effort.

3: Get off the computer and connect with real people and culture. Life is visceral.

4: Constantly improve your craft. Make things with your hands. Innovation in thinking is not enough.

5: Travel as much as you can. It is a humbling and inspiring experience to learn just how much you don’t know.

6: Being original is still king, especially in this tech-driven, group-grope world.

7: Try not to work for stupid people or you’ll soon become one of them.

8: Instinct and intuition are all-powerful. Learn to trust them.

9: The Golden Rule actually works. Do good.

10: If all else fails, No. 2 is the greatest competitive advantage of any career.

Wednesday, 5 March 2014

FdA Design for Graphic Communication Year 02 - Project 02 OKIDO Updated work and published works

Earlier this Term 23 undergraduate students at LCC on the FdA Design for Graphic Communication Year 02 course produced some highly original illustration work for OKIDO the arts and science magazine for children. Big thanks to the team at OKIDO for their encouragement, advice and for using the student's work in their publication. Below are the illustrations designed for publication in the magazines PLANTS issue out in March 2014.

A special well done to Nozomi Motoji, Liam Wyles and Amaia Zelaiaundi Parral who produced outstanding work for the assignment. Their work is to be published in the March 2014 'Plants' edition of the magazine.

Karl

Wednesday, 12 February 2014

FdA Design for Graphic Communication Year 02 - Project 02 OKIDO

23 undergraduate students at LCC on the FdA Design for Graphic Communication Year 02 course have produced some successful illustration work for OKIDO the arts and science magazine for children. They all worked to the brief sat out below and had five weeks to solve this design problem. I monitored the student’s progress and they had the input from our industry partners at OKIDO. Big thanks to the team at OKIDO for their encouragement, sage advice and support. Below is a sample of the illustrations. Well done to the students, keep up this level of engagement on the next project.

Karl

Project 02 Wave 1 - OKIDO

SCHEDULE

Briefing: Mon 6 Jan

Introduction to the magazine and the brief

Workshop: ideas generating exercises

Mid-point review: Thurs 23 Jan

Morning small group tutorials

Afternoon small group tutorials

Final Crit: Thurs 6 Feb

Presentation of final designs

BRIEF

OKIDO arts and science magazine for kids is a quarterly publication aimed at children between the ages of 2-7 years old. OKIDO aims to stimulate children’s curiosity and interest in science and the artistic process through producing a highly interactive magazine designed and illustrated by contemporary artists, scientists and illustrators. Okido introduces readers to characters such as Messy Monster, Yoga Monkey and Squirrel Boy, as well as an array of games and cooking ideas which all help to explain the fun of science and art and encourage parents and child to read together. Each magazine has a scientific theme ranging from: Weather, Digestion, Circulation, Habitat and Feelings. Our next issue is about Plants and this is where we need some help.

We’re inviting contributions for our next issue to tackle the theme of Plants at an age group (3-8) who most likely haven’t learnt about it at school yet. The outcome should be factual, thoughtful and tested whilst also maintaining a strong sense of individuality and fun!

Possible outcomes:

Recipe

Experiment/activity

Game

Digital – Game/Moving imagery/App

We want to tackle the science of Plants, from photosynthesis to the vegetables we eat in a way that appeals to our audience of young children AND parents. Look at the way we learn about and experience plants in nature or in the city, from the point of view of a plant, and animal, or a child walking though a vegetable market.

Research school textbooks, how do they illustrate scientific ideas?

Ask yourself: What is the difference between a plant and an animal?

Why do we eat some plants and not others? Why can cows eat grass? Why do plants look different?

Think about how these can be translated into a game or even recipe.

DELIVERABLES

The requirement is to produce 1 or 2 double page solutions fulfilling these dimensions:

Double page: w 42 x h 23cm. Please include a 3mm bleed around all sides (very important!)

The most successful outcomes will be considered for publishing in the magazine. A work experience placement will be offered to the student producing the best outcome.

The research and process methods used on this assignment should be documented as part of your GDA Process PDF.