It seems my previous post was not my last 1 as a student, nor will it be my last as an ex student!
In this post I would like to show how,why where and when my 6 month learning plan was successful and was not successful. This is the plan I intended to follow but not knowing what the next project entailed, e.g. flash prevented realistic planning, though on the other hand, when do you get realistic time to plan in industry?
This was the plan:
Where I Am Now (at time of writing)
I currently have a basic knowledge of Dreamweaver, Photoshop and Freehand, I also have some Flash skills, but I believe that is one of my weaknesses.
I do not have any experience of Illustrator and would like to gain some knowledge of that. I am of the opinion that the more ‘strings to your bow’ the more employable you are.
I think I have strong research and sketchbook skills and do not have any problems generating ideas, my weakness, as I see it, is implementing them technically with the software at my disposal.
Aims
In my 6 month learning plan I would like to achieve the following:
· To be able to use Photoshop to a professional level.
· Learn how to use Freehand to an intermediate level.
· Learn how to use Flash, beyond the basics.
I have based these aims on research into what employers are currently looking for, in the positions that interest me. Those being web designer and 2D creative artist.
Hopefully CSS will be learned to a sufficient level while doing the CiSSy project. This leaves the remaining software applications.
I will have to do tutorials on a regular basis to get to the standard I would like, this could be 1-2 a week.
To demonstrate that I am learning via the tutorials I will set myself small projects after each one. This will be saved and recorded as evidence.
Progress Measurability
My progress will be measured by using the Adobe partners that give tutorials, I will utilise their learning outcomes as a guide as to what I should be achieving.
A document will be produced to monitor and check my progress, with timescale and skills achieved and not achieved.
Flash Links
Action Script Tutorial:
www.adobe.com/support/flash/action_scripts/actionscript_tutorial/
This tutorial is expected to take 1 hour (adobe.com)
Date for tutorial. Friday 15th December 2006
How to Animate Text in Flash:
www.adobe.com/tips/aft65presetanim/
I expect this tutorial to take approximately 2 ½ hours.
Date for tutorial Saturday 23rd December 2006
Flash Sound:
www.adobe.com/support/flash/sound/sound_player/
Date(s) for Tutorials. Friday 20th, 27th January, Friday 2nd February and Friday 9th February 2006.
Freehand Links
Deconstructing Freehand Graphics:
www.adobe.com/support/freehand/basics/deconstructing_fh_1/
This tutorial is divided into 4, I will allow ½ hour for each part.
Date for tutorial Friday 16th February.
Deconstructing Freehand Graphics 2:
www.adobe.com/support/freehand/basics/deconstructing_fh_2/
This tutorial is the more advanced version of the previous one. It is divided into 5 parts and I would like to allow 45 minutes for each part. This project may have to be done over 2 dates.
Date(s) for tutorial Friday 23rd and Saturday 24th February 2007
Apply Special Effects:
www.adobe.com/support/freehand/learning/fhmx_tutorial02/fhmx_tutorial0206.html
I would like to allow 2 hours for this tutorial.
Date for tutorial Friday 2nd March 2007
FreeHand MX lesson 2: Using vector and raster effects:
www.adobe.com/support/freehand/learning/2_effects/
2 hours for this tutorial.
Date for tutorial Friday 9th March 2007
Photoshop Links
Use Sketches to Produce Artwork:
www.adobe.com/uk/designcenter/illustrator/articles/createcomp.html
I feel this could possibly be one of the most important tutorials for me. It will allow me to use my illustrations as a bases for print work or web images.
I will dedicated 6 hours to this , I would like to create a small brief designed to produce some professional work for my portfolio. Probably to be mainly used for print but also applicable to web pages.
I would like to do 2, 3 hour sessions with this.
Dates for project Friday 16th and Friday 23rd March 2007
Dreamweaver and CSS
I would like to use some of my remaining college months making sites, I will try to produce ‘real’ sites, which will hopefully give me valuable commercial experience.
I believe the more I use Dreamweaver and CSS the more skilled I will become, a case of practice.
Dates dedicated to using Dreamweaver and CSS skills will be: Friday 30th March, Friday 6th, 13th, 20th and 27th April 2007
Universities
I am currently leaning towards gaining employment after the course has ended but if I were to do a degree the links to possible courses are below.
University of Leeds:
http://tldynamic.leeds.ac.uk/ugcoursefinder/2007/prospectus3SQL.asp?prog_id=1020
University of Huddersfield:
Interactive Arts BA(Hons)
http://www.hud.ac.uk/courses/undergrad/ipp_pages00000438.htm
Multimedia Computing
http://www.hud.ac.uk/courses/undergrad/ipp_pages00000069.htm
Interactive Media BA (Hons)
http://www.hud.ac.uk/courses/undergrad/ipp_pages00000146.htm
Multimedia Design BA (Hons)
http://www.hud.ac.uk/courses/undergrad/ipp_pages00000217.htm
These were the tutorials that I did, but nowhere near in the order that I set out to do them in. Nearly as soon as the ink had dried on the print out of my researched list of what i wanted to learn, the new project came in, nothing to do with what I planned to learn! 1st years beware! Look at subjects in advance is a good bit of advice!
Of course when asked to plan 6 months in advance, it is a little difficult when you are still at college and you do not know what is coming next, in the workplace at least you are employed as a 'whatever you do best' sort of person and so you are in your comfort zone.
This is where the 6 month learning plan fell down in my eyes, it seemed to distract from the work we were doing rather than help. I am sure if done correctly it could help but I felt that it was a 'have to do it' kind of task rather than something we could clearly see the benefit of.
I do think it would have had a greater value if it had been discussed earlier too, I think as a student, you can get caught up in the design, 'exciting' stuff rather than the written planning work.
Discussing it earlier may have put more value on the task. Maybe 2nd years from last year could have been introduced to tell us of their experiences, just a thought.
As it is, as 2nd years, I think the few remaining (3) have felt a little isolated, and so planning beyond the next week proves difficult. This is especially true when you also see that you are not rewarded like the other 'years' on the course for doing well.
My '6 month learning plan' will continue, and at the moment it will mainly be based around flash and CSS, as my weaknesses. But having seen the job search results that have come back to me via email, I think I have a lot more to learn!
Thanks for reading
Mark
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