The document summarizes the student's summer assignment and self-review plan for their first year of study. They completed a portrait painting summer assignment where they analyzed initial artist sources at the national portrait gallery. They focused on a 1920 portrait of E.M. Forster by Dora Carrington due to its unique composition and muted color scheme. The student experimented with techniques, materials, and compositions to develop their own portrait responding to Carrington's style and representing themselves. Through the process, they learned about developing ideas, visual language in portraiture, and how to effectively manipulate materials. Reflecting on the year, several assignments helped them improve skills in areas like graphics, textiles, and life drawing that will benefit their

1. Summer Assignment
and Self Review/Plan for Year

2. Summer Portraiture
Assignment

3. Portrait Painting – Initial Sources These were the initial artist
studies I made at the national
portrait gallery. I looked at
artists from different periods to
see how their styles differed.
“Man with the Red Eyes”
By L.S. Lowry (Self Portrait)
1938
William Cecil
By Unknown
Artist
“Girl in the Liberty
Dress”
By Clara Drummond
2016
E.M. Forster
By Dora Carrington
1920

4. Portrait Painting – Initial Sources (E.M. Forster by Dora Carrington 1920)
I chose this portrait due to its contrast with others I saw from this time period. The
colours were more muted which intrigued me as it stood out amongst the rest for its
humbleness, I also chose it due to the composition with the subject facing directly to
the side which once again contrasted with others I saw. This very uniqueness of this
painting is what drew me to it and what inspired me to have it influence my own work.
The piece is 20inx16in which was an interesting scale for the composition as Carrington
had composed Forster in a way that he was central to the piece and dominated the
space with his body expanding to the edges of the piece which was effective as it meant
that the viewer of the piece was able to solely focus on the subject, this dominant
composition was also effective at creating a more intimate relationship with the viewer
of the piece as it allows them to immerse themselves in the piece and concentrate on
the emotions of the subject and the shading by Carrington which illustrate more about
the subjects personality and life. The colour range of this piece was intriguing as other
pieces I observed from the 1900’s had more outlandish colour schemes or pigmented
skin tones. These pieces contrasted with this piece by Carrington and in fact most of her
work which follow more muted colour schemes in which the colours have more of a
grey tone to them. The illusion of space was interesting in this piece as the background
of the piece features a door and window which could seem to illustrate a sense of
space and depth to the piece but in fact the way Carrington has illustrated them, a
flatness to the piece is created, the effect of this being that no attention is taken or
given to the subject but this seeming to blur the distance between to two gives the
effect that they are almost confined within the painting. Which could reflect the society
the piece was made in which was still one which had many taboo issues which
shouldn’t be discussed but Forster did.

5. Portrait Painting – Initial Sources (E.M. Forster by Dora Carrington 1920)
The mark making within the piece is intriguing as for the facial features and skin tone
Carrington has exploited and manipulated the oil paint in a way that the detail is more
refined with very small strokes being used to give the softer texture of the skin, this
technique of more refined paint application is also used in the hair of the subject.
However this contrasts with the clothing and background of the in which Carrington has
manipulated the oil paint to create larger and more defined brush strokes almost
creating a blurred effect. This technique used by Carrington was effective as the
contrast between the facial features and the clothing allows the viewer of the piece to
centre on the face and the emotions it is illustrating and then the gaze smoothly flows
outwards with the use of Carrington’s blurring manipulation and exploitation of the oil
paint.
Another technique used by Carrington is her use of harsh shading on her subjects, it is
particularly effective in this piece and the harsh lighting in which the subject is facing
into illustrates the subjects personality and line of work. Carrington has interpreted the
subject – English writer Forster – as someone with an open mind and challenging
nature as he wrote about taboo subjects like homosexuality, so by composing him
facing the light indicates his challenging nature and looking to a time where those
issues are no longer taboo and unspeakable. This in turn gives the piece a very
optimistic and bright atmosphere, however this is limited slightly by her lack of illusion
of space which almost portrays the restricting and confining nature of the culture of
that time which didn’t let people express opinions on certain issues so freely.
My painted copy of Carrington's piece
using acrylic paint.

6. Portrait Painting – Experiments and Decisions
I developed my individual response to the source painting of my work through experimentation with
different painted compositions. These 4 compositions varied in tone and colour scheme as well as
incorporating different elements which represented myself in some way or another. I responded to
Carrington's work within my own my looking at her style of painting such as her compositions as well as her
colour schemes which then fed into my own work through experimentation. I aimed to take on some of the
angles she used for her own subjects as well as the settings she had placed them in which represented
aspects of themselves, I developed upon this idea of having meaning within the surroundings of my pieces
by adding books, motifs and colour schemes which represented my personality and interests subtly. My
ideas then evolved from one idea to the next by working with new colour schemes and experimenting with
new objects and angles to achieve the most successful composition for my final piece. From my work I can
see how my work evolved as in my first piece the objects that represented myself were obvious and were
rather blunt on the page with no interpretation needed to see what they illustrated about myself. This then
developed in my work with my use of colours, cloud motifs and masks which allowed for a subtler and
more effective meaning behind them about myself.
Developing Ideas
I used a series of drawings to develop my ideas, I first experimented with mini compositions of my self
working with different angles. These angles were effective as it allowed me to see which flattered my
facial features the most and which ones related to my artists style best as Carrington works with a
small selection of angles within her work. From these drawings I took my favourite 4 and composed
them into painted compositions which featured colour and objects which represent myself. These 4
paintings would be what I would develop my final piece from. My ideas developed throughout this
project as I combined a lot of the angles in my 8 mini sketches to create more developed and
successful ones which I then used in my painted works. The painted compositions all contributed
towards my final composition by taking aspects from each which I thought were most successful and
composing them in the final piece.

7. Materials and Techniques
The materials used in my work were mainly pencil and acrylic paint. I decided to focused on these materials
as Carrington solely used oil paint within her painted works, acrylic paint is a material closet to oil paint with
the textures and pigmentation it produces which is why I wanted to focus on this material. However I
experimented with different techniques using this material in the colour schemes and applications of the
paint, for example with my 3rd composition painting I worked with the technique of using negative colours
instead of positive ones to explore the effect this would have on the portraits appearance and the
atmosphere it created.
Another technique I used within my painted pieces was the texture I gave certain aspects of the piece, for
example in my first painted composition I used a more refined paint application technique like Carrington to
get a more speckled texture to the face which then contrasts with the more fluid and long strokes I used for
the hair, this is similar to the techniques Carrington used in her piece which included the types of paint
application techniques. I also used pencil a lot within my work as it allowed me to experiment with more
detailed techniques such as cross hatching and other mark making techniques to see how tone could be best
illustrated in my pieces.
These experimentations with techniques and materials helped develop my work more effectively in the style
of my artist as I worked with techniques they had used themselves but then also experimenting with others
to see how effective they could be in best representing my portrait.
Portrait Painting – Experiments and Decisions

8. Portrait Painting – Process of painting my portrait
This slide shows the progression of my portrait. I started with the skin tone as I wanted to allow that aspect to be exact as in
previous attempts it had been too dark so I did this part first to avoid error. I then progressed to the finer facial features and
then the hair. I then was able to mix a green tone for the cloud motifs which would best compliment the hair and skin tone.
This was successful as the green complimented the yellow tones used for the subject of the piece allowing it to stand out
predominantly amongst the rest of the portrait therefore still being the main focus. The tone of the green used for the clouds
was altered as it went around the subject to reflect the shadows caused by the subject. I then proceeded to do the fox masks
and made the tones again reflect the shadows caused by the light in the portrait allowing for a more defined and almost 3D
appearance.
Finally I mixed the tone for the background which I made bluer than in my 4th composition painting as I wanted the clouds to
still be predominant and defined in their shape and tone. This new colour was successful and complimented the other tones
in the portrait.

9. Portrait Painting – Final Outcome
Developing Ideas through drawing and painting
From this project I have learnt that the process of developing ideas using drawing and
painting is very effective at allowing experimentation with all forms of a portrait such as the
colour scheme, composition and textures. I learnt the significance of drawing is that it
allows you to experiment and focus on the basic composition and tone of the piece which
was crucial in this work as Carrington’s work is very focused on the harsh tones in her
portraits which contrast heavily between the low lights and high lights of the subject.
Painting then develops this work further by allowing textures and colour schemes to be
experimented and developed further. This whole process within this portraiture project was
crucial in achieving my final piece. I solved problems in the final outcome by utilising my
development compositions by composing certain aspects from all of them to solve the
others issue, by having this final composition development I was able to achieve a more
successful piece. This extracting of elements from my composition paintings can be seen in
the tonal qualities of my face which I took from my second painting which aesthetically was
more effective with the green and white tones used for the background in my 4th
composition painting. The 3rd painting helped broaden the paintings effect to the whole
piece with the cloud motifs around the subject of the piece, this allowed the portrait to
follow Carrington's style of having her subject almost stretch around the canvas.
Colour scheme for
the facial features
came from my
second
composition
painting.
The fox masks,
composition of
the subject (and
the angle) as well
as the background
colour came from
my 4th
composition
painting.
The cloud motif around
the subject was taken
from my 3rd
composition painting.
This was further
developed to only
surround the subject
instead of being in the
full background of the
piece.

10. Portrait Painting – Final Outcome
Visual Language
From this assignment I also learnt more about portraiture and the visual language it communicates. I saw that within
portraiture there are many different approaches to it, these approaches can have the similarities of making a piece have
a realistic nature but the approaches the artists take in actual representing the subjects vary dramatically, each
illustrating something new. Each portraiture piece I have looked at communicates its own atmosphere and emotion
which then influenced my own work as it strongly communicates myself and a rather interesting atmosphere. By looking
at Carrington’s work I learnt that visual language in terms of tone and shading are very important within portraiture in
order to give definition and realism to the facial features which give it a more life like appearance which in turn allows
for a relationship between to the artist and the audience of the piece as a stronger emotion is communicated which
portrays an intimacy within it. This in itself in another form of visual language which I have learnt more about because
most of the portraits I have looked at and researched have made me feel a certain way and made me think about its
meaning and the subject themselves which are qualities I have tried to illustrate in my own work.
Communication within my work
My portrait communicates a range of things about myself. The yellower tones for the skin communicate a relationship with Carrington’s style of
portraiture as some of her portraits have similar yellow tones. The outfit I am wearing is supposed to illustrate my interest in fashion with the
choker being seen as fashionable currently. The clouds were inspired by Asian cloud motifs which communicates my interest in Asian culture as
well as the masks which are from the Japanese mythological fox a Kitsune. The clouds being composed around me was effective as it
communicates my personality in the way I spend a lot of time in my head and daydreaming about different worlds and events. Whilst the fox
masks illustrate my interest in Asian culture and mythology they also communicate other aspects of myself which are deeper in meaning. Whilst
the fox masks illustrate my interest in Asian culture and mythology they also communicate other aspects of myself which are deeper in meaning.
The expression ‘hiding behind a mask’ is communicated in this piece as it is true for me that I hide a lot of what I'm feeling and thinking hidden
and sometimes just put on a smile to not worry others which is communicated with the use of the masks. Kitsune’s are also demons which
communicates my negative thoughts which question everything I say, do, or even look like daily so by the fact that there are two is supposed to
communicate how its like I have two people whispering in my ears one positive and one negative.

11. Portrait Painting – Final Outcome
Materials and media knowledge and how it effected my work
This assignment also allowed me to develop my knowledge of materials and media. Whilst all the artists I
looked at used oil paint as their main material throughout their body of work I discovered that these material
can be manipulated in such a way that different textures and visual qualities are made. For example L.S.
Lowry utilised oil paint to create a smooth texture to his pieces with the emphasis being on the harsh tones
and lines he created by over pigmenting the paint, especially the black. The effect of this being a harsher and
striking piece with the facial features having extreme definition to them. This approach to oil paint which
Lowry too k contrasts with the approach Clara Drummond took as the colour scheme of her piece is a lot
calmer with the pigmentation of the oil paints muted slightly to give a mystical and airy atmosphere to the
piece. Whilst I didn’t look at his work, Lucian Freud uses predominantly oil paint in his work too, however the
way he exploits and manipulates the material is different to that of Drummond and Lowry as he creates more
of an erratic texture with the material whereas in Lowry and Drummonds pieces the texture of the paint is
smoother. This is effective as it gives different emotions and atmospheres about both the piece and the artist.
This allowed me therefore to mainly use acrylic paint within my work and focus on manipulating the material
through texture and colour schemes in order to develop my work further into my final piece. My approaches
to media and materials in my work were successful as I was able to experiment sufficiently with them
creating different approaches and textures in the paint. Through my experimentation I discovered that for my
work the techniques used by Dora Carrington were the most successful as the contrast in texture I could
make between the facial features and other aspects of the piece were the most effective as creating and
interesting portrait.

12. Reflecting on Year 1

13. Assignments which were learning experiences
Tate Gallery Assignment
This assignment was effective to my work as its focus on graphics and multi
media helped me develop skills in new practices. For example when it came to
composing the information cards it allowed me to develop not only my
compositional skills but also by digital skills as I was able to use Photoshop to
make a lot of the backs of the cards. With some of the letters I used wood
work and the laser cutter which allowed me to deepen my knowledge of these
practices which was then used in later assignments.
Kew Gardens Assignment
Through this assignment I was able to take the work shop skills I got from the
Tate assignment and improved them by experimenting with metal work and
other machinery in order to create a sculpture piece. This assignment was also
effective at improving my textile skills as it used screen printing to create a
print inspired by Kew Gardens. The pattern itself allowed me to develop my
skills on knowledge at making effective patterns which helped later on in the
British Museum project were I advanced my textile practices.

14. Unit 75
This assignment was different to the others but it was extremely important
within my work as it allowed me to experiment with multi media drawing and
advancing my drawing skills. I was never confident in my drawing ability but
with this unit running along side my other work it has developed extremely
well. Through this project I was also able to advance my measured drawing
and human body drawings which was important not only in the summer
assignment but also in future work as I aim to go into fashion so knowledge of
the human body and drawing it proportionally accurate was a crucial skill I
needed to enhance.
British Museum Assignment
With this summative project I was able to move in the direction I wanted by
being able to design something for a piece of clothing. By being able to explore
this practice I could improve my portfolio for university as I aim to study
fashion design. This assignment was an important learning experience for me
as I was able to explore compositions suited to a garment as well as being able
to draw illustrations for my piece. This project was also an important learning
experience for me as I taught myself how to hand embroider my design to a
rather professional level with the final product being suitable to sell.
Assignments which were learning experiences

15. My skills and understanding has developed over the course of this year through the different assignments I
have been given which have explored different specialist practices which I had not previously been able to
explore. The Tate Project and Kew Gardens project were effective as I developed my skills and knowledge using
Photoshop which was effective to my work as I was able to make intriguing compositions for my alphabet cards
and I was able to improve my display boards by imputing my sculpture into Kew Gardens to give the client a
visual of what it would look like in the gardens. My skills and knowledge involving surface design and textiles
has developed significantly through the Kew Assignment and the British Museum assignment as I learnt how to
create a design using screen printing and I taught myself how to embroider a design using different types of
stitches such as silk stich and split stitch. By developing these skills I have seen how my strengths lie with more
textile orientated design and work which fed into my progression research as I mainly looked into fashion
design. With the aid of Unit 75 I have been able to develop my skills in drawing the human figure through life
drawing and portraiture which were effective as they strengthened by drawing ability which I can later use in
my work in textiles and fashion.
Skills and understanding development

16. Looking forward to the second year I need to continue my work effort from last year in
order to obtain the same results. However I need to work on my work schedule as last
year the work dominated my life causing stress so this year I aim to find a way of
balancing life and work better to create less stress and anxiety which will not only
benefit me but my enjoyment in the work I do. Through the second year I will also
develop my drawing skills further to improve them more as there is still room for
improvement within this. Whilst my annotation is good and fulfils the criteria’s set, I
think I need to learn how to condense it better but still keeping the information needed
a this will be important for portfolio work into university as little writing is needed but
it is still effective so this is something I need to work on.
Looking into the second year

17. Plans for the future
My ideas for progression have developed over the year as I have been able to become more confident I what I would like to pursue as a career in
the future and what I will need to get there. My interest in fashion and textile design has developed over the year due to some of the projects in
the first year which involved some textile elements and allowed me to explore fashion design. Because of this I have been looking at university
with fashion design courses which inspire me, I have confirmed that I aim to go into higher education instead of an apprenticeship because I think
that I can develop my skills in fashion design better there than going straight into work.
With the courses I have looked at most universities teach you the basic skills for fashion design in the first year but in order to improve my
portfolio I need to develop my skills in fashion illustration and research which I aim to do in my EPC in fashion design. I feel like I have the qualities
in order to be creative and innovative in my designs but this will develop through the university process. I have good sewing skills and
manufacturing knowledge in fashion and textiles which I learnt at GCSE but will help in university and the EPC. In order to achieve my ideal job in
the fashion industry the university education is very important to me as it will allow me to build a substantial portfolio and skill set which will
make me more prepared for the world of work and will have allowed me to find my style of fashion as well. I aim to also improve my knowledge
of fashion materials and designers as this will be important not only in my university work to create effective work but also in my university
interviews who will most likely ask about designers that interest me.
I will develop all of these skills throughout year 2 using the assignments set like I did last year and pursuing more textile and fashion orientated
products when the brief allows me to do so. The main source of these skills being able to develop as well as my knowledge will be my EPC which
will allow me to create my own garment in the style I want it too by being able to set my own brief. I also aim to improve my illustration skills in
my own time to enhance my knowledge of fashion and garment manufacture and construction.