Digital illustration student Emily Kent recently said she had struggled to complete the course when she got a bit stuck on the final assignments, but she had managed to work through it. We asked if she could write a piece for our blog as we felt many of our students might find Emily’s story useful. We hope you enjoy reading it ….
Hi everyone,
So I started my digital illustration course in Oct 2017 as I had a passion for digital illustration / graphic design, I wasn’t any good at it but I really enjoyed it lol
The first few assignments I literally spent all day everyday on them for the first few month & by Christmas I was up to assignment 3 already. My tutor Monique advised me to slow down and take my time to practice (which I now know was invaluable advice) so I did and looking back, my artwork has got so much better for taking that time to practice.
I loved this course so much and the assignments allow you to be as creative as you like, which I think is fab. It took me about 9 months to complete the next 2 assignments, not because they were too difficult but because I wanted to practice and get them perfect. I found using Gimp was fun and learning about bitmaps became a second nature to me. Which then brings me onto my last assignment, my hurdle, Vectors!
Assignment 5…
where do I start with this one lol I think some times intimidation becomes our excuse to give up too easily, when I first looked at the vector section I was so overwhelmed and unsure about it, I felt completely out of my comfort zone & felt like giving up. For the last year I had been used to bitmaps and that’s where I was most comfortable, but even I know sometimes you have to step out of your comfort zone to find success & the only way to learn is by practicing, making mistakes and adjusting those mistakes, trust me I made a lot of mistakes, I wish I had kept some of them to show you how bad they were, I’m not the best of artists but thinking about some of my “mistakes” still make me giggle now lol
It took me about a year on my last assignment, dipping in and out of vectors, I had to really push myself to understand them, why we use them & how they work but For some reason I just couldn’t get my head around Vectors, to some that might seem really daft as now I know how to do them I feel a bit silly myself for taking so long, but it is what it is, my laptop did very nearly take flying lessons a couple of times lol because of it.
I must have spent hours watching YouTube tutorials & I read my folder over and over again. I’m not going to lie, I did really struggle with my last assignment, but I have no shame in admitting that, If I had tried to do this on my own without the help/support from my amazing tutor Monique, I don’t think I would have ever finished my course, & at the end of the day that’s what our tutors are there for. So never feel embarrassed to ask if you get stuck.
October 2019…
I finally finished my Digital illustration course, I couldn’t be happier, its been tough but I have loved every step of it and not only did I complete my course but I got a distinction, which I still can’t quite believe. Coming from a girl who left school at 14 with no qualifications, you can imagine how I felt when Monique told me my grade, I cried (happy tears) them proceeded to do my happy dance around the lounge with my dog lol
It just goes to show perseverance really does pay off; it just takes practice & a bit of determination & if I can do it anyone can.
Being part of the LAC has taught me so much, I have picked up loads of tips and have even taken part in a few weekly challenges, I used to hate showing off my work but everyone is so supportive. I have made some amazing life long friends too. I’m looking forward to starting my next course soon; I just have to figure out which one lol Xx
I will leave you with a few of my favourite pieces…
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