Looking in the mirror and thinking… How am I still here?

So this is where my motor is reignited and churning faster than ever before. Second year of Game Art Design! It’s been a long break away from Leicester and I’ve had some time to readjust my body clock, learn some new things and earn some dosh.

This for me was a time of thought and reflection on my work and attitude to the course last year. I wasn’t as happy as I could be with my grades, and I entirely understand why. I don’t think it was that I fell behind, or that I missed deadlines. I think it was more my attitude and artistic history which had some things to do with this lower grade. Throughout school, I liked to think of myself as a bit of a “perfectionist” in Art. I didn’t learn a lot of theory and technique and so largely relied on my natural artistic ability. I liked to think that if I produced a piece of work that was 100% accurate when compared with the photo I copied, that it’d look better, and I’d be appreciated more.

However, since starting the course, I realised very early on that accuracy with speed is essential. Things need to be done to an extremely high standard and quickly. I guess it’s like flying a helicopter; you have to know how to do it well and constantly concentrate on your actions. Take your mind off it for just a second or neglect to plan ahead and it’s a downward spiral. Because of this “perfectionism” attitude, pictures took a long time to produce, which usually caused me to fall being on work quantity. But this didn’t concern me too much as I would work extra hard to complete work to the best of my ability. Although I did not always complete as much work as my fellow art students, I still got similar high grades to them from terms of effort. This always spurred me onto doing better pieces of work and that’s why I’m in Leicester… to improve my skill at the most rapid rate possible.

It’s hard to think that last year was about 8 months of learning the fundamentals of the game art world. The work load was an enormous step up, and already in the beginning of this second year, it’s obvious that the bar is going to continue to get higher. Having looked more into anatomy, form and lighting over the summer, I feel a little more confident about the year ahead .I wish I could’ve done more personal work, but work was essential in being able to afford the course. I aim to develop and stick to a tighter working schedule, as well as focusing more on what I am doing in order to be most efficient in as little time as possible. This year, is about me developing my skill. I hope that by the end of the year, even if I have a rocky first semester, that I have something to show for it.

Let the games begin!