There's a lot I would do differently if I did this project again, but overall I think I did okay. Overall, I'm pleased to say I learned a lot from the Invisible Cities Project.

 I feel like I'm a step closer to finding my feet in digital painting and I've definitely learned a lot of new skills in using photoshop! I really enjoyed falling into the world I was creating- but I 100% know I could go further with it. I think a big part of my issue falls into personal motivation and difficulty staying focused mentally- which then ends up clashing with time management (which isn't actually the issue- I manage my time pretty well!)  but this is now something I'm now much more aware of how I should work, and because I am now aware, I can control these issues better in the next project. I also think as the first uni project, it's been helpful to have this almost 'trial run' type of project to get into the swing of things, how I work and how to handle classes and projects separately.

 I would've liked to look into different design aspects of Thekla, but at the beginning of the project, I think the idea of bashing out 100+ thumbnails very quickly was a big task that myself, and others, were quite unfamiliar with. I feel this consumed a lot of my time and I didn't know as much about digital painting as I thought I did- creating an image from nothing is much more difficult than it seems. As for Thekla, I did feel the construction was a big side of it- but I wanted to consider the mishmash of architecture, new and old, cranes pulling up cranes, rotten buildings and a lot more that would have given the city a lot more character. Sadly, I did not achieve this- though I am still fairly pleased with my final concepts, I feel they look like they all belong together and are accurate for my initial thoughts about Thekla, but I could have pushed these ideas much further. Looking back now, I'm annoyed at myself for not taking my ideas further and being so flustered that I couldn't quite grasp them. Ironically, now that the projects over I can see all the things I'd like to do with Thekla if faced with it again. I've never drawn backgrounds or buildings before- so the task was different from what I'm used to and I'd like to keep on practising even though I wasn't comfortable with it. I should have also not just had the city be abandoned at night and the workers go away, I probably should've investigated ways for them to inhabit themselves into the city- but because it was a work site with dangers, part of me wanted them to live outside of the construction. This makes sense, but I think including places for them to live with some more human elements into the city would have been nicer for the art and I'm glad I feel confident to openly admit these flaws in my project.

 I'm proud of the research I did, this was some of the most fun I had actually. It was really interesting to dive into the world of Thekla- and go to London, or even just walk down the streets of Rochester and really look at what's going on in construction sites a bit more closely in terms of structure. 

 Now that I'm finding my feet in photoshop art I think I could slowly mould my drawings into a consistent style, my work has always been quite a mix of different styles- but I'm sure with time my dominant style will begin to show through! I will say that I love making stuff, seeing stuff come to life and although this project didn't turn out the way I wanted it to, doesn't bring me down in hopes of the next one being even better. I love the challenge.

 Bring on the next one!
Image result for DOG REFLECTION
Actual photo of me, reflecting on myself.
I don't like it when my posts don't have a thumbnail to look at.