EMP - Updated Learning Agreement

Learning Agreement 

‘By prevailing over all obstacles and distractions, one may unfailingly arrive at his chosen goal or destination.’

Christopher Columbus was an explorer, colonizer, and navigator; he completed four voyages across the Atlantic Ocean that led to general European awareness of the American continents in the Western Hemisphere. Christopher Columbus sought wealth through the establishment of trade routes and colonies. I want to become my own explorer, discovering new aspirations and places. I will record my explorations, however big or small, through visual narrative. Illustrating the narrative is key to my process when recording my own personal experience. The perfect resolution to this would be to record my expedition with a series of illustrations and/or photographs. Showing an accurate visual timeline that, when viewed, will enable people to trace my steps whilst processing and reflecting on the information.

I plan to use my specialist professional area, illustration, to create a book to help a young audience become their own explorers. The exact journey I will take I have not decided upon yet. Like Christopher Columbus I want to bring meaning to my journey, not for trade, but more as a personal visual diary. With all this information I shall recreate something that I can keep and be viewed as a visual aid to get a new generation interested in walking. The vehicle in which I hope to display this information is a book; filled with descriptive maps and illustrations. By looking at the physical object of a book you can sometimes really play around with the dimensions; when you see holes or pop-out images, strong colours and incorporating a story throughout.

Throughout this project I will experiment with different media, in order to broaden my skills in illustration. I hope to delve into how different media can evoke various feelings and provide texture to a piece. I want the media I use to become an integral part of the final outcome, combined with my illustration style to arouse emotion in the viewer.

Using maps and books as my inspiration, I plan to record my journey through a form that people connect with explorers and travelling. I plan to experiment with ways in which the maps could look. For example giving it an aged look by using various techniques or very simplistic.

This idea emulates positive memories of my soon to be past, and could prove a positive project. Overall I will be using this project as an opportunity to strengthen and expand my skills in illustration and visual narrative.