This is a summary of my learning and development over the course of my final module at University. A further breakdown of my PDP progression can be found on the home page.

There are a variety of key words to select from along the right hand side in order to find specific material.

What things have you made?

I have made an interactive animation based on a 13th century Arabic Fable.

what you experimented with?

This has been a huge module, i’ve studied different cultures to familiarize myself with the themes i would be dealing with during the module. I’ve been reading pyschological material by Dan Gilbert, i’ve looked at famous Italian gardens i have also looked into Arabic paintings.

I’ve had to learn new technology to complete my project. At the beggining i had no idea how to use Flash animation software, but i progressed with it and got better as time passed. This included creating scenes, movie clips and also sound layers, i also learnt some basic actionscript.

I have also learnt how to use the Adobe Indesign package to create a porfolio.

What has worked?

I have been very pleased with the outcome of my piece in terms of the different elements coming together and working in unity. I have had to deal with lots of different variables such as different types of sounds, images and animating techniques. It has been a difficult task to coordinate but with sufficient planning i believe things have come together the best they could.

what has pleased you?

For the most part i am happy with my treatment of the original story and also the overal look to my piece. Flash can sometimes look gimmicky and rushed. It has many different uses. I feel my interpretation of the software is quite different.

what has gone wrong?

A lot of things have been adapted during the process. It has been important to let tutors see my work. It puts things into perspective and can identify problems that i would not have seen by myself.

I have had to deal with difficulties in getting buttons to function properly. Mostly during the opening sequence of my work where they are quite complex and are not made obvious to the user.

what have you learnt?

A far deeper understanding and acceptance of themes laid out in the story that my animation is based on.

I’ve developed my digital drawing skills.

Technical skills in Adobe Flash, Adobe InDesign and Soundbooth

Keeping and maintaining a professional looking blog and adding useful features to it.

what work has influenced you and how?

I’ve looked at tv programs such as Noggin the Nog and Mythbusters.

48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene

This book is where i discovered the story about the Vizier and the Sultan.

Stumbling on Happiness by Daniel Gilbert

Although this book is not directly related to my work it got me thinking about human behavior which ultimately is what the project is about.

A Photographic Garden History by Roger Phillips and Nick Foy

Contains lots of garden imagery from across Europe, great inspiration for  location design.

The Grand Tour by Harry Seidler

This book focuses on both new and old architecture and sections them off according to the country they were built in. It was in this book that i first discovered Jordan’s vast array of famous castles.

Italian Gardens by Helena Attlee

This book focuses on Italian gardens, similar to Roger Phillips’ book.

Art of the Arab World designed by Derek Birdsall

This book enabled me to produce some sketches of Arab style paintings.

Arab Painting by Albert Skira

Featured very similar content to Art of the Arab World. However it didn’t contain as much pottery or tapestry.

what new things will you try?

I’d like to try a different flash project in the future. Something based more around design opposed to a narrative such as the one i have just produced.

In my last reflection i mentioned I’d like to create print based work, i have achieved that for this module.

I would like to create some business cards, utilizing my new found InDesign skills.

what are you going to develop?

I definitely want to develop my Flash skills. I have ideas of implementing them within a web based project. I’d also like to develop my printing skills as i have enjoyed using InDesign.