Getting started…

Well here I am, presumably what one would call a mature student at 34 – finally getting to that Art degree I always wanted. Hopefully the fact that I have already been to university to do a more ‘sensible’ degree will be useful!

I chose a BA in Illustration with the Open College of the Arts (OCA) as it was flexible, home-based and they have years of experience with online teaching. I pondered over the type of course but in the end I chose illustration as I want to refine my drawing skills and I liked the idea of being able to illustrate books, design cards or even sell satirical drawings to newspapers about Donald Trump or on issues like migration or climate change…

So I got my materials in the post, got my pens, papers, pads and pencils, commandeered a table in my flat and downloaded the suggested guidelines to get started and discovered, to my horror, that we are required to write a learning blog! I tried blogging once before but I write and read so much in my current career that I was put off (not to mention navigating blog design and formatting – bear with me, I will get better). However, with a renewed purpose and given that the blog is meant to help me document, analyse and reflect on my work, I am faithfully getting started – and this is my first ever blog post!

I welcome and look forward to any (constructive!) comments from fellow students or anyone who may be interested in following – as highly unlikely as that may be.