Elements of the work I am really happy with, namely the integrity of the drawings overall. Compositionally better with an improved grip on observation, relationships of shapes and proportions. I feel I have a way forward now in terms of my drawing skills.

What I am not happy with is that I missed a massive trick here. I didn't explore approaches anywhere near completely enough. I wanted to stick to colour pencils but there was nothing to stop me introducing other media earlier in the process. I knew there was something that meant the drawing needed more punch but I never explored that enough in the first 4-6 weeks. I should have brought line work in earlier and experimented to see how little or much I needed. Outlines only or emphasising other elements - folds, creases, shadow areas, large areas of single colour / tone that need more separation. I fell in love with Leggy Gordon's work during my research - simple line and texture added during monoprinting brought everything to live.

(c) Leggy Gordon - A Place Like Home

To create 'finished' pieces from my sketches would be easier if I really focussed on getting more refined detail into the sketch before I finished.

I found the sketches had much more 'life' to them that seemed to get diluted the more I redrew them in order to create a 'finished' piece. I think my desire to focus on tonal studies meant I ignored colour which may have killed it a bit.

Drawing it all to a conclusion by making the exhibition really drove home how far I have to go. Putting your own work next to that of your peers is very sobering. Despite how far I feel I have come over the last 12 months, there is still a noticeable gap between where I am and they are. What is troubling is that I don't know where to take my drawing from here and that was a hope I had for this final part.

In the middle here but so far apart in terms of professional standard work.

Drawing aside, I have two large areas to work on. Self-induced pressure and reading the brief properly. One actually may cure the other.

I spent too long ploughing ahead with drawing in the way I set out and not enough time working on the other elements of the brief. If I had started looking at the exhibition sooner, I might have started with the comparisons earlier and maybe switched media or found a way to incorporate line drawing earlier.

More than anything though, by putting too much pressure on myself, misreading the brief and not realising soon enough, I missed the fun and enjoyment I should have had with this part. Big lesson.