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Recording ideas

Four young artists share their experiences of recording and observing their work through filming, sketching, blogging and photography.

Mindmap showing student research on different types of kaleidoscope
Image caption,
A student's mind map - this is an effective way to record initial ideas and sources
Semi arid desert- A mind map, colour palette and photographs on a desert theme
Figure caption,
A student sxample of an illustrated mindmap. This is a great starting point when exploring a new topic or theme.

You should get in the habit of recording each stage of your work and reflecting on it as you go. Look back at what you have achieved and think how this can help your next steps.

When you begin to explore a or subject in your work you need to record your first impressions. This can be done by:

  • make drawings, sketches, jottings, photographs or experiments with different
  • collecting images from sources such as galleries, the internet or books, and then using these to develop your own ideas

As you develop your ideas you need to record your insights in additional sketches or studies. Artists and designers often produce a number of studies and ideas in order to develop their work.

Keep an open mind before you establish direction to your project and try out different ideas on . You need to experiment with media, and to explore different materials.

Question

How might you record your ideas when exploring a theme or subject?