Midterm Self-Evaluation

I've been happiest with my oil painting experiments thus far, since I have improved a little at building up form. The discovery that larger canvases are more suited to my way of painting is also a step in the right direction. 

The other mediums I've used have been an interesting learning experience but I don't feel very attached to any one of them (even oil paint). I miss digital painting and all its flexibility, speediness and cleanliness, especially since the medium has an inherently commercial vibe (so I don't have to worry about something looking old-fashioned or out-of-touch). But I can't deny that it's good for me to get out of my comfort zone, and that is exactly what I intended to do when I chose my jumping-off point for this semester.

In general I don't feel very satisfied with the quality of my work as advertisements, in part because their craftsmanship isn't high-end but also because I repeatedly find their effectiveness difficult to judge without a "client" to give feedback.  In addition, making random, unconnected ad illustrations every week has a lack of continuity and therefore satisfaction. I can't tell if I am improving on my concepts.

I think I may need to narrow my focus to a couple products and then explore multiple advertising methods for each, possibly as smaller studies, before picking a few of the best and seeing them through. This way I can achieve a greater depth of thinking about how to communicate and not worry about trying something new every time. It will also allow me to focus on getting better at my chosen medium before I delve into anything grand. It'll be interesting to see whether this will resolve the problems I've been having.