Task 2.1 - Personal Statement

Task 2.1b - Personal Statement Draft

Personal Statement Plan

Opening

• Brief introduction of myself
  Current area of study
  Describe my personality and interests
  
  

• Express my interest in 2D art and animation
  Explain why I chose this pathway
  Brief overview of how I've interacted with and used this subject
  
  

Personal Skills and Achievements

• Describe and explain work done in school and college that relates to this subject
  College FMPs & blogs
  Graphic Design & Computer Science GCSE
  
  

• Describe personal work done outside of study
  Examples of practise & artwork
  
  

• Showcase 2D programs and media I have experience in
  Traditional 2D (Pen, pencil, charcoal, collage)
  Adobe Photoshop
  Adobe Illustrator
  LibreSprite
  Firealpaca SE
  
  

• Showcase 2D skills I have experience in
  Perspective
  Form
  Human proportions
  Colour, shading and lighting
  Pixel Art
  12 principles of animation
  
  

• Current Project
  Theme of fusion
  Idea of mechanical chimera
  Explain how it fits into theme of fusion - ideas generation
  Explain different methods I will use to create the design - explain different programs and various skills required
  3d Blockout
  Photobashing
  Colour ideas
  Turnarounds
  Presentation
  
  

Experience and Future Plans

• Talk about work/volunteer experience I have
  Volunteer work at Brighton Gaming Con
  Skills I earned from work (Public Speaking, Communication, Problem Solving, Teamwork)
  How these skills will help me
  
  

• Talk about where I would want to take these skills eventually
  Animation Studios (Pixar, Disney, Dreamworks etc.)
  Game Studios (Nintendo, SEGA, Microsoft)
  Create/Join an Indie studio
  
  

Closing Statements

• Summarise the most important points in my statement
  Mention information I didn't previously state about these points or strengthen them further to avoid repetition
  
  

• Keep final statements short and impactful
  Avoid any unnecessary information
  Explain points in a straightforward, clear manner
  
  

• Conclude in a positive manner that makes me stand out and highlights my strengths
  Describe the skills I have displayed and why they should allow me to be accepted into this university
  Explain why the admissions staff should choose me
  
  

Overall

• Ensure proper grammar and spelling is used throughout
  Use spell checkers and grammar checkers on my entire statement
  Look for any overly repeated words and try to vary my vocabulary
  Check for any irregular or incorrect punctuation
  
  

• Use an impactful yet readable font
  Ensure font is large enough to stand out and be readable, yet small enough to ensure a sufficient amount of text can fit into each line
  Use text that contrasts the background to ensure it is impactful and not lost in the background
  Avoid using bold or stylised fonts to ensure text remains readable
  
  

• Keep tone polite and professional
  Try and keep vocabulary positive and avoid any negative descriptions
  Appear confident and proud of work I have accomplished
  Use non-discriminatory language if referring to reader, e.g. no gendered words such as "sir", or "madam".

Personal Statement Draft 1

I have been invested in the topic of games art for years, starting with a passion for computer generated forms of entertainment such as games and videos which developed into interest into how they were made and desire to become involved in their creation. In this time, I've learned and gained many skills as well as creating ideas and projects related to this topic. I am currently studying a Games Design BTEC in college, as an example. I would like to be accepted into this course to challenge myself further and to allow myself to achieve new skills and experience.

As part of my current college course, I have been creating multiple projects relating to both games and games art, learning and executing skills relating to character design, environment art, prop design, weapon design, planning and setup, and much more. I have recorded and showcased all of my college work in blogs, annotating my thought processes, ideas generation and research that led to my final products. Furthermore, prior to college I took both Computer Science and Graphic Design GCSEs, allowing myself to be familiarised and taught about many of the tools and processes used to create digital media. Additionally, I have continued my interests in creation of digital media outside of education, downloading and experimenting with different software and watching tutorials to try and better my skills and understanding for how I can increase the quality of my work.

From my interest and education, I have picked up experience for many different pathways in art, including traditional 2D art techniques such as pencil, pen, paint, charcoal and collage, as well as various pathways for digital art software, such as Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, LibreSprite and Firealpaca, all of which I have experimented with different techniques, effects and styles in, including perspective, form, accurate proportions, colour, shading, lighting, pixel art and the 12 principles of animation.

Outside of games and art, I have also applied to many jobs and have received some work experience, such as a volunteer role at a convention where I was on the registrations team. In this role, I was required to process ticket holders for access to the event, as well as working with the help desk, answering questions from customers and reporting issues to other departments. This has aided my communication skills, such as teamwork, public speaking and problem solving. These skills will be very beneficial for a future in games development as I will need to be able to effectively and efficiently communicate in a team to ensure the workflow is as streamlined and productive as possible as well as avoiding any time-consuming or costly miscommunications or errors.

In the future, I would like to expand on my current skills and learn new ones in order to be able to achieve more in this area of work and to give myself the opportunity to experience greater and more challenging and rewarding projects and tasks. Eventually, I would like to see myself working in a large, game-related company such as Nintendo, Microsoft or SEGA, or an animation studio, such as Dreamworks or Disney. An alternative path I could also see myself going down would be creating or joining an indie studio. This would be more risky to start up with a much lower chance of stable income or success, but would be much easier to achieve and would most likely allow me more creative freedom in my projects compared to a large corporation.

I would appreciate being accepted into this course as it will be a great opportunity to further develop my abilities and understanding in the fields of both art and games development, as well as bringing me further to a future career in digital media. I would love to continue my education in this subject and pursue this course.

Personal Statement Draft 2

I have been invested in the topic of digital art and animation for years, starting with a passion for computer-generated forms of entertainment such as games and videos, which developed into an interest in how they were produced and a desire to become involved in their creation. In this time, I've practiced and learned many skills, including perspective, form, proportions, colour, animation and 3D modelling. I have also completed several projects relating to these subjects, such as character designs and concept art, as both educational tasks and as personal challenges. I would like to be accepted into this course to challenge myself further and to allow myself to achieve new skills and experience.

As part of my current college course, I have been learning and using skills relating to the creation of settings and characters, such as environment art, prop design, weapon design, planning and setup, and much more. I have recorded and showcased all of my college work in blogs, annotating my thought processes, ideas generation and research that led to my final products. During this time, and previously in computer science and graphic design GCSEs, I have become very experienced with various software, including Adobe Photoshop, Firealpaca and Libresprite for 2D digital art, as well as 3DS Max and Adobe Substance Painter for 3D modelling and texturing. Extending beyond digital art, I have also experimented with and incorporated pencil, paint and collage, and other traditional 2D techniques into some of my work.

Outside of education, I have also applied for many jobs and have received some work experience, such as a volunteer role at a convention where I was on the registrations team, working with the help desk, answering questions from customers and reporting issues to other departments. This has aided my communication skills, including teamwork, public speaking and problem-solving, which will be very beneficial for a future in digital media production as I will need to be able to effectively and efficiently communicate in a team to ensure the workflow is as streamlined and productive as possible, as well as avoiding any time-consuming or costly miscommunications or errors.

In the future, I would like to expand on my current skills and learn new ones in order to be able to achieve more in this area of work and to give myself the opportunity to experience greater and more challenging and rewarding projects and tasks. In the future, I would like to see myself working in a large, game-related company, like Nintendo, Microsoft or SEGA, or an animation studio, like Dreamworks or Disney. Alternatively, I would be interested in creating or joining an indie studio. It would be more risky to start up with a much lower chance of stable income or success, but would be much easier to achieve and would most likely allow me more creative freedom in my projects compared to a large corporation.

I would appreciate being accepted into this course as it will be a great opportunity to further develop my abilities and understanding in the fields of both art and games development, as well as bringing me further to a future career in digital media. I would love to continue my education in this subject and pursue this course.

Personal Statement Draft 3

I have been invested in the topic of digital art and animation for years, starting with a passion for computer-generated forms of entertainment such as games and videos, which developed into an interest in how they were produced and a desire to become involved in their creation. In this time, I've practiced and learned many skills, including perspective, form, proportions, colour, animation and 3D modelling. I have also completed several projects relating to these subjects, such as character designs and concept art, as both educational tasks and as personal challenges. I would like to be accepted into this course to challenge myself further and to allow myself to achieve new skills and experience.

As part of my current college course, I have been learning and using skills relating to the creation of settings and characters, such as environment art, prop design, weapon design, planning and setup, and much more. I have recorded and showcased all of my college work in blogs, annotating my thought processes, ideas generation and research that led to my final products. During this time, and previously in computer science and graphic design GCSEs, I have become very experienced with various software, including Adobe Photoshop, Firealpaca and Libresprite for 2D digital art, as well as 3DS Max and Adobe Substance Painter for 3D modelling and texturing. Extending beyond digital art, I have also experimented with and incorporated pencil, paint and collage, and other traditional 2D techniques into some of my work.

An example of how my course is challenging me and helping me to gain experience with various skills and programs would be the current project I'm working on with the theme of 'Fusion', therefore my idea was to create a design for a fused animal, taking inspiration from mythological creatures in Ancient Greece, as well as robotics and mechs, fusing the two ideas to create a mechanical mythological beast. I will be generating ideas through photobashes and silhouettes as well as 3D blockouts to aid accuracy in my artwork. I will also experiment with colour ideas and turnarounds to ensure I have considered many options and to ensure my final design is to the best of my ability.

Outside of education, I have also applied for many jobs and have received some work experience, such as a volunteer role at a convention where I was on the registrations team, working with the help desk, answering questions from customers and reporting issues to other departments. This has aided my communication skills, including teamwork, public speaking and problem-solving, which will be very beneficial for a future in digital media production as I will need to be able to effectively and efficiently communicate in a team to ensure the workflow is as streamlined and productive as possible, as well as avoiding any time-consuming or costly miscommunications or errors.

In the future, I would like to expand on my current skills and learn new ones in order to be able to achieve more in this area of work and to give myself the opportunity to experience greater and more challenging and rewarding projects and tasks. In the future, I would like to see myself working in a large, game-related company, like Nintendo, Microsoft or SEGA, or an animation studio, like Dreamworks or Disney. Alternatively, I would be interested in creating or joining an indie studio. It would be more risky to start up with a much lower chance of stable income or success, but would be much easier to achieve and would most likely allow me more creative freedom in my projects compared to a large corporation.

I would appreciate being accepted into this course as it will be a great opportunity to further develop my abilities and understanding in the fields of both art and games development, as well as bringing me further to a future career in digital media. I would love to continue my education in this subject and pursue this course.

Task 2.1c - Final Personal Statement

You must provide the final version of your Personal Statement here.

I have been invested in the topic of digital art and animation for years, starting with a passion for computer-generated forms of entertainment such as games and videos, which developed into an interest in how they were produced and a desire to become involved in their creation. In this time, I've practiced and learned many skills, including perspective, form, proportions, colour, animation and 3D modelling. I have also completed several projects relating to these subjects, such as character designs and concept art, as both educational tasks and as personal challenges. I would like to be accepted into this course to challenge myself further and to allow myself to achieve new skills and experience.

As part of my current college course, I have been learning and using skills relating to the creation of settings and characters, such as environment art, prop design, weapon design, planning and setup, and much more. I have recorded and showcased all of my college work in blogs, annotating my thought processes, ideas generation and research that led to my final products. During this time, and previously in computer science and graphic design GCSEs, I have become very experienced with various software, including Adobe Photoshop, Firealpaca and Libresprite for 2D digital art, as well as 3DS Max and Adobe Substance Painter for 3D modelling and texturing. Extending beyond digital art, I have also experimented with and incorporated pencil, paint, collage, and other traditional 2D techniques into some of my work.

An example of how my course is challenging me and helping me to gain experience with various skills and programs would be the current project I'm working on with the theme of 'Fusion', therefore my idea was to create a design for a fused animal, taking inspiration from mythological creatures in Ancient Greece, as well as robotics and mechs, fusing the two ideas to create a mechanical mythological beast. I will be generating ideas through photobashes and silhouettes as well as 3D blockouts to aid accuracy in my artwork. I will also experiment with colour ideas and turnarounds to ensure I have considered many options and to ensure my final design is to the best of my ability.

Outside of education, I have also applied for many jobs and have received some work experience, such as a volunteer role at a convention where I was on the registrations team, working with the help desk, answering questions from customers and reporting issues to other departments. This has aided my communication skills, including teamwork, public speaking and problem-solving, which will be very beneficial for a future in digital media production as I will need to be able to effectively and efficiently communicate in a team to ensure the workflow is as streamlined and productive as possible, as well as avoiding any time-consuming or costly miscommunications or errors.

In the future, I would like to expand on my current skills and learn new ones in order to be able to achieve more in this area of work and to give myself the opportunity to experience greater and more challenging and rewarding projects and tasks. In the future, I would like to see myself working in a large, game-related company, like Nintendo, Microsoft or SEGA, or an animation studio, like Dreamworks or Disney. Alternatively, I would be interested in creating or joining an indie studio. It would be more risky to start up with a much lower chance of stable income or success, but would be much easier to achieve and would most likely allow me more creative freedom in my projects compared to a large corporation.

I would appreciate being accepted into this course as it will be a great opportunity to further develop my abilities and understanding in the fields of both art and games development, as well as bringing me further to a future career in digital media. I would love to continue my education in this subject and pursue this course.