Second year student, Aibhlin Fowlie (IDEA Grad 2024) is creating some of her best work and consistently being pushed to work outside of her comfort zone
Meet second-year student, Aibhlin Fowlie (IDEA Grad 2024)! Her self-portrait for IDES 133 - Visual Studio taught by Jay Bassan is shown above.
“I am committed to my art and I love the work we are doing but I am doing work at a pace I’ve never worked at before. As intense as the Bachelor of Design program is, I am creating some of the best work I’ve ever made and consistently being pushed to work outside of my comfort zone.”
Read Aibhlin’s story and check out some of her other work for a glimpse into first-year student life at IDEA School of Design at Capilano University.
Self Portrait by Aibhlin Fowlie (IDEA Grad 2024)
I self-identify as a witch, working with tarot cards, candles, energy. I wanted to reflect that in my self-portrait, for IDES 133 Visual Studio with instructor Jay Bassan, because it is a piece of me that is very close to my heart. I wanted to create an intense and vulnerable image where even though there is the clutter of the tarot spread in front of me you still want to look me in the eye. I love including strong but subtle emotion into my work and I think this turned out just as I'd hoped.
“Aibhlin approached her projects with ambition and vision, the results always proved compelling and her self-portrait is a fine example.”
Self-portrait mood board by Aibhlin Fowlie (IDEA Grad 2024)
“The Assignment” by Jay Bassan, Instructor
Create a mood board visualizing your Passion, Super Power, Values, Purpose and differentiation (students can use any medium for this).
“The Goal” by Jay Bassan, Instructor
To have students think clearly about how to imagine themselves as a brand and use their final self-portrait as an expression of that. This becomes one of the more interesting projects since it happens near the end of class and students are now comfortable enough with the camera.
I remind students that similar to sketching, where you decide where to put the pencil, pen, or mouse to compose your drawing, where do you put the camera to capture a moment or tell a story?
I get some interesting work.
Experience so far in first year at IDEA School of Design
It's been a big undertaking for sure. I am committed to my art and I love the work we are doing but I am doing work at a pace I've never worked at before. As intense as the Bachelor of Design program is, I am creating some of the best work I've ever made and consistently being pushed to work outside of my comfort zone, which is something I've always struggled with a little bit.
Having the Bachelor of Design program be entirely online definitely has its perks and downsides as well though.
Perk: I don't have to transit to school every day, and I can be in my pyjamas sometimes.
Downsides: I haven't met my classmates, I can't use the equipment the campus has, I can't socialize and collaborate quite the same way as is intended in a program like this. I think I am on the right path, but here's to hoping we're not online for a third semester.
Featured Work
These are all projects from the second term last year.
“Quiet”
This is one of the frames in a 5 photo story for Jay's class about finding a moment of quiet.
“American Gods” book cover
An illustrated redesign of the cover of American Gods.
“Work Hard Live Slow” seniors poster
This is the result of an interview with my grandmother, this project was to honor her and to illustrate her advice.
Why did you choose IDEA School of Design over other schools?
I applied to both Emily Carr and Capilano University’s IDEA School of Design. I went with IDEA Bachelor of Design because of how career-focused it is. Emily Carr has some great programs, but they seemed to be more focused on your art right now and IDEA School of Design wants you to get better so you can be in the field of design. All my professors have stories of their time working as designers and illustrators, and hearing some of the work they have done gives me butterflies. IDEA School of Design wants you to succeed, not just right now but after you graduate, and they focus on giving you the skills you need for that.
“The Bachelor of Design program at IDEA School of Design is a 4-year degree program with an enduring reputation for industry-prepared graduates. We are a career-oriented program for the next generation of creative professionals, with concentrations in branding, illustration and interactive design.”
What advice would you give to those considering applying?
Be ready to work your butt off, but have fun doing it. The assignments are creative and designed to make you really think about your art. If you love art and you've got stamina, this Bachelor of Design program is for you.
“The purpose of your portfolio is to demonstrate your creative potential. We assess portfolios on drawing skill, design and creativity.”
"Breakthrough moment" at IDEA School of Design
I don't think I have one discernible aha moment, but I feel like I have mini breakthroughs in every big project. I am constantly pushed outside of my comfort zone, which is sometimes exhausting, but it makes it so I have to figure out how to do new things. I'm always trying new mediums and software, drawing new subject matter, and solving problems, and every time you try something new there are little breakthroughs within that.
What’s one of your favourite songs or music videos?
I don't really watch music videos, but I've been really liking the song 'Come Along' by Cosmo Sheldrake lately.
For more on Aibhlin follow her on Instagram @illustraibhlin.
