Projects...

Pretty new double satin ribbon from John Lewis in a lovely dark plum colour, yum!

But more to the point,okay, I admit, I haven't been on here in quite a while!!! But honestly, we( the 3rd years) have been run off our feet with projects. We have been given a year long source project, gathering together a wealth of material-sketches,images etc to help inspire us throughout our coursework this year and into our final year for our degree collection.

In addition, we have just completed a project competition for the V&A in London-scary stuff! Though unfortunately the pieces did not have to be made, so I sat countless afternoons doing 3D work on the CAD packages Rhino-eurgh! The headaches that were caused by staring at a computer screen were countless!

However, now we have been given a project that should spark our creativity, and have some fun in the workshop too! The project named 'The Ring Exchange' will involve each designer designing a ring (simple or completly extravegant!) and create a set of 'instructions' through drawings and written information on A3 boards. THEN all our names will be popped into a hat, and will each be given someone elses ring to make! I can hear the groans and moans already (especially for me!), but it will be a learning curve, and perfect practise for commissioning pieces.

So this week will involve..to design a suitable ring! Hopefully something uber complicated and detailed! Mwhahaha! No, that would be mean though I know the other girls are thinking it too! Hehe! Nah we all love each other really!

Till Later x

Monday Morning...

At the crack of dawn(well...8.30ish), both myself and my new flatmate Nicola Reed(also a fellow new 3rd year jeweller-see links) will be embarking on a slight, but also tiring trek back to Uni, where all the fun stuff will start back over again!

Safe to say we are both panicking tremendously over the unfinished summer projects we both have...let's hope we can do it in the remaining 4 days, minus of course the remaining few nights out in freshers week..!

So I am hoping to start posting a few more interesting blogs once I get back into the swing of things. Good thing is we have a kettle in the studio! "Hurrah!" Soo lots of cuppas to keep us going!

Till later x

Resin Project, done!

After a mad rush to finish our project, all of us 2nd year jewellers now have 3 finished beads each...phew! We are gradually getting over the fumes from the resin and clearing away all our rotten fruit, safe to say the flys are not amused!
I am quite happy with my final 3 beads, they could have been better finished, perhaps more simplistic, but they link to my thought process throughout my sketchbook, so I'm satisfied!

My idea was to not look at the fruit itself, but analyze the description behind it, so I used descriptive words to identify areas of my fruit!(Royal Gala Apple..!)

Sooo, just got our new project today...going to be wire base, so studying line in the environment around us for some inspiration....not excited yet! But I will get there! Now, to be alot alot alot excited about, tomorrow we're getting a workship on brooch fitting etc, woohoo! Bring on the Christmas present making! Hehe.

Till later x

Chilly Weather...

Don't you hate when it's at that 'inbetween' stage in weather, where the summers gone, autumns here, but you feel like winters days away? The chill in the air here is taking it's toll on all us early bird art students up at 9 in the morning, trudging down to the studio, barely awake, though shocked with the cold!

Then! At 4 o'clock it's pitch black outside and the thought of walking home again in about an hour, again in the cold....eugh!

But on a more positive note, the project is progressing well, though soon the slight panic will take hold of us all due to the thought of the last minute rush!

I am beginning to really enjoy using the resin and plastics, though I'm looking forward to experimenting with some designs that include using metal and resin, could create some interesting effects... oooh the possibilities!

Till later x

A little to begin with...

In May of this year I completed a General Art and Design Course at Duncan of Jordanstone last year and loved it!

So I then internally reapplied into my 2nd Year to do Jewellery and Metalwork, which I started in September this year. It's what I have allllways wanted to do, so I'm really putting my all into the projects we've been given.

The first project was based on texture-we made paper, then metal samples to lead onto a final vessel design inspired by the textures we had already experimented with-safe to say I burnt my hands, cut them, hammered then several times!!! Within the 4 week project we got taught some basic skills such as soldering, scoring, and using some other tools within the workshop environment. The course seems to be about self discipline and teaching yourself skills and techniques through making mistakes! Its a good way of working, though with those who haven't done jewellery and metalwork before(which is 14/17 of us!) its a bit hard to get your head around.

The project we are currently working on is....a bit random to be honest! All 17 of us were given a piece of fruit (I got given a Royal Gala Apple....) and told to research pour given fruit within a sketchbook in a 2 week time period. Not just the fruit either-we have to 'think outside the box (or the fruit)'. Now we have researched our fruit, we have to become inspired and experiment with resins and moulds to create/design 3 'beads'. THEN we will be split into groups to design/create a way of piecing all of our beads together to be displayed within the department.

Sounds....interesting?!

Hopefully will keep this blog up-to-date on what I'm up to in the studio and my inspirations out with Uni life.

Till later x