Thursday 26 July 2012

Tasty taster day....

Near the end of term we hosted a day where the year 10s came to play - that's 4th year to you and me! And I do mean play - the creative department - we have  anew name but I can't remember what it is - spent the day encouraging the kids to say hello to us - drama drew on Altman, music said it in rhythm, DT surfed and we pressured them into having their photos taken! Somehow I was given the task of organising the overall bun fight, but to be honest those lecturers involved are so on it that all I had to do was rustle up some film makers - again, thanks Gemma! 

In a bid to organise our department and formulate an idea I pressurised our own students into having their photos taken - actually, as you can see it didn't take much! The idea is that they are saying hello - be it in writing, using props or just acting up! Hugo took the pics of Evie, Pip, Rachel, Hannah and Viki - such a shy and retiring bunch.......
















And I hounded the first years until they contributed too - so thanks to Jess, Beth, Josie, Sian, Michael and Harry - great pics!





In the end though I thought it might be fun to play with some homemade props - ta Sammi for helping to cut them all out!!! Then we had some fun.....



Our Fabby helpers for the day - Andrew and Laura

Georgie

Mr Bicknell - thug...

Me

Paul

Me and him

Who also spent the time between groups climbing the walls (windows).....




Mark and Georgie also set up a light trail booth - these are what some of the guys on the day did - sadly I can't show any of the great pics that were captured of the year 10s for obvious reasons - but safe to say, they looked brill!!



I am the rubbish "s"!


A fine time (I think) was had by all - lets hope Alton is their college of choice!



Wednesday 25 July 2012

It's not all about BTEC and Foundation....

Even though I choose to teach on the more vocational courses, I admire those who teach on the A level courses - it is both my strength and my Achilles heel that I prefer to spend my time with the full-time students, I find it  hard only teaching someone for 2 or 3 hours a week, maybe for fear of not progressing them enough, of course, this isn't at all the case, and I would sometimes be well advised to step back a bit. Deborah and Liz do wonders with the textile girlies and Ivan (Mr Bicknell) and Drew nurture some damn fine painters - I love to paint and draw myself, to have the luxury of time to sit and draw for hours on end is something I would grasp with both hands - I love the feeling of accomplishment you get from developing your own imagery - it is often hard to get my lot to do this - they are more often than not more interested in getting on with the designing of patterns and I suppose the appropriation of "found" imagery and getting to grips with the technicalities attached to the processes they need to use - and this will often go against them, but when they are constantly exposed to designers and makers who make great livings doing just this, it is tricky to get them back to basics. A shame, as this is the backbone to good design - maybe these images will encourage future years to get their drawing on!

Adam

Alice

Amelia

Amy

Andrew

Ben

Cora

Daisy

Emilia

Emily

Hannah

Meg

Miriam - this beauty now lives in our kitchen - amazing isn't it?!

So you want to see the fashion show? And it's taken me too long to post? Oh alright then!

I know, I know, it's been a month - almost to the day in fact, but I've been busy alright! Busy coming down and getting over the chaos and the drama that is the end of term for us - as usual there will now be a glut of posts coming your way (lucky you!), so I shall start with our amazing fashion show - amazing  in the sense that there weren't many fashion designers this year, but by golly did they make up for it with spectacular choreography and collections, and also amazing as they only had 24 hours to get it all down - pros the lot of them and I am so, so proud of each and every one! This year the photos are courtesy of Niall Taylor - an adult photography student who braved an entire day with us- taking a day off work I might add too - I love the candid getting ready images in particular and think that he has a wonderful eye for a shot - cheers Niall! I would also like to say that without the support of the media boys and girls - Gemma and Joe in particular, the wonderful Nich and James - who always keep me smiling, I would never pull this off every year! So ta very much. X 
Getting all dolled up...

Time to play


Hairspray - it's trickier than it looks!

I was assured that this was only water....

As if she wasn't tall enough already

Huh?

Yeah Georgia - it's definitely short enough 

Maddie - so it's a straight line I have to walk in yeah?

Sam - unimpressed - Lauren easier to make smile!

Last minute touch-ups

Some tragic old textiles teacher - who really must go on that diet.....

And the show goes on.....

Flo for Faith - day of the dead inspired collection

Jazzy for jazzy - all washed up

Evie - having the time of her life being a desperate housewife for Rachel!

Flo, Sally and faith - it's all an illusion...

sally for Sally

Viki getting dominant for Hannah

Georgia being much more of a princess....

Pip - the boy rocks a frock!

Rachel and Lauren seeing red

Vickie's model (sorry don't know her name) and Georgia - not so mellow in yellow

Ruth - making a mess, but looking gorgeous!

Oh I  am rubbish - I don't know this lovelies name either, but she was modelling for Holly, and err, it was out of this world.....!

see above....

Oh I know this one - this is little sister Hazel

And the young woman herself in those shoes!

Viki getting hairy for Pip

Pip - losing his identity

Ella - surprise star of the show rocking the revealing!

Evie, Ella, Pip, Very tall beautiful girl, Viki - Errr, I hasten to add they are all beautiful......!

Maddie, keeping it all locked up for flo

Flo for Flo - in control!

Sally for Flo - what you looking at?!

Evie's tortured souls!




Rachel perhaps the most tortured - modelling because I made her - but blimey she was good!

Faith for Vickie - all heart

Flo for Vickie - still looking scary!

Sally - Vickie's biggest fan - ha ha ha!

Georgia - jilted


Ah never mind, plenty more fish in the sea!

And all too quickly it was all over - look how contemplative we all look!!!

Alton College fashion show 2012