Very clever girl....

How funny - yesterday I came across the arts thread site and thought to myself "brilliant, perfect for seeing what's what in the graduate world", and who do they big up today? Well none other than the lovely Sadie Chesterman-Bailey who has already featured on this blog last July - I already knew she was fabulous you see! Most of our ex-students are! so..... Take a look!

http://www.newdesigners.com/page.cfm/Link=171/t=m/goSection=22

What really bothers me......

I know it has been over a week - sorry! I have been so busy it's unbelievable - sometimes being a textiles teacher is full on, at the moment, my lot - who I am currently VERY pleased with (- their Brighton work you will enjoy soon - I promise - was well, AMAZING ) - are all preparing to start their Final Major Projects (FMP's) and today we had a mammoth presentation session, so I am both brain dead and exhausted from trying to think of exciting and useful things to say about each one. Watch this space to see how things unfold - do you remember that last years show is what I started this blog with - crumbs, a year already..... Will I and should I keep it going? Of course! It's great having something that's all mine - somewhere to record all the great experiences I am lucky enough to, well, experience! And this is what bothers me...... Part of my job is to encourage new and exciting ways of bringing the virtual learning environment into the classroom and I genuinely believe that blogs are an important part of this, the sad thing is, that some of my colleagues just don't get it - everybody has an excuse as to why they are a waste of time - I tell you what, next year when I am trying to explain screen printing to a bunch of green first years, I will be very pleased to pop my printed pics and instructions up on screen for a ready made explanation - as will I when there is an archive of ex-student diaries and images to help with uni choices ready and waiting to explore, or last years show, or.... well you get the point! But what was particularly gratifying today was to discover that a number of top universities put a great deal of stock in them too.... so there all you miserable gits out there!

http://blogs.lcc.arts.ac.uk/headofcollege/category/surface-design/

http://blog.artsthread.com/

And I am not even ashamed of myself....

This week I have been entertained twice - well, what I mean is that I have attended two entertaining events -  obviously I am ALWAYS entertained by my lovely student boys and girls, but I don't have to pay for that - well not in cash, blood, sweat and tears maybe....... anyway, the first was in the week and involved a trick of the mind (or two) - can you foresee what it might have been? Ha! I am a sucker for this guy, although I am sad to report that this wasn't the best show of his I have been to and, err, yes there have been a few that I might have found myself at! Why it's Derren Brown of course!

Secondly, and for this I really make no apologies what so ever - My Mum and I went to the Xfactor live event at the 02 last night - it should be pointed out however, that it was Ivan (Mr Bicknell) who actually purchased the tickets - I would NEVER have parted money for them myself (!). It was actually most enjoyable and the other 20 odd thousand audience members seemed to enjoy themselves too - ahh, hoards of screaming teenagers, garlic chips and red wine in a plastic cup what more could a girl want?! The evening was also preceded by some shopping on the kings road and a trip on the Thames Clipper - £3 to get from the London eye to the 02 - no raging underground and great views - this I thoroughly recommend! Stupidly I forgot to charge my phone - some intrepid blogger I turn out to be - but here are a few images I have borrowed from the net!

Anthropologie is a real favourite of mine, but I had yet to visit the Kings Road store, and as they had very kindly sent me a voucher for my birthday it seemed rude not to go and use it! The store is not just a store though - it has a "living" area and contains so much more than just clothes - although that is only what the pair of us purchased! Starting this week, the kings Road store (there is another on regents street) will be launching make do and mend workshops too. I also might have visited a few other retail outlets too - but don't tell Ivan (Mr Bicknell)! The shoes I got from Muji are looovvveeellly!

I couldn't help but snap this window at Petit Bateau - I love a good saga!

There is also a wonderful food market every Saturday on the Kings Road in the Duke of York Square - near the Saatchi gallery - it is truly wonderful and not only has stall after stall of comfort eating goodies, but delicious food on the move stands too - you can self indulge until your heart's content!



The Southbank was chocca with street entertainment - tons of street dance, mime artists and a couple of the above - nothing like a bit of healthy competition huh? The fact that it was gloriously sunny meant that we could enjoy our designer and ridiculously over priced mugs of tea alfresco too!



This is where you can catch the clipper from - every 20 minutes for less than a tube fare! Hmmm, still haven't been on the eye - maybe next time!

And then came Matt .........

Nope - not even embarrassed that I went!



Revolting rhymes....

The first years are currently doing a project based on Roald Dahl - which is all about creating their own photo shoots based on his books and then developing some illustrations from these - Pip and Rachel did a fab shoot around one of his revolting rhymes and I pinched one of the images to draw from, under the pretence that I was trying to encourage the group to get stuck into some proper sustained drawing by paving the way myself - actually, I was just desperate to settle down and indulge myself!  I LOVE drawing, but I am a bit out of practice - but here is the end product anyway - I can't even remember what the revolting rhyme was - but it involved eating a toffee.......!





Playing

So I am still at work, killing time before heading off to the gym and thought I'd play with a new programme I have called shape collage - it is a bit of a novelty thing but I quite like the end result - basically you drag a whole heap of photos into the programme, choose a shape you want them to create and they jiggle everything about for you - I can think of worse ways to kill time, but to be honest, I can think of better ones - like making a cup of tea - hmmmm, now there's an idea.......

As you can see, it works much better if you have lots of images.

http://www.shapecollage.com/

Sunday morning browsing...

Came across this rather nice little mag this morning through a bit of lazy surfing, hmmm, maybe something like this could be my next little project...

Open publication - Free publishing - More bookhou

And then there is the work......

So, alongside the fish and chips, fun fair rides and sticks of rock, there has to be a project doesn't there? I have just collected in some good fashion projects - the products of which will be blogged in due course, so now we have something for all those interior designers on the course - a bit of styling based upon what struck a chord with them in Brighton - and part of this task requires something of an understanding of repeat pattern and design - here's a little taster I've knocked up - it's a bit ropey, but you will hopefully get the gist.....





Oh I do like to be.........

It has become a rather lovely annual occasion - every March the Foundation and BTEC 2 teachers take the reprobates off to the seaside - shame it isn't July of course, but there is still something rather magnificent about being at the seaside none the less - especially when it gets you out of a whole heap of first year teaching - only kidding - err, or am I?! The trip normally falls around my birthday too and this year it was really nice to extend the occasion. The students always seem to enjoy it and as the sun was shining rather brightly, it certainly wasn't a chore to takes those snaps - from what I have seen, the boys and girls have done a much better job than me, but here are some of mine anyway!