Splish splish I was taking a bath!

Back to sculpture and we are doing splash cast. SO MUCH  FUN! Taking the clay model that we made a few weeks ago we left them to dry for two weeks. Then mixing some plaster you launch it at the model until all the surface is covered. Word of Warning: make sure you have a large area to work in and that you are wearing coveralls, don't do what I did and wear suede boots. After the first stage the work area will look like the murder scene of a marshmallow.

You then proceed by making a thicker mix of plaster and coating the model one half at a time until you have a layer about 2-inches thick. Leave to solidify for a few minute and scrape back the plaster to reveal the brass plate around the model. Then leave to dry before pulling out the brass and scooping out the remnants of the model.

Sculpture

Back into the 3D workshop and we begin by working with model making. We have to design and create a 3D piece that relates to our Multiples brief. Sculpture is not something I feel particularly drawn to but clay on the other hand is right down my street of expertise. I think having used fondant icing throughout my childhood has made using clay seem so easy.

My design has taken inspiration from the various writers and textiles of Edinburgh, I'm playing about with a fountain pen feature in association with the writers.

I've decided

I decided to look at writers that have been inspired by Edinburgh, particularly those who grew up there and achieved great success in the Capital; Robert Burns, Sir Walter Scott, Irvine Welsh, Muriel Spark, Robert Louis Stevenson, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and Ian Rankin to name a few. I am going to try and adapt their works and illustrations into a costume piece adding patterns and textures taken from the city.

I am admittedly nervous about this project as so far I’ve not really had the opportunity to show the true extent of my skills as a costume designer. In years past when I’ve said that I want to become a costume designer, it has always been met with fierce opposition. I’ve come to understand that it is only meant to show concern, as costume is an incredibly competitive and difficult career choice – but I’ve never done anything easy.

Dreams you shouldn't have.

Another week of video skills and this week we were asked to create a video based on the subject of dreams. I decided to take a very strange approach, choosing to use a variety of characters to tell the story of an erratic nightmare/dream – starring me. The result is something that would strike fear into the hearts of grown men and should probably be destroyed for the safety of future generations.

Happy

Briefing time! We have been given a brief for our video skills class and I think I may have gotten a "little" overexcited. The brief is to create a movie charting the things that make you happy throughout the week. I have on average taken about fifteen selfies, filmed 5 minute long videos of me singing in the car, and also taken several photos of my meals. It is actually really difficult trying to decide what to film because you need to analyse the aspects of your life that have a positive affect on you.

To begin with I was very excited about it, but then I found that its the simple day to day things that make me happy. Sometimes its a memory or just chatting with friends and I feel its a bit invasive sitting filming my friends - and sort of creepy.

Lights, Camera...Action?

Part of this years course is a video skills class which shows us how to work with movies and photography as a possible medium for our artwork. I am really enjoying it because there was a time when I had a rather far fetched idea of me becoming a director - despite the fact I had never done any films or serious photography before - so it has very much pegged my interest. Whether my mini movies peg anyone else's interest is a topic yet to be debated. I think it is very much a case of trial and error. If you don't like something film it again. If you film in black and white, revert to colour. So on and so forth.

Personally I am partial to filming in black and white, in colour I feel as though it strips away the atmosphere that you are shooting in front of you. In black and white there is a glamorous look, which to me shows off the subject better.

"A swally down tae Auld Reekie"



Following on from our introduction to the Multiples brief we were let loose in Edinburgh for the day. Considering I have lived in Scotland my entire life and have been only about 45 minutes away from the capital, I haven't really had the opportunity to look at the heart of the city in much detail. Usually I've spend whole days in the galleries or end up getting dragged around Princes Street to go shopping. But, I was incredibly excited to just walk around the city and see what it has to offer. As part of my brief I had decided that I was going to concentrate on Scottish writers who hold a unique link to the capital whether it is through themselves or through their characters. I wanted to look at a range of textures from both old and new buildings, from cobbled streets to soot stained buildings. By doing this I am hoping to gain an understanding as to what captured the imagination of authors such as Ian Rankin or Robert Burns.

Personally, I can easily understand why the city has remained a prominent location in Scotland's literature history. Within one stretch of road you can encounter great beauty, dirt and squalor, and majestic landscapes, with a mix of old and new.