Natural Ability

Student Emily Nicholls has produced a creative set of tile designs for Gradbach Outdoor Adventure. Emily, who studies the BTEC Foundation Diploma in Art and Design at Newcastle-under-Lyme College (NULC), was set the brief of producing door numbers in an unusual way to help guests identify the centre's 20 rooms.

Emily referred to Peak District wildlife as a guide to gain inspiration and began working in watercolour before enhancing her designs in Adobe Photoshop. Emily completed her designs by getting the design transferred onto elegant Minton tiles.

Mike Kelly, Assistant Head of Academic and Creative studies at NULC, said: "This has been a great 'real world' opportunity for Emily, and her tutors on the Foundation Diploma in Art and Design think it's going to be the first of many projects our students can get involved in for Gradbach Outdoor Adventure."

For more information about studying the Foundation Diploma in Art and Design call 01782 254254, email info@nulc.ac.uk or visit www.nulc.ac.uk

Photography students on fast track at Tour of Britain!

 

NULC students studying the BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma in Photography & Digital Imaging used the recent Tour of Britain Cycling Race to gain some real life photo journalism experience.

Course Leader, Alex Williams, said: “The Tour of Britain passing through the Potteries offered a fantastic opportunity for our second year students to add another string to their bow.  The students were set a live brief, which gave them some work experience in the fast paced environment of event photography. This gave our students a real taste of real world requirements for preparation and planning, as well as the quick turnaround time after capturing the images to edit and send them to the customer.”

Alex added: “The students did extremely well in the task, achieving various images that fit in various genres of photography, including Social Documentary and Corporate work, understanding that a sports event can be captured in various different styles and ways. Many students also had their work liked, praised and re-tweeted on various social media platforms.”

To find out more about studying photography at NULC, contact 

alex.williams@nulc.ac.uk, visit www.nulc.ac.uk or call 01782254254.

AS Theatre Studies programme

On Friday 1st May the AS Theatre students performed the first moderated work in the new Performing Arts Centre.  

The images show a performance of Matilda which was absolutely fantastic, the students attained 100% A-D grades with 61% attaining high grades (A-B) for the unit.  John Shortall our AQA moderator was very complimentary of our new facilities at the Performing Arts Centre and the superb acting ability of our cohort.  The unit is taught by Faye Matthews who has worked extremely hard with the learners to deliver a superb performance of the classic!

And on Friday 8th May A2 students will be moderated and we invite friends and family to watch a range of physical and creative adaption pieces which will start from 11am.

Thanks to Sue Bowdery who took some amazing pictures of one of the AS performances.

Expert Ex-Students Help Current Students on Final Project

Students are helping to signpost the new Lego Innovation Studio at Newcastle-under-Lyme College.

The Level 3 ED Graphics Design & Interactive Media students are working on a project which is set to complete on the 9^th February. There are three tasks in this project which the students have to fulfil. The first task asks the students to produce several pages of evidence in a sketchbook, which shows evidence of a variety of methods used, including traditional, computer generated materials, also the techniques and process the students learnt during the projects.

The second task sees the students produce a number of thumbnail designs that can be refined. They must also produce a number of mock-ups for the final idea, using materials and the new processes and techniques they have learnt.

In the third and final task the students will research a number of supporting ideas that will inform the Lego Innovation Studio. They can then use these ideas as a starting point for their final project.

Over the duration of their task the students will produce a number of pieces for use in the promotion, branding and sign-posting of the room.

The students involved in this task have been split into three teams depending on their skills. One team, headed by lecturer Shannon Steyn, will be focused on graphics design. They will be producing promotional material for the Lego Studio, which includes posters aimed at staff and students. A second team, headed by lecturer David Burgess, are the illustration team and will produce three 2.5m x 1.5m prints to be placed outside of the Lego Studio. The last team is headed by lecturer Mark Smith and this team is the 3D computer modelling team and they will design a mural 265cm x 288cm in size to go along the wall outside the ED Graphics Design & Media staff room.

In order to produce these final pieces and coursework the students have been encouraged to bring in resources from home, from old toothbrushes to sponges. They were also given resources to use in college, including ipads, cameras and graphics tablets.

The students also had help from former students of NULC who have gone onto have successful careers: Tom Perry, a letter smith from PezandPencil of Stoke on Trent, Anthony Owen, the Creative Director at Delineo in Manchester and Jon Paul Green, lead Graphic Designer at Q Railing in Stoke on Trent. All three ex-students completed the Level 3 ED Graphics Design & Interactive Media course and Ant and Jon also completed a level 2 course in Art & Design prior to that.

 

 

Students attend Clothes Show Live

On Friday 5th December, students within the Faculty of Academic and Creative Studies attended the Clothes Show Live in Birmingham.

The day included a dedicated seat in the Fashion Theatre, a fashion career seminar along with the opportunity for students to speak to representatives from several Universities offering HE courses in Fashion and Textiles.

 

With opportunities to view the work of recent graduates on the small catwalks in the venue throughout the event.

The Clothes Show was a great chance to speak with industry experts, have a look at the latest trends and get a real insight into the world of fashion.

To find out more about studying an  A-Levels at NULC contact the Information Point on 01782 254254 or email info@nulc.ac.uk.

Students visit historic Spode site

Over ninety students from Foundation Degree in Contemporary Art Practice, Design and Graphics and Extended Diploma in Fashion visited the historic Spode site, based in Church Street, Stoke, to view the new exhibition Journeys, Pathway and Trackplans.

The exhibition features eighteen artists, including Newcastle-under-Lyme College (NULC) Foundation Degree in Contemporary Art Practice lecturer Joyce Iwaszko and ex-NULC students Rob Noble, Ali Reed and Andrew Branscombe.

Joyce Iwaszko said: "Journeys, Pathways and Trackplans has been an amazing opportunity for students to see such a diverse range of contemporary art in the city"

All the students who visited the exhibition are using the experience to inspire a visual communication as part of their courses it aims to show visitors art in a non-traditional white cube space.

The exhibition continues at the historic Spode site daily 11-5pm until October 25. A blog documenting the event can be found here.

For more information about Art & Design courses at NULC, you can email info@nulc.ac.uk or telephone 01782 254254.


Images courtesy of Cristiana Cappelletti

NULC Floristry students are the centre of attention

On Thursday 16 October, Newcastle-under-Lyme College (NULC) floristry students helped provide the centre pieces at the Autumn Lunch for the Staffordshire Chambers of Commerce and Industry hosted at the Britannia Stadium, home of Stoke City Football Club.

Both Level two and three full time floristry students from the College took part in designing and creating the twenty table centre pieces for the event.

 

Louise Johnson Curriculum Leader for Floristry said: “This is a fantastic opportunity for the students to experience a ‘real life’ floristry commission involving them from the initial ideas, through the design and planning process, finally creating the designs and ensuring that they meet both budget requirements and client expectations.” 

The event for the Staffordshire Chamber of Commerce and Industry was attended by Stoke City boss Mark Hughes as well as BET 365 and Stoke City chairman Peter Coates.

Said Louise Johnson “The students have created wonderful displays with rich autumnal colours in keeping with the client’s request. The students should be proud of what they have produced and the skills developed along with it.”

 

 

To find out more about studying Floristry at NULC visit www.nulc.ac.uk or contact the Information Point on 01782 254254 or email info@nulc.ac.uk.

 

Local music photographer shares experiences with NULC students

Tony Woolliscroft, photographer to music stars including The 1975, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Foo Fighters and Robbie Williams, returned to NULC to inspire the new students on the Extended Diploma Photography & Digital Imaging course.

 

Alex Williams, Curriculum Leader for the course, said: “It is fantastic to have links to such a prolific photographer, especially for those learners who may be specifically interested in music, sports and portrait work.  With a portfolio including not just famous bands, but portraits for football stars such as Kenny Dalglish, Keith Gillespie and Steven Gerrard, Tony can inspire lots of different students.  His links and experience in the industry are immeasurable, highlighted by his talk to the students about his use of the new Fuji X-T1 mirrorless digital cameras.”

 

Alex added: “I am currently talking to Tony about the possibility of mentoring some of our photography students on a one to one basis at live events.  This would be a “money can’t buy” opportunity for students, giving them fantastic access and instant feedback by an experienced photographer.  Watch this space!”

To find out more about Extended Diploma Photography & Digital Imaging at NULC contact alex.williams@nulc.ac.uk

 

 

Creative students join forces to create show stopping charity show

Creative students from Newcastle-under-Lyme College (NULC) have raised over £800 after organising a charity fashion and textiles show.
The show was a collaborative project between students studying the Fashion and Textiles Foundation Diploma in Art and Design and BTEC Extended Diploma in Art and Design and was titled ‘The House of God’ which took place at St Giles Church in Newcastle-under-Lyme on Friday 13th June.

The students worked on a number of different aspects of putting together the fashion and textiles event. The students designed and made the outfits for the catwalk show, photographed and video recorded the event and promotional material including posters and tickets were designed and printed.
On the evening students raised over £800 for the Douglas Macmillan Hospice and Mind.

 

Lauren Spragg, Lecturer in Fashion at NULC said: “All of the students involved worked extremely hard to organise the charity fashion and textiles show. Their hard work paid off and on the evening we had over 400 in attendance and over £800 was raised for the selected charities.”Representatives from both charities were presented with a cheque at NULC’s £60 million campus on Knutton Lane on Monday 30th June.
She continued: “The students really enjoyed every minute of the event and the whole experience. It gives them a real insight of what a future career in this industry will be like. I’m proud of all of them.”

To find out more about studying Art and Design, contact Lauren Spragg or Andrea Birch-Machin on lauren.spragg@nulc.ac.uk or andrea.birch-machin@nulc.ac.uk

Middleport Pottery Wall Painting (Fresco secco) 2014

In May, 2014, the Prince’s Regeneration Trust commissioned me to re-design and paint the Middleport Pottery café walls. The design is painted onto lime wash walls with a mineral paint, this will form a chemical bond to the lime wash and soak into the wall without loss of colour.  This use of traditional materials is in keeping with the PRT restoration plan for the whole site. Historically, Willow Pattern was printed in blue, a paler blue is used for the Asiatic Pheasant pattern. On the Willow Wall I also incorporated Arden and Calico/Calico Accent patterns. 

As I began to draw, the Willow Pattern sections of the painting became a symbol to me of the new life of Middleport Pottery representing historic and contemporary connections. The Mandarin’s House related to the newly renovated Burleigh buildings. The bridge and the boat related to the canal directly outside the café door and the ‘island’ began to represent the other side of the canal. On many of the days I was painting, the sun was shining and I was able to have my lunch just outside by the canal. I thought of the history and the future of the pottery and how others would soon enjoy this experience.

This has been a particularly exciting commission and it has been a privilege to be part of this restoration project and paint the Middleport Pottery Wall Painting.

Joyce Iwaszko

Curriculum Leader for Level 2 Art and Design at NULC
June 2014

Please see video below for further information about the regeneration of Middleport Pottery by the Prince's Regeneration Trust.