Angel

So this week, on top of all the other work I am trying to do, I have squeezed in a few hours to create an artwork to contribute to an art auction that is happening at my university. Because of the recent government spending cuts, our tutors are concerned that we won't be able to get enough funding to create out yearly 'Quotes' book, a promotional anthology of the class's work. So we are putting on an auction of student and tutor work to try to raise money for it in the event that funding gets cut completely. So you'll be pleased to know there's some artwork here! Yay! I don't see why I can't show it before the auction, hell, if you really like it come to Falmouth and bid for it!

This blog post is for my good friend Miss G who really ought to get on with signing up to twitter. :) and maybe blogger too. I hope this colours your day of dissertation work! Now to get on with my own...

festive

I realise it's still a good few weeks 'til Christmas... but I have been practising a few recipes to get myself in the little festive mood :) I hope to perfect this recipe by the time we go home. Today, I learnt how to make shortcrust pastry. To many people that may seem like a silly thing to declare as most people probably know how to, I simply haven't made it before so it was a first attempt. It really was amazingly easy, I'll never know why my mom has always said it's difficult. My flatmate Millie and I invested in some gorgeous little alphabet cookie cutters from Aldi last week in the hope that it will make some great concoctions, and I decided to use them to create some themed pastry tops for my mince pies. Got some good little photos of these bad boys - I see a ready-made Christmas card on the horizon!

Been attempting to get to grips with my dissertation this week, I have actually started putting finger to key and writing something down! I hope to have a good quality first draft to get feedback on, and eventually I will get quotes and some good references in there. It's getting tricky to juggle stuff around! As a result some of my studio work has been suffering a little (hence the lack of evidence of drawing on this blog) but I hope the photos of the pies is enough visual stimulation for now. I hope to get some awesome stuff on the go as sooon as possible - it may be all quiet on the western front for some time.

Titanic

I was looking through my pictures and I realised I haven't yet blogged about a particular experience I had over summer.

In a town close to my home, Netherton, an iconic piece of engineering was built 100 years ago, the anchor for RMS Titanic. If you haven't been living under a rock, you will have seen the recent tv series on Channel 4, Titanic: The Mission. A team of engineers made it their mission to remake parts of the Titanic, and bring home the memories of 100 years ago, of the time when Britain really did rule the world in making things. For the programme about Netherton's anchor, the team recast the gigantic structure and brought it home to the people of Netherton. I went along that day to see the 20 shire horses proudly pull it to its new home, right in the middle of the town. It was so wonderful to see so many people celebrating their heritage, I always think it's a shame that we just don't make many things in Britain relative to 100 years ago. I managed to get a few pictures of the anchor, as well as the 20 horses (which in the end had to be replaced with a tractor to pull the 15 tonne anchor - hot day in august plus roundabouts in Dudley equals bad planning!)

Luke Perry, one of the four presenters from the series.

I think the anchor is currently at the Black Country Living Museum, but will soon be rehomed in Netherton, back where it all began. To read a bit more about it, the BBC published a short note about it here.

In other news (!) I hope to get some proper drawing up here again soon, I am embarking on several projects at once so it's all very much in the early stages. Watch this space for some Nigella loving and maybe some Christmas related fittle!

Super 8

I really do love charity shops. I just wandered through town today, browsing for nothing in particular, when I came across a Halina Super 8mm film camera. I honestly have no idea how to use it, where I will get a cartridge from or even if you can still process the film.. but it was so cheap that I thought I needed to get it just so I could have a closer look without standing in the shop for hours! I also got myself a little Christmas cook book as ebay so kindly informed me that it's only 51 days away. Pretty scary stuff. Going to post up some of the pictures from that book soon probably, there's some amazingly disgusting things in there. Gotta love st.michael's in the 80s!

Freud

Hallowe'en has been and gone for another year, and this year I decided it was geeky reference time - Harry Potter style. So, for a lack of a ginger wig and quidditch robes I opted for the amazing Bellatrix LeStrange. I found an image of a dark mark tattoo and copied it onto my arm with a fineliner (don't try this at home!) and it looked kind of cool. Shame it's still there slightly!

Along with this on my left arm I had my friend Hannah (hi Hannah, I know you're stalking my blog, get one!) write "I heart Voldemort" on my arm just to make it clear what I was from. Lots of people said our costumes were pretty convincing although the only other accessories I had were a 75p vampire cape from Asda which broke as the night went on and a rather large branch from my back yard, whittled nicely into a wand. All in all a fairly successful costume.

I've been getting into reading for my dissertation this week, mostly centred around Freud and psychoanalysis. It's been pretty heavy reading entire chapters on the Oedipus complex, but it will all be worth it in the end, even though right now it seems kind of irrelevant.

The Daily Chalk is also going steady, it has been rather difficult getting camera settings right now that it's getting so dark so early. Darkness will be a benefit tonight though as there is a fireworks display down at the beach so maybe that slight pyrotechnical interlude will brighten up my week! Back to the sketchbook tomorrow though and maybe a bit of real inspiration..