Stockport Carnival.

In July there is a carnival held in Stockport town centre, where local charities put together their own themed floats and travel around promoting what they do and generally having a bit of fun. 

Joanne Macey, from Age Uk in Stockport, contacted my tutors at university asking them if they had any students that would be willing to help out with the making of the float, and take part in the carnival itself.

Of course I jumped at the chance to get making, and yesterday I attended my first meeting with the rest of the workers involved in the project. The theme everyone had decided on was a 1950's diner, so Joanne had an image on this table for us all to use for inspiration. 

They have not yet managed to find a lorry to use, therefore things like seating and a diner counter can not yet be decided on because we do not know how big to make them. Instead we have began itemising everything we need, deciding whether not it can be found or borrowed from other people or whether it needs to be handmade.

Some jobs have already been handed out, and as soon as the words "3D Cardboard Juke box" were mentioned, I stepped up to take the role. Once we have made all of the props, we can start to think about the actual diner set.

I have also thought about making a cardboard hamburger and fries to glue on to a tray and position it on the end of the counter. I have just made a half eaten sandwich recently, so why not make some more foods?

Because the carnival isn't until July, there is not real rush to get everything done. I finish university in May so this gives me something fun to do once the Major project is over. We have another meeting at the end of the month so there will be more ideas to come!!

Learning from Lord Whitney.

Third image taken by Betty Lawless for Leeds Inspired. Check out her other amazing work on her website:http://www.bettylawless.co.uk/

I went to spend my last day working with Lord whitney on 'The old Clock shop' on the 22nd of February, I chauffeured the cardboard clocks over to The Nation of Shopkeepers, Applied some clock faces to the interior wall they had created, and went on the hunt for a lovely blue Military style jacket (in the most amazing shop I have ever stepped foot in!) with Kate, their fabulous assistant.
The jacket was for the performers, who would also wear a large headpiece made to look like bird. If you managed to walk past the window at the right time, you would have seen an actor dressed as a cuckoo, appear from the doors of a huge clock in the centre of the window display, with bird puppets in their hands.

Here I am in a world of costume. 

In my element!

It was really good to see the final stages of the installation, It made me realise how many small yet important things there are left to do when you hit the home run. Things like lighting, cleaning, wall fixtures, and maybe another lick of paint where needed.
Most of the work will also need to be done in a studio, so you have to produce all of the elements before you can actually go in to the window itself. That's why you must always have a plan and be constantly thinking about how everything is going to work when you move it in to the window space.

Amy Lord told me that the main thing you need to get used to when working in windows, is that you almost have to think backwards, because you are of course going to need to apply your elements to the glass and at the front of the window before working your way back. Otherwise you obstruct any entry back in to the space to make adjustments. It is also important to get all the DIY done too before you even begin to decorate the space. It is important to make sure that everything is secure and that you have all the wood, nails, bolts, lights etc in place before you can start thinking about all the 'fancy stuff'.

A fabulous photographer called Betty Lawless documented a lot of the work going on both at the LW studio and of the final installation. Here is the image she uploaded to instagram, it shows a perfect action shot of the final window display:

Check out BettyLawless on instagram @ https://instagr-am.appspot.com/u/bettylawless/

This monday evening Lord Whitney gathered all the volunteers together in a pub in leeds. We sat chatting over a bowl of chips, cheese and salsa (very tasty!) and a glass of rose wine. They thanked us for our help and handed over a card and some flyers for us to keep. It was really good to see everyone again, I have met some lovely people and I will look forward to seeing them again, which I'm sure I will-  a trip to the chinese buffet with a few of the other volunteers has already been mentioned.

Working with The Lord and The Whitney

I have recently been helping Lord Whitney at their studio, creating elements that will be used as part of a window installation in 'The Window of Opportunities Gallery at Nation of Shopkeepers' in Leeds. I can now say that I am a pro cardboard cutter after making several 3D clocks and birds, all made from cardboard and tape.

The project has been funded by 'Leeds Inspired' and will be up and running by the end of next week. I don't want give too much away, because the installation is a bit of a surprise. At the moment there is a huge egg on display, suggesting that something is going to be born. Something will happen, but nobody knows what is it is yet.

I will be spending some more time with the girls next week, putting up the display, so when it is all finished and open to the public, I will upload some photographs for you all to see!


This has been perfect work experience for me because this is similar to the kind of work I want to produce when I graduate. I must Thank Lord Whitney for the opportunity, and for getting me involved in physically putting the installation in to the window. They knew what would be more beneficial for me and it will be great to see how everything fits in to the space.

Nutcrack Night

On saturday the 29th of October I attended the 'Nutcrack Night' at Astley Hall. The event was organised by a non-profit organisation called Wild Rumpus. It was an event that offered an antidote to the 'over commercialised ghoulfest that Halloween has become'. There was many activities for the children to take part in such as mask making, lantern making and theatrical performances.

The event provided a fantastic alternative for parents from the usual 'trick or treat' routine and the evening ended with a grand masque parade where the children got to shout an the spirits of the night to scare them away. It was a successful evening and although it was cold and the rain managed to make the forest more like a marsh, everyone had lots of fun! I will definitely be looking out for future events so that I can be a part of them too.

How to draw?

I have been volunteering at a primary school art club on wednesdays, and am really enjoying working with children. It is very satisfying when they remember your name and request for you to help them with their work. Recently they have been drawing portraits and today they went on to study the figure. I have been shocked at the childrens' inability to express themselves, simply because their teacher has taught them how to draw in a specific way (sketchy lines and lots of shading..argh!).

We managed to get the children to go back to their roots and draw from imagination or simply from the shapes their eyes can see and here are some of the results.

Far more exciting than perfectly oval shaped heads and triangle outlines for noses ( a technique they have been given.) These guys have character!