Pathway 3D Unit 5. Unit 6 Progression

I've decided for my unit 5 brief I'm going to do hares.
For a lot of my research I've been using pinterest the link below is board I've created especially for this project.
http://www.pinterest.com/ladydixanna/fad-3d-pathway/

I'm going do hares because I have a spiritual connection to them.

This is my own moon gazing hare, I received this gift the first time I went Glastonbury in 2011. It's a very special to me and I wear it every day I keep it close to my heart.

I got some clay out and started rolling it into squares. I went outside and picked some nice leaves. After doing the prints in Vis Com roundabout I got wondering if I could do the same in 3D but with clay and not ink.

   

After choosing the leaves I placed them onto the clay and using the rolling pin I rolled out the leaves to get an imprint.

I did this a few times changing the places of the leaves each time.
I've decided with some of these squares I'm going to make a hanging plaque so I have placed some small holes in so I can hang them up after they have been fired and glazed.

These are a select few which have been fired and ready to be glazed.














After I did the squares I wanted to try something new.

I started rolling some clay into balls, I put one on top of the other and started to mold them into the basic hare shape, then using the flat clay I molded some feet and the ears.

This was my first attempt I think I did pretty well. I will keep practicing using clay as it's a fun media to work with.

I plan to do more hares as I go along. Two artists I've started to research are :

Hare by night

Mystical white hare 

Amanda Clark

Autumn Hare

Wishing on a blue moon

                                                            Karen Davis




Community art project

This week I got the chance to make some community art for a lantern festival which will be happening in Blackburn on 11th December.
I got the chance to make my own lantern, but before I got told a little more about the event and the brief. I got told that it was a traditional Christmas theme and or my own work. I was really happy about this.

I got told that the lantern could be any size and any form and then got showed what will be using to make the lantern and how do a basic frame.

The materials : willow branches thick and thin
                         masking tape
                         tissue paper
                         PVA glue















I started off drawing out some basic shape ideas in my sketchbook then chose the one I wanted to make.
I gathered my materials together and started on my lantern.

.
  I bent the willow into the basic shape I wanted I attached the sticks together using masking tape. After getting the basic pyramid shape I added circles to make it more rounded.
I added a small candle which would be the light source.

When I was happy with the shape of the frame it was time for the messy part, attaching the tissue paper to the frame.

Using watered down PVA glue I added a layer to the paper. I slowly removed the paper from the plastic cover trying not to rip it.

Being very careful I added the paper to the frame trying not to rip it. I added a did this on all three sides and the bottom was covered just leaving a small vent for air to get in to stop the whole lantern catching on fire.

Whilst I left the lantern to dry I decided what I was going to put on it.
I decided to go my 3D work which has been connected with the moon gazing hare I thought this beautiful creature with its ties with the Pagan religion would look amazing on my lantern. The tricky part began, how am I going to do my hare.

I tried out many ways in both negative and positive shapes but it wasn't looking like the moon gazer I know and love. I decided to go back through my sketchbook and there I found the ideal hare.

I started cutting out the hare to use as a template.

After cutting out the hare I attached  the hare and made some stars and s moon.

After completing my moon gazing hare I decided to write out and cut out Yuletide Greetings and stuck it on the lantern.

10/12/2014 - My lantern was part of the lantern festival in Blackburn town center tonight, it got positive feedback from everyone who saw it.



I really enjoyed this brief because I got to try something new which I'd never done before. I would definitely like to try making s lantern again but smaller.

Small moon gazing hare sample

Sample textured hare with a swirl pattern carved on to it 

Samples of moon gazing hares in different sizes

Moon gazing hare taking shape

Here I let one of the hares air dry then I added a little bow to make it a little quirky.

After coming out of the kiln after being glazed I'm really pleased how the hares turned out. I'm going to make more in different sizes and with different glazes.

Whist researching Karen Davis I looked up her  Facebook page and decided to message her and tell her I was researching her part of my college work. I got a lovely reply back.

I also got in touch with Amanda Clark over Facebook telling her what I was studying and she was also happy to hear I was using her work in my artist research.  After sending her the link to this blog I got a friends request off her.

As I've been going along with this project I've been researching hares in different forms and mediums.

Using chalk pastels on black paper I created these images of hares. If I'm honest they are the best drawn life like images I've created.













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As I've been doing my research on Pinterest I've been looking at the different mediums, I came across an amazing artist who makes vintage inspired toy like sculptures.

Artist : Mr . Finch

Artist : Mr. Finch 

I like the materials used, the colours add age to to the figures and I tried to replicate this with my hare using calico fabric.
I also like how the artist has made the dolls larger than life and added his own touch to them as well as keeping the basic hare form.

As I was looking at these hares I got thinking if I could do my own. 

I started off with a large piece of calico fabric and started making the body parts starting with the ears.

For the inner ears and the belly I found some paisley fabric which carried on the vintage theme.

 After finishing sewing the individual body parts I sewed all together to complete the hare

 I hand sewn all of the hare and using straw I stuffed the hare. I used the straw and and stitched the hare because to get the feel of the traditional making of toys before sewing machines were invented.

After sharing this image I got some orders for Christmas gifts. 

I enjoyed making the hare , using the materials , the method, I'll be trying again either in college work or in my own personal work.

After creating the vintage inspired hare toy I was looking through Pinterest at the different things to do with hares.

Theatre in the woods - by Karen Davis

I looked at the paintings which inspire me and found this by Karen Davis and it's inspired me for my next piece of work.















I've decided to make a marionette puppet to fit in with the theme of my work it'll be a hare. I'm going to make the hare itself out of clay.

I started off getting some clay and moulded it into the shape of the legs.

I moved on to the arms, I've done them in 3 parts because the puppet will have more movement.

After firing the individual body parts I started making wire hoops to attach the ears to the head and each of the arm elements. 

 

Here is finished hare. I used industrial string to attach all the parts to the cross frame which I used some old poles. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZOyzOQQ2rE&feature=youtu.be Here is a short video of the hare moving about. This was done with the help of one of my class mates studying Media. 

I made a little sample to see how the body parts would work. I used some thin wire to attach the body parts together.

Now the body parts are all together it moves like a traditional toy and you can move all the body parts individually. 

I don't know where I can go around my area to find wild hares but for my primary research I've used my own pet rabbits.
Here's a few photos taken when the weather was alot warmer in the summer.

Coco little lop eared female (sadly no longer with us passed away in 2013)

Domino (female Dutch) Patrick( male )

I have a keen interest in making my own jewellery out of wire and beads.

Starting with a simple drawing I picked out some copper wire and using some nose pliers I shaped the wire into a simple hare shape. I'm going turn them into pendants. 

 

After doing the wire pendants I wanted to try something completely new. I've always liked cameos so I thought I'd give it ago.
I started making the clay template of a moon gazing hare. Then using some wooden planks I boxed the clay in, sealing in the sides so the plaster doesn't leak out. After all the plaster mixed up I pored it over the hare and left it to set for 20 minutes.

Something I make a lot of are sun catchers and dream catchers, I make and sell custom orders over my own little Facebook shop and at craft fairs and small family festivals. I do them in all sizes and designs. 

I've struggled a few times with making moon gazing hare sun catchers, the wire I used was too thin.

After making the sample copper metal hares I made I got thinking if I could use them in sun catchers too. 

I sketched out a basic idea with the design out and I got my materials ready: pliers , wire and beads.

Using a loop I already have in my craft box I attached the small copper wire hare to it using some thinner wire. 

Using the thin wire I wrapped the beads around the hare then the same way for the moon but using bigger beads. 

After I shared the image onto my little business page on Facebook I received an email for a custom order. 

This order was for a bigger sun catcher and with two hares with a full moon.

For the moon I used an old bangle bracelet.

Using the same skills I learnt in the 3D roundabout during the induction week, I started on a design for a 3D sculpture of a hare.

I went into the workshop and got out a spot welder and wire and started on this new hare. 

 I started on making the rings for the body and welded them onto some stronger wire to make the torso.

Then I started on the head and ears shaping into oval shapes. 

I worked on the legs using the same circle technique I did on the body. I attached the head and legs to the torso.

I shaped the arms and attached a long piece of wire to make it stronger. I also cut some smaller wire and attached it across the wire to make it stronger. 

This is the completed hare. I wouldn't change anything about it, to date this piece has been the most enjoyable to make. I have an idea for another hare to make in the same way. 

I've been practising drawing hares by looking up images on Pinterest, videos on You Tube and my own rabbits as guides. 

I've continued with my interest in jewellery and started making hare pendants. These ones are ready to be fired and glazed. 

Using a wooden pole I mixed up the glaze to a cream consistency, I started to dip the fired pendants into the glaze. I did this with two of each of the different styles of pendant and I also used 3 different coloured glazes, dark blue, yellow and cream. 

A few of my personal hare collection, all very different but all have a hare related to them.

A silver hare charm for my charm bracelet 

A badge to show my support that I'm against animal testing from LUSH

A painting which I did of a moon gazing hare 

EVALUATION

When I started on this unit I had an idea what I wanted to do, I was going to create pieces of work around the seasons but after playing with a few ideas using clay I did a little hare. After doing this I got the idea for the hare I looked into the spiritual hare and the wild hare and started with clay and made some little moon gazing hare models and then researching artists and found an artist who does vintage style toys, this gave me my inspiration for my hare toy and marionette.

My wire hare took inspiration from what I learnt during the 3D roundabout.

All the work I've made during this unit I've enjoyed, all are unique I'm pleased with all the out comes but the only thing I would change would be looking into materials which would make the marionette lighter. 

Unit 6

I started this course having an idea where I wanted to go after I completed this course, Glyndŵr University home of North Wales School of Art. 

I found a course which I wanted to do the only thing which held me back was I needed a level 3 or an A Level to apply which I didn't have and brought me to Blackburn College. 

The course I wanted to do was BA (Hons) Design Applied Arts. 

After I had my interview I took a trip into North Wales with some friends staying on the north east edge of the Snowdonia National Park for a long weekend. I fell in love with the vast landscapes from the calming waters to the vast mountains it was breath taking and that's where I wanted to be.

Some months went by and I got a place and enrolled at Blackburn College. In the summer before college started I got the chance to Wales again but this time to the little historical town of Llangollen for a weekend of trading at The Legendary Llangollen Faery Festival. It was a magical weekend and enjoyed every moment, Whilst there I met someone and I got to spend a week travelling around North Wales once again seeing its hidden gems including hidden castles in woodlands, beautiful lakes and the coast line.
Whilst there I looked into more research about Glyndŵr University and found out it wasn't that far from where I was staying so before I made my trip home I went around the open day. I found it amazing walking round , friendly staff , lovely location and my dream course just perfect, I was sold after that, that's where I wanted to study.

Over the past few months I've been learning new skills and getting better at things I already knew.


In November the group took a trip to Manchester Conference Centre for the Art and Design UCAS fair which universities from all over the UK went to. I spoke the course leader of the course I've applied for and told her why I was interested in the course and what I'm currently doing and she told me she's looking forward to seeing my portfolio.

At first I was taken back by the university application process as I'd never done it before but I told the tutors my worries and they helped me out.

I had to write a statement about who I am and what I'm doing.






















Just before Xmas term I completed my application , paid and sent it off.


For my portfolio I've used a selection of images of my work I've created so far.

Two large hares

Two smaller hares

Family of hares 

Spot weld wire hare

Vintage toy inspired hare

Small hare and crescent moon wire and bead sun catcher

Large double moon gazing hares

Beaded Tree of Life necklaces and bracelets

Lino and plaster cast moon gazing hares

Clay and wire marionette hare

On 3/02/2015 I received an email back from the university inviting me to come for an interview.

On 19/02/2015

I went for my interview at Glyndŵr University, I spoke about my work and why I did the hares and explained how I did each.
I got told what you do on the course braking each year down, artist research, projects and future work.
 The head of the course was impressed with my style how I made my work and only asked me if I didn't mind that I'd wouldn't be doing hares all year, I laughed and I told her that all the different things we get to learn on the course excited me as you don't get to learn on other University courses.
After another tour around the campus I got to meet current students who are on their first year and I got speaking to one of them about why they chose the course and what they enjoy about it. I was told about it being a small group can get one to ones with the tutors and group crits.

I got offered a unconditional place I just need to complete this course.

I'm also waiting for an update on my UCAS.