Course Over- how slack am I?

Wow, it's nearly 6 months since I've posted anything! I've now completed (very successfully I might add; I even sold a few things at the student exhibition) the certificate in Visual Art at the CAE.

I've also put all my art that's on Flickr onto this page- please take a look. I'll be adding more as I get photos of things.

Next year I'll be working pretty much full time & also studying for a business degree & a visual arts degree through Open Learning (a great way to study by the way- check it out http://www.open.edu.au/wps/portal).

Woo Hoo, I got into the course!

Well I had the interview & showed my portfolio last Tuesday, & they rang on Friday to say I have a place! I had 19 pieces in my portfolio, including photos of two corsets- I'm glad I decided to put those in as the interviewers seemed really fascinated by them, so that probably helped them remember me.

So now I'll be in Melbourne two nights a week so that I can go to school on Thursdays & Fridays- I can't wait!

Wet Media Experiments

No, I don't mean the drips who call themselves 'journalists' in this country!

Last night I decided to take the plunge & try my hand at watercolours. The magnolia blossom worked out ok, so I did a couple of ink works with a brush as well.

The dead tree looks a bit on the gothy side, but it's not a bad representation of a photo we took in the Grampians just after the last bush fires there. The other one is with apologies to Man Ray- it's vaguely half of one of his photos.

Learning to draw

I've finally decided what it is I want to do when I grow up, which basically boils down to getting serious about making corsetry & costumes for everyday fabulous people. To that end I've chosen a couple of courses I'd like to do over the next few years to refine my totally self taught skills in design & construction of wearable confections.

If you're at all interested in them, the course details are here http://www.cae.edu.au/?infosection=visualarts&infopage=accessvisual and here http://www.gordontafe.edu.au/index.cfm?action=6&secAction=4&terAction=1&Search_Action=display&Search_courseID=411&Search_CourseType=SC
I'm hoping to do the visual arts one in the second half of this year & the Clothing Construction next year (perhaps going on to complete the three year course-who knows).

To this end I thought having some actual training in drawing might help in putting together a portfolio for applying to said courses, so that's what my last few Monday evenings have been. The pictures above are from my first three classes; they're slightly fuzzy since they're actually digital photos of A2 size work. The Wombok leaves, emu egg & bowl of seedpods is in ink, the figurine, emu egg & bowl in charcol & the lemon reamer & plastic strainer in 6b pencil (that one's a scan of the A4 original).

I found the ink really hard to control, especially on an easel where it kept responding to the forces of gravity in annoyingly messy ways! But it's all fun & I'm learning heaps surprisingly quickly. -I'm particularly pleased with the reamer since it actually looks like the real one & has that solid, plasticy look to it.

Leaves, leaves, leaves

Since I finally have a scanner working on my computer I now have digital images of some of my work. These are the first coloured drawings I've ever done- one in metallic pencils & the other ..not. The originals are both on A4 size paper. Obviously they're both of leaves- perhaps not the most exciting subject, but at least they don't move whilst being used as an artists model (until the kitten steals one to play with anyway).

I think they're pretty good; especially considering I drew them after not picking up a sketch book for a very, very long time & I'd never had a drawing lesson in my life.

My latest creation

Ok, here's a few pictures of a corset I finished yesterday for a competition (poor Beryl the bodyform doesn't quite have the 34-23-34 physique required to fill it out properly).

- The winner will be 'the most creative use' of a bag of kimono & obi scraps from one of my favourite places, Kyo in Ocean Grove. Here's hoping no one else thought of making a corset with theirs!

Yep, it's another arty blog!

Since I have drawings, corsets & ideas on bits of paper everywhere I've decided to put them all up in one place. This is that place.

I've been dabbling in designing & making clothes for around 15 years, constructing corsets for around 2 years & have recently begun drawing again after a hiatus of almost 2 decades. I'm by no means professional at any of these endeavours, so please be gentle with me.

Comments & constructive criticism welcome, trolls not.