Big news for textile design students! We spent the weekend filming short course tutor, Dominique L’Olive as she created teaching resources for an updated format of our popular Drawing and Painting for Fabric and Textile Design (online) short course.
We know that online learning provides students around the world with a unique and interactive approach to learning art and design in the Central Saint Martins style, so we have been working hard to develop even more innovative and effective ways to connect with interior designers and fashion designers.
Drawing and Painting for Fabric and Textile Design (Online)
The resources for this course allow us to share the excitement of the CSM textile studios, and demonstrate new techniques we’ve never taught online before, including;
Wax resist
Painting with gesso
Painting with bleach (yes, you read that right!)
Painting with masking fluid
Torn paper techniques
All these techniques can be combined (along with mark-making, stencilling, stamping, etc.) to create unique patterns and designs.
Here is some work students achieved in a one-hour session on the filming day.
Drawing and Painting for Fabric and Textile Design (Online)
Drawing and Painting for Fabric and Textile Design (Online)
These new resources will allow online students to experiment more widely and create even more innovative results, which is what study at Central Saint Martins is all about. The new format for Drawing and Painting for Textile Design is available from 22 January, and includes;
Live sessions with Dominique L’Olive
Video demonstrations of a wide range of techniques for you to explore
Resources to inspire you and support your work
Practical weekly projects to focus your creativity
Discussion forums for support and guidance
By the end of the course, you will have developed and refined a personal style and produced one collection of designs which could go into a portfolio or be taken forward and applied in interior design or fashion contexts.
If you would like to learn more about online learning at UAL, you can watch the YouTube video below.
If you are interested in joining the course, we’d love to welcome you to our online community of interior designers and fashion designers.
Based on student feedback we will now provide a learning and teaching space that has access to a library, learning zone and canteen, all located in a brand new building in Southeast London.
The Camberwell Learning Zone is open 24 hours for all UAL students and provides a flexible workspace to encourage creative thinking and collaborative working. Camberwell Library and Learning Zone hours.
Learning Zone at Camberwell
With the full campus experience, including student social events, we are sure our students are going to enjoy the opportunity to join Central Saint Martins in Camberwell in this brand new space.
We caught up with LCC, BA (Hons) Design Management and Cultures student Viktorija Hazane to find out about her experience on the Ceramics for Beginners course that she is currently taking at Central Saint Martins on Saturday afternoons.
Viktorija Hazane in the CSM ceramics studio
What is your name and where are you from?
My name is Viktorija and I originally come from Riga, Latvia. I lived in Helsinki, Finland for a few years before moving to London 5.5 years ago.
What course did you study and why did you choose it?
The course I’m attending is Ceramics for Beginners, Saturday course. I chose this course because as long as I can remember I have always been a crafty kid and would always experiment with any materials I could get a hold of in order to enhance my creativity. In the past I have done drawing, jewellery making and floristry and eventually studied at the Riga School of Art and Design on the Fashion Design programme. It was during my studies here that I was learning fine art, art history, graphic design, creating my own fashion designs and collections. Now I find that I enjoy experimenting by building things with more serious tools, like with my stapler gun, handsaw and electric drill in order to up-cycle furniture and create bespoke household items.
Surprisingly, ceramics is something that I never managed to get to try, which is why I was interested in joining this short course. Turns out ceramics could be in my blood! Apparently my mother had a passion for ceramics and even had her own kiln before I was born. When I was 5, I was walking by the beach with my mother when she spotted a natural clay spot, so we sat there making clay bird whistles which dried out in the summer sun. Up until now, that was my only experience of working with clay.
My other motivation for joining this course was my interest in preserving the environment living an earth-friendly lifestyle. The main ingredients of ceramics are the four elements of nature: water, earth, fire, air and the main tool is your own hands. It was a perfect match for me.
Viktorija Hazane in the CSM ceramics studio
What are you enjoying most about your course?
So far I have learnt the basics of hand-building, which include pinching, coiling and slabbing and decorating, as well as using slips and under-glazes for the colouring. Last Saturday we worked on making a mould for our casting workshop this coming weekend. I created a plaster mould of a pineapple that I will be casting into as many planters as possible in the next few weeks. So far I have made quite a few tiles, an incense holder and now a mould. I love how everything that you learn on this course is tangible.
Viktorija Hazane’s work in the CSM ceramics studio
How has this course benefitted your career or personal development?
On a personal level, this course has been a dream come true. I find working with clay is therapeutic and good for my soul. A great way to spend a Saturday.
Viktorija Hazane’s work in the CSM ceramics studio
What would you say to someone who is thinking about taking a short course at Central Saint Martins?
If you have been wanting to try something new creatively but haven’t got around to it, definitely check CSM short courses. The tutors, the environment and the energy of making things with your hands are all an inspiration.
Viktorija Hazane’s work in the CSM ceramics studio
What do you believe is integral to the work of an artist, in any discipline?
I think that in any discipline it’s important to be passionate about creating and always put the art of creating before the desire for success and recognition. In that way, an artist will have time for expressing their art, instead of worrying and chasing their dreams in social media and self-doubt.
Viktorija Hazane’s work in the CSM ceramics studio
What 3 words best describe your short course experience at CSM?
Please note that current UAL students and alumni are entitled to 10% off of all* short courses. To redeem this discount, please contact the short course office so that we can assist you with your booking.
*This offer does not include Orientation, Full Time Portfolio Preparation and Study Abroad courses.
central saint martins in the fields is an exhibition of work by ten recent art and design graduates from Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London.
Central Saint Martins in the fields
St Martin’s School of Art was established in 1854 by St Martin-in-the-Fields. The Revd Henry Mackenzie and others were concerned that art and design training should be developed alongside the religious and general education already provided by Church schools, to ‘extend the influence of science and art upon productive industry’ following the Great Exhibition of 1851.
Central Saint Martins in the fields
The art school soon became independent, and over a century later in 1986 merged with Central School of Art and Design to become Central Saint Martins. Today, the College is an internationally recognised centre for art and design education and research, based in King’s Cross.
Central Saint Martins in the fields
For this exhibition Central Saint Martins returns to one of its roots, St Martin-in-the-Fields. Over 150 years later, our connection remains the belief in the power of creativity as a catalyst for change in both individuals and the wider community.
This exhibition is open 5 October – 4 November 2017. All are welcome. Use #CSMITF on social media. The Crypt of St Martin-in-the-Fields, Trafalgar Square, London WC2N 4JH
Curated by
Angela Sanchez del Campo
Mark Dunhill
Organised by
Mark Dean, UAL Chaplaincy
Jonathan Evens, St Martin-in-the-Fields
Supported by
University of the Arts London
Diocese of London University Chaplaincy
Special thanks to
The Vicar and Churchwardens of St Martin-in-the-Fields
Allyson Hargreaves
Paul Haywood
Anne Smith
Andrew Willson
A look at the work of the CSM Short Course exhibition, which aimed to highlight the talent of the tutors who teach on our short courses and reach a wider audience. Short Courses are designed for students of all levels that are interested in learning new skills or improving some particular aspects in their area of expertise.
We spoke with curator, Angela Sanchez Del Campo, to get a behind the scenes look at putting together the Central Saint Martins Short Course Exhibition.
CSM Short Course Exhibition
The exhibition provided an excellent opportunity to showcase the work of some of our tutors and give potential students a sense of the type of work that they could make during a CSM Short Course. When talking about art and design courses, looking at the objects and watching the making process are the most efficient ways to explain what it is about.
The remaining three windows to discuss showcase the works of our tutors Simeon Featherstone, Elisabeth Roulleau, Vincent Woodcock and Anastasia Young.
Simeon is a former student of the BA Ceramic Design at Central Saint Martins, where he specialised in ceramics and casting. He has a particular interest in the creation of working models and moulds and in the use of clay. Simeon describes ceramics as an amazing form of art, which requires patience and craftsmanship. He looks towards diverse shapes and colour in his ceramics, which involve different techniques and levels of expertise, from moulding to thrown ceramics and glazing.
“My practice is an important balancing act between enriching the project through participatory and collaborative partnerships, and still maintaining the craft and quality that is essential when working with a material such as clay. The benefits of working with such a versatile and age old material its that you can always find new ways of adapting and interpreting it to tell the stories that are necessary today.” – Simeon Featherstone
The coats embroidered by our haute couture embroidery tutor, Elisabeth Roulleau, are excellent examples of a technique, which involves precision, patience and concentration. The ‘caviar’ coat, as she likes calling it, exhibited in this window, and the second coat, exhibited two windows further, are examples of some of the techniques the students learn in her classes. Both pieces show how a simple garment can be enhanced by the use of embroidery.
Elisabeth Roulleau has an extensive background in embroidery with years of experience in teaching. After completing her studies in the Lesage School in Paris, which is one of the most prestigious embroidery schools in the world, she opened her own studio in Lyon and taught embroidery in a variety of institutions.
As a professional embroiderer, she has been commissioned to create work for Dior, Chanel and Hermes. The samples created by her students in class are a rich combination of different techniques, which students can apply in a variety of ways to their own fashion designs.
The work of Vincent Woodcock occupies the next window of the exhibition, showing a wide variety of his practice. He teaches animation, character design and cartooning at Central Saint Martins where he passes on his extensive and rich experience to his students. He has worked for Disney and Warner Bros. production as well as Cartoon Network and other theatrical and TV animated productions.
The works he exhibited was from a series of blues musicians and caricatures of celebrities, comic-strips, self-portraits and quick sketches that he has drawn of his students working while on their short course. His work could be classified by theme but also by technique. Vincent provides examples that showcase a variety of different materials, including ink, gouache and pencils and illustrate his great expertise at drawing.
Finally, the last pieces on display in the exhibition are the jewellery pieces by Anastasia Young, jewellery designer and artist.
She teaches several short courses in jewellery and is a tutor on the BA Jewellery course at Central Saint Martins. Her research in jewellery is commendable and her books about jewellery materials and techniques are important industry references.
The exhibition also included a video showing larger images of the work on display, as well as other pieces designed and produced by Anastasia. Her work is characterised by the creative design, impressive execution and great knowledge of jewellery techniques.
From a curatorial point of view, it was a pleasure to work with a diversity of objects for this exhibition. Different textures, shapes and mediums, allowed us to showcase a visually attractive composition full of contrasts. By selecting these pieces from different disciplines, we aimed to give an insight of the real objects that can be produced by students after learning the techniques taught in our short courses.
The challenge for us was to select from our amazing short course tutors, from across different practices and then, choose a selection of their work to show. We tried our best to represent what can be learned while studying on short courses, however, it was impossible to include something from all of the 800+ short courses that CSM runs every year.
It can be difficult to describe art and design with words, so by using the Window Gallery in The Crossing at CSM, we had a great opportunity to show students and visitors the talent of our tutors and the wide range of techniques taught in some of our short courses.
Angela Sanchez Del Campo
Angela is originally from Spain and has a BA in Design and Management of Fashion and a BA(Hons) in History of Art from her studies in Seville, as well as an MA in Curating and Collections from Chelsea College of Arts, where she graduated in 2016. She has also studied on short courses at the London College of Fashion and worked as a freelance costume designer for The National Theatre and The Secret Cinema. Angela has co-curated a number of exhibitions of commissioned contemporary art, as well as, archival objects and collections in London. You can follow Angela on Instagram, www.angelascm.com, or read more on the Chelsea College of Arts blog.
The CSM Short Course exhibition aimed to highlight the talent of the tutors who teach on our short courses and reach out to a wider audience. Short Courses are designed for students of all levels that are interested in learning new skills or improving some particular aspects in their area of expertise.
We spoke with curator, Angela Sanchez Del Campo, to get a behind the scenes look at putting together the Central Saint Martins Short Course Exhibition.
CSM Short Course Exhibition
The exhibition provided an excellent opportunity to showcase the work of some of our tutors and give potential students a sense of the type of work that they could make during a CSM Short Course. When talking about art and design courses, looking at the objects and watching the making process are the most efficient ways to explain what it is about.
The first and last windows of the show feature two fashion illustrations that were commissioned for the exhibition by Alexis Panayiotou. Alexis is a talented fashion illustrator who teaches not only on short courses, but also for the BA Fashion students at CSM. Alexis, who often finds inspiration during the process of making work, explains that he created these two illustrations to demonstrate the kind of exercises he does with his students in the short courses, but in a much larger scale.
“I wanted to produce some figures that reveal the working of the drawing; like an anatomy diagram you can see the ‘innards’ of the figure in layers from the initial basic skeleton, the basic shapes of the figure either drawn or using collage, and then details like print and the face, although not always necessarily in that order .” – Alexis Panayiotou
The exhibition also includes a time-lapse video showing the making of both illustrations. This video, which can be seen below, offered a great opportunity to appreciate his technique and the step-by-step process.
The next window exhibits a series of four photographs by Karl Grupe and an illustration commissioned by Oliver O’Keefe, along with some of his sketchbooks.
CSM Short Course Exhibition
Karl Grupe, is a photographer who defines himself as ‘obsessed by the narrative formed from disrupting patterns’ and is interested in capturing images which involve an alchemy of improvisation, risk, reflection and narrative passing through the portal of photography. The four photographs exhibited are part of a series called ‘a harsh land’, which uses the genre of landscape to explore classic photographing rules which step outside of the professional doctrine of landscape photography.
“a harsh land explores the deconstruction of the visually perfect, opening up to the potential brutality of the camera’s eye and allowing for a ‘beautiful ugly’ to take over and resonate from the raw ingredients of the photographic process. The results are hard, unexpected and raw. They are perfectly imperfect.” – Karl Grupe
The next work, commissioned to Oliver O’Keefe, shows a sample of what he teaches his students in class. His courses are designed to focus on what the student does as an image maker and find ways to help them progress. Oliver likes setting a number of briefs during the course; some of which are industry focused, like book covers, while others are more probing, asking questions about illustration and what it can be.
The inclusion of some of his sketchbooks also gives an idea of his style and how his imagination works toward creating a physical image from an idea.
Oliver also teaches on the BA Graphic Design at Central Saint Martins. He is an illustrator interested in stories, with a particular passion for comics from an early age. He has been working for the last 3 years on an illustration project called 52wordsayear.com with three other illustrators. The project consists of responding to a word with an illustration every week.
That summarises the first part of the exhibition. I’ll be back later in the week with Part 2 of my curatorial review to highlight the work of Simeon Featherstone, Elisabeth Roulleau, Vincent Woodcock and Anastasia Young.
Angela Sanchez Del Campo
Angela is originally from Spain and has a BA in Design and Management of Fashion and a BA(Hons) in History of Art from her studies in Seville, as well as an MA in Curating and Collections from Chelsea College of Arts, where she graduated in 2016. She has also studied on short courses at the London College of Fashion and worked as a freelance costume designer for The National Theatre and The Secret Cinema. Angela has co-curated a number of exhibitions of commissioned contemporary art, as well as, archival objects and collections in London. You can follow Angela on Instagram, www.angelascm.com, or read more on the Chelsea College of Arts blog.
Central Saint Martins Short course exhibition series.
We interviewed ceramicist and specialist technician Simeon Featherstone about his work in the exhibition, where he finds inspiration and his advice for aspiring creatives.
How and why did you become a ceramic practitioner?
I have a broad practice that involves ceramics and public participation. I see teaching and education as an important part of that process, especially as ceramics is a crafts subject and therefore requires technical instruction.
Simeon Featherstone
Where do you get your inspiration from and how do you stay inspired?
My inspiration and motivation comes from listening to people from all walks of life and finding ways to communicate and tell stories through craft. When working with different communities, you realise that everyone is different but often have similar stories to tell, or shared feelings and emotions. I try to reflect that when I’m working alongside them.
What are you working on at the moment?
I’m currently developing new tableware for my shared practice, Parasite Ceramics. We are producing all of our wares in-house, and re-introducing more of a craft perspective. We sell tableware as commemorative pieces for the social projects we do.
Tell us about your work in the Central Saint Martins Short Courses exhibition.
There are two collections of work on display. One is for a project last year in Barking called Open Estate. I worked with residents from the Gascoigne housing estate during a period of uncertainty as the buildings were being replaced and many of the residents were rehoused. Residents helped to design and produce the pieces and we used local clay from the site to add colour and texture to the pieces.
The second collection is a commission for the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) and artist Giles Round. I produced the forms for ‘We Live in the Office’, an exhibition about the evolving nature of architectural facades and how we appropriate buildings over time. The ceramic forms were painted by underglaze painters at the RIBA gallery with the public choosing the designs from a sourcebook.
Which piece of creative work, in any discipline, do you think everyone should see and why?
Let’s keep it clay. So something out of the norm might be Paso Doble, by Nadj and Barcelo. A clay-based performance using the material as canvas and the body as a tool.
What’s the best bit of advice you have ever received?
Forge your own pathway. Find your voice and stay committed to it. Over time you’ll have a body of work and the overarching narrative of that work is you and your passion.
As a part of our Central Saint Martins Short course exhibition series, we interviewed Karl Grupe about his work in the exhibition, where he finds inspiration and his advice for aspiring creatives.
The exhibition is open to the public in the Central Saint Martins Window Gallery at 1 Granary Square until 3 September.
What is your name and what short courses do you teach?
Years ago in Vancouver I was juggling many freelance gigs. While working on getting my own editorial assignments, I worked as a advertising and editorial photographers’ assistant, a stock photographer’s studio manager, pitched projects to magazines on behalf of photographers and was the Western Canada talent scout for an international stock photography agency. I was initially invited to speak at workshops because of my knowledge and position in stock photography. Once I developed my first workshop I saw that I had a skill for building courses and teaching them. Looking into the future, I saw this as ‘future-proofing’ around a media art I really had a love for. I then began building courses for visual arts colleges and universities.
Where do you get your inspiration from and how do you stay inspired?
Inspiration comes from many sources. As a visual practitioner and educator I find most of it coming from research through people/ environment watching, online, print (magazines and newspapers) and books. I am a social and cultural observer so many ideas come from reflecting on trends and changes that we are going through. Most of the time I am really listening to conversations, whether they are in the class or online.
I am in the middle of a move right now to a new studio, so everything is on hold for the summer. The studio will be in Cornwall, where I will continue examining the antithetical technical approach to landscape photography. I am interested in the currency of the photographic aesthetic. I am curious about our reliance on technology and its influence on this currency. If we screw with it and something pops out that is unexpected, curiously ugly or completely accidental then where does the value of the image rest for me as a creator, marketer of my work and in the visual arts industry?
My second project is an ethnographic documentary film on the migrants illegally crossing the border from the US to Canada. I got the doc film bug two years ago filming Pickerel Nine and I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it. I hope that once my move is finished I can pick up on this again and head out.
Tell us about your work in the Central Saint Martins Short Courses exhibition.
A Harsh Land is the first stage of my study of the evolving currency and expectation of photography. I did my Masters thesis exploring the affect of technology democratising photography and Instagram being the global exhibition hall to witness this. The combination of the smartphone and the Instagram app revolutionised the currency of talent. Not in all respects, but in many it blew a large hole in the industry. Obviously pedigree still counts for something – but there has been a revolutionary shift in the elements contributing to the currency of popular and commercial photography.
I reached for landscape photography as a first stage in exploring this theme further because landscape photography tends to be treated with formality. Of course there are people doing what is now called ICM photography (intentional camera movement) to escape the rigour of landscape photography but I see this as only one layer. ICM is only been elevated because there is no longer a film bill to pay and as blowback to practices like the HDR movement (high dynamic range). These ICM photographers have found the experimentation, luck and dance that happens between camera and photographer to be somewhat zen-like or creatively revolutionary. For me it is only the first stage. One layer of the reveal. You can see my practice of that here http://www.karlgrupe.com/regency and while it moves on to the journey I wish to take it is one dimensional. The images in the CSM exhibition are much more aggressive and obnoxious towards the subject. I am regarding the subject in a different way.
Which piece of creative work, in any discipline, do you think everyone should see and why?
Independent film making. For a variety of reasons. I’ll give you two examples.
One, Roger Ballen’s film Asylum of the Birds is a behind-the-scenes documentary examining an artist photographing in a dangerous, post-apocolyptic, diasporic environment. The audio to this is both informative and impressive and shows both the tools and the commitment to his body of work over a six year period. You receive an education PLUS witness the craft in progress. I show this film in my class and it digs up everything; dedication to process, making contact with a group of people who normally would not be so accepting, working conditions and personal safety, collaboration with locals, tools and equipment, scouting, risk for one’s art, the construction of a personal vision, understanding the background to a personal visual language. It’s not an education video – it’s just something so unique, unforgettable and creative you cannot walk away from it being educated.
Two, Leviathan is a film which will completely test your patience and expectations. It is a wonderful example of what technology has done to us if we go into the movie reflecting on our uneasiness we feel while watching it – those of us who make it to the end. The trailer is nothing like the film so many people were “lured” (if you see the link please excuse the pun) into believing the film would be something maybe along the lines of The Blair Witch Project meets Jaws. It’s not. It’s simply a visceral ethnographic documentary shot with tools we all have access to – mainly Go-Pro cameras. Again, like Ballen, it is Lucien Castaing-Taylor and Verena Paravel’s experience being recorded which has led to its success. But more importantly it’s the drawn out lengthy scenes of observation which serve as the Marmite test. Movie-goers are used to 2.5 seconds as the average shot length. Leviathan goes on for long shot after long shot up to two or three minutes of the same scene making viewers squirm in their seats. It’s not that the scene is uncomfortable to watch, it instead is our diet for imagery, how we need to be fed in the context of cinema.
Both films take us through a multilayer journey, with Ballen aiming his sights on photographic books and Castaing-Taylor and Verena Paravel aiming their’s on cinema. Both films set up a journey for us to reflect and I think this reflection is very important when looking at being creative.
What’s the best bit of advice you have ever received?
Always hire people better than you.
What advice would you give to aspiring creatives?
Get your work out there. You won’t know anything about where your heading if your work is not out there.
Karl Grupe teaches a range of short courses at Central Saint Martins, including Reportage Photography, Photographers’ London and Art of Snapshot Photography. Further details on all of our courses can be found on the Short Course website. The CSM Short Courses exhibition takes place in the Window Gallery at Central Saint Martins until 3 September 2017. To see what goes on in the CSM Short Courses classroom, follow @csmshortcourses and #MYCSM
The exhibition is open to the public in the Central Saint Martins Window Gallery at 1 Granary Square until 3 September. Visitors can expect to view some extraordinary work, including ceramics, jewellery, haute couture embroidery, fashion drawing, photography and illustration.
I’ve worked as an animator, animation director, cartoonist, character designer and illustrator for over 30 years.
I learned animation from Richard Williams and Art Babbitt and have animated and directed for Disney, Warner Bros., and Cartoon Network amongst others. Passing on the skills and knowledge that I’ve acquired in my career is very rewarding.
Where do you get your inspiration from and how do you stay inspired?
I’m inspired by the drawings of artists I admire, living and dead, famous and obscure. There are an infinite amount of possible ways to make marks on paper, so I try never to repeat myself, always striving to make the next drawing a little better than the one before.
Which piece of creative work, in any discipline, do you think everyone should see and why?
I don’t. I would never presume to tell anyone what they should see. Everyone should find something they love for themselves and then let that work of art live inside them.
