Art, Design, Media and Floristry at Newcastle-under-Lyme Collge




Wednesday 18 April 2012

Creative students exhibit work at Burselm School of Art

Students studying the Extended Project and A level Photography at NULC are exhibiting their work at Burslem School of Art, from Monday 23 to Friday 27 April 9.00am - 6.00pm.

Come along to show your support and view the fantastic work of these young creative students.



Thursday 12 April 2012

In the spotlight with... Barbara Millard

A series of creative workshops at a local college have proven so successful they will be running again after Easter.
Newcastle-under-Lyme College (NULC) is re-running the 5-week Creative Experience course starting with a FREE taster session on Tuesday 24 April from 6.30 – 8.30pm.
The course is designed to help local adults all ages and backgrounds to explore their creativity in a range of areas including Photography, Print and Visual Studies, Ceramics, Textiles and Fashion and 3D Craft and Jewellery Making. The course is flexible so adults can choose to focus on just one area or pick and mix the areas that interest the most.
We caught up with Barbara Millard, aged 58 from the Staffordshire Moorlands, who attended the course in January to find out what she enjoyed most about the course. 
“Over recent years I have attended different courses on Silversmithing (at NULC), working with Precious Metal Clay and most recently glass fusing. I now have a small workshop in my garden with an electric kiln where I make bespoke glass pieces, examples of which are on my website www.barbaramillard.co.uk.”
“To run a website, or sell online, you need good photographs. Glass is a difficult subject to photograph easily and it was annoying, and time consuming always having to ask more accomplished photographers than myself to take photos for me to display my work. When I saw the “Creative Experience” series of short courses advertised I thought it might give me some tips, or inspire me to pursue photography further.”
“I know I am not the only person to be frustrated these days at the lack of opportunity to explore new hobbies, without committing yourself to a long, often expensive course, usually with some sort of assessment at the end of it. All we want is to be able to explore our creative side in the company of like-minded people where success can be celebrated and the inevitable “mistakes” are not an issue! Although I plumped for photography on this occasion, I had the opportunity to have a look at the other courses on offer and there was something for all tastes and level of experience. Also the tutors seemed more than willing to explore different tastes and tailor what they offered to the make up of the class.”
“The equipment in the classes was of a very high spec and in the photography class we not only got to use the studio with its amazing lighting setup, but also to use the photo editing software in the dedicated computer suite. So not only did I pick up some valuable tips in actually taking the photos, but also in enhancing them so that they are fit for purpose. It was also fun seeing what other students produced and also hearing their take on how they would present my work. The teaching was very interactive and great fun.”
“So what next? I need to practise what I have learnt and have already acquired a tripod to help me.  I definitely feel more confident in my own photography skills and I am not intimidated by all the dials on my camera! I need to get some of my own pictures up on my website. “
“I would definitely recommend these courses to other people as a simple, low cost way to explore your creative side. You may find that, for example, you do not enjoy photography, but that actually you have a talent for printing or pottery. My fascination with glass started from seeing someone else’s work, wondering if I could do that and going on a short course. I was hooked. Creating your own stuff is challenging, relaxing, thought provoking, and you get to meet some interesting people along the way. I quite fancy ceramics next, but not sure I can afford yet another hobby........we shall see!”
For more information and to enroll, contact the Faculty of Art and Creative Studies on 01782 254323, email info@nulc.ac.uk or visit www.nulc.ac.uk/getcreative.


Thursday 5 April 2012

Creative students commissioned to produce Royal film

Newcastle-under-Lyme College (NULC) has commissioned a group of its former creative students to produce a film documenting the College’s Royal visit from His Royal Highness the Duke of York.

Dave Hughes, Tom Pepper and Ben Pritchard all studied at the College’s state-of-the-art University Centre.

Dave Hughes, former NULC student and Creative Director of elloDave said: “This is the first time any of us have worked on a Royal event but we’ve all really enjoyed the project. The day was fantastic and went by in a flash. It was very rewarding to be involved in such a high profile project.”

Dave, from Bagnall, completed the HND in Graphic Design at NULC before going on to set up his own graphic design agency, elloDave based in the Staffordshire Moorlands. The agency has been running for three years and employs a number of former NULC creative students.

Dave continued: “The College has been really supportive both whilst I was studying there and since leaving. The quality of the creative students at NULC is phenomenal and students continually progress in to successful careers in the industry.”


Tom, aged 22 from Newcastle, studied the Foundation degree (Fd) in Graphics and Digital Design and went on to become a freelance videographer after completing his studies at NULC. He has worked on projects for companies including North Face and Touborg.


Ben, aged 25 from Sandbach, also studied the Fd in Graphics and Digital Design. He is now in his final year of a degree in Graphic Communication at the University of Wolverhampton and also works part-time for elloDave as a Graphic Designer.

During his time at NULC, Ben was commended for his film work when he won ‘Best Film’ in the over 18’s category at the 2011 Stoke Your Fires Festival. He also met local Oscar-winner Pete Bebb, another former NULC student, at the NULC Heatwave Film Festival in 2011.

Lucy King, Head of Marketing and Communications at NULC said: “The College is committed to helping our students gain the experience they need to succeed in the workplace.

“We’re recognised nationally for the quality of our art and creative courses, so it seemed the obvious answer to employ former students when we were looking for someone to capture the day in film.”

During his tour of the College on Thursday 8 March, HRH the Duke of York visited the visual media studio in the College’s bespoke University Centre, where he chatted to a number of students currently studying Fd’s in Graphics and Digital Design and Digital Media Production.

The College offers a range of university-level courses in partnership with Staffordshire University. To find out more, email info@nulc.ac.uk, call 01782 254254 or visit www.nulc.ac.uk/he

To view the film documenting HRH the Duke of York’s visit to NULC visit the College’s YouTube Channel: www.youtube.com/NewcastleULymeCol