Merry Christmas to everyone out there!

I am finishing today for a much needed Christmas break, so I just wanted to say to everyone, have a lovely Christmas, whatever you are up to, add yourselves a bit of sparkle and glitter and I will see you in the New Year!

Echo article

See page two of this week's Echo!

Giant Nativity at Swithland

Sorry I have been quiet! I hope that everyone who can has applied for the Creator Fund. Several young people here at Rawlins have and we are waiting for the results!

I have been very busy working with some very talented youngsters from Swithland Primary school on a huge, wooden Nativity which is to be located at the Griffin pub across the road from the school. The children drew and painted the figures and a stunning backdrop, then I cut them out of MDF and the children painted them in acrylics. They are currently in my kitchen waiting to be varnished!

It has definitely got me into the Christmas spirit!

The Creator Fund

Would £250 make a difference to you?
Are you aged between 11 and 19 and live in Leicester or Leicestershire?
Do you want to be more involved in arts, creativity and culture?

If so, email talent@leics.gov.uk or text on 07508 013 233 to find out more about the Creator Fund

Arts Award training

Today we have hosted an Arts Award Training session here at Rawlins. Our staff, plus staff from all over the county, are becoming Arts Award Advisers as I speak!

Look out for news of opportunities to qualify in an award outside of school (as well as in).

FaCe PaintinG

I have been asked to do some face painting at Barrow Upon Soar for the turning on of the Christmas Lights event on Saturday evening from 4pm.

For just £1 I can make you look all festive!!! There are 6 designs to choose from!
Pop along if you live nearby and keep me busy..it's going to be COLD!

Experimemental painting at Craft Club

Experimemental painting at Craft Club

Recycled bird feeders

Recycled bird feeders made from cleaned out plastic bottles..this lovely example made by a member of my eco club in Quorn, shows some lovely illustrations of robins. Many different designs were created, encouraging the children to think carefully about the type of birds they wanted to attract and how their feeders would work in the garden.

Vanilla Galleries

Last night I had a lovely meeting with the friendly artists who are 'Vanilla Galleries'. They are always happy to chat about new ideas and links with the schools and community groups that I work with. Watch this space for future plans involving photography workshops, urban art collaboration and SpArc Day plans!

If you would like to get in touch with them, I'm sure they would love to hear your ideas too. Google Vanilla Galleries or find them at info@vanillagalleries.com For any information on any of their artists, or about any of the work, get in touch with the same address.

Examples of fairies!

Rawlins Christmas Craft Fair!

Glitter, glitter, glitter. Our Christmas Craft Fair was dripping with it (sorry P.O.'s) and a lovely time was had by all. About 50 people made Christmas fairies, from one year olds to grandma's. Dad's got stuck in and I'm guessing many a car leaving there still has a little sparkle of spilt glitter about it!

Thank you to everyone who came along and joined in. I am pretty tired today but I do have that warm, happy feeling that I got loads of people who maybe wouldn't have got creative at a craft fair, really enjoy themselves.

And I hope that all of those new Christmas fairies find a special place in your homes over the festive season! x

Christmas Fairies

C h r i s t m a s F a i r i e s

Don't forget to come to Rawlins THIS SUNDAY for our annual craft fair and my FREE activity stall!

It's all sorted now (me and Mia have been making prototypes) and I am delighted to announce that the activity this year is: Christmas Fairies. They are made from a combination of acetate, permanent marker pens, glitter and glue. Very lovable and quite funky! I'll see you there!

10.30am start, 4.30pm finish

Rawlins Main School Hall, Loughborough Road, Quorn, Leics. LE12 8DY

Eco club makes recycled sketch books

Recycled sketch/note books are SO easy, handy and effective! Simply find a selection of papers and cardboards from wherever you can. They might be crumpled bits of scrap, the front of some packaging, the end of a drawing pad, lined, squared, plain, greaseproof, old new or unwanted.

Cut or tear the pages to size. Or..keep them different sizes..it does add to the fun of it.

Use a hole punch to punch holes in every sheet.

Use string, wool, ribbon or raffia to tie the pages together through the holes.

Decorate at will!

First ad for after school club NEXT TERM

Please note: we are not taking bookings quite yet for this, but I wanted you to hear about it FIRST!

5 to 14
Tues
4 - 5pm
8 wks
Urban Art is a brand new and exciting course designed especially for children and young people. It will provide an opportunity to experiment with a wide variety of materials and the chance to try out methods of printmaking and photography. Looking at artists such as Banksy, Adam Neate and Mark Jenkins will broaden the participant’s experiences and provide inspiration for art works.

Graffiti style image and word making, abstract photography, printmaking, graphic design and installations will form the basis of this 8 week course. Each young artist will learn new techniques, access specialist equipment and produce pieces of art to be proud of.

The following schedule is a guideline and subject to alterations based on access to specialist equipment and creative practitioners:

Week one: An introduction to urban and street art, introducing key artists and their work. Designing names in experimental styles using mixed media including vinyl and chalks.

Week two: Photographing each other’s faces and using the computers and printers to manipulate images and create stencils.

Week three: Using the stencils created last session, printing faces onto a variety of surfaces for different effects. Using slogans to portray personal messages as part of the artwork.

Week four: Experimenting with the concept of the installation and forming unusual formations of objects for photographing. Thinking about abstract and quirky messages. Using cameras and tripods for a professional result.

Week five: Printing images from last week and mounting and framing them in interesting ways. Adding slogans using stencilling techniques.

Week six: Graffiti and urban art images workshop with experimentations on images, lettering and styles. Visiting professional and local artist to run this session, talk about his work and guide the participants.

Week seven: Producing canvas paintings based on the graffiti workshop form last week.

Week eight: Finish off and drinks and nibbles! Watch slide show of the course. Certificates awarded.

If you would like any further information, please call Hayley Fern on 01509 622817 or email hayleyfern@rawlinscollege.org.uk

Rawlins Christmas Craft Fair THIS SUNDAY!

Come along to Rawlins' Main School Hall this Sunday for our ever popular, festive feast of handmade crafts. I will be running a FREE children's craft table on the stage, so bring the children without fear of them getting bored! Stalls will include jewellery, cards, preserves, gifts and much, much more. It's a lovely start to the Christmas season!

Green Place in Sileby holding Christmas Craft Day!

The Green Place will be holding a Christmas Crafts Day on Saturday 21st November. Events will include making ; a bag for life, a purse from a juice carton, a mirror from a vinyl record, a fizzy bath bomb and Christmas cards. There will also be a basketry course which costs £40 and requires places to be booked. Please email deborah@completewasters.co.uk to confirm you place.

Woodland wall art..a free and easy art idea

Hey there! Woodland Wall Art is a favourite of mine, partly because it looks great in my woodlandy home! This idea works for all abilities and the hardest bit is knot tying, which is a skill worth mastering for anyone!

Find 4 sticks from the ground around old trees and some string, raffia, wool or embroidery silk. Lay the sticks down in a frame shape and bind the edges, wrapping your chosen product around the sticks as they meet and tying securely.

For the centre, anything goes. We drew natural images in charcoal, tore the edges for a rough effect and made holes in each corner. Using the same string, we tied the pictures to the frames. Add extra string to hang and there you have it. A free, effective, ecologically happy piece of art!

Rawlins Celebrates Creative Partnerships Success

I am delighted to announce that after quite a process of application forms, interviews and hoping, Rawlins has received confirmation that we are now a CREATIVE PARTNERSHIP CHANGE SCHOOL. This means that we will benefit from three years worth of funding and support from the Mighty Creatives. Not only will this mean more visiting professionals, creative opportunities and a higher profile, it will also make creative learning and opportunities more accessible to non arts subjects such as the cores.

I will keep everyone posted on what this translates into as we go, but for now, if you are a part of Rawlins Community College, we proud and happy..because we are brilliant!

Jewellery making at Eco Art club

Last night's Jewellery making session at my Eco Art Club, Quorn, produced some amazing pieces. Everything was made from scrap wire, old beads and recycled bits and bobs, proving that you don't need special equipment to create Christmas or birthday gifts for loved ones. The wire ring was demonstrated by Laura back in the summer and I have now shown it to so many groups that you must have all seen an example! The following were made by school children aged from 8 to 11 years...and me!

SWAG birdtable

This beautiful mosaic bird table was created by members of the SWAG (Socially Wheeled Action Group). Today, group members and students from ALP at Rawlins worked hard to clear up the garden behind the Youth club with Ciaran Fern (my lovely husband!). Once the bird table is cemented into place I will invite local press to an unveiling!

Mono printing workshop

Using polystyrene, Biros and water based printing ink, a group of children aged between 6 and 11 enjoyed a mono printing workshop last night with me, here at Rawlins. This activity was part of our ever strengthening Creative Crafts after school club.

The last day of October Art Camp at Rawlins

Oh no..it's our last day. This week has flown by, each day has been even more diverse and creative than the last. Today we have a lovely group and as I speak we have masks being designed, sewing, badge making and dream catchers being woven. It's so calm and relaxed! Thank you to all the children who have participated, the parents who have allowed them to and the helpers who have made this short week so full of support and stress free.

Clay creations

Still altering books..with amazing results!

Altered book making at Art Camp

Today has already been full of experimentation and colour! We have been altering books using lots of different techniques. Try this one at home..it is so much fun!

Artists at Rawlins

A witch and her cat by Elise aged 6

Day three and the Echo is coming!

Look out...we are going to be in the Loughborough Echo! Isaac Ashe is coming over this afternoon to see what we are up to here at Art Camp.

Today's excitement includes silhouette art, clay modelling, mask making using our own faces and some costume experimentation!

If you feel you are missing out and the weather is looking grim...don't worry, there are still places available for tomorrow and Friday. Call 01509 622827 to reserve your place.

Witches at art camp!

Cackle cackle...

Spooky hands at Art Camp

Fake hands, made from gloves, cardboard, newspaper, modroc and paint kept us VERY BUSY today at Art Camp, Rawlins. Hand themes included 'zombies' 'vampires' werewolves' and 'witches'. Look out for one waving at you sometime soon!

Tomorrow we are making wigs among other things!!!!

October Art Camp starts!

A spooky and sparkly theme takes us into this October half term's art camp and today's participants did a fantastic job of constructing pop up ghosts, designing Gothic jewellery and using chalk pastels to draw spooky heads to hang up!

This spider necklace was made from beads, wire and leather!

We still have places left for children from 5 to 14. Call Rawlins on 01509 622827 or go online to book a place at www.rawlinscollege.org.uk

Creation Mosaics are unveiled!

The 7 days of creation, as told in Genesis in the Bible, were depicted in paper mosaics on painted MDF by a group of 6 year 6's at Hall Orchard Primary School in Barrow upon Soar. This morning, this stunning collection of art works were unveiled in an assembly I was delighted to be invited to. If anyone is interested in borrowing this collection, perhaps a local church, then please let me know. They are aproximately one metre square each.

Paper Animation!

Last night's Eco Art Club was loads of fun and the materials used were practically free! We did two animation techniques based on scrap paper and card, a it of string and some pens. Easy!

Technique 1:

Fold a piece of normal A4 paper in half and cut in half, making a card shape. Draw an image inside the card and then close it and draw another image on the front, tracing the original image through the paper EXCEPT this time, you change one thing, creating a movement. Examples could be an eye that is closed one one picture and open on another, or a heart that is complete and then broken etc.

Roll the top sheet (front) around a pencil so the paper curls then use the pencil to create a left and right motion, making the image animate!

Technique 2:

Cut a strip of thick paper or thin card (like half a bookmark)

Make a hole at each end and thread a bit of string or rubber band through so that you can hold the ends and spin the card.

Draw an image of some kind of container on one side, like a goldfish bowl

Draw an image of something that goes into the container on the other side, like a goldfish.

Spin, and watch the two pictures merge as one!

Last minute idea!!!!! Please read!!!!!

I have just got the go ahead to run a taster session for anyone who wants to try out my after school club TONIGHT!

For a fee of just £2 you can come and join us from 4 to 5 at Rawlins. Tonight we are making multi coloured pom poms that turn into animals! How much fun will that be??

So, if you have seen this in time and have any young people in your family (aged 8 to 14) then COME ALONG. No need to pre-book or anything!