Fine Art Foundation Degree

Sketches Once I decided on my subject for the project being baby dolls, I did some sketches of one of my own dolls, plus some doll parts I bought from a second-hand shop. I decided to keep the sketches 2D in order to layer them on top of each other, the start of my idea of a 'baby army'. Rather a way for the viewer to see the babies as a group, not individually. This way each subject becomes void of all personality, much like a crowd at a shopping centre. Humans relationship with groups I wanted to explore why I thought groups were so appealing to me in this project so I looked to human nature. It is taught in us as kids at school and at home that groups are helpful in our lives. In schools we work as teams to complete a project and bounce ideas. In leisure we partake in team sports and hobbies. And in our daily lives, we split chores up with family and eat as groups, spending time with friends celebrating birthdays and achievements. Being in a group just feels right, we can ta

Project Proposal First Thoughts For this project I wanted to explore the idea of memories distorting over time both naturally and by suggestion. This came from seeing old children's toys in museums and personal collections that look creepy and unsettling to us now, but as kids we loved them and constantly carried them around with us. I believe part of what makes old dolls so creepy to us now is mostly in their production. Most were hand made, with eyelashes and detailed faces, whereas nowadays they are mass produced with painted on eyebrows, colourful eyes and non-human structures.  This idea of the uncanny valley with the dolls is what makes them so creepy and unnerving nowadays. We are so used to our toys looking like toys, so when they look more realistic we are unnerved. This has only become a problem now though as we have become accustomed to unrealistic standards of commercialised products.                                         Reborn Dolls There is however one huge excepti

 Sophie Goodchild Background Sophie was born in 1993 in Chester, northwest England. She did a Foundation Diploma in Art and Design at Manchester School of Art (2012), BA Honours in Fine Art at Kingston School of Art (2015), before finally graduating the Alternative Art School 'School of the Damned' in 2019. Although many students complete their education after a degree, Sophie has continued her education and got residencies throughout, from a residency in Tuscany in 2011, to MA Painting at the Royal College of Art as recent as 2021. Seeing Sophies constant endeavour for further education, it shows the need for constant evolution and adaptability in the modern world. Especially in art, you must be able to adapt to new challenges and have the skills, resources and connections to succeed. To become a successful professional artist, you have to be constantly learning. This may be through seeking knowledge through conventional means (university or courses), or by your own experience

 Tom Hackett Background Tom was born in Cambridge and started his art career by studying Fine Art at Middlesex and Nottingham Trent University. Once he had established a reputation in the art world through exhibitions, installations and performative pieces, he started to lecture in fine art and critical thinking. Tom is a sculptural artist and through his work, aims to make connections between people, places, and situations through a wide range of media and concepts. He often manipulates video and audio recordings to reflect the reality, rather than depict it. Turning the ordinary and mundane into something new and exciting by challenging societal rules of order and logic. Lying Low To Keep Afloat During the beginning of the pandemic, Tom took a wooden canoe and paddled and walking through five key towns on the River Trent. Due to the pandemic it was delayed, scheduled to start in spring, but changed to summer. The pandemic not only changed the timing of the project, but also the proce

Slip Casting Making the Mould Stage 1 First I placed the baby doll head on top of a lump of clay and a wooden board (for stability). I used more clay to level the head across the centre line to create the best outcome. I pushed clay into the ears, stretching the clay down to the base, to prevent plaster going into the ears and getting stuck. I then placed wooden boards around the clay (lining up the bottom of the head to the edge of one block to create a hole to easily pour in the slip later on) and clamped them in place. After mixing 600 ml of water with powdered plaster (roughly 5 scoops), I poured the mixture over the head and clay up to the centre line. This first cast would be a 'sacrificial' cast as it wouldn't be able to hold the whole shape of the cast, but would me create the top half of the mould. Stage 2 Once the plaster was fully dry I removed the clamps and boards and carved off the meniscus using a potters knife to create as smooth clean edge. I then coated th