Back to college...

I've been back at college for two weeks now, although it feels like forever! Everyone from last year who applied got through (even those we didn't think would make it!) and all the new additions to the class are integrating themselves rather nicely. The tutor we expected to get has now left so we're still a little unsure actually who'll be teaching us for the majority of this year but for now we've got Simon so we're all pretty chuffed. We arrived back in good spirits; full of pep and enthusiasm which was soon after extinguished when we learned that during the holidays the janitors had thrown out many of our bits and pieces (some in boxes, others left out) and - most frustratingly - parts of some people's final projects! Luckily the actual models were alright but some of the accessories were binned. All that paled in comparison to what happened to Rodney...

This is what he looked like at the end of year show...

 

...and here's how he looks now - sans arms.

The bloody jannies had chucked out his arms! I know they were only made out of blue foam and paper cups but they all had gripping hands - it was obvious they were things to be kept! The rest of the set was dismantled and stored away, with Rodney himself firmly installed in one of the classrooms which is fantastic ...but now rocking only one limb. :(

This was taken during morning break - we're normally a much more studious looking bunch!

All that aside, it is good to be back. :)

As with last year, we spent the first week on an 'icebreaker' - last year involved making bridges out of paper straws - but this time round we had to make some basic card models (of the type used for setting the scene and highlighting new builds) of the buildings surrounding George Square; smack bang in the centre of Glasgow and only a few hundred yards away from the college.

The building at the back is the place - City of Glasgow College. Alas, our rooms are on the other side so we don't get such a nice view.

Card is deceptively tricky to work with - I'd have much rather been using styrene - but produces consistently good models as long as you're accurate. which I'm not but let's just pretend I am for the sake of argument..
We chose the City Chambers - a gigantic victorian leviathan of a building with more turrets and towers than a turrety towery thing, (I say we, it was my rather more capable boyfriend who did the choosing to our initial despair but it actually worked out better for us in the long run as we managed to find architectural plans online far more easily than the other groups as it was such a well known building!)

 

Plans were printed out and scaled...

...card was cut and glued together...

...and gradually...

...it started to take shape.

Not bad for just three days work, eh?

(the cenotaph sadly didn't make the cut as we ran out of time)

I left at lunchtime on Wednesday as my best friend was being admitted to hospital with acute kidney failure (something which we've since learned is now chronic and has left her with either a lifetime of treatment ahead of her or a kidney transplant.) and I wanted to go in and see her with the rest of the gang and give her some moral support. That more or less put a dampener on the entire week as, well, I'm sure you can imagine.:/

This week we got a brief for our first proper project but before we could begin on that, we had to do a simple - heh - exercise to make sure we could all still wield a scalpel correctly. While all the newbies set to work on a basic styrene cube, all us NC veterans had to make this...

Fun.

Mine wasn't too bad all things considered but some of the angles were a little off and one edge has bowed really rather badly. (luckily it can't be seen here, so shhhhh!)


The next project is RIGHT up my street but you'll not hear a word out of me until at least Monday when I've finalised my idea... ;)

I've a few more things to blog about soon however, so watch this space!

EG out!