AS/A2 Textiles

Why should I study Textiles at Cardinal Newman College?
Our Textiles course has been rated "best in the country" for two consecutive years and students enjoy excellent facilities all based within the inspiring St James' listed building which is used exclusively by Art students. We have a team of dedicated and passionate staff who contribute to our outstanding exam results!
What is Textiles?
It involves all aspects of textile work and can include such diverse areas as printing or constructing your own fabrics through to making a finished article which could be a fabric for interiors or fashion or for a textile sculpture.

What kind of work will I do?
Throughout the course you will explore:

· Different ways of working with textiles and surface pattern

· Printing on textile materials, using silk screen printing, mono printing and stencil

· Felt making, batik and silk painting

· Creative stitching, quilting such as hand and machine embroidery and applique

In all your projects you will explore styles of drawing, presentation of your ideas and making textile samples. During the first year this might be a designed product, such as a bag, cushion or simple garment; alternatively the course can be approached from an artist's perspective to make work to be displayed as gallery pieces, such as collages of textile materials, wall hangings incorporating creative stitching or textile sculptures.

Will all my work be in the classroom?
No. You will visit exhibitions of current textile art work and experience visits from practicing designers. These are important as historical, critical and contextual analysis of the work of artists and designers will be undertaken as part of your course
Is there any coursework?
You will probably have realised that coursework is important throughout the full two years of this course! Each year there are two units which require you to complete sketchbooks of your ideas and design development drawings, samples of techniques and your finished outcome. In addition to this work, second year students have to produce an extended personal study of 1,000 words.

In the second year you will be able to develop design work around a personal theme and undertake an in-depth written study in an area of interest. This gives scope for more ambitious outcomes and students who are interested in fashion careers often develop designs for garments.
Progression
This course provides a sound basis for progression onto a wide range of Art & Design degree courses at local and national higher education institutions. In recent years students have progressed directly to degrees in Textile Design or Fashion & Textile Marketing in a range of universities or onto Art Foundation courses and Fashion degrees. Courses in Fashion Communication, Retail Buying and Fashion Marketing have increased in popularity as they often include up to a year of work experience. Popular progression choices have included studying at the Universities of Leeds, Huddersfield, Manchester, Nottingham and the London colleges including Ravensbourne and St Martins.