Post Summer I returned to the wonderful news that my sister would be getting married. Therefore I took on a new job as Wedding Artistic Director!!
I started by helping make all the boring phone calls to venues and registrars but then came the exciting part! Decorations! I helped make Guest book signs; wedding card signs, Fairy lights (thanks to my summer experience I was now a pro!) room deco, order of service booklets and general room layout. It was a beautiful day!

My beautiful typewriter!

Writing up the food menu page. YUM

The production line

The finished article!

Order of Service

Wedding cards sign

My Tissue Paper Pom Poms

Tissue paper pom poms production

Hanging try-outs

Record your message sign- the making of

My fairy light helpers! Some more focused than others!

The lights in action

Summer 2012 for Christina Chan, brought a wonderful, amazing, life changing experience!
I up and moved to America for 3 months! I was lucky enough to land a job at Fernwood Cove Summer Camp for girls in, Maine, USA. I was Camp Counsellor and Arts & Crafts Department Head! In this role I got to hang out with some of the coolest, funniest and down to earth girls and fellow staff I have ever met.
It didn't feel like a job. I was having so much fun. These girls inspired me to create more and realise my potential for teaching!
I'll admit there were difficulties, I didn't realise just how much you had to break down the explaining process but with a lot of laughs and patience we all got there. And these girls produced some marvellous creations that made me so so proud!

One of my lessons were charcoal drawing classes were I taught them about the uses of using just charcoal and a putty eraser to create depth and tones in their drawings.

My favourite despite being the messiest class proved to be most popular, were my 'Chinese Lanterns'
So . . I had trouble in the first week as I named it fairy lights but turns out in America they don't call them fairy lights! They are twinkle lights! So I had to make some and show them in assembly before they started understanding and signing up for my classes!
The process included paper-mache-ing some ballons with colourful tissue paper and eventually with low burning LED lights, wire, my intense supervision and a hot glue gun we attached these 'lanterns' onto the lights and Ta Daaa here they have some cute fairy lights that they can take home after the summer and hang up in their rooms!

One of my girls and her completed "Chinese Lanterns'

My Art Department

Parents Visiting day

One of my end charcoal classes I let them play with glitter!

My girls Charcoal drawings

My bunk family Session 1

My bunk family session 2

Before bed games

Dinner time

The 12 seater beast of a van they let me drive!

A Christmas Carol: Smoke & Mirrors

A Christmas Carol: Smoke & Mirrors was an adaptation of the original by Shaun McCarthy and directed by David Lockwood.
For this play I was put in the role of Assistant Set and Costume. Working alongside an amazing cast and crew I was shown all the hard work that goes on in the making of a production and the genuine hardship that everyone goes through to making the show successful. Especially working with Set and Costume designer Bee Watson and Stage Manager Tom Welch, they trusted me to help in anyway welcomed input of ideas, showed me their own creativity and taught me how to use power tools I had never heard of!
During my time I was able, to yet again deal with the stresses of a deadline! Lend my skills in sewing and helping Bee's costume designs come to life. With the theme being Steam Punk, I did research into the style and how it can be combined with the classic Dickens story, drawing a few sketches of my own so we could decorate the set with influence, I also learnt to use a jigsaw, drills, spray paint, stencils and hunting for props and materials in many recycling centres.

A Christmas Carol programme

A Christmas Carol programme

Scrooge & Marley: photograph by Robert Darch

A scene from A Christmas Carol: photograph by Robert Darch

Young Scrooge & Belle: photograph by Robert Darch

Making the set

Set theme was Steam Punk

My sketch of Scrooge's gravestone

My sketch of a fireplace

My sketch of a Steam Punk themed door knocker

Steam Punk themed chandelier 

I am thankful to everyone I worked with in each play and for the lovely people at The Bikeshed Theatre, I had a wonderful, useful, at times stressful experience but it was what I consider the best way to learn, to be thrown in at the deep end and for that I loved every minute.

After Dark

The production After Dark was written by Hugh Janes, and directed by Katie Villa.
Through Bikeshed Theatre ( www.bikeshedtheatre.co.uk ), and the lovely Bee Watson who has her own company The Costume Box ( www.thecostumeboxdevon.co.uk ) I was able to get my first taste of working in Theatre. I was assigned the role of Costume Stylist for the production and with the advice from Bee I was able to research the costumes needed and dressing up to 15 characters. I was able to source clothes, make new contacts, go to dress rehearsals, arrange fittings, feel the pressures of deadlines meanwhile having no funds available. I found this first experience a challenge, yet I was happy to meet it as it meant getting a realistic taste of what is to be expected in this profession I have chosen.

After Dark programme

After Dark programme

Actors Anita Parry & Justin Palmer

Actress Rebecca Crookshank

Still from After Dark

Work Placement

I was fortunate enough to get a work placement working on two plays performed at the Bikeshed Theatre in Exeter. After Dark a play written by Hugh Janes, and Charles Dickens A Christmas Carol: Smoke & Mirrors, adapted by Shaun McCarthy.

The New Chapter

I am now no longer a student!

This summer has been memorable, I had the most fantastic graduation, where I'd like to congratulate all my other class-mates. I had the best 3 years, i've grown up and with you all learnt a lot. I wish you all the best.
Now is the time for me to decide what to do next, I am excited, I am nervous and I am ready.


To help me on my way, i've looked back at all that I have done, and reflected on what it was that stood out, what I found took effort, what I have learnt, and most importantly what I enjoyed doing the most.
My most enjoyable piece was my latest in Aqua-tinting the process was long, repetitive but the results were outstanding, it gave my original drawing something different and helped it stand out.

During my recollection I stumbled upon one of my previous projects where alongside my drawings, I made small maquette doll houses to represent a stalking scene.
However, my main focus were charcoal and artist pen drawings of someones private rooms, to accompany my triptych drawings I hand made wooden frames which after a few splinters provided my drawings with the perfect representation of looking into a room and feeling enclosed.

The hand in of my Triptych

Drawing and Applied Arts Degree Show

In recent weeks I have been busy preparing for my final degree exhibition. As a year group we have worked hard to prepare our spaces and would like to thank the first year DAA helpers and Course Leaders who were all there to help us produce the best exhibition possible.
Everybody's work is amazing and as a whole shows our work off to its best potential.

My portfolio

The gorgeous book case I had made, courtesy of Bristol Bound

The finished product 'I live above a brothel'

If you would like to see my work first-hand then you are welcome to view our exhibition which will be open to the public for a whole week, the details are provided below.

University of the west of England, Bower Ashton Campus, Kennel Lodge Bristol. 


Opening times:

Saturday 11 June: 10:00 - 18:00
Sunday 12 June: 10:00 - 16:00
Monday 13 - Thursday 16 June: 10:00 - 20:00


Free entry 


To see more information click on this link.



http://www1.uwe.ac.uk/cahe/ad/newsandevents/events/degreeshows.aspx