Art students at Abbey College Manchester have been inspired by a series of creative workshops, in collaboration with the University of the West of England (UWE), Bristol.

Creative minds from the leading independent college had the invaluable opportunity to participate in the online sessions, where they were led by students on UWE Bristol’s highly-esteemed Film Making, Animation and Photography courses – ranked 4th in the country. 

In the first session, Abbey College Manchester students were joined virtually by Hoching, a second-year animation student from UWE Bristol. The talented artist shared with the Abbey College cohort an insight into the process of character design, before leading them on a task designing their very own ‘Angry Artist’.

Another productive workshop was delivered by Kaynat, a final year Fine Art student at UWE. Kaynat gave the students an overview of how she generates ideas for her work, from first thoughts and inspiration through to a finished piece. She shared samples from sketchbooks and spoke of how the course encourages its students to regularly present work in progress to invite alternative perspectives from fellow students. Kaynat also gave advice about documenting ideas and talked through a project she had recently competed. To conclude the session, the artists were tasked to create a response to the idea of ‘sustainability’, with any materials or media to hand, resulting in an interesting and diverse array of creations. 

Abbey College Manchester Principal, Liz Elam, commented:

“Our students thoroughly enjoyed the workshops in association with our partner university, the University of the West of England, which provided a perfect opportunity for them to learn about the specifics of the course, as well as talking about more general aspects of student life. They are very much looking forward to the next session which will focus on portfolio preparation.

“UWE Bristol’s Film Making, Animation and Photography courses are highly-regarded and we are very pleased to have this connection. At Abbey College Manchester, we pride ourselves on the strong links we have with universities across the UK and how through these partnerships, we can enhance our students’ learning experience.”

Abbey College is a leading independent college in the heart of Manchester, with a fast-growing and vibrant community.

There are 220 students at the college, comprising a mix of students from the local area and other countries. The college offers A-Level, GCSE, Combined Studies and International Foundation Programmes.

For more information on Abbey College visit www.abbeymanchester.co.uk, or call 0161 817 2700.