Media and Animation 2024Media and Animation 2024

MEDIA AND ANIMATION 2024

LEVEL 1 CREATIVE MEDIA | LEVEL 2 CREATIVE MEDIA | LEVEL 3 CREATIVE MEDIA | LEVEL 3 ANIMATION | LEVEL 3 TV AND FILM | FILM FESTIVAL 2024

BTEC Extended Art and Design 2024BTEC Extended Art and Design 2024

Rayne Allen

Phoebe Baggott

Ryan Ball

Ray Barnett

Chris Belt / Darcey Shotton

Dawid Czelen

Megan Finch

Mia Grigg

Amelie Harrison / Teigan Hales

Libby Jones

Si King

Elio Knight

May Lloyd

Ambrose Loveridge

Willow Luff

Zoe Oliver

Katie Parker

Patrycja Pawelec

Amy Perry

Chenai Phiri

Zainab Reeda Sherazi Bibi

Ruby Stewart

Rose Wallett

Zoe Yardley

Art and Design 2024Art and Design 2024

EXTENDED ART AND DESIGN | LEVEL 1 ART AND DESIGN | LEVEL 3 ART AND DESIGN | LEVEL 2 ART AND DESIGN SKILLS

Level 1 Art and Design 2024Level 1 Art and Design 2024

LEVEL 1 ART AND DESIGN 2024

Dudley Zoo Carnivores CompetitionDudley Zoo Carnivores Competition

Each year, our photography and graphics students work with Dudley Zoo on a variety of exciting projects aimed at raising awareness of animal welfare and conservation.

This focus of this year’s project was carnivores, with many students making regular trips to the zoo to photograph the animals and learn more about them and their eating habits. Not only is this a good chance to put their knowledge of camera techniques to the test (as animals can be notoriously difficult to photograph) , it’s also a great opportunity to get closer to wildlife in a way that can’t be achieved simply by watching nature documentaries online or on TV.

Below is a gallery of some of our students’ amazing images – we hope you enjoy.

Phil Brooks, photography course tutor

Scafell Pike Climb 2024Scafell Pike Climb 2024

On Monday 13th March 2024, a combination of Photography, Art, Graphic Design, Production Arts, Music and Tourism students, along with the members of staff and the Students Union, took on the challenge of climbing Scafell Pike, despite challenging weather conditions.

Accompanying the group on the day was former Dudley Mayor Steve Waltho. As an experienced climber, he helped the group of 30 reach 1,500 ft from the foot of the mountain.

As the weather took a turn for the worst, achieving this height was even more impressive and a great reflection of the resolve and enthusiasm of our staff and students.

The hike was in support of the College’s nominated charities, Ronnie & Friends and Black Country Mental Health, for which students and staff raised an incredible £1,500 with photography student, Louis Simcox, raising more than £300 through his own efforts.

Phil Brooks, photography course tutor

The Refugee Project 2024The Refugee Project 2024

At last year’s Dudley Holocaust Memorial event, we were commissioned by Lord Ian Austin to explore the life stories of the current refugees and migrants who have sought sanctuary and safety in our community of Dudley. 

This project, which included photographs, video interviews and paintings, culminated in an exhibition at Dudley Archives in February this year which celebrated the resilience, diversity, inclusion, togetherness and community of our local refugees. 

Dudley College Photography students worked with local art photographer, Anand Chhabra, to produce a compelling set of images, while our technician/artist, Chris Davies, made some wonderful paintings to complement the students’ work. 

Our TV and film students also conducted interviews with the refugees featured in our exhibition to explore their individual stories and investigate more deeply their sense of feeling supported and welcomed by the community of Dudley. 

Thanks to the Dudley Archives, we also researched some fascinating historical refugees who had made Dudley their home in the past and contributed to society in often very interesting cultural, artistic and scientific ways. 

Thanks to all the wonderful people and especially to the refugees who worked with us on the project, many of whom are English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) students here at Dudley College. It was an amazing and often humbling experience to meet people from Ukraine, Iran, Iraq, Yemen, Syria, Palestine, Uganda and lots of other places and learn more about their culture, experiences and traditions. 

The opening night of our exhibition at Dudley Archives in February was a huge success, with more than 100 visitors who came to see the work on display, talk to the refugees and watch the interviews conducted by our students. It was also featured in local newspaper, the Express and Star.

Chris Davies’ portrait of one particular refugee, Mansoor, was also featured in this year’s highly-acclaimed RBSA Portrait Prize exhibition, which was on show at the society’s gallery in the Jewellery Quarter, Birmingham, recently. 

Phil Brooks, photography course tutor
Maddison Wellsbury, 2nd year photography student
Miah Bryan, 2nd year photography student 

A-LEVELS 2024A-LEVELS 2024

FINE ART | GRAPHIC COMMUNICATION | PHOTOGRAPHY | TEXTILE DESIGN

As a purpose built, self-contained A-Level centre with the goal to educate and enthuse the next generation of learners, Dudley Sixth is fast gaining a reputation for being one of the best places to study A-Levels in the Black Country, Birmingham and the wider West Midlands region.

Our A-Level courses in Fine Art, Graphic Communication, Photography and Textile Design are your gateway to Higher Education, Higher Apprenticeships or employment. The majority of our learners plan to progress onto university and many accept places at a range of Russell Group universities, including Birmingham, King’s College London and Manchester, as well as other local prestigious universities including Aston and Keele.

With subject specialists guiding you through your two-year A-Level programme, you will receive the highest quality education. Our aspiration is for you to achieve your potential and have a very successful future.

A-Level Fine Art 2024A-Level Fine Art 2024

GRACIELA AMULONG | MORGAN CADD | CHARLIE CRAIG | LEANNA DOUGLAS | LIBBY SPINKS | ELLIE VAUGHAN | GRACE WARD

This year has seen the return of our exam project (which due to COVID hasn’t been conducted since 2019) and with it, a workload increase for all on A-Level Fine art. The organisational skills and motivation of the students has really been tested, working with given topics presented by the exam board, which at times can often be frustrating. However, all the students have risen to the challenges presented over the year and produced high quality work they should be proud of.

This year we’ve even managed to resume our educational visits, with trips to Liverpool, London and even Berlin. These have inspired and engaged our cohort and provided them with some additional inspiration outside of the classroom.

The students should be extremely proud of their achievements – as am I – and I wish them all the luck for the future.

Gillian Worley, A-Level Fine Art Tutor, Dudley Sixth

Graciela Amulong

I wanted to explore the uniqueness of different encounters and how these experiences vary from person to person; we remember and dwell about our favorite memories, but being able to present the passing moments is just as valuable.

I also created a project that consisted of me recreating dishes and a variety of foods to help elevate the concept of the mundane; foods are recognized to amplify our five senses, so I wanted to see if I could recreate that in my work using colour and different styles.

Morgan Cadd

For my first project, I choose the topic ‘Animals’ where I explore different domestic pets such as dogs, cats and snakes in a range of different media leading up to my final piece centred around the negative stereotypes surrounding dogs, all painted in acrylic paint as I thoroughly enjoyed the harsh and bold colours/look of this material.

For my next project, I choose the exam topic ‘Vivid’ as this spoke to me the most. I knew from the beginning I wanted to continue using acrylic paint as well as exploring coloured pencils and watercolour.

Ultimately, I decided acrylic was the medium I preferred through my experiments around objects and people in bold, monochromatic colours. My final piece encompasses all I learnt throughout this project. Again, I chose acrylic paint as my chosen medium, using it in a monochromatic style that has since become another technique I fell in love with throughout this project.

Charlie Craig

This project focused on portraits and how you could manipulate and distort the facial features of a person to represent the disconnect between the body and mind in times of severe mental health episodes. I used oil paints and oil pastels to create a smooth flowing texture.

 I then explored a project focused on time, and how long movements of a person can be painted into a single image. I used long exposure photography to take my images and dragged the paint to show direction of motion.

Leanna Douglas

In project one I practiced portraiture by looking into the concept of the effects of aging.

For project 2 I explored fish and fears of the deep ocean through printing and painting medias.

Libby Spinks

I explored the idea of circles in art through printing and painting.

In my second project I investigated animals and the pollution of their habitats.

Ellie Vaughan

My first project focused on the beauty and intricacy of insects versus a more negative view and why we fear them, using materials such as watercolour, acrylic, biro and pencil.

My second project stemmed from the word “vivid”, exploring how I can use colours together to get the best visual outcome, while using materials like coloured pencil, oil pastels, acrylic and watercolour.

Grace Ward

For my first project, the concept was ‘abstract mind’, which was about seeking and exploring the possibilities of representing anxiety and confusion in portraiture.

For my next project, I focused on the idea of the mundane reality of relationships, looking into the significance of the small moments of life with a significant other.

A-Level Photography 2024A-Level Photography 2024

AYAH ABDUL-HALIM | ALEESHA BALL | ALIVEA BENNETT | BETHAN BOWATER | ISOBEL COOPER | LUCINDA ELSON-WHITTAKER | PAULINA JONKISZ | RUBY PARKER | AMELIA PARR | GRACE TAYLOR | GRACE WARD

A-Level Photography allows learners the opportunity to express themselves creatively while exploring ideas and concepts that are personal and meaningful. This is clearly demonstrated across the wonderful work created by this years A-Level cohort. I could not be prouder of the work and achievements made by each member of the Photography group.

Learners often choose issues within society as a means to connect their Photography to an audience. The course consistently challenges them to problem solve and improve both quality and concept as they progress. This ultimately prepares them for both industry and Higher Education.

Industry-standard software and equipment are embedded throughout the course to again support progression, exploring the Creative Cloud Adobe Suite with programs such as Photoshop and Lightroom for image editing, along with InDesign to create their stunning portfolios and project work. To allow for a deeper understanding of photography, learners are encouraged to work with both modern and traditional techniques such as darkroom and Cyanotypes. This 2-year programme builds theoretical and practical knowledge to allow our learners the creative means to express themselves through Photography.

I hope you enjoy exploring the work from this year’s Photography learners.

Simon Morris, A-Level Photography Tutor, Dudley Sixth

Ayah Abdul-Halim

During year 13 I experimented creating imagery which represented the feeling of hope using a digital camera. I used a variety of photographic techniques like street, portrait and still life photography for my shoots developing a range of outcomes. After my A-Levels I will be taking a gap year to discover myself more before returning to education with the potential route of becoming a lawyer.

Aleesha Ball

The concept of my project is to create images that convey motion to reflect the high energy captured within them. My main inspirations are metal and rock music as I enjoy them the most and the bands I saw played these types of music. I did this by taking long exposure photographs to capture lots of movement and edited the colours to be brighter and more eye-catching.

I also edited a few images in Photoshop to add a motion blur without doing it on the camera to showcase different uses of effects. I photographed both live music and studio shoots with instruments as props and I think the mixture of both works quite well together.

I am currently working towards doing a foundation level in arts and I plan on going to Nottingham Trent University the year after to study photography further.

Alivea Bennett

For this project, I focused on the techniques used and the components which develop and make up product photography as a whole, techniques such as the use of gel lighting, shadows, and the use of water droplets along with a range of other techniques. I also intended for this project to have a focus on the use of vibrant colours in my work particularly complimentary colours.

I experimented with various skills/ techniques in order to develop my skill range and capture my intentions in my work. I found particular success through the use of negative space, shadows, contrast, depth and colour in my work which brought a focus to the object of the image and created a more professional outcome to my outcomes.

After A-levels I intend to go to Warwick University to complete a degree in Law and Sociology.

Bethan Bowater

For this project I explored the concept of individuality by forming characters to showcase the distinct separateness between people and how each person has their own identity. My initial starting point of this project was table, and it is through a table that I have presented the different personality types of an individual by giving them their own personality trait.

For the layout of the images, I wanted to capture all of the models together in an arrangement to further accentuate the uniqueness of each of the characters. Overall, my images are successful as they extenuate the difference between each person through the simplicity of a table and incorporate a variety of skills such as cinematography which is the art of photography and visual storytelling in a motion picture. I used this to build a narrative for each of the characters to help further underline the individuality of a person.

In the future I am to go to the University Of Birmingham to study sociology and education.

Isobel Cooper

My collection of images explores the human presence in everyday life. These are some of my final results for one of my projects which follows a documentary style of photography to show my perspective of how I see the people around me. In this project I was able to develop my work as I moved through different locations and found new places and people to photograph. These are some of my favourite images in showing my view of the people around me.

I am unsure on what I will do next however I am going to continue my photography further in the future.

Lucinda Elson-Whittaker

These are some of my final images from a project where I wanted to explore the unseen struggles that people may experience in their lives in comparison to how they project themselves to everyone in day-to-day life. I explored the ways my mom portrays herself at work, whether that be with colleagues or patients, in comparison to how she may truly feel because of her work environment. Furthermore, I thought it would be interesting to investigate the ways she attempts to work through this stress as well as know why she continues this job despite the negative impacts.

I plan to study photography at Manchester Metropolitan University in September.

Paulina Jonkisz

During the second year of my photography course, my main intention was to explore and experiment with the use of a diverse range of mixed media techniques. For my Component 1 project, ‘Cyan Reminiscence’, my project was centred around the alternative cyanotype photographic process, partnered with the creation of stop motion. During this project, I created cyanotype stop motions presenting a range of themes, mostly consisting of nature, freedom, and escapism.

My Component 2 photography project, ‘Essence of Identity’, consists of mixed media exploration, with the central aim of this project consisting of exhibiting alternative and unique identities. I have decided to explore with the use of a diverse range of materials in order to fabricate a range of creative textures that emphasise the identities presented.

In September, I am planning on studying Film, Photography and Media BA at The University of Leeds.

Ruby Parker

In this project, I explored the concept of identity and how it can become fragmented and distorted. I placed a key focus on editing photos in a glitch-like style, this reflected the broken, multi-faceted nature of identity. Throughout the project, I also explored collaged outcomes in the style of Photographer David Hockney, these collages reflected the multiple ways people may present themselves in society and their online personas.

I utilised a range of techniques throughout this component from simple coloured portraiture to black and white collages, this allowed me to explore many concepts in order to create my final piece. To conclude my project, I combined my glitch style outcomes into a short video clip showing the slow and gradual process of distortion through the use of social media.

After A-Levels, I intend to study Psychology with criminology at Birmingham City University.

Amelia Parr

In my A-level photography projects, I showcase work that encourages viewers too see things differently. Through one project, I reveal the hidden elements of natural forms, highlighting its often-unnoticed details allowing my audience to appreciate them more. In the other, I explored different ways to view architecture, challenging typical perspectives and offering new ways to look at everyday buildings.

My aim over my projects is to inspire my audience to take time to observe and find beauty in the ordinary, to realise there are many ways we can perceive and appreciate the world around us.

I plan on studying a degree in photography at Birmingham city University

Grace Taylor

The first three images are some of the final results taken from my project which explores the relationship society has with technology nowadays. I used old devices from the 90’s and early 2000’s to create irony and highlight the almost strange dependency we have on our phones compared to 20 years ago.

The next three are my final pieces taken from my exam project, which focus on the starting point of layers. The three collages, constructed in Photoshop, highlight the similarities and differences between natural, human and animal form with a focus on grunge as a visual aesthetic.

In September I plan to study Graphic Design at Birmingham City University.

Grace Ward

For the first project, my learnt interests in photography grew into exploring and seeking deeper meanings about our reality through photography. My concept was based upon depicting change within the urban environment in black and white imagery outcomes to express the change between the original colour format used to document early development of towns and cities. Applied to the modern day to put an emphasis upon our ever changing and developing urban reality. I further worked with capturing and developing my own B&W film to further emphasise the classical link I was seeking within this project.

When it came to the next project, I wanted to focus on my personal reality. A camera gives you the ability to freeze a moment in time, something you can look back and be nostalgic, sentimental or even grateful for. This understanding made me want to seek out my reality and capture significant moments in my life in relation to the set topic of table. In my final I understood that; the table became a symbolic reference to what was important and held importance within my life.

My plans are that I intend to study photography at university. My chosen university is Birmingham City University.