When you are doing an art-based university degree, one of the things you quickly discover is that you are going to need a sketchbook. Our sketchbook work began with collage, using Romeo and Juliet as our starting point. We were asked to choose three themes that we felt defined the play and then create a collage to represent each one. For me, those themes were control, defiance and power.
Armed with fashion magazines, paint and brushes, we set about creating three separate collages, each exploring one of those ideas.
What surprised me most was how much my attitude towards collage had changed. During Extended BA, I had disliked collage and found it difficult to make it do what I wanted. Yet, after the summer break, I suddenly found myself able to create images that expressed the ideas in my head. The themes and figures seemed to come together in a way they never had before.
I suppose somewhere along the way, something had changed. Perhaps it was the subconscious effect of looking at all the different artists we had been introduced to, seeing my own work alongside that of other students, and producing artwork almost constantly. Maybe all of that had slowly broken through a barrier that I hadn’t even realised was there.
My sketchbook was becoming more than just a place to collect ideas and experiments. It was becoming a record of my progression. For the first time, I could actually look back and see that I was developing, even if I hadn’t noticed it happening at the time. I was actually enjoying the process.
Defiance
Control
Power
Cheryl Nelson Costumes 
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