From A Levels to artistic flourish  

Ruby Herd is studying a level 3 Arts and Craft Design course at Leicester College. Ruby tells us how she found her course: “I was originally at WQE doing A levels and then I decided that A levels weren’t really for me, so I took the year out and dedicated some time to figuring out what I needed to do. As I started to do my own research, I found the course at Leicester College and after coming to a few open days, I knew it was the right course for me.”  

BTEC serves purpose 

Ruby continues: “I chose to do a BTEC over other options at college as I’m not really a academic person, so the course being more practical was what really made me want to do it. The amazing facilities such as the print facilities and the ceramics facilities really drew me in.  

“The printmaking and textiles facilities are excellent, and for my recent project, I had the opportunity to use the fashion facilities and work with the machines. You can overlap art, craft, and fashion projects, using facilities for both.  

“I chose this particular course because I was interested in exploring my creativity, even though I wasn't sure exactly what I wanted to do. The versatility of this course, offering activities like ceramics, textiles and photography made it an ideal way for me to discover my specific interests for university.” 

Standout moments 

Ruby shares her best moments on the course saying: “As part of the course, we recently went on an exciting trip to London to visit some art galleries which was quite inspiring because I don’t really get to go to London a lot and see all the amazing art exhibitions, so I thought that was a really good opportunity. 

“There was a good live drawing class I took part in during one of our workshops. We had a model in. I had never done a live drawing class before and I don’t think they do that at many other colleges in Leicester, so that was a really good opportunity.” 

Exciting projects  

“During my time at Leicester College, I have worked on many exciting projects. However, the most recent project has got to be the most exciting project that I’ve worked on as we had the independence to design our own brief and choose the theme, which felt like preparation for my fine art degree at university, providing a glimpse of what is to come from the degree,” comments Ruby.  

BTEC helps in developing skills  

Talking about developing her skills, Ruby adds: “I would say I have definitely explored a lot of different areas of art whilst being on the course. I have done print making which I had never used before and the same with photography and using digitals. Overall, I think I’ve just become more flexible with my art and the mediums I use, and I’m not so constricted with it any more.”  

Recommending the BTEC course  

“I would highly recommend the level 3 Art Craft Design course at Leicester College for anyone who is creative and enjoys the practical side of art. The environment at the College was incredibly nurturing, I felt constantly encouraged and gently pushed to excel. Leicester College offers a unique and supportive setting that is perfect for developing your artistic skills,” suggests Ruby.  

Inspirations for the work in the big show 

Ruby talks about one of her fashion heroes when she says: “For the show, my theme was inspired by Vivienne Westwood. I've always admired her not only for her groundbreaking fashion but also for her political activism and the way she used fashion to make powerful statements about the world. Her passing deeply affected me and I wanted my project to serve as a tribute to her legacy.” 

Next steps and career aspirations 

Ruby concludes: “My next steps are to further my education and complete the fine art degree at Liverpool Hope University. I’ve not really got a set plan at the minute yet but I know I want to continue doing something creative, maybe something to do with design and theatre, but at the minute I’m kind of just seeing how my art flows naturally and going with that.”