1. Statement
I often visit Manchester to see old friends and family who live nearby and am always impressed by the
vast array of beautiful architecture available to see in the city centre. From one of my favorite spaces,
Albert Square which is surrounded by stunning examples of Victorian Gothic architecture to the
powerful One Angel Square, in my opinion there are few better cities from which to draw architectural
inspiration. I’ve talked to a few current and past students at the university about the course and
university as a whole and not a bad word was said. The Statistics and Rankings only back this up
making MSA the obvious choice.
I was recently in Newcastle drawing and visited the incredible feat of modern architecture that is the
Sage. The first thing that hit me about the Sage was the odd shape and raw scale of it, it truly is as much
a sculpture as it is a building. Extensive use of reflective aluminum cladding immediately makes it the
main focal point of the quayside. But the exterior is only half of the marvel, the interior is just so vast,
you can only understand if you see it for yourself, every aspect has been completely thought through.
The design is both minimalist and monumentalist, minimalist in the cleanliness, smooth curves of the
walls and rails and the relative emptiness and monumentalist in the size and statement the exterior
makes.
My favorite Building has got to be La Sagrada Familia, one of Gaudi’s most famous works, having
visited it on a music tour, I have yet to find a building more impressive than it, the contrasts between the
front, back and interior are unmatched and the history of it, the fact that it’s still not finished after 132
years of construction is truly astonishing.
A building I’d very much like to visit is Saint Basil’s Cathedral in Moscow, the vibrant colour scheme
and shapes in the design are like nothing I’ve ever seen before and make for a very interesting piece of
architecture.

2. AS Product Design:
As in any design based subject, initial ideas are of incredible importance, these are some of
my AS level initial ideas for a guitar stand, all of them are pencil sketches. The use of
curves is a fairly common theme throughout due to curves being a major part of the design
of the guitar they’re being designed to hold. (Gibson SG).

3. AS Product Design:
As in any design based subject it is likely that the final design is one that has evolved from
an initial idea and has had all aspects considered for functionality and aesthetics, this is
an example of which. (One of my development pages from my AS portfolio).

4. AS Product Design:
This is my final AS product, made to fit the guitar perfectly, it’s made mainly from mahogany
and pine with an engraved brass inlay, I put a lot of time and effort into this product and as a
result it is of a high standard, this demonstrates my attention to detail and shows that if I enjoy
doing something, I do it well. I believe I will thoroughly enjoy architecture.

5. Sketches:
Although I didn’t study art I’ve always enjoyed drawing anything that interests me aesthetically, from
iconic designs like the Tyne Bridge to stunning modern architecture like the Sage. I love old buildings and
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am lucky enough to have examples of which easily accessible to draw in my town like the small keep to
the top left.

6. Sketches:
To The left is an archway in the central arcade in Newcastle, the arcade is a beautiful example of
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Victorian style architecture (rebuilt 1906), I walk through it every time I go into Newcastle just to admire
it.

7. Sketches:
Before this I’d never tried drawing people so I thought I’d give it a shot. This is a drawing of Elvis ,one
of my favorite musicians. It was quite a challenge for me as drawing the face proved difficult and what
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with it being the most recognisable aspect of the body it had to be done right, however I enjoy a
challenge and rose to it.

8. Sketches:
This is the Quayside from the Tyne Bridge, I thought there was a nice contrast between the old and new
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here, and thought it a good example of architects thinking about their surrounding area and buildings
when designing , not just the they’re own building . So I thought I’d try and get a city scale drawing of it all.