CV | My Site

costume designer • character illustrator

Jenny Davison

profile

I am a final year student working towards a degree in costume design and making, with a love of fantasy and creating exciting and distinctive worlds through visual narratives. I am passionate about storytelling and aim to communicate a strong sense of character within my work.

experience

Jingah Island • Costume assistant • 2021 • The Squire, Nottingham

Responsible for a variety of alterations and embellishments of pre-sourced garments
Constructing garment bases from scratch
Advising other members of the creative team on technical aspects of garment construction

Portrait Artist • 2020-present

Commissioned work creating portraits of customers’ original characters, specialising in the fantasy genre
Using social media and email communication to discuss the customers’ vision for their characters and establish the important elements of the design
Calculating and managing payments

People’s Theatre Arts Group • Wardrobe department • 2018-present • People’s Theatre, Newcastle

Putting costumes together for shows by finding appropriate garments, which sometimes requires some minor alterations
Helping to organise the theatre’s wardrobe stock
Assisting customers when the department is open for costume hire
Backstage work on performances, assisting actors with dressing and completing any emergency repairs

Final Year Showcase Committee • 2022 • Nottingham Trent University and Nottingham Playhouse

Working with a team of peers and university staff to organise, promote and set up an exhibition of final year work
Designing an invitation for the showcase opening night, and communicating with other team members to implement feedback on the content and layout

National Citizen Service • 2017 • Headliners, Newcastle

Working as part of a team to run a fundraiser for a local food bank
Jointly responsible for managing the budget and logistics for the campaign
Using digital art software to design a logo for the team and create a reference sheet for a face painting stall

education

BA (Hons) Costume Design and Making (Pending) • Graduating 2022 • Nottingham Trent University

Design and garment construction briefs covering a range of genres and performance media over two years
Final third-year project on a self-directed brief, investigating the clothing of the 1820s and styling for a fantasy TV series
Working with real people’s measurements to create basic garment blocks and self-drafted patterns
Life drawing classes looking at technical principles such as perspective, and understanding the human form for design and illustration
Written assignments with detailed research into historical and fantasy costuming in existing film and TV productions