Starting Back Soon…

We are really pleased to announce that Sparky Ink Studio will be re-opening on Monday 6th July. The opening will officially be for weekday workshop students only, to start with, although we are hoping that we can slowly introduce some of our other sessions back too.

Phew! We have been working hard to get the studio ready for all our students to return as they feel ready to do so. We’ve never seen so much hand gel sanitizer! 😀

Things are looking good, this doesn’t mean though that we are not taking things extremely seriously. We know the need to ensure we follow the social distancing, hand washing and masked face rules, while we are in studio and although things will be different and new for a while, we will all eventually get used to the new changes.

We have spent lots of time changing the studio around to accommodate the need for this and have purchased extra safety protective equipment that can help us in our day to day running of the studio. We are so looking forward to seeing all our students back and unleashing our creativity into some new projects. Speaking of which, we have some great things lined up too for the coming summer months, and we will be making some announcements soon, once we are settled back. 🙂

Important update – Studio Interruption – covid-19

 

–Important Update —

22 March 2020

Hello Everyone,

Studio Interruption… Covid-19

So we have all been washing our hands and trying hard to keep ourselves to ourselves over the last week or so.  However, I am sure you are all aware that this virus is still spreading. Last week the Government had to put in new measures which included social distancing and to close all schools and colleges in an effort to help slow this down. Today Prime Minister Boris Johnson ‘has called on the public to join a “collective national effort” and follow social distancing guidance.’ (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-51991887)

Our duty of care for our students and team is to ensure they are safeguarded whilst attending the studio and so we have made the solemn and responsible decision to follow the guidelines set out by the Government regarding Schools and Colleges.  We sort of knew this day would come eventually based what has been happening around the world, although we did think it would be a few weeks away.  Last week some our students were anxious when arriving at the Studio and we talked with them about what was happening with the virus and mentioned that we may have to close temporarily in the near future too.  We have of course been really torn to make this decision and understand that some of students will find this very difficult to understand.  However, we feel that there is no alternative than to temporarily close. 😦

So it is with great sadness 😦 that we will be cancelling all our sessions in the Studio from 10.00am tomorrow until further notice.  This includes all gaming and Saturday events too.  We are so sorry this is such short notice and we have spent all weekend trying to work around not closing but to close for now seems to be the most responsible thing to do to keep our students and our team safe.

Going Forward…

The Good News 🙂 is we will be putting alternative provision in place via online sessions.  Which we hope will help our students to stay engaged with the studio and have something to look forward to throughout their week.  Our online sessions will run on the same days that the studio is usually open Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.  In addition, we are hoping to offer some regular online gaming events too and other sessions on some Saturdays.  We will work out a full schedule and let everyone know hopefully by the end of this week.  All our sessions will be interactive in some way so students get to talk with one another, see each other and see Josh and myself too.  There will also be other online tools available for anyone who wants to try something new or continue on a project.  On all of these days Josh and myself will be contactable, so we can engage as much as possible and ensure we stick to our Ethos of Imagination, Communication and Confidence.

Some of things we are looking to offer may take a little time to put in place so we ask for your patience, others may be a lot faster.  By Wednesday we should have in place a forum and communication channel where all our students can be included.  This will be private and safe so no waifs and strays from anywhere else on the internet are allowed in.  This will be our main port for students to sign in on their sessions and make contact.  Students will also be able to call us during certain hours which we will advise later this week.  We will be looking at video calling and various other forms of communication to keep our students in touch including webinars.

All this does take technology so we need parents and carers or students to complete some questions we will email out to everyone individually towards the end of this week.

Thank you for your understanding at this very difficult time.

Jane and Josh  

Covid-19 – update for Sparky Ink Studio Tuesday 17 March 2020

Covid-19 – update for Sparky Ink Studio
Tuesday 17 March 2020

At the moment we remain open and will update daily 🙂

Some additional stuff to our precautions put in place yesterday;

* We are putting in a special restriction and this will mean we will no longer allow anyone inside the main part of the building except for Students, TA support and our Team. We request all parents or carers collecting students will now wait in the corridor.

* We will be cancelling all bookings to our Gallery and Projection Rooms until further notice as we are trying to minimize the risk of larger social gatherings. This will continue until the Government give the all clear on social gatherings.

Wash your hands guys and stay safe.

Sparky Ink Studio Presents… Art and Minds – A Place of Creativity and Wellbeing

As a studio mini local documentaries are something we have wanted to try for a while.  We love that people can share their lives and that others out there can take something from the film that may help them too.  Last summer our studio began to create a documentary about ‘Art and Minds’ – a small Mental Health and Well-being community shop established in North East Derbyshire.  With zero budget available we wanted to not only gain the experience, more over we wanted to help herald the good news that there is hope out there for those struggling with mental health issues.  And Art and Minds has become extremely special to us, it doesn’t go without saying that we want to take this opportunity to Thank everyone who kindly took the time to speak to us and shared their stories and experiences to create this film.

‘It isn’t just an ordinary place’ says Jane-marie Wright, Director of Sparky Ink Studio and Pink Alien Productions and Producer of the film. ‘It is a place that inspires adventure and reflection on your own life.’

Please check out the film here: Youtube

The little shop at 36 Bridge Street in the small town of Killamarsh was brought together by Ian Judson and Barry (Baz) Thompson.  Using Art in their well-being groups helps those with Mental Health issues to creatively make those connections, which help to change their lives.

Both Ian and Baz are extremely talented Artists and Sculptors in their own right but have found that using Art as an expression helps them to deal with the triggers of their own mental health. In turn their pieces give a depth and invitation for the audience to become involved and share their own realizations, ideas and emotions.

On a weekly basis the pair deliver Art therapy and well-being workshops in and around the area which help others to get involved and discover that having Mental Illness does not have to be the end of the tracks.

Speaking in this Film Ian says: ‘It’s about helping each other out of the hole by creating a togetherness’

CONTACT

If you have enjoyed watching this film, find you are needing support too and live with the local area please contact Ian or Baz at:

Art and Minds, 36 Bridge Street Killamarsh S21 1AH

Contact Ian 07711271770

Email barrythompson292@gmail.com

or through their facebook page https://www.facebook.com/Sheffieldcus…

Donations to the group are more than welcome.

If you are outside the area please contact MIND or the NHS for further support.

Please check out the film. We hope you enjoy.

Covid-19 – update for Sparky Ink Studio Monday 16 March 2020

Covid-19 – update for Sparky Ink Studio 

Monday 16 March 2020

Things may change as the Government makes changes to help control the virus.  We will keep updating this post and the ones on our social feeds.

If you are due to attend or visit our studio here is the stuff you can do to help us stay Covid-19 free and remain open:

* Please. Do not attend if you have developed a new cough, a high temperature or are feeling unwell – We don’t want your bugs don’t bring em! 🤢

* We hope you have enjoyed your jollies but if you have been travelling abroad or been around anyone who has recently travelled abroad please contact the studio before you return for your first session back or before visiting the studio. We have a list on a clipboard to go through with you. 🤔

These next things are really cool good habits anyway so do them!😊

* When arriving at the studio please make a beeline for the loos and give your hands a good wash. 👐

* Wash your hands throughout the day. Before eating and after too.👐

* If you do happen to sneeze or cough – Yes everyone will point and stare but be smart and do this into a tissue or on the inside of your elbow. And you will get a thumbs up.👍

Bin that tissue straight away and Wash your hands straight after.

* We will wipe down the door handles, keyboards, the mouse, desk and gaming controllers regularly but please remind us if you want to use equipment and you think it needs a wipe.😊

* Sadly we will no longer be using our cookie barrel for normal biscuits. However the good news is we will have some individually wrapped snacks instead of our regular biscuits. Yay!😀

* We have hand sanitizer on each floor. Please use as you need to but don’t over do it guys.😊

If you think we have missed anything please let us know.

Thank you 🙂

Oh yeah here’s the Gov websites for more info on this horrid virus.

For symptom checking:

https://111.nhs.uk/covid-19

For other stuff:

https://www.gov.uk/government/topical-events/coronavirus-covid-19-uk-government-response

One Last Gig – Maybe?

Jack and James – Sparky Ink Studio – Early 2018

Last Summer (2019) James aka Jamwinga announced that he was moving off down South – yes we struggled to believe this too – we thought he’d always be at the Studio – but alas it did eventually come to pass and he moved off to Portsmouth.  Before his departure and because we didn’t really know when he was moving we did a number of ‘Last Gig’s’ videos usually on Clone Hero or Guitar Hero, also some other videos such as Quizzes and gaming.

Jack and James Rocking it – Sparky Ink Studio Early 2019

 

 

 

 

Rummaging through our archives last week we found 5 videos never before uploaded to our channel – all from this very specific time era starring Jamwinga and Jack performing with plastic guitars to some favourite charts on Clone Hero.

If you like Music, Like plastic Guitars or Clone Hero give this a watch.  You can also like and subscribe too if you want to see more.

Check out Jack and James YouTube Channels on the video descriptions.

Thanks in advance for viewing 🙂

If you would like to know about Sparky Ink Studio you can send us a request using the form below or check out our social media or website at http://www.sparkyink.co.uk

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LOADING SCREEN newsletter – APRIL 2019

OK – so our little Studio has levelled up and gained an Xtra Life during the last month!  We are very excited and pleased to announce that we will be moving into our new studio building on: Friday 19th April.  Our New Address is:  39 Holywell Street, Chesterfield, S41 7SH

This has all happened pretty quickly and we are moving from our current self-contained large roomed studio to a full building with 6 rooms, loos, kitchen and a funky cellar!  This is an amazing time for us and all our inkers and thinkers as we begin a new adventure.  Of course we are very sad to be leaving the community at West Studios where we have been for the last Two and a half years.  However, it does feel right to move on and we really did need a larger space as we were getting pretty squished.

Once we are settled we will be having an Open Day.  Over the next few weeks we will have plenty of extra announcements to make as we start working on turning some of our plans into reality.

In Other News:

8-Bit Evolved Gaming Events:–  Do you live locally and love gaming.  Then you might be interested in one of our Autism Friendly Gaming Events?  You might like to check out our Events page on our website for the details of our next Gaming Morning (9 – 15) and Gaming Nite Events (16+).  Our next one is the 27th April.  This will also be the first one in our new studio!  If you would like to book for yourself or someone you look after please contact Ginger as Pre-registration is required. 

 

 

 

EASTER OPENING HOURS – We will be open for our regular Monday Workshops on Bank Holiday Monday.  Please note: This is only for those already registered.  If you would like to know more about our workshops please drop us a line either to ginger@sparkyink.co.uk or via the contact page on our website.

PODCAST – We will be launching a new Podcast from our new Studio in the next few weeks.  Check back for the details or ask to added to our Newsletter mailing list for information as it happens.

GINGER’S CHOCOLATE CHALLENGE – Is very nearly over.  Ginger gave up chocolate at the beginning of February; the challenge was to get to Easter Sunday Chocolate Free!  With only a few days to go She has just about managed it. Although she did this as a personal challenge there are a few who wanted to donate to one of the 2019 Sparky Causes in response.  Ginger is also donating the proceeds of her Chocolate savings too.

Picture taken from https://en.orphan-bear.org/

If you would like to donate we are donating funds to: Russian Orphan Bear Rescue.  You have to donate via their website as they currently have no Just Giving profile. Please let me know if you donate as I would like to Thank you for your help.

 

Their details are: https://pay.orphan-bear.org/donateeng/  OR you can donate through Sparky Ink via Cheque to our new address or via paypal.  Please email us for the details at ginger@sparkyink.co.uk

THANK YOU in Advance for your kindness.

That’s about it for now.  Keep inking and thinking guys.

Peace and Hope

The Sparky ink Studio Team

‘Loading… Screen’ Sparky ink Studio Newsletter – 2018 Roundup

 

Welcome ‘inkers & thinkers’ to our first ‘Loading Screen‘ Newsletter of 2019!  We thought it would be a great idea to keep our Sparky Friends and Followers up to date by giving you something epic to read; not epic as in winner of best literature… more epic in volume.  🙂 

This edition is to be a quick reflection of 2018 as it was a fantastic year for us and we wanted to share some of the highlights and have only just had chance to do so.  If there is anything more you would like to know about stuff we did or how we did it drop us a comment below or send us some contact via our website…

2018 Roundup

One of the main highlights for our Studio in 2018 was starting the New Year in our new studio after moving from our little shared area into our New self-contained Studio at West Studios.  Our move was filmed by one of our Broadcasting & Production Students and Youtuber James
aka Jamwinga.  Check out our little moving Video that we made here:  https://youtu.be/NUmqGqZxvoE

Throughout the year we gained some new students, we went out on outreach to schools and colleges in the area and  had some fab taster sessions, gave some inspirational careers talks, Met loads of brilliant people, worked with people of all ages,
filled lots of hard drives and SD cards with happy filming and photography, edited tons of film, made loads of videos, created many amazing clay monsters, filmed a professional film, designed and developed our first game, ate lots of Custard Creams and Bourbon biscuits, Drank Tea and played hours of video games.

We also attended as Press at ‘EGX’ in Birmingham and ‘Play Expo’ in Blackpool – which was a real treat.  We supported West Studios with the Summer Market and held Christmas Workshops where we had a fab day with visitors who tried their hand at Stop Motion Animation.   We were thrilled to have introduced the opportunity for Work Experience at the Studio and even more thrilled that people wanted to complete their work experience with us.  In 2018 we welcomed Amy Hannah who was studying Art at Sheffield Colleges, Andreas Lee – An Animation Student from Chesterfield College and Alannah Smith from Wales Bar School.  We have recorded so much during 2-18 in video form on YouTube and our photographs we have put on social media.  Looking back on them and remembering the fun and achievements for the Students and our studio definatly brings a smile to our faces.

One of the things we had hoped to achieve was a small game to celebrate our 2nd Birthday and our 1st Birthday for our Gaming Events.  We were so pleased when two weeks after deciding to build the game, it was finished.  Albeit in a beta form (we have since changed backgrounds and game play mechanics in the game)  but we are so pleased with the outcome and that we had at last created our very first game as a studio with original characters.  ‘tHAT bIRTHDAY gAME’  was presented to our gamers at our 8-Bit Evolved Gaming Morning and Nite for testing and we are pleased to say it was well received! 

Since then, just about all our students have created a ‘Fan Level’ for the game.  We hope to Licence the Game sometime in 2019 as a Free To Play Online Game.

During the Summer of 2018 we planned a Sparky day for community group Kaps.  We wrote ‘They Came From Your Feet’ as a story board for the children two days before and tweaked it on set on the day when we filmed everything.  I suppose we didn’t expect it to come out as well as it did but the talented children and our crazy story seemed to go hand in hand.  After five months in post production we now have a 20 minute black n’ white silent movie, which we hope to premiere in the very near future.  As a studio this is such an achievement and we are really proud of this.  The children who star in the film are amazing and we can’t wait for them to see the finished production.

In November 2018 we stood with the ‘Chesterfieldian’s’ in their West Studios Remembrance Day Ceremony reflecting on the 100 year anniversary since the First World War.  A solemn occasion filled with acknowledgement and respect for those who died and those who survived and returned home.  We were delighted to have permission to film the service, a great honor as this will hopefully continue to be in their archives forever.  The completed film will be given to the group.

All year we hosted our regular  monthly 8-Bit Evolved Autism Friendly Gaming Nites and also introduced a Mini Gamers Morning event each month too.  These have be extra fun and the funds raised paid for a ‘Nintendo Switch’ just in time in December for the launch of ‘Super Smash Bros’ and our Christmas get together – which was one thumb defining day!

By the time we broke up in December for Christmas we were ready for the rest.

2019 is going to be just as much an exciting year as 2018 was.  We have so many exciting events and all sorts of things which are going to happen.  We will publish our First Quarter Newsletter by the end of March 2019 to give some hints at what to expect!

A massive THANK YOU to all those who supported us in 2018.  A Particularly warm felt Thanks to our Students and Gamers who have made our year really special!

Thanks for checking out our Blog.

 

Sparky Ink Studio Remembering 100 years since the Great War ended…

This is our little tribute to all those who lost their lives in any war. 

You are remembered.

‘At The Going Down of the Sun’  by Jake Wright & Ginger

Sparky Ink Studio Copyright 2018

Introducing: ‘Mini’ 8-Bit Evolved Gaming (Autism Friendly)

Following the success of our 8-Bit Evolved Gaming Nites we have started one for our younger gamers.  Taking place at our Studio in West Studios, Chesterfield we co-host the  ‘Mini’ 8-Bit Evolved Gaming Mornings each month; especially for young ‘uns’ aged 9 – 15. These Autism Friendly events are a great place to game with like-minded other young ‘uns’, make new friends, socialize and chat about everything gaming in a safe enviroment.

All games or challenges from games are aged appropriately.  Parents and carers are welcome to drop off and pick up and can either stay within easy reach by chilling out in West Studios Cafe and Shop or nip into Chesterfield Town.

Pre-registration is required. The cost is £8.00 per person with drinks and snacks included. Interested please contact the studio on ginger@sparkyink.co.uk or check out our info and make contact through our website at www.sparkyink.co.uk.

Payment is on the day either by cash or bank transfer prior to the event. Alternatively you can purchase a non-refundable season pass for ‘3’ 8-Bit Evolved gaming mornings which has a 10% discount.

Check out our Facebook Events for the dates @8BitEvolvedGaming

Logo and Pictures Copyright belongs to Sparky Ink Studio Ltd 2018