Take an empty Marlboro cigarette packet, an old class timetable and an egg stencilled with a picture of a scooter. Put them in a glass case, and what have you got? A self-portrait of an art, design and 3D studies' student in Ballyfermot College of Further Education, in Dublin, in case you're wondering, his dad taught him to ride a scooter on Sunday afternoons before returning home to enjoy eggs for tea.

The glass case is flanked by a smaller one which contains a square of grass. In the centre a single blade flourishes in a small patch of mud. This is how Sean perceives that others perceive him. There is enormous energy, excitement and enthusiasm in the studio as other students wrestle with translating their images into artistic pieces. Gwen, a cat lover inspired by Indian art, has produced a colourful sculpture from plaster, wire and wood. Two-headed, it sports a feline and a female face. A pile of building blocks painted with wood grain are awaiting the symbols which will represent Amy - "perhaps, numbers for my date of birth and maybe symbols of art and silhouettes for my family".

The course explores the three-dimensional area through making things, explains course tutor Dave Pearson. It reaches from product design to creative art - it's a melting pot of ideas.

And, speaking of melting pots: further down the corridor the smell of wax is overwhelming. The warm odour wafts out under the door and along the corridor.

Blame it on Elke Thonnes, mixed media artist. Her visit to the college was the inspiration behind the students' pots of hot wax, which they are using as a base medium to create what could be described as fibre sculptures.

The students are pursuing Ballyfermot College of Further Education's two-year higher national diploma in fibre art. The course includes drawing, painting, design and mixed media studies, creative embroidery and woven tapestry, fine art print-making, printed textile techniques and fibre manipulation.

Students may become independent artists or work in industry or they can gain direct entry to year two of degree courses in Limerick, Northern Ireland and Britain. Two past students are working with knitwear designer Lainey Keogh who opened last year's exhibition, says Julie Murphy, guidance counsellor.

The art and design department offers a higher national diploma in fibre art; a higher national diploma in graphic design as well as three one-year courses in art, design and mixed media; art, graphic and print-making; art, design and 3D studies.

The HND courses are recognised by the National Council for Educational Awards as equivalent to the national certificates awarded by the institutes of technology. Minimum entry requirements include two honours in the Leaving Certificate.

Students without two honours, or Leaving Cert Applied students, are eligible to apply for the other three courses. These courses can act as a foundation year for entry to the HND courses.

The college's animation department has a worldwide reputation. In computer animation and 3D modelling, course co-ordinator Mark Byrne explains that students use two industry-standard packages - 3D Studio Max and Photoshop. "In first year students learn the basics. In second year, they work in groups making films. They write their own scripts and take the process from concept to post-production. They work with students on other courses in the college - for instance the sound students might do the music for the film. This year's students are working on four films: Hallowe'en (complete with zombies); a chess piece which comes live; a man on a drugs high; and kids playing basketball at school. "The films will be of comparable quality to Toystory. We demand high standards and the students can deliver," says Byrne.

The course is very successful and graduates are working in some of the biggest games companies - for instance Psygnosis, Rare, Codemasters and Rebellion.

THE higher national diploma in classical animation has a working relationship with Disney Studios Paris. The one-year animation drawing studies programmes is a foundation course which improves students' drawing skills and introduces them to animation. On completion of the course, they may apply to the HNDs in classical or computer animation.

There are two multimedia courses offered in the college's Dame Street campus - Ludo, a computer games development course which offers very good employment prospects and IMP (Interactive Multimedia Production). Julie Murphy says the latter course requires computer literacy as well as a skill such as music, writing or drawing, so it is not really suited to school-leavers.

Ballyfermot College of Further Education is currently updating its website, which can be found at http://www.bcfe.ie