Tape artist sticks to study plan

The sculpture was created using about 100 rolls of sticky tape

A student who wants to go to art college has made a life-sized model of herself in sticky tape.

Helen Cunningham was a bored teenager and supposed to be revising for her GCSEs when she started making figures out of tape in front of the television.

Later, she managed to sell her figures for £5 each on the web "for a laugh".

Her vision grew when she needed a portfolio to apply for a coveted place at art college and wanted something that would make people remember her.

It took a carrier bag of tape - about 100 rolls - to create the full-size sculpture which weighs over 5kg.

Sticky tape dragons

She said she started with the legs and began to receive more and more donations of tape from friends and through local newspaper appeals as the figure started taking shape.

The 21-year-old Woking woman secured her place at Leeds College of Art and Design, but then suffered a further setback when she found the course was not eligible for a student loan.

The determined student set up an internet display of her work on her Beefykoala website, appealed for donations, and put her portfolio piece up for sale.

"I realised this could be a way of raising money," she said.

I still need to find the one person who is going to help me live out my dream Helen Cunningham

Since then, she has had messages from Korea, California and Canada and her work has been featured in newspapers in India and Japan.

Helen is still making work out of the glue-coated plastic film - her work ranges from sticky tape angels to flying dragons.

Her sculpture is still unsold, but Helen has not given up hope of finding a buyer.

"I still need to find the one person who is going to help me live out my dream", she said.

The student moves to Leeds this summer to start her year-long course.