Research - Inspiration - The Blonds Fall '13

The Blonds FW 13. (2013). [image] Available at: http://fakebrandy.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/horror-films-from-designers-blonds.html [Accessed 7 Apr. 2016].

In this collection, the make-up features bold cat-eye make-up, nude lips and messy blonde hair. I feel that this look is inspired heavily by the blonde women who frequently featured in Alfred Hitchcock's horror films. The look is over dramatised for a high impact look and contrasts against the black and red colour scheme used throughout the collection.
Not only do I find the hair and make-up inspiring to a classic blond bombshell often used in such genre, but also the splattered blood used to shock and juxtapose with the hair and make-up.
Something which I feel is notable to the look is that all the skin tones that feature are pale, but yellow tones in the platinum hair tend to feature more when the skin is ever so slightly darker. I feel that this is to match the tone of the hair closely to the skin so that they blend together and make the clothes stand out more against them.

The collection follows Horror from a large spectrum, from Gothic Horror with classic concepts such as Vampires, Mummies and  Psychos and then direct inspiration from modern horror with films such as 'The Shining', 'Pscyho' and 'The Birds'. I hope to use this collection as inspiration from the two briefs as due to the horror influences being both old and new.

Research - Photography

Flickr, (2010). Return of the bloody girl. [image] Available at: https://www.flickr.com/photos/bassqee/4727844785/in/photolist-8cMrxg-dfvuCD-cjgmYm-4JEgp4-L5tfT-hG65Gb-ofsEno-a5xSjA-ngt1Pp-6gSwq-nvbghc-qmZ87f-9U4d6Z-edQmAZ-9A4ei2-9AJCtp-5yzBN7-rEerSi-4CzdyS-A5eTGr-pFFyux-8U7HX9-ofjsYw-e3SXE4-6HyguB-mfFa29-pMmCrC-8LBrEE-aha9DS-5JzycH-bcCEDi-ehtMZx-4CYzUL-5PdmKh-J86gt-98PTSN-hkJ6KM-aeW9Mq-4mXvoz-7BbCLe-97JzCo-8ZzQkj-4CU6zJ-5mYQ95-hx8Qk5-5RzUkk-2yxrY6-3m2N8b-bEF26t-n1mUrv [Accessed 8 Apr. 2016].

"Return of the bloody girl" by Colin Stebbing

I used Flickr as a way to find photography from people around the world to find an image that I feel reflects the story line I am reflecting in my Claudia and Mrs Laderman work.

As the storyline I am reflecting is one where a young and supposedly innocent girl has impulsively murdered her boyfriend, I felt this image really reflected that. I do not plan to have my Claudia character to be as excessively bloody as this, and I don't feel it is quite realistic enough for a Tv series. The mood I feel this image gives, with the youth combined with psychotic is a strong link to the intention of my work. I also like the use of blood on her hands as well as her face as I feel that it suggest that the murder was raw and impulsive, rather than thought and correctly executed.

Research - Horror in Music

Wolf Alice - You're a Germ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZpomZoueWa0

[screen shots]

I've chosen to look at the music video for 'You're a Germ' as it is a video that uses traditional Horror themes including Psychos, Zombies, Clowns, etc.

In video, it is set in a cabin-like house in the woods. The story line repeats itself over and over, but each time the characters try to escape the inevitable, and regardless of a new strategy each time to try to escape their fate, something new comes along and they fail. I feel that the message behind the video is that there is a path set out in life and regardless of the choices you make, what's supposed to happen will happen. 

The inspiration I draw from this video is the new take on each traditional horror character type, and their interpretation of their appearances while still making the characters recognisable and also maintain their 'Horror' aspects.

I feel like the main female character is styled deliberately to make the audience sympathise and connect with her and this is something I would like to bring to my Claudia character as a way to give the audience the wrong impression about her character in the series as they later find out she is in fact the antagonist.

Technical File - Gothic Horror hair lesson 2

How to:

- Create a zigzag parting using the end of a pin tail comb down the middle.

Take each half of the hair and put them into tight pigtails.

- Curl the hair in the hair in each pigtail using curling tongs, alternating the direction of the curls so that they don't all face the same direction.

- Backcomb the hair in the pigtails and pin the hair into a messy and roundish shape.

Evaluation:

Overall, I am not that pleased with the outcome. I really struggled with making a zigzag parting and am aware that i'll need to practice this technique. I also feel that the bunches do not looks as big and messy as they should have, although I am aware that the intended visual outcome would have been easier to achieve with much longer hair. I also would have liked to have put the pigtails in a higher up position on the head.

Technical file - American Horror Story hair

How to:

- Part the hair in a side parting.

- Directional set the front section of the hair with heated rollers in a downwards direction.

- Brick set the mid section of the head/hair with heated rollers in a downwards direction.

- Set the bottom section of the hair in a normal set, but setting it in a upwards direction.

- Once the hair has cooled, dress out the hair, keeping the top section separate and dressing out the rest, pinning the ends up and round in one large barrel curl.

- Take the sides of the front, and bring it around and dress the ends into curls.

- Dress out the side fringe into a curl(s).

Evaluation:

Overall, I am really happy with my outcome. I am pleased with my own interpretation of the style with the use of pin curls etc and think that the outcome of the finish is quite refined. If I were to do this hairstyle again, I would spend more time refining the barrel curl at the back/bottom. 

Project Progression Evaluation (Brief 1)

Overall, I am quite happy with the outcome of this project. Although at first I found the continuity aspect of the brief to be a stressful thought, I found that when doing it, I did it with much more ease than I had anticipated. My favourite part of the brief was coming up with a design. I was advised at the beginning of the project that as I had chosen to do a Vampire character, that I should aim to not do something expected, which I feel I have achieved.

Within my design, I decided to use a prosthetic piece. I have some experience in prosthetic application, and decided to further my skill by braving it. I felt a prosthetic would be logical for this specfic brief as it makes continuity even more achievable. I found it dificult at first to source the prosthetic I was looking for, but after some research, found a seller who was willing to make 3 pieces for me (1 for practice and 2 for the seperate assessments). Another hard aspect of this was achiving exact placement each time, even with continuity photos.

For the hair element of the assessment, I found that timing was one of my hardest aspects. Although I am fairly confident with styling hair, I am not very good with time management. I felt that my lack of confidence with achiving a detailed hairstyle in assessment conditions held me back and made me play it safe with my design.

Assessment Part 2/2 Evaluation and Photos

Overall, I am quite happy with the outcome of my second assessment. Last time, I feel the red looked slightly more subtle on the eyes and lips. I also feel that the prosthetic was slightly lower down and more central compared to the first time. It was also slightly better blended which meant it had looked more effective. The skin was also slightly more matte and the contour was slightly stronger.

This time around, my model washed her hair on the day of the assessment, rather than the day before, and this seemed to make the hair lift much better from the heated rollers. Therefore, the hair appears fuller and more lifted and different to last time.

For my second assessment, I took into consideration to make the clothes the same - Same shirt, bow and earrings. I feel this additions have helped to create a similar appearance to the previous assessment.

For the taking of my final photos, I used a different studio which created slightly different lighting and angle.

During the assessment, I found my continuity photos very helpful, particularly with hair placement to help it sit in a similar way. My design helped me to remember areas that require shading and highlight to help match with the prosthetic. I feel that my application techniques were very similar to my previous assessment which meant that I recreated this design with ease.

Assessment Part 1/2 Evaluation and Continuity Photos

Overall, I am quite happy with how my part 1/2 assessment went. I carried out my techniques as planned which meant that the look was how I pictured it to look overall. 

I am very happy that my look was able to be completed to the standard that I had hoped as in previous practices I had not been able to fulfill this aspect successfully.

During the assessment, I had some trouble with the neatness and placement of the hair as one side looked different to the other, which I attempted to fix but resulted in making it slightly worse. I would have been better off taking the hairstyle out completely instead of attempting the problem with it still half styled.

I am not overly pleased with how the sides of the hair looked as they are inconsistent in appearance; although, I will admit that the layering of the hair itself had added to the issue but this should have been something that I had taken more time on.

After seeing other student's work during the assessment process, I have come to the conclusion that maybe at this stage that my design was quite adventurous and although I wanted to have fun with this project, I could have maybe gone with a design of equal impact but maybe a little more simplicity. This may be something worth me personally noting in the future.

When looking at the side profile pictures, I feel that my contouring approach was too strong, but I had wanted a defined look to compliment the prosthetic. Despite this, I will endeavour to recreate the appearance as the focus of this project is continuity.

One of my most frustrating elements of the design is the forehead prosthetic - although I used exactly the same product to colour with as the base, not matter what I did, it looked considerably lighter to the rest of the face which I feel dramatically decreases it's effectiveness. The colour under the prosthetic is a much lighter and more yellow type of tone to my model's skin which is the main cause of this issue, but I felt regardless of the thickness of the application, it stayed this way. How to overcome an issue such as this is something I will need to investigate into if I plan to use latex-based prosthetics in the future.

Final Design Breakdown

Make-up Design

Product List:

Illamasqua Matte Primer

Kryolan Ultra Foundation

Kryolan Concealer Palette

Illamasqua Translucent powder

Kryolan Liquid Latex

Kryolan Cinewax

Kryolan Supracolor (red)

Rimmel Mascara

Kryolan Glamour Glow Palette

Latex Prosthetic Piece (Forehead)

Dental Prosthetic Piece (Fangs)

Design

In my design, I have decided to go for a natural but pale skin tone as I feel that this is more suited film as it gives a more natural and realistic finish to the overall complexion. I found using a white greasepaint made my previous design look theatrical and too bold for a HD camera and would have looked almost comical. 

I have chosen a matte primer as my model has a combination skin type and any shine would be obvious on a HD camera and also give away that presence of make-up on the skin. I will be using darker shades of foundation to contour with over powder as this is much lighter in consistency and therefore more natural in appearance. The absence of base make-up is important to my character as not only is she set in the Victorian era, where make-up was taboo, she was also a vampire, a mythical creature, therefore make-up application in her animalistic-like state would not be something on her agenda.

I wanted design for the scene where she is seen as a Vampire and feeding, therefore I added red tones to the lips and around the eyes to give a subtle hint of life and colour to her face as she would be in health prime as a Vampire as a feed, while also mainitaining a ghostly complexion. 

In the book, when she is first seen as her vampire self, it is something that is instantly recognisable and distinctively different from her human self. I felt that by adding something that looks like it is between a human and an animal to the face would really help to define her in her vampire form. Therefore, I chose my forehead/brow prosthetic. This gives her a fierce and angry expression which therefore makes her scary to look at. The distinctive lines and depth ensure that it is too unusual to be human. 

I lastly finished my look with a pair of fangs. I chose this style of fangs as I felt it that these are the types of fangs that would produce the puncture marks in the neck that is described in the book. Fangs that are on the canine teeth would be too far apart to and large to create it.

To add depth to my prosthetic, I used dark foundation tones. I wanted the prosthetic to match the rest of the face and not look out of place, therefore I used these same tones to contour with, to add the same type of depth and colouring to make the look continuous.

I also used a light amount of black mascara on the eyelashes to bring my look together as I felt that the overall appearance was too pasty and undistinctive without extra definition to the eye area and also meant that there was too much focus on the depth of the prosthetic, therefore I felt this was needed.

The reason I chose a prosthetic piece over creating a similar effect with Cinewax or a similar product is that I felt that this was most suitable for continuity as it can be remade over and over the same every time using a mold with the same outcome every time.

Hair

For my hair design, I decided to go with a neat plaited bun design which was inspired by the plates I had gathered from Richard Corson's 'Fashions in Hair' book from 1870 to 1900 which I have discussed on this page and is the era in which my book is set. I felt that the front section of the hair would provide a feminine touch as my character is described as pretty and feminine. I also found that with this, it would give me the ability to further camouflage the edges of my prosthetic due to it's placement which would increase the overall effectiveness of my design. Due to it's distinctive appearance but simple required techniques, I felt that this hairstyle would be doable when recreating it for continuity.

Technical File - Step by Step of my Assessment, Practice on Myself and a Product List

Product List:

Hair:

Denman brush

Pintail Comb

Bobby pins (dark brown)

Thin hairbands (dark brown)

Heated Rollers

Hairspray

Sectioning clips

Make-up:

Pre-made, pre-painted Latex Prosthetic

Cleanser, toner, moisturiser

Illamasque Matte Primer

Kryolan Cinewax

Kryolan Liquid Latex

Kryolan Creme Foundation Palette

Kryolan Supracolor (Red)

Illamasqua Translucent Powder

Rimmel Long Lasting Mascara

Dental Fang Prosthetic

Step by Step

1. Remove any make-up that my model has on by cleansing, toning and moisturising. Allowing it to soak into the skin while I move on to the hair.
2. Section the front half of the hair and clip it forward to separate it from the back.
3. Take the back section of the hair and put it a neat ponytail on the center of the back of the head.
4. Plait the pony tail and tie it off with hair band.
5. Twist the plait around on itself, into a bun shape and secure it with bobby pins.
6. Part the front section of the hair down the middle and directionally set the hair with heated rollers.
7. While the rollers cool and set, begin the make-up.
8. Apply a matte primer on the skin (I will use a foundation brush for this to maintain good cleanliness).
9. Apply Cinewax on to the eyebrows and smooth it down with a spatula (this is to protect the eyebrows from adhesive and to flatten any areas that are not covered by the prosthetic). 
   
10. Apply an adhesive around the edges of the prosthetic. For my assessment I chose to use liquid latex as it's easy to remove and works well my with my thin latex based prosthetic and a heavy duty one is not necessary. 
    
11. After leaving the liquid latex after a short time to allow it to get slightly tacky, I apply the prosthetic to the face, so the the bottom middle sits just above the bridge of the nose and the sides sit just before the crease of her eyelids to ensure her eyes can still open with ease and is comfortable and central. 
    
12. Once the liquid latex is dry and the prosthetic is stable, I blend out the edges with liquid latex and a cotton bud to make it a smoother transition from the prosthetic to the skin. I then dry this with a hairdryer. 
    
13. I then apply my base make-up (Kryolan creme foundation) all over the face and over the latex edges and partially on to the pre-painted prosthetic to further help with blending.
14. I then use darker shades of foundation (which were also used on the prosthetic) to add depth and contour the face which I blend out thoroughly but try to match the visual impact of the prosthetic to help it to not look out of place. 
    
15. I then powder over the whole base using Illamasqua translucent powder to set it. 
    
16. I then apply Kryolan red greasepaint on the the lower and upper eyelids and the lips which I blend with my finger to give it a natural appearance which I then set with translucent powder too to avoid creases. 
    
17. Lastly, I apply a light amount of black mascara on to the lashes to add a bit of subtle depth to the eyes. 
    
    
    
18. Once the make-up is complete, I move back on to the hair where I remove the heated rollers and lightly dress out the hair. 
19. Using a pintail comb, I encourage the sides of the hair wave forward towards the face at the sides to cover the sides of the prosthetic to further help camouflage it while also looking very true to the late Victorian look.
20. I then pin the ends of the hair to sit over the ears and back into the bun which I secure with bobby pins.
21. Lastly, I ask my model to put in her dental fang prosthetic on to her teeth to finish of the vampire look. 

Technical File - Consultation Notes of my Model

Name: Jennifer Barry

Skin Type: Combination

Known Allergies: None

Sensitive Skin: Yes

Contact Lens Wearer: No

Skin Disorders: None

Scalp Conditions: None

Technical File - Hair Practice

Method:

Section the back half of the hair and tie it in a pony-tail. Plait it and tie off the end. 

Twist it around on itself into a bun and secure it with bobby pins. 

Part the front section down the middle and set the hair directionally with heated rollers. 

Once they are cooled, take them out and use the height and shape given to dress it around the front sides of the face which will be used to help disguise my prosthetic. Tuck the ends of each half of the front around the bun and pin it in.

Evaluation:

Overall, I am happy with this practice and confident with putting the hairstyle together quickly and efficiently. My method creates the appearance that I want. My styling in this practice doesn't look particularly refined and this is something I will need to work on although I am aware that the hair on this doll head is quite damaged which impacts it.