Stitched mouth - Quentin

I came up with the idea of my character having a stitched up mouth as one of her punishments. I researched for inspiration images and came across some ideas to help me put this idea together it's really simple to do and all you need is some black thread, spirit gum and grease paints.

Japanese Nouveau Glam Goth

So here i am again with a brand new project, this time i will be creating 2 characters based around Gothic horror. I am going to be pulling inspiration from fashion magazines, horror movies and music videos and the first thing i came across was this awesome fashion story. 

It's titled Japanese Nouveau Glam Goth and is a black and white fashion feature styled by Dan Sin. The hairstyles caught my eye as they are similar to creations Seema showed us during our last session, particularly the sharp, shiny bob with the fringe. 

Being a Gothic based project i wanted to throw in a pale base as it's a strong representation of a Gothic image, i also wanted a strong contour to make my model appear gaunt. However, i tried this in class and all it did was SCREAM Miss Havisham so when i saw this image it gave me ideas on how to contour in a more contemporary way. 

I love the over the top contour and the make-up as a whole has given me a lot of inspiration to design a different and creative look. 

 

 

Cuts using moulds - How to

Today we created wounds using moulds made from gelatine, it was very quick and extremely easy to do! 

All you need is...

- Prosaide
- Cotton buds
- Greasepaints
- Blood
- Pro-clean

Sue had already made the moulds in preparation for us so all we needed to do was take them out carefully using a T-pin. Now that the prosthetic piece is out of the mould you can apply it!

• Clean the area you will be applying the prosthetic to, remember NO GREASE! This means no applying moisturizer on this occasion as it will make the piece difficult to stick to and maybe slip off! 
• Apply prosaide to the flat side of the prosthetic using a cotton bud, make sure you get product all around the edges to ensure it sticks to the skin!
• Place onto the area and roll the edges down using a cotton bud to flatten it down, it will sick down pretty easily and quickly
• Damp a cotton bud and press around the edges to blend them into then skin
• Now you can powder to take away shine if necessary and paint your piece! 
• Add blood to make it more gory!

Estella Final Look

This week we created our final character designs for Estella to finish off our Great Expectations unit. Time has absolutely flown by this year and it was a challenge having to design and create our Estella character so close after our final Miss Havisham look.

 The photos were shot in black and white as well as color images for our reference.

I really should have made certain parts on my make-up heavier in order to show up in black and white, though i wanted a traditional Victorian look i would have liked the blush to be more obvious on the cheeks. 

Becky has a natural contour to her cheeks and lovely long, curly lashes which definitely helped me out. I had been debating weather or not to use a light layer of mascara to make the lashes more defined but decided against it as i thought it might look too theatrical though i now wish i had as it looks a bit unfinished!

I also blended a small amount of brown eyeshadow into the crease to add some natural definition to the eye.

Now for the hair, i love the profile but from the front it's absolutely awful! I can only blame myself for not practising beforehand, she has extremely thin hair and i thought i could get the shape i wanted without any padding, how wrong was i!

I also had a nightmare with the front, i wanted to create the soft finger waves that i wrote about in my previous post and even though i was aware Becky had a fringe i didn't think about how her thin hair would affect the style.

After drying it i found there just wasn't enough thickness to create the texture i wanted so i brushed it out and curled the end pieces to tie in with the soft curls at the back.

I am chuffed with how the back looks, if i could just submit this to be marked i would! The only thing i would change is the placement of the clips under the pin curls. 

I like the softness of the curls and how the top section of the hair flows nicely into the curls at the ends.

A few small adjustments would have make my overall look much better but it's taught me a lot about planning and practicing designs, particularly with black and white photography!

Estella Face Chart

After researching Victorian make-up i came to find that they wore very little so i decided to keep my design very simple.

I like the idea of a pale face still but not as dramatic as Miss Havisham, a natural English Rose type base with slightly flushed pink cheeks with a soft pink lip to match.

For eyes i decided to give the socket a little definition just to give some depth to them by blending a very small amount of brown in the crease. I will also be curling the lashes to accentuate them but wont be applying mascara as this will take away from the natural look i want to achieve. 

Though the make-up is very simple i think along with my hairstyle i will achieve a very traditional look that will be true to the Victorian Era. 

Miss Havisham - Final Look No.2

Today i created my Miss Havisham character for the second time as part of our continuity task. Here's how it turned out... 

Got to say the hair was quite difficult to get similar. My design was a non-structured bun which made it hard to recreate this time around, looking back i should have gone for a structured bun which i would then mess up. I think the front of the hair turned out well but could have been bigger. 

As for the makeup i think i got it as spot on as i could have! The lips were the most difficult part as you can really control how the glue will crack but other than that i am pleased with how it came out.

This task has really taught me how important it is to plan your designs and know exactly how each part is created in order to get it exactly the same next time.

Estella Hair Trial

I wrote in a previous blog that i decided i wanted to use finger waves for my Estella character but brush the hair out to soften the wave as my character is at the point in the story when she sees pip again after the death of her husband so she is not so cold. 

I like how the waves turned out, though i love the defined look of the wet finger wave these soft, brushed out ones are more suited to my character and give off more of a gentle vibe. 

I added pin curls to make the back look a little more interesting and i think they look quite romantic and girly which is the idea i wanted to go for. 
 

Creating finger waves

Creating finger waves is something I've struggled with since i started learning to do hair so when i arrived to my practical lesson that morning and saw the images on the board of what we were going to be doing i wanted to leave immediately!



I decided to just get my head down, listen and practice over and over until i got it. Seema taught me so really useful techniques and gave me tips on how i could improve and to my surprise i FINALLY got it!

It really is all in the direction you comb the hair as this is what gets that really defined wave. I am so pleased that i was able to create this as i think if you can get it right it looks beautiful, i have decided that i am going to incorporate these waves in my final character look for Estella but would like to try brushing the waves to give a softer look.

Miss Havisham - Final look No.1

Today was the day i created my Miss Havisham character, as this assessment is based on continuity i will be recreating it again next week... EXACTLY the same, eek! 

So, here is how it turned out...

 I won't deny the fact i am not entirely impressed with myself! The lines are a little too orange on the face though i do like the base itself, it's pale yet not too theatrical. I think i could have gone in a bit more with the Duo glue on the lips to create more dryness too. 

As for the hair, what a let down! As i said in a previous post, Terri-Anne has lots of layers in her hair which made my hair design very difficult to recreate. No excuses, i just should have practiced more!

Though it didn't turn out how i wanted it to i am glad i kept my design simple in order to be able to recreate it as best as possible next week.

Makeup in the Victorian era

Makeup was very subtle in this era, they would purchase different paints, powders and pastes from local pharmacists or doctors. Wealthier ladies would often order from specialists abroad whereas the poor would sometimes use home-made versions. Men would also use pastes as moisturizers or to hide scars and blemishes.

Though not as extreme as the Elizabethans the white face was still the trend, lemon juice or vinegar was applied on the face or consumed to achieve this look. They concentrated more on getting perfect skin as using face paint would be associated with prostitutes and actresses.

The ever so popular yellow hair of the Elizabethan era went out the window and in came the brunettes. This hair color was often complimented by using rouges made from lip dyes.

Estella

I have to admit i am a little more excited to create my Estella character than i was for Miss Havisham as i have way more ideas running around my head, particularly for hair! 

I definitely prefer the 2013 movie version of Estella to the BBC series, i think her hairstyles were a lot more girly and elaborate which is how i envision her to be.

Estella was raised by Miss Havisham for one thing, to break hearts! She even tells pip at one point during the story that she has "no heart". After a painful and abusive marriage Estella is finally free from Drummle, she learns a lot from this marriage and finally comes to terms with her true feelings. 

“Suffering has been stronger than all other teaching. . . . I have been bent and broken, but—I hope—into a better shape.”

I have decided to create my character based on this part of the story, where she is grown up and has finally become a woman who is no longer controlled by anyone. I will be keeping the makeup fairly simple, not only is Estella a true beauty but in that time era makeup would have been extremely subtle.