Claudia Face charts

I had three designs for my Claudia character. I wanted to keep with the same colour palette but play with the arrangement on my models face and see what best suited my character and what was the most practical for her environment. It was important to me that her makeup was an extension of her character. Claudia is a woman who lives in her own head a lot and has created her own world within her environment. However she is still connected to the outside world, through the other characters she  associates with. I wanted her to look to the audience as the woman she sees herself to be. She is very mysterious to everyone and I also wanted to portray this. This represented with the dark colour palette I used. Dark contouring, Dark eyes, nude wet lips, and a lot of shadows. I knew by the second design that I wanted her hair to be wet and her skin to be wet also. I think this represents her being able to live in both water and land. I thought also that wet hair and skin, sweat and hot look has always been a seductive tool for the true blood creators. I feel it adds to the sexy feel of the show and works with the climate. 

Design 1:

I was playing with shapes around the eye for this design. I definitely wanted to make the make up more characteristic as this is a great way to portray her personality on the outside. I love the colour palette with this but I feel that this look is too 'neat' and reminds me of an application you might see on Instagram, which isn't what I wanted. The eye shadow split near the outer corner is too detailed for the look I wanted so I think I will play with a lot of shading in my next design! 

Design 2: 

I'm really pleased with this design. I love the woodland feel to this makeup. I definitely feel the 'nymph' part of her in this. I love the contouring in this design and feel this is a great way of bringing out my models features as she has great cheek bones. I have to say though that I don't like the dark lips with this design as I don't feel its very practical for my character. I feel that it makes her character look really obviously dark, when I have designed her character to be beautiful and soft looking on the outside but with darkness in her psyche that is portrayed in expressions. I also want the look to be somewhat natural and wet looking. Focusing on glossy makeup all over the face and body. I do think I will use this though but I will change the lips to a nude gloss. I think that will create a softer look and also look more Nymph like.

Design 3:

I love this look a lot. I love the blending and think this would look beautiful on my model, however I do feel this is too mainstream and modern and I do want my character to look other worldly. I will take the nude lips and add them to my 4th and final design, now that I know what I want my final design to look like. I will have a look for some more inspiration to finalise my end design. 

I'm happy with the progress Im making with this character. I feel that I'm on the right track and getting closer to my final character design.

Creative makeup day and practise in the studio

So because I want more experience with photography, so I can document my work professionally, I decided to do a creative shoot. I really wanted the opportunity to let loose and design something on the spot. I had a basic idea of what I wanted to do with the hair and I found a piece of material and wrapped it around my model. I didn't have an idea for the makeup, But I knew I wanted it to be colourful and for their to have sparkle.

Im really happy with the outcome and the lighting and everything reminds me of the 70's disco theme. This was really important for me to experiment and be free, as I feel that this helps with your creativity and gives you the confidence to let go. I think mistakes are very important and allowing yourself to correct your mistakes as this allows you to grow and push you to push through creative blocks. I'm really happy with the turn out.

My hair plans for Claudia

Design 1:

This was my first design as I wanted something messy that looked like she had put it up for her swim. I wanted it wet looking so I would put baby oil in it to make it look like it was starting to dry but still wet from the swim. I like this but I don't know if it will look as strong on my model Bizzee. I want her to look naturally beautiful so I will design a couple more to see what pulls me in.

Design 2:

This was another look at the hair. I wanted something fairy like with this one, so I decided to put plaits in the hair and make it messy curly. I like this agin but this doesn't seem nymph like to me as its too thought out and not natural enough. I do like the plaits though as I think its quite a soft look and would go with the make up I have designed. 

Draft 3:

I like this one the best. The hair will be all wet and I will brush it away from the face as I want it to be as if she came out of the water and the water washed the hair off of her face and is drying naturally like this. I also think this will look really strong with my sisters bone structure. I think this is the most nymph like. Her hair is naturally beautiful and I want it to just shape her face and make her more mysterious looking. 

My hair plans for Quentin

For Quentin's final hair design I was inspired by the models hair. Ben has afro caribbean hair and he wears it long and brushed out, which I love. Its so beautiful to work with and I think his look fits beautifully with the series as it's a unique look.

I thought of a lot of different styles when I was designing this look. Here below are my designs and the thought process behind them.

Design 1:

For my first design I wanted to go a little crazy and make him look really different and cool. I remember years ago seeing a music video with Andre 3000, and he had this really cool style with his hair. He had some braided and the rest natural and brushed out. I loved it and this is what came to mind when Designing Quentin. I think it would suit Quentin's cool exterior and attitude. The only negative would be the fact that it might drift the focus to just him and not to both characters equally. I am doing a group shot, but If I was doing individual shoots I would definitely use this style as I think it would look really quirky and cool. I'm thinking of using this in future shoots. 

Design 2:

The style is what I'm really drifting towards. I love how natural it is and I feel that because the shoot is focused on the 2 characters fitting with the landscape and background This would be perfect. In the photo's I want it to be almost from her perspective and she remembers the beauty of him. He's just been left to die there But she only remembers the way he looks and there 'meeting'. This looks simple but thats what I want for this shoot. True Blood's character designs aren't over the top as the people are from a small town. I think just the natural afro is cool enough and creates an entire look on its own without having to create some crazy style. I think that the balance of the image would be perfect with simple makeup and hair and just the natural landscape. I'm definitely drawn to this design for the natural aspect. I would just brush his hair out and mess it up a bit to look full and natural. I want him to look beautiful as because she's a little delusional she will only remember the good bits and the memorable bits. 

Design 3:

This design I had the idea to really mess him up and make it really gory so I wanted the hair to match that. I thought of messing his hair and making it dishevelled and full of bark and leaves from being dragged around. I was going to make it look really violent. When I drew out all of the designs I realised what worked and what didn't. I feel that this look is too much for what I want for my story. I want him to look perfect, as this is what Claudia see's. She only remembers him looking perfect and has created him from the thoughts she is picking up from him in her mind. You as the viewer are seeing what she thinks she see's. So this design didn't fit that criteria. I also don't think this would be well balanced in the image.

I'm definitely feel drwan to design 2 as this feels the most appropriate for the story I'm telling.

Quentin Face and hair charts

Design 1:

For Quentins character he has just been dragged from the hillbillies truck to the river bank and covered in silver. In true blood sometimes when the vampires have been silvered, they cry blood, so I wanted to play with this a little bit. True Bloods make up is quite subtle to make it look as approachable as possible. I like this idea so Im going to look at a few more to see where I can take it. 

Design 2:

For this one I just wanted to get creative and really gory. I had a look at some of True Bloods injurys and they were sometimes quite intense when they were silvered. The skin sometimes peeled back and revealed raw flesh and tissue so I was going to try this. Once I had drawn this out I felt that it was too much for my final design. I want the image to be a memory of how Claudia pictured there meet and because she is quite in denial about there relationship she wouldn't remember it like this. so I have decided to strip it back and create something that will balance well with not just Claudia but the landscape too as I feel this is an important aspect to keep in mind.

Design 3:

I like this one the best as its quite subtle. He still looks injured but he also looks beautiful which is how she would remember him. I also feel that he would look really good with Claudia and the back ground too. I will probably use this as my final design as I think this is the most laid back and fitting with what I want my end image to look like.

My Third Design Idea: Face plan

For this design I wanted to create the dream sequence, the same as the first design, but i wanted to create it a lot later in the movie. I wanted an opportunity to show my SFX skills and show my models face rotting. As in this scene he would have taken on the decay of his own soul, instead of the painting. 

This idea is very exciting as I feel that this would be a really creative thing to create. I would mix my colours to create the green and maybe just build up the colour to create the look of decay, maybe adding another material in to create the 3D effect. 

I do however think that this maybe a bit complicated for the continuity assessment, and that I could use this for a later project. I feel that the decay would be really hard to replicate a second time round and as this is my first continuity assessment, I would like to try something a little more simple, in order to get the best result possible. 

My Second Design Idea: Face plan

This is my Second Design Idea.

I really love the simplicity of this idea. I love the power of Dorian Gray's character and how he represents Lord Henry Wotton's idea of power with Dorians Youth and beauty. I love this idea and I wanted an opportunity to represent this with one of my designs. I also think that this will be a good design for the continuity part of the assessment. This will be easy to replicate. 

I will look into male makeup, to see how to create a clean base on male skin as there skin can be a lot rougher than women's. This will be useful for the photography part, as the makeup has to be HD ready. I want to look at ways of making my model beautiful and youthful. 

My first design Idea: Face plan

For my first design of Dorian Gray, I was going to create a dream Sequence where he finds him self taking back the ageing process from the painting and wearing his cruelty and immorality. This scene would come after Sybil Vane had killed herself because of his cruelty and rejection. I was going to create a moral dilemma that would make Dorian decide between his vanity and morality.  

In this scene Dorian would have  greyer complexion, slight evil in his eye and as the book says of the painting. 'a touch of cruelty in the mouth'. I was going to exaggerate this in the dream sequence scene  and create more shadows and redder eyes etc. I also wanted to showcase what the skin colouring might have looked like. At this time london was dingy and factories were being built everyday. The smog was a huge factor so I wanted to grey out his complexion to showcase this. I also wanted to try this because at this time rich people didn't spend a lot of time out doors so they were naturally pale. Dorian also went out a lot so I wanted to make him look a little tired if he was taking his looks back. 

Below is my face plan for the first design idea I have. 

Second Design for Continuity Assessment: Practise

Before on the Left and after on the right.

Last night I decided to try my second design on my model Ben for the continuity assessment. I have decided to go with a simple look for my design. Dorian Gray was known for being young and beautiful and so I'm going to stick with the original Idea. 

I didn't know much about male makeup and grooming before this assessment so I have had to do a lot of research and look into mens makeup for TV and Film. From what I have learned the idea with mens makeup is to give a clean fresh and youthful look with out it looking like you have applied anything. Your not supposed to be able to see the makeup
Skin care is a key part. Cleansing, toning, moisturising, and concealing is what you begin with as your looking to get rid of any redness or blemishes. Mens pores are generally larger so making these look reduced is the goal.

Health and Safety.

1. Set up your work space making sure you line everything with couch roll.
2. Set up your cleaned and sanitised makeup brushes.
3. Make sure you have done an allergy test on your client.
4. Make sure all bags and items have been stored away correctly.
5. Cape your model ready to begin treatment

Items Used.

1. Cleanser, toner and moisturiser.
2. Couch roll, tissue, cotton buds and pads.
3. Wooden spatulas.
4. Kryolan Concealer Palette.
5. Blush palette
6. Pink lip tint.
7. Dark brown eye shadow
8. Makeup brushes
9. Hair brush and combs
10. Black and White hair wax.
11. Translucent Powder.

Technique.

1. I combed through bens hair and parted it in the middle using the sectioning comb.
2. Once I found the correct parting, I then combed through the hair in this position.
3. I then used the hair wax to make the parting really precise. This is also a nice way to bring out the wave with the curls. 
4. I then played with the shape with the comb.
5. I then began to prep the skin starting with cleansing and toning and then Moisturising to create a smooth surface to begin applying the makeup.
6. After the prepping part was complete I began applying the concealer to the redness of the skin and to any other areas of Ben's face affected by discolouration and blemishes. 
7. Once this was done I went over very lightly with the concealer to make sure everything was even. 
8. I then applied the the translucent powder all over to get rid of any shine.
9. I then filled in Ben's eyebrows to create slight shape and filling them in. 
10. I then applied Blusher very lightly to create a youthful flushed look. 
11. I then applied lipsill to the lips to moisturise them and to make a pink look.

Outcome and Thoughts:

I really love the outcome of this. I found it really subtle but a lot went into making Ben look more polished and 'pretty' as Dorian was seen as youthful and beautiful. I have asked Ben if he can wash his hair the night before the assessment to make it a little more limp. This will make it easier to shape his hair. I also asked if he can shave his beard. till about grade 3 to make sure its neat for the assessment. I think will fit with my Dorian Gray character. Im really pleased with this although I think next time I practise I will use a bit more concealer and blusher to create a more youthful and rosy look. 

Props and styling in my Final Design:Dorian

http://i.imgur.com/mIw93O5.jpg

Mens Fashion tells a lot about what era The film or programme is set in. When you watch a series or a film you can usually tell what era it is set in just by the clothes they are wearing. They were very tailored and dressed head to toe with class and stature. Canes, top hats, and neck scarfs were the accessories of the time for men of upper society. 

http://designs.vn/public/media/media/picture/4(7).jpg

For my version of Dorian Gray I want to incorporate this into my character design. Dorian Gray was a part of high society at the time the story is set. His Appearance is extremely important to him and he understood the importance your clothes have on the way you are perceived in society. He is a very vain character and he had the money to have every new suit tailored just Perfectly. He kept up with fashions of the time and I want this to show in my final Image.

http://static.wixstatic.com/media/387241_304fbf87f24f211c5d66405962fe386b.gif_1024

I asked Ben my Model for this assignment if he had any suits he explained he didn't so I have decided to get one from the Internet and get him a nice neck scarf as this is mentioned a lot in the story. I also want to look for high collar grandfather shirts to see if I could get a cheap one. This was a popular style shirt in the Victorian era. Men would wear them with a neck scarf and well tailored suit. This was a popular thing when wore in the Victorian era so I feel that this would be a good indicator to my audience of what era my movie is set in. I might see if either I can borrow a suit jacket in Ben's size or see if I can get one in a Charity shop. If not I might also try adapting a regular mens shirt to look like the high collar shirts worn in this time. 

https://janeaustensworld.files.wordpress.com/2008/08/bernier-ingres-1800.jpg

Early Victorian Hairstyles. With Helen

Second attempt. I didn't manage to finish the curls in time.

Today in Helen's class we learned about classic Victorian hair. We learned about the shape and texture and also how many different styles there were and how they changed as the Victorian period. We were looking at the early period from 1830's to the 1860's. The Victorian hairstyles were very precise. They usually had a middle parting, with a bun at the back and side detail. They seemed to focus a lot on the sides as this part of the hair framed the face and was really the only part of the hair you could see with a hat or bonnet on. Bonnets were particularity popular in this early period. 

The women of this time would either curl, twist, or plait the side sections. In the earlier days the hair was higher and as the era went on the side section plaits or curls got lower and lower. 

First style attempt.


Step by Step.

1. Firstly I split the hair into 3 sections. 2 at the sides and 1 at the back. 
2. I clipped the two side sections at the front so they were out of the way and then brushed the back section so that it was neatly put into a pony tail. 
3. Once it was in a pony tail, I split the pony tail into 2 sections and plaited them. I then wrapped them around the pony one after the other and then clipped them in place. 
4. I made sure there were no loose hairs and then moved on to the side sections. 
5. For my first style I brushed the sections out and starting with one side started to plait one section from below the ear letting it hang under the ear and connect to the bun. 
6. I then clipped these in place. I continued this on the other side. 
7. I then put some wax over them to sleek them down. 
8. Once I had completed this I then took out the plaits and began to curl the hair to give a different style. 
9. I sectioned each side section into 4 little sections. I then began to curl each section. making sure they made a sausage shape. I pulled out and rolled the hair in the curlers. Making sure they are sitting where the curls will fall.
10. I then let the curls go from the tongs. I then positioned them in the right place.

Outcome. 

I really enjoyed this lesson. I love the sleekness of Victorian styles and how symmetrical they were. I also saw some images that seemed really modern in the slides shown by Helen. One woman had her hair moulded into a bow shape which I thought was really forward thinking for the time. It really opened my eyes to how much, with regards to hair styling, we recycle. 

I think I have the basic technique down, but I definitely need to practise my curling. I wasn't positioning the curls in the right place. Helen then gave me a little help and showed me the correct way. I will practise this at home and document it so that you can see my progress. 

Practise