Set Design & Makeup

This week I decided to test out some make up looks that I could use in my shoot. I tried them out myself to get a rough idea of what I think will work well, but for the real shoot  I have found a make up artist through the university that will assist me on the day. I started off by testing some simple tribal like markings across and around the eyes. I also realised that this style of make up was easy to colour correct in photoshop, so with the simple use of one colour I could edit each style to my preference in postproduction. The initial idea of tribal marks came from a recent issue of ID magazine,  and I thought that with the theme being based upon body adornment this would work well. What I later discovered once I had styled the clothing, was that the use of tribal markings for makeup appeared a bit cliche for the theme of diversity. Following this discovery I decided to simplify the idea of tribal markings, with the use of brightly coloured eyeshadow, I softened the look by suggesting tribal marks. I also experimented with the idea of soft paint, painted across the eye area. The paint accentuated the idea of the marks,  making the appearance of the make up more obvious and bolder which I think relates to my idea more. A worry that I had is, if the make up too colourful and bright it could draw the attention away from the garment, so above on my computer based make up faces I have suggested the use of white paint across the eyes. This idea will also brighten eyes.  The last experiment with make up was the combination of eyeshadow and lines, I would like to test a variety of combinations with this idea before I decide to use it or not to use it.

Following producing some make up ideas we had an amazing workshop with set designer Reah Theirstein. She showed us multiple ways of creating amazing sets on small budgets, and loads of ideas for creating unique backdrops. This workshop helped me greatly because I was planning on only using a white studio background to accentuate the idea of the garments. After the workshop I thought of loads of other ways I can do this by using more interesting sets. During the workshop we were asked to create our own sets, I experimented with the use of projecting imagery onto a subject. For the materials we had at the time I thought this was a great idea and will definitely help me to produce future concepts in set design. But when I came home I decided to create suggestions of set design in photoshop. Bellow, shows my illustrations and suggestions of set design, there are a variety of different ways in which I can create a set on a budget and the ideas I have demonstrated consist of simple materials such as: reflective paper, acetate or plastic, post production and simple use of materials. I will further experiment with these ideas to decide what one works best.

Isamaya Ffrench is a makeup artist who is currently the beauty editor of i-D Magazine. She is well known for her super-saturated palettes which rebel against fashion’s bored, minimalistic habits. “For her, make-up is paint, and skin a canvas.” I got inspiration from her work while I was looking through the "beautiful issue winter 2014" in ID magazine. The images were very linear,  depicting bright bold lines around the face, accentuating features such as cheekbones eyebrow bone and lips. I was interested in her style as it seems quite simple and it relates closely to my idea of tribal marks. As I began to research her work, I discovered that as well as using sharp linear markings, she has a tendency to create soft, chalky markings. Above I have attempted to portray her style using some of my own ideas. I intend to use a real makeup artist for the final images, these where just some experiments.

Styling - Ideas and Suggestions

This week we had the pleasure of working with stylist and creative director namalee Bolle. She gave us loads of great ideas on how to style an image and creating looks that poetry atmosphere, mood and meaning. This workshop helped me particularly, because I was confused and unsure of how to style my fabric samples. Two tasks that we were given were, to style a white shirt in an unconventional way and to dress a punk. Dressing a punk was a good task for me because it helped me to excessively  adorn the body in jewellery and accessories, this not being my usual style encouraged me to be over the top rather than subtle. The challenge to style a white shirt in an unconventional way was also helpful to me, it encouraged me to be experimental in the way in which I dressed the body with such an iconic piece of clothing. Both of these tasks challenged my preconceptions of the styling I want to use in my shoot. 

In light of this workshop I decided to style the garments on the human female body.  Due to the curvy and flowing nature of the samples, I discovered that they work well with the curvy nature of the female figure. I experimented with three garments and dressed them in ways that seemed impossible. Because of  the diverse shape of the samples you're able to twist and turn them in ways to create new shapes.With some of the smaller samples I decided to carry out a similar styling task, instead of using them for their original purpose of sleeves or cuffs I decided to turn them into a full garment.  Using a miniature mannequin i used the samples to create various outfits. I positioned the miniature mannequin in natural positions so that my models can replicate them in the studio.

Refining Ideas

Based on last weeks feedback I created two extended and modified mood boards, which reflect colour schemes and concepts for post production. I have chosen the colours green, orange and yellow because of the bold tones, and they're representativeness of nature and traditional African body adornment. I have chosen samples of knit rather than finished garments to emphasise the theme of diversity. I have demonstrated how the samples can adorn the body in a variety of different ways. Mostly the samples include ruffled and obscure textures, contesting and working alongside the clean and concise concept for the photo shoot. In the mood boards there are examples of how I could style the samples experimenting with movement and angles. Below are three small mood boards I created which demonstrate the atmosphere I'd like to create. To me these images depict free spiritedness, diversity, celebration, non traditional ideas and confidence. In the past I have produced fairly straight forward images, with little exaggeration or manipulations to garments. For this project I intend to experiment, creating unconventional accessories and garments.

Exhibition Visit - Chanel to Westwood

I recently visited the exhibition at the Fashion and Textiles museum “Chanel to Westwood.” It is an exploration of the knitwear clacked up by some of the biggest names in fashion.” The space demonstrates how shapes, styles  and pattern in knitwear changed over the decades, from Coco Chanel’s neat twin sets – which introduced jersey to the world of couture – to the vibrant, multicoloured knits that came out of the ‘make do and mend’ movement in the ’40s. Whether machine-produced for the general market or hand-knitted during wartime rationing, the garments on display give a sense of the emotional investment that went into their creation. That is something almost unique to knitwear, in my opinion.

Dennis Nothdruft, the museum’s curator, believes the “basic functionality of knitwear” loses out against the glamour of couture. But with knitwear, especially if knitted yourself, every step and stitch in construction is known, seen and touched – the very same characteristics of haute couture, which makes it even harder to understand why knitwear suffers by comparison.

Before visiting this exhibition my understanding and passion for knitting was present. My mum had previously studied knitwear design at central saint martins and had produced some amazing samples. Over the years as she saw me follow a similar pathway as her, we began to look at them together and she taught me some basic skills. I decided that my project could become a lot more personal due to this aspect, and could be explored in detail.

Although everything on display was amazing in its own right, something that really grabbed my attention for a potential narrative idea was the traditional knits. In comparison to the other garments they aren't instantly amazing, but they represent cultural identity and tradition. The Fair Isle is a traditional knitting technique used to create patterns with multiple colours. It is named after Fair Isle, a tiny island in the north of Scotland, that forms part of the Shetland islands. Fair Isle knitting gained a considerable popularity when the Prince of Wales (later to become Edward VIII) wore Fair Isle tank tops in public in 1921. Traditional Fair Isle patterns have a limited palette of five or so colours, use only two colours per row, are worked in the round, and limit the length of a run of any particular colour.

Exploring themes

My initial idea was focused on knitwear. I don't know a lot about knitwear but I am interested in the making of it. I like the way it can be placed on the body in unconventional ways and still look amazing. To place knit on the body in this way would be an aspect of diversity I could explore. I would use knit different ways in which they are normally used or accepted and display them in a non-traditional way.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

Group critique notes

This idea is more suited to my style

Reflects diversity through clothing rather than using "obvious" model choices for topic 

Experiment with location and studio photography

Experiment with movement

Visit the V&A

I took these comments into consideration and decided to pursue this idea.

Another idea I came up with was to explore the idea of astrology in the news. Recently NASA have made huge breakthroughs is scientific history, which is an area that interests me. I started to look into space like photo shoots, involving a lot of pre production e.g. hair and makeup. I am confident in computer based production and would be happy to collaborate with hair and makeup artists to achieve this concept.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

Group critique notes

This idea is interesting, but it doesn't suit my style of work

Looks fun to produce, but may not reflect idea of diversity 

Experiment with idea first

Try out makeup & hair

Although I was passionate to work with an idea that I hadn't tried out before, the comments my group made were valid and  decided to abandon this idea.