Project Evaluation

This terms 'Gothic Horror' theme has been fantastic. I have truly enjoyed each project and assessment we have done, and I really feel like I have learned so much! As I mentioned before, I had only really done beauty makeup before, so learning all the special effects techniques we learnt this term was brilliant. I also found it really interesting learning to work from a Film and TV aspect, and seeing how different it would be to working on a fashion shoot. 

Another element I especially enjoyed this term was hair. Last term was really my introduction to hair, as I'd never really worked with it before, so this term I felt a lot more confident in working with hair and creating different shapes and hairstyles! The silhouettes task was one of my favourites, as I thought the outcome was fantastic. It also got me thinking a lot more of the way the shape of the hairstyle alone can say so much about a character, before you've even seen the makeup or clothing.
I am especially proud of how my Miss Havisham hairstyle turned out, and I found it quite easy to put together the techniques we learnt this term and last term to put it together. 
Although I didn't do as well as I would have liked to on the continuity assessment, I do feel that it is something I will pay a lot more attention to in the future, and will take a lot more care with smaller details. 

There is still a lot I would like to practice and play around with, and I look forward to exploring and experimenting furthur over the summer and seeing what I can come up with!

Quentin Final Images

Below are my final images from my Quentin Shoot:

Claudia Final Images

Below are my final images from my Claudia Shoot:

Creating Masculine Hair

How To Create The Look

1. Set up your station
2. Create horse shoe section
3. Using remaining hair, secure the hair into a FLAT french pleat.
4. Neaten this section, clean lines, texture and shape. Make sure the models side burns are going straight down.
5. Make a very defined left parting out of horse shoe section.
6. Slick down the hair and smooth it out.
7. Disguise and hide the ends of the hair into the french pleat.
8. Check hair from all angles.
9. Finish with hair spray.

Claudia Final Design:

Product List:

Base:

Laura Mercier Silk Creme Foundation- Cashew Beige

MAC Studio Fix Concealers: NW25, NC30

NYX HD Studio Finishing Powder in SFP01

Eyes: 

MAC Eye Paint: Bare Canvas

MAC Eyeshadows: Omega, Brun, Carbon

MAC Gel Liner: Blacktrack

Maybelline 'The Falsies' Mascara

Cheeks:

MAC 'Omega' Eyeshadow to contour

MAC 'Gingerly' Blusher

NARS 'Albatross' Highlighter

Lips:

MAC 'Diva' Lipstick

CONSULTATION NOTES

NAME: Danika Sandhu

AGE: 19

HAIR TYPE: Thick, straight

HAIR COLOUR: Dark Brown

NATURAL OR DYED: Natural

SKIN TYPE: Normal

SKIN TONE: Medium

EYE COLOUR/SHAPE: Hooded, Brown

ALLERGIES/MEDICATION: None

CONTRAINDICATION: None

Quentin Final Design

Product List:
Base:
MAC Face and Body: N2
MAC Prolongwear Concealer: NW20
NYX HD Studio Finishing Powder SFP01
Eyes: 
MAC Eyeshadows: Brule, Omega
Cheeks:
MAC 'Omega' to contour
MAC 'Brun' to create stubble
Lips:
MAC 'Myth' Lipstick

CONSULTATION NOTES

NAME: Ryan Payne

AGE: 19

HAIR TYPE: Fine, Short

HAIR COLOUR: Blond/Violet

NATURAL OR DYED: Dyed

SKIN TYPE: Combination

SKIN TONE Fair

EYE COLOUR/SHAPE Even

ALLERGIES/MEDICATION: None

CONTRAINDICATION: None

Quentin Designs

First Design

 This was my first design for Quentin. He has been kept in a room for several days with little or no sleep, so his eyes are tired and sunken and he has some stubble coming through. I have added some black around the eyes to bring in more of a gothic element, while still remaining quite understated.

Second Design

My second Quentin design was a little more simple in terms of makeup, but is a lot more effective in portraying the character I would like to. I think I would like to keep it quite simple and make him look like he has been locked in a room for days without food or sunlight. He is purely there for Claudia's pleasure and entertainment and as a result, in her mind he is the weaker of the two. By creating dark circles and bruising around Quentins eyes, the idea of him being the submissive one is clear. 

Claudia Designs

First Design

The Claudia I would like to portray is a Femme Fatale. She is dominant, sexy and alluring. I would like to give her dramatic eyes and dark lips. I chose a darker burgundy lip rather than a dark red for this look, as I wanted to appeal to more of her darker side, than vampy side. I will keep the rest of the face quite simple, with clean skin and some contouring, so that the eyes and lips are the main focus.

Music Video Inspiration- Claudia and Quentin

Whilst researching some horror themed music videos for Claudia and Quentin, I came across a few that really helped with my character inspiration and the mood I would like to go for. 

The Pretty Reckless- 'Make Me Wanna Die'
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dYeGw-bo430
The main character in this video immediately makes me think of Claudia stuck in her apartment with nothing to do but dress herself up and get lost in her thoughts.

The Pretty Reckless- 'Heaven Knows'
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rHBxJCq99jA
Again, the main character of this video's dominant, dangerous character is an inspiration for Claudia for me.

Fall Out Boy 'Young Volcanoes' 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ZvHkOAtUYQ&list=PLDsQc3LACReXL7RrJ6eIBnDosVu_SZ9oE

Fall Out Boy 'Alone Together'
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LFhEBmNwX_E&list=PLDsQc3LACReXL7RrJ6eIBnDosVu_SZ9oE

Both of these videos have elements of Claudia and Quentin for me. There are the femme fatales who go from nurturing the boys even though they are prisoner (in the 'Young Volcanoes' video), to torturing them ('Alone Together' video). This relationship is exactly how I would like to portray Claudia and Quentin.

Quentin Inspiration

Some words I think of when I think of Quentin are: submissive, repressed, trapped. He is not only a figment of Claudia's imagination, he is trapped in her mind, a slave to whatever mood she is in. The Quentin I would like to portray is quite a submissive one. He has been kept prisoner by Claudia for a few days, perhaps after an argument and he is tired, hungry and not in his best shape. 

Claudia Inspiration

When I read the description of Claudia, I can't help but think of her as a "femme fatale". Femme Fatale literally means "fatal woman". 

femme fatale

ˌfam fəˈtɑːl/

noun

1. an attractive and seductive woman, especially one who will ultimately cause distress to a man who becomes involved with her.

I imagine Claudia to have similar characteristics to Alex Forrest (played by Glenn Close) in 'Fatal Attraction'

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3oF8Po4qWc

In terms of makeup, hair and styling, the classic Femme Fatale look is full of sex appeal, but it is always understated. It is sexy, but never slutty. The Femme Fatale captures her victims using her eyes, lips, and charm, not her body. For this reason, Femme Fatale's always have accentuated eyes and/or lips, clean, clear skin, and very simple hair that is often extremely sleek or slicked back. There is a definite air of mystery around the Femme Fatale and this is part of her fatal attraction.

Introducing Claudia and Quentin

Meet Claudia. 

Claudia is a young girl in her twenties who is a little...different from your average twenty-something year old. As a child, Claudia was left alone for hours on end with no parental guidance. Due to this, Claudia developed an unhealthy relationship with television and movies, and through this, discovered a genre that she felt she resonated with the most- horror. She watches endless horror films until she starts to believe that this is the way life really is. Claudia is agoraphobic, kept in touch with the outside world only by her neighbours bringing her everyday requirements. Claudia changes her mood and style based on the horror film she is obsessed with at the time. She is often the main character, or will pay homage to the main character of the film in some way. There is a sense of uncertainty around Claudia as she is quite psycotic, and although she is content in the world she has built for herself, there is always an air of danger around her as you never know when she is going to snap.

Meet Quentin

One of the most important aspects of Claudia's imaginary world is Quentin. Quentin is Claudia's imaginary boyfriend. Claudia and Quentin don't live together, but Quentin visits her often and when he can't be there, they will talk on the phone for hours at a time. This isn't enough for Claudia, and she is always extremely paranoid that he is having multiple affairs behind her back. Because of this, Claudia likes to keep him under her thumb, often restraining him, or keeping him locked in one of her rooms. As Quentin is part of Claudia's imagination, he changes appearance according to the mood she is in, going from the most attractive man oozing sex appeal, to the most unappealing, lazy couch potato. 

Creating 'Evil' Eye Makeup

In our lesson today, Sharon got us to create an 'Evil Eye Makeup' look, using characteristics seen in many villains over the years. These may include an extremely exaggerated arched brow, and slanted eyes such as:

Cruella Deville (101 Dalmations)

Maleficent (Sleeping Beauty)

Ursula (The Little Mermaid)

These characterictics even work on male characters, such as Jafar (Aladdin),

Even animal villains such as Scar (The Lion King).

Here is the look I created on myself, using some of these traits:

Dirtying down, how to break down an artist/models make-up. Dirt, stained teeth, and dirty hair

Dirtying the skin

Dirtying down your model includes getting dirt in the creases of the face, hands and under the nails. There's also a really easy way of making the teeth look unbrushed and dirty.

Equipment used:

-Greasepaints (black, brown & red)

-Krylon Tooth enamel

-Brill Cream (to give hair a greasy appearance)

-Colored hair spray

-Dry shampoo

-Cotton buds

-Makeup brushes

-Methylated spirits (removal of tooth enamel)

Using Tooth Enamel

•     Have your model open their mouth and dry the tooth with a cotton bud.

•     Apply either the black, brown tooth enamel onto the tooth and keep the lip raised to allow the color to dry.

•     Next shade around the edges of the teeth to create a 3D, more realistic effect

•     Always check the teeth throughout the shoot and have toothpicks and cotton buds on set so that you can correct the teeth.

•     For removal take a small amount of methylated spirit onto a cotton bud and gently roll on the tooth.

Dirtying Down

•     Start by applying a moisturizer to areas that you want to appear the dirtiest on the skin.

•     Next spray colored hairspray to make the area darker on the skin or you could use some grease paints (remember to use the correct color of “dirt” for the surroundings that you are shooting in).

•     Then apply brill cream to make the roots of the hair appear greasy, as this is the area that becomes greasy first.

•     Spray a very small amount of dry shampoo on the middle and ends of the model’s hair to make it look dull. 

•     Always make sure you have dirtied down any areas of clothing or other body parts such as neck, chest, hands, forearms and possibly feet that need to be dirtied down to create a really authentic look.

Fashion Hair Techniques: Smooth and Shiny Hair

Creating a Sleek “Femme Fatale” Style

Equipment Needed:

-Hair dryer with a concentrator nozzle

-Denman brush

-Hair grips

-Round brush

-Sectioning clips

-Comb (Fine tooth)

-Hair mousse

Instructions:

-Brush out the hair, and start blow drying the hair in sections

-Make sure to get a lot of tension in the brush and blow dry downwards to create a much sleeker blow dry.

 -Make sure the hair dryer is flat down and working the hair brush and dryer in the direction you want the hair to go in.

-Always make sure that you have good tension and ventilation.

-Once you have straightened all the hair, brush it back with a Denman brush.

-Pump some mousse into the palm of your hand, and run your comb through it to pick up some product.

-Start to comb the mousse into the hair to slick the hair back and to keep it in place.

Cuts and Scarring using Moulds

Equipment needed:

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

The moulds had already been made, so all we needed to do was take them out carefully using a T-pin.

-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

-Powder to take away shine if necessary and paint your piece.

-Add blood to make it more gory.

The End of Great Expectations

The highlight of the whole Great Expectations Project was definitely the practical side of it. I thoroughly enjoyed learning to work with prosthetics and all the different products, as all I'd really done up to this point was focussed around beauty makeup. 
I also found it extremely interesting to learn out how much goes into creating a character, and how much can influence one characters hair and makeup. I have truly enjoyed the historical aspect to the project as well, and like the 'New Elizabethans' project, I have found it interesting to see how much of the Victorian Era still influences us today.

Miss Havisham Timed Assessment Part 2

Below are some images from my second Miss Havisham Timed Assessment:

I was quite disappointed with the way these photo's turned out, as they clearly looked very different from the first look. The hair turned out looking more like a beehive than a French Pleat! The fringe was much straighter and I did not curl and back comb it enough. In terms of the make up, I think the make up looked quite similar, although it was a little more exaggerated.

Estella Final Images

Here are my final images from the Estalla Assessment:

I am pleased with the way my look turned out overall. I did have some difficulty with my models hair, as I needed to curl it, but where she had straightened it that morning, it wouldn't curl properly. I definitely learned a lesson in prepping the hair correctly! The makeup turned out just as I wanted it to, and I think that the lines and wrinkles show up especially well in the black and white images.