Cold, Romantic and Eccentric Hair...

To get some hair inspiration for the characters I am going to recreate over the coming weeks, I joined a social networking site called Pinterest.  So far, Pinterest has really helped me in finding some unusual and unique ideas for styles that I could create for Miss Havisham. The link to my pinterest is displayed on my blog.

After our seminar with Seema this week we were given a creative task, focusing on three themes/words that are relevant to Great Expectations, we had to find hairstyles that we believed reflected these themes/words.  My chosen words were Cold, Romantic and Eccentric. 

Cold

I chose this style to represent the word cold because I think it's quite a harsh hairstyle, to me there is nothing soft about this style, the hair is very flat to the head and has a cold looking sheen covering it.  I could imagine Miss Havisham incorporating a slight touch of this hairstyle to her overall look, as her style is messy but also slightly polished, which represents the different sides of her personality.  The cold side of her personality comes through particularly with her hatred towards men after she was jilted at the alter.

Eccentric

Eccentric is a word that really stood out to me, both with Miss Havishams style and her personality. Having been stuck in her mansion for many years, both hidden from daylight and interaction with the outside world, she is not only mentally broken but her style has become very messy and 'eccentric'.  I chose this image particularly because of the large shapes, bright colours and unusual materials around the face. I will take into consideration using colour when re-creating my Miss Havisham look, as I feel this will create a completely unique portrayal.

Romantic 

Image Credit: All images available from Pinterest.

Although from her portrayal in the Film and TV series, Miss Havishams hairstyle does not at first seem romantic, you have to remember that she was jilted on her wedding day when the style would of at first been beautiful, flamboyant and romantic, particularly as she had the money to be extravagant. However, as she has stayed in her wedding dress and maintained her hairstyle for many years, it would have started to decay.  To me the word 'romantic' defines soft styles, the large waves in this image emphasise this soft kind of style.

Make Up Studio: Creating Cuts and Bruises

During this weeks practical with Sue we learnt how to create cuts and bruises which could be relevant to both Estella and Miss Havisham. 

Things that should always be considered before creating cuts and bruises for special effect is how old the cut or bruise is, this would change the colour palette you would use depending on whether the bruise was recent, or a little older. 

Creating Cuts and Bruises: 

Products Used:

 Kryolan Supracolor Palette

      Vaseline

Ben Nye Bruise and Cut wheels

Plasto Wax

Sealer

Fake blood

Palette Knife

Wound filler

Stipple sponges

Round brush

Fine Liner brush

Flat brush

MAC Red eyeliner pencil

Creating a Bruise:

1. Before you start creating your cuts and bruises make sure the skin is thoroughly cleansed and moisturised, this is important as the grease based products will blend much better and create a more realistic look.

2. First apply the lightest colour, which is yellow, around the area you wish to bruise with a small round brush, then blend with clean fingers.

3. Next start to add the red and purple tones from the Ben Nye bruise wheel to create a really swollen effect, the darkest area should be around the bottom of the eye.  You can gently feel your clients bone structure around the eye to place the colour around the right area. Build up the colour slowly, always asking your model to open and close their eye so that the colour is applied evenly.

4. To make the eye look sore, you can add the red MAC pencil into the waterline.  You could also use your fine liner brush to add darker colours such as blue or black to the bruise to add more detail.

5. To complete the look, add some vaseline (if desired), to create a shiny, swollen effect. 

Creating a Cut:

1. Remove some wax from its container using your palette knife, warm the wax up slightly on the back of your hand.

2. Place a small amount of wax onto the face and blend it upwards until it looks like it has disappeared. If the edges are looking a little bit thick, you can blend these out with some moisturiser.

3. After you have applied the wax to the face, take a small tool like a hair pin, and create the cut in the wax.  The 'cut' can be as shallow or deep as you want it to be.

4. After you have created the desired effect, take your sealer and apply this over the wax with a cotton bud.  This will stop the wax falling off the face and secure it nicely.  Remember if you are working close to the eye, ask your model to keep their eyes shut while you apply this.

5. Allow the sealer to dry, to speed up this process, use a hairdryer.

6. Next you can apply some wound filler or blood onto the cut, add the blood little by little.

7. To create scratches, take your stipple sponge and apply some blood lightly around the cut.  If you want to create the effect of dripping blood, use a spray bottle and spray as much blood around the cut as desired.

Hair Studio: My Hair Silhouette

After our lessons in how to create Victorian, Grand hairstyles that create an effective silhouette, we had a go at creating our own hairstyle to photograph.  This image here shows the silhouette of the Victorian style look I created.  I am happy with the volume at the front of the head, and the ringlets have turned out effectively at the back.  However, the french pleat at the top of the style, hasn't turned out as well as I'd hoped.  To improve this, I feel the French Pleat needs to be more rounded at the bottom to create more of a flowing shape. 

Make Up Studio: Ageing the skin, Latex and Wrinkle Stipple

During our practical with Sue this week we focused on ageing the skin, as well as creating wrinkles using Wrinkle Stipple.  Ageing the skin was really interesting as with only a small amount of product you can really transform the face, however when it came to using wrinkle stipple, this was a little bit harder to master. As the product was so sticky, layering it became hard as the product would start to rise from the skin, I think practise makes perfect with this mastering this product!

Ageing the Skin

Products Used:

Kryolan Foundation Pallette

Illamasqua Rich Liquid Foundation in White

Derma Colour Concealer Pallette

Illamasqua Translucent Powder

Foundation Brush

Buffing Brush

Powder Brush

Fine Liner Brush

Blending Brush

1.  Having made sure you have clean hands and a tidy work surface, prep the skin as usual using a suitable Cleanser, Toner and Moisturiser.  Skin Prep is so important as it gives you a smooth, clean base to work on. 

2.  Start the Make Up Application by finding a suitable foundation colour for your model, the best place to test foundation colours is around the jawline.  When you have found a suitable colour, apply this lightly to the face, I first applied the foundation with a standard foundation brush, then went on to buff this in with a duo-fibre buffing brush.  Take the foundation right up to the hairline, over the eyelids and over the lips.  Applying the foundation over the lips helps to create a dry, cracked effect.

3.  It is optional whether you powder the skin or not, this depends whether you would like a matte or a dewy effect.  I chose to powder the skin to create a more dryer out effect to the skin.

4.  The next step is to start creating the aged effect, choose a colour one or two shades darker than your models skin tone (preferably with a brown/grey tone). Ask your model to frown, squint and scrunch their face…this will allow you to see where their crease lines naturally sit, with a fine brush start filling these lines in with the darker colour.  These lines should appear on the forehead, around the lips, eyes and between the eyebrows.  Make sure you blend these lines with a blending brush or your finger so they don't look too harsh.

5.  As well as these crease lines, place the darker colour under the eyes, down the sides of the nose and under the cheekbones to hollow the face out.  This creates a gaunt, slim effect. 

6.  After you have added the darker colour into the necessary places, you can also take a lighter concealer and highlight just above these to really emphasise the darkness.

7.  Finally, brush through the eyebrows with a greyish/white colour and leave them looking slightly messy, I used my Supracolour Pallette to do this. This will create the effect of grey hairs, and an untamed style.

Half of the face has been aged and the other half left as normal.

Using Wrinkle Stipple:

Image Credit: (Online) Available at: http://www.barnes.com.au/catalog/productimager/wrinkle_stipple_2oz-e39985256342063a73ddf95ca12087bb4e40ea74.jpg. Accessed 29 January 2014.

Products Used:

Ben Nye Wrinkle Stipple
Flat Sponge
Hair Dryer

The aim of using Ben Nye's 'Wrinkle Stipple' is to create subtle wrinkle effects, primarily around the eyes, mouth and forehead.  Before using wrinkle stipple on any of your clients, always do a  latex test, as some people may react to the latex ingredients in this product.

1. If you are working around your models eyes, always remember to ask your model to close their eyes before applying the product.  Take a small amount of the wrinkle stipple on a sponge, stretch the skin and dab gently around the outsides of the eyes, lips etc.
2. Take your hairdryer, making sure that it is on a warm heat, but also checking that it is not too hot on yourself before using on your client, dry the wrinkle stipple.
3. Once the first layer in dry, follow the same process.  Create a few layers of the wrinkle stipple.
4. After you have created your layers, gently pinch/push your models skin together to create folds in the skin.
5. Do this as many times until you get your desired effect.
6. If you want to bring out the effect further, take a little bit of translucent powder and brush this over the tops of the skin folds.

Hair Studio: Creating a French Pleat/ Vertical Roll

During our Seminar/Practical with Seema we learnt how to create a grand up-do, this week it was a French Pleat.  During the Victorian Era, hairstyles that created large, royal looking silhouettes were very popular. 

Creating a French Pleat:

Products Used:

Paddle Brush

Pintail Comb

Bobby Pins

Geisha Pins

Sectioning Clips

Curling Tongs

Padding

Dry Shampoo

Hairspray

1. To start, run some dry shampoo throughout your models hair in sections, making sure the whole head has been covered.  This will not only make the hair a little cleaner, but it will also give the hair extra texture, which helps when creating a big shape.
2. Create a side or middle parting (side parting were most popular during the Victorian Era), and section the front of the hair forwards, from behind the ears.  Clip these bits of the hair out of the way for the time being. 
3. Starting from the top of the head, backcomb from the root for lift, then tong the hair, starting from the ends of the hair and curling backwards to create direction.  This will create even more root lift and shape. 
4. Pin your curls with small sectioning clips to set them in place. 
5. Carry out this process to the sections underneath. 
6. Moving onto the sides of the hair, still working at the back of the head, tong these sections backwards also, but holding the tongs vertically, again set these sections.
7. Once you have tonged and set all of the hair, take out the section clips and brush over the top layer of the hair very lightly.
8. Pull all the hair to one side of the head, leaving the first one or two girls you created at the top of the head, and cross grip the hair using bobby pins all the way up the middle of the head.
9. With the excess hair, pull to the other side and twist around your hand, pin the twist securely with geisha pins into the pins already going up the middle of the head. 
10. Take the curls at the top of the head, and twist these to create a roll also, pin these in so they blend in with the roll at the back of the head.
11. As for the two side sections at the front of the head, backcomb and tong backwards, holding the tongs vertically again. 
12. Bring these two sections back and pin them, blending into the overall shape.
13. Finish the style of with some hairspray to secure any loose hairs. 

Hair Studio: Hairstyles that create Silhouettes…French Pleat with Victorian Elements

Our task in class today was to create a Victorian style French Pleat, that incorporated padding at the front for volume and shape, as well as adding some Victorian elements like pin curls or decoration. 

Products Used:

Paddle Brush

Pintail Comb

Bobby Pins

Geisha Pins

Sectioning Clips

Curling Tongs

Padding

Dry Shampoo

Hairspray

Materials for decoration

To start off my Victorian hair style, I followed the normal steps of how to create a French Pleat (see blog post- Hair Studio: Creating a French Pleat/Vertical Roll), leaving some hair at the front of the head, however, so that I was able to create an interesting shape with the padding. 

To create the large shape at the front, I secured the padding with some bobby pins at the front of the head.  I had previously curled the hair I had left out of the French Pleat in a backwards motion, so the hair fell nicely over the padding, I secured the hair over the padding with both bobby pins and geisha pins, making sure these weren't visible.  With any hair that was left over, I simply twisted this at the top of the French Pleat to create a roll and secured this.

Lastly, to add the important Victorian elements, I took some small sections out from over the padding and created small pin curls.  The Victorians loved small details around the front of the head, you'd always their styles incorporating pin curls, accessories or simply strands of hair falling around the face. I also created a small flower with some basic patterned fabric and secured this at the top of the French Pleat.  This was my second attempt at a French Pleat, and I was really pleased with the outcome, with the interesting shape at the front of the head created by the padding and pin curls, I think this would  create a big, abstract silhouette. 

Researching Real Life Cuts, Bruises and Aged Skin...

During the next few weeks in our practical lessons, we will be learning how to create Cuts and Bruises using Make Up as well as learning theatrical ageing techniques on the hands and face.  To give me a better idea as to how to create these in the most realistic way possible, I thought I would do a little bit of research into real life Cuts and Bruises, which I believe will help me with creating realistic coloration, shape etc. 

Cuts and Grazes:

First Image Credit: (Online) Available at: http://www.premedhealthcare.ltd.uk/cms/images/stories/training_images/wounds007.jpg. Accessed 26 January 2014.

Second Image Credit: (Online) Available at: http://www.reskin.eu/files/skin/skin_in_trouble/abrasions.jpeg. Accessed 26 January 2014.

After scrolling through various pages of different cuts and grazes (yuck!), I have found that cuts are primarily very red, with tones of purple and black where maybe parts of the cut have scabbed over.  Many cuts also have scratches around them, which create jagged looking lines around the main wound.  I have also noticed that to create the most realistic cut, there is usually a yellowish, white substance around the cut.

Bruises: 

So this bruise here is actually one that I managed to give myself the other day! I have found that bruises have a lot more purple and green tones to them than cuts, where the main colours are red and pink.  Where the blood vessels have burst I have also noticed that you get little purple/black dots in the bruise.  I believe these details are really important when it comes to creating realistic wounds. 

Aged Skin:

Image Credit: How Young Is Your Skin? -Anti Aging Blog. (Online) Available at: http://www.reviewantiaging.com/antiaging/how-young-is-your-skin/494/. Accessed 26 January 2014.

In this photo you can really see the difference between a younger skin and an older skin.  The aged skin has a few wrinkles and many fine lines around the lips and the eyes.  There are also more prominent bags under the older ladies eyes, and the lips have started to become thinner.

What is Gothic Horror?

Image Credit: TEGFYNNYDD, Llanfallteg, Carmarthenshire. 2014.  (Online) Available at: http://www.welshruins.co.uk/photo2076464.html.  Accessed 20 January 2014.

Not only does the house in this photo resemble what I think the term 'gothic' portrays, but I also think the sepia tones bring an even more Gothic edge to the photo.  The long grass, and the Victorian style house create a mysterious atmosphere to the photo, which helps add to the Gothic elements. 

Image Credit: (Online) Available at: http://www.amandanorman.co.uk/cache/Macabre-Morti/Victorian-Angel_5982_630.jpg.  Accessed 20 January 2014.

This image captured my eye, because the stone angel almost slightly resembles Miss Havishams hagged, sad look.  The use of greys and blacks are also colours that I would associate with Gothic Horror. 

Image Credit: Victorian Gothic Art. 2014. (Online) Available at: http://www.etsy.com/market/victorian_gothic_art.  Accessed 20 January 2014.

This image captures a Victorian Gothic style,  what stood out to me was the many pendants that the young girl has around her.  When I think of Gothic elements, spiritual jewellery like pendants come to mind, and the high neck, and dark colours of the dress also emphasise the Gothic style.

Image Credit:  (Online) Available at: http://www.meetup.com/DCitalian/events/101010082/. Accessed 20 January 2014.

This probably isn't what you would usually think of when the term 'Gothic' comes to mind, however this painting captures some Gothic elements in an unusual and abstract way.  The marshland particularly reminds me of the Gothic setting at the beginning of Great Expectations, the virginal portrayal of the lady sitting in the boat also brings to mind a complete opposite view of the typical, 'dark' Gothic image of Victorian women.

Image Credit: (Online) Available at: http://www.wallpaperup.com/29887/victoria_frances_dark_horror_fantasy_gothic_women_vampire_blood.html. Accessed 20 January 2014.

This image takes the term 'Gothic' to the extreme.  The dark eyes and blood stained face bring in the most obvious Gothic elements, however the clothing also resembles Gothic trends of corsets, and the pendant around the head is typical of Gothic jewellery.

Great Expectations- My First Impressions

This semester for Level 4 Make Up in Motion, our theme in Gothic Horror, in preparation for this topic we were asked to read Great Expectations.  Great Expectations, a novel by Charles Dickens focuses on three main characters, Pip, Miss Havisham and Estella and there many journey's and obstacles through what seems like a very complicated life.  Having read Great Expectations before, I had a good idea of the plot, however having also watched two versions of the film, one released in 1998 and the other in 2012 and a TV version, it is clear that the interpretations of the characters on each platform are very different.

In both the book, TV show and films, the themes are all very similar.  The novel has a very mysterious and almost fairytale like portrayal, which has been represented in the films and TV show too, you can recognise this theme straight away from the gloomy, foggy, marshland setting. However there are also themes of suffering, separation, innocence and heartbreak.  These themes are particularly portrayed through the character of Miss Havisham, one of the main characters I will be focusing on during this project.

Gillian Anderson

Helena Bonham Carter

First Image Credit: (Online) Available at: http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/02063/Gilian-Anderson5_2063010i.jpg. Accessed 20 January 2014.

Second Image Credit: Gillian Anderson, Helena Bonham Carter and Miss Havisham on film - Telegraph. (Online) Available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/culturepicturegalleries/8907506/Gillian-Anderson-Helena-Bonham-Carter-and-Miss-Havisham-on-film.html?image=3. Accessed 20 January 2014.

Estella and Miss Havisham are particularly interesting characters to me because they have very different traits and personalities, Miss Havisham is mentally broken and stuck in the same monotonous routine, however Estella strives for freedom and seems to want to explore the outside world. The different interpretations of Miss Havisham particularly caught my eye, in the BBC TV Series of Great Expectations, the character of Miss Havisham played by Gillian Anderson is perceived very differently to her characters portrayal in the 2012 film, where she is played by Helena Bonham Carter.  

Anderson plays a much more innocent version of Havisham than Bonham Carter, her tattered by still slightly elegant dress and neat curls around the front of her face give her an angelic look, her skin also looks dewy and surprisingly healthy, this was interesting as I would have expected Miss Havisham to look a lot more haggard as after all, she has been deprived from sunlight for many years.  However, there are still elements that capture how exhausted Miss Havisham really is, but to me these are only really shown from the dark bags under her eyes and her dry, cracked lips.

Helena Bonham Carter plays a much fiercer character in the film, the tones of white, grey and black throughout her hair create a typical Gothic look.  Her skin also looks a lot more dry and unhealthy than Gillian Anderson's in the TV series, her skin is wrinkled and her eyes look tired. 

I cant wait to get stuck in with this project, there seems to be so much that I'm going to be able to explore, especially when it comes to the characters and central themes of Great Expectations, I'm really looking forward to the next few months and can't wait to get creating!