Taming of the Shrew

http://rtpot.blogspot.co.uk/2011/01/shakespeare-retoldthe-taming-of-shrew.html

The Taming of the Shrew Shakespeare Retold is a film production with many Elizabethan references. Kate is a crazy, overdramatic character who is working towards running the country in Parliament. Neither her mum or sister think she will ever get married and so Kate's beautiful and much loved older sister uses this excuse to get rid of her manager, who desperately wants to marry her, by telling him that she won't be getting married until her sister Kate does. Harry, her manager, takes this quite literally and sets himself a challenge to get Kate married as soon as possible. He finds Lucentio and bribes him with her money to marry Kate and that same day, Lucentio asks Kate to marry him. The film then mainly follows how their relationship develops, through its ups and downs. I am going to choose two characters that I think resemble an Elizabethan and explain why. 

Kate Minola

Casual/work styling.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/staticarchive/2c8983e1772301f6c217a09272c1b1db33a7c2a1.jpg

Wedding day styling.
http://mmimageslarge.moviemail-online.co.uk/SHREW-08.jpg

There are many things about how Kate is styled in this film that are reflective of the Elizabethan era such as:

-Kate was dressed in all black for most of the film. In the Elizabethan era the colour of a person's clothing dictated what class you belonged to and the colours worn by each class were enforced by English law; the law was called the Sumptuary Law. The colour black represented nobility, so the people that wore black were of the highest nobility in the country. 

-Her waisted is always nipped in and accentuated in her clothing, which was a very popular style with the Elizabethan women.

-Kate wore white on her wedding day. The colour white, in the Elizabethan era, represented wealth and nobility. 

-Her wedding dress was made of silk which, in the Elizabethan era, would have showed you were upper class and of nobility. 

-Both her outfits had an open collar which was very popular amongst the upper class women.

-Kate's wonky parting is a sign that there is something not quite right about her character.

-She has very pale skin and this was a sign of beauty in the Elizabethan times because Elizabeth I had a very pale complexion and it showed that you were too wealthy to go and work in the fields. 

-Her makeup was kept very natural and minimalist throughout the film, with just a hint of pink blush and a natural pink pink, this makeup look was very similar to the makeup Elizabeth I wore and was seen a beautiful. 

-Kate wore her hair up for most of the film, which in the Elizabethan times would have been a sign you were married and the women would keep there hair long and flowing to show youth and their virginity. This Elizabethan 'rule' was not followed in this film. 

-On her wedding day, her hair was decorated with pearls. Pearls were a very popular hair accessory amongst the upper class women and they showed their wealth and high class status. 

-Kate's teeth weren't very white and in some scenes looked quite yellow and off colour. As Queen Elizabeth I grew older, her teeth began to rot and so the Elizabethan women started to make their teeth look dirtier as they thought it was a sign of wealth and nobility. Therefore I think this discolouration of her teeth maybe have referenced this trend. 

-Kate had a big skirt on her wedding dress which was almost always worn by the upper class Elizabethan women. 

-She wears rich green shoes with one of her outfits and that green colour would have represented wealth, nobility and high status as this bright colour was very costly to make. 

-At first, Kate says she doesn't want to get married, which was exactly how Queen Elizabeth felt. 

Bianca

Biancahttp://mmimageslarge.moviemail-online.co.uk/TAMING-SHREW-UNIT-10.jpg

There are many things about Bianca that represent wealth and high status that are linked back to the Elizabethan times, such as:

-Bianca's skin is very smooth and perfect looking which it what the Elizabethan women strived for as it is what Elizabeth I portrayed her skin to look. 

-Her makeup was very minimalist, with a rosy cheek and rosy lips, which is how Queen Elizabeth used to wear her makeup, representing beauty.

-Bianca has a very straight, aquiline nose which was what all the women wanted and Elizabeth I would sometimes alter her nose in portraits to make it look more straight.

-When she is lying in the bath, the very warm, risk blue of the background screamed wealth and nobility as this was such an expensive colour to produce in the Elizabethan times. 

-When Bianca is in the airport she and her boyfriend wear white fur which was a definite sign on wealth and high status in the Elizabethan era, as both the colour and material were very expensive to produce. 

-Bianca wears her hair down a lot which, in the Elizabethan times, representing youth and virginity. 

-Bianca ofter wore gold jewellery which was very expensive and only worn by the upper class and people of nobility. 

-She wears a rich green top in the party scene which was a very expensive colour to produce in the Elizabethan era, so only the very wealthy could afford it, showing great wealth. 

-Bianca wears white flowing trousers with one outfit which, in the Elizabethan times, would have represented wealth and nobility. 

-Bianca had many pictures of herself hung round her apartment, which links straight back to Queen Elizabeth I when she had many portraits painted of her and hung all round her home.

Sources:

http://www.elizabethan-era.org.uk/meaning-colors.htm

Developing My Final Design Ideas

After deciding that I wanted to incorporate fullers earth into my final design, I wanted to think of something different than just applying it the whole face as I had seen that before. I wanted to create something new and different. I thought of the idea of contrast between how the makeup on the face used to look, with the thick clay, and how Elizabeth I portrayed the skin to look through her portraits. She portrayed her skin to look flawless, smooth, porcelain and natural all at the same time, whereas the skin would have actually looked very heavy, cakey and powdery. The white lead and vinegar combination that was used to give them a very white complexion was very harmful to the skin and made it go grey and shrivelled. I therefore thought I could incorporate both makeup looks into one. 

Idea 4

http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/51/1f/47/511f477b7397bedb46b58526206fa48a.jpg

I saw this image and it gave me inspiration for my Elizabethan look. I could have the smooth, perfected skin that Elizabeth I portrayed breaking through from the very heaving and cracking makeup. So the outside would be the cracking part an then the inside would be the smooth part. For this look I decided to keep the makeup very true to the Elizabethan makeup, with the rosy red cheeks and lips and the white face, white eyebrows and white eyelashes.

Idea 5

http://silverliningmarketing.com/avant-garde-eye-makeup-tips/

Another idea would be to just keep the smooth and perfected skin around the eyes, so where the red painted mask is on the image above, would be where the smooth skin would be and then the cracked skin would be on the rest of the face and also brought down the neck. I am really excited about this makeup design! It's a bit confusing imagining the look when I'm looking at the image above with the bright red and jewels, but below if the face chart that shows the look better. For this look I decided to do the makeup look I created in 'idea 1' on top of the fullers earth and on the skin.

Idea 6

I was really excited about the fullers earth idea, but I wanted to incorporate something different. I thought that underneath the white clay I should put some colour on the skin so that when the clay cracked on top, the colour showed from beneath. I took inspiration from the image below because, as you can see, there is some green paint showing through from underneath, giving it a rotting look.

Add caption

This gave me the idea to incorporate the bad effects that the white lead and vinegar had on the skin. Elizabeth I got small pox that left her with scars on her face so she used more and more white face paint to cover them up. I therefore thought it would work if I made the skin underneath the white clay a greyish, blackish colour, with small red patches to represent the rotting of the skin and the small pox scarrs that Elizabeth I had. I would create this base with a mixture of red, grey and black super colours and also eyeshadows. I wasn't sure how much the skin would show through underneath so I had to do some tests on myself first. But I think it could look really effective and less 'perfect' looking. 

Example of small pox
http://stephenornes.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/smallpox.jpg

Example of small pox scarring
http://www.elsevierimages.com/images/vpv/000/000/037/37059-0550x0475.jpg

Sources:
http://www.elizabethancostume.net/makeup.html

My Halloween Outfits and Makeup!

On my first night out for halloween I dressed up at Princess Jasmine! I have always loved Jasmine and her blue outfit so we really excited to dress up as her! My eye make-up looked more blue in person and I am really happy with how the makeup turned out. I wasn't a massive fan of the hat because it looked a bit tacky, but I guess everyone loves a bit of tack on halloween!

On my second night out it was my birthday!! I went as a sexy vampire! I wore bloodshot contact lenses, very dark eye makeup, a dark red lip and added some blood dripping out of my mouth. I was going to wear fangs but they were just too annoying and I knew I would just pull them out half way through the night! I wore a shiny black dress, some black boot heels and I, of course, couldn't go out without my birthday sash and crown!

Fullers Earth

Fuller's Earth

I was really excited about somehow incorporating the cracked skin look from 'idea 3' so I did research into how I would actually create this cracked makeup look and fullers earth seemed to be one of the best techniques for doing this.

Volcanic clay

http://indianpolska.wordpress.com/2011/01/05/multani-mitti-fullers-earth-or-indian-volcanic-clay/

Fullers earth, also known as Multani Mitti or Indian volcanic clay, is a clay without any chemical treatment. It has many uses, including medicine to treat paraquat, decontamination of clothing in the military if their clothes have been contaminated by chemical agents, beauty purposes, such as face masks and dry shampoo and also for special effects in TV and film.

To use fuller's earth on the skin, you add drops of water to a certain amount and mix in a small container until you get a smooth paste. The paste is then smoothed over the face and left to dry for around 15 minutes. When the clay drys it cracks on the face.

Fullers Earth Clay
https://www.thesage.com/images/prod/5021605.jpg

http://www.aapkisaheli.com/en/english_image/-1381570082-beauty-boost-7.jpg

Above is the effect given if a thin layer of the fullers earth clay is used on the face and, as you can see, small cracks have started to form. I am intrigued to see different effects can be created with different amounts applied, from very thin to very thick. I am also interested in experimenting with how I could colour the clay as in the Elizabethan times their face makeup was white because of the chalk, so I would like to see if I could change the colour from light brown to white. I have ordered some fullers earth and I can't wait for it to arrive so I can start experimenting!

Ideas and Research Towards My Final Design

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_vgXE8mFTzAo/TBzi5Q9iWSI/
AAAAAAAAA-Q/vwz7xFWIQEs/s1600/2h55s21.jpg

With all these looks that I created, I had my Modern Elizabethan Look of Lily Cole in mind. I knew I wanted there to be some aspect of an Elizabethan makeup look, but I also wanted to incorporate Lily Cole's Italian Vogue makeup look. I really liked the way the same pink colour was used on her cheeks and eyes because it was a colour that the Elizabethans would have used on the apples of their cheeks, but to modify the look the makeup artist, Osvaldo Salvatierra, also applied this colour to another part of face. You can see I was inspired by this look in all my final ideas, where the same pink colour has been used on different parts of the face. I was also inspired by the patchy, scratchy and almost painful looking coloured cheeks. It reminded me of the negative effects that the makeup would have had on the Elizabethan women. I wanted my makeup look to have this same painful kind of look, representing the harm that the toxic makeup could have done. I did some research into this and found a different way of showing this, using fullers earth.

Idea 1

http://imgmf4.starnow.com/20/2444820_4111289.jpg

I first came across this makeup look. I really like that it is very Elizabethan, with the very fair eyebrows, white complexion, fair eyelashes and rosy pink lips. I really like how only two colours have been used in this look because it looks almost simplistic. White has been used for the face, eyebrows and eyelashes, and then a rosy/peachy pink has been used on the inner part of the eye, on the lower lash line, under the cheek bones and on the lips. I also really like how the model's neck and chest are the same colour as the face, instead of the face looking like a white mask, and how the hair has been put in an Elizabethan style as it ties the look together perfectly. If  I were do to this look, I think I would have changed the positioning of the contour so that it makes the cheek bones stand out a bit more and I would make the lips matte. My favourite part of this look would have to be the eyes. All the parts that I would usually make dark (eyebrows, eyelashes, outer crease), have been kept light and the inner corner, that I usually try to highlight, is the darkest part. I think it is clever how these have been reversed to give a modern and high fashion makeup look.

Face chart 1

I created a face chart to represent this makeup look, but using a rosier pink colour, as the Elizabethans' wore rosy blushes and not peachy colours. I would use the white base from Illamasqua as the base all over the face. To make the eyebrows and eyelashes white, I would use a disposable wand and some white super colour to coat them. I think I would prefer this look to blocking them out because I still want to see the texture of the eyebrows. I would then powder the face with a translucent powder to set the makeup and get it a matte finish. I would use a mixture of the two pink colours in the blush palette for the rosy pink colour and use this powder colour for the eyes, cheeks and also lips to give the lips a soft, natural look. 

Idea 2

http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/32/55/49/32554931a783d67977e074f7b43d6ef8.jpg

I then found this image and I really liked how the eyes were accentuated with the black/grey colour through the eyes and up to the temples and I thought the dots were a fun addition. The look has a hint of Elizabethan about it because of the very pale skin and soft eyebrows and eyelashes. I really liked the colouring of 'idea 1' so I want to incorporate both the looks into one, to have the colour of idea 1 and the extended eye colour and spots of this image. My face chart that I created is below.

Face chart 2

I used the same mixture of pink colours, but instead of mixing them together before applying them to the face, I decided to apply the light pink as a base and then add the darker pink where I thought more shadow was needed to give more depth to the face. I was inspired by the second image inspiration so I created the same 'pulled out' eyeshadow look and I added some white dots to add a more playful edge to the look. I thought the face would look too washed out if I only did a light contour, so I decided to put the light pink on the cheeks and use the darker pink as a contour shade. I decided to keep the lips the same an in 'idea 1', but make the colour darker and more concentrated in the centre to give an ombre effect. I also decided to add five white dots along the bottom lip to balance out the dots round the eyes. The face would be very light and I would create this by using Illamasqua's skin base in white and the eyebrows and eyelashes would be white too, using the white super colour. I really like this look, however I wanted to be more experimental and maybe more abstract with my final look.

Idea 3

http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/736x/a7/e6/d5/
a7e6d5884726b8bfcce54d6506f0c91a.jpg

I came across this cracked makeup look and I really liked how it reflected the very cakey and heavy face makeup of the Elizabethan era. I also really like it because it shows the reality of how the makeup looked instead of how Elizabeth I wanted to portray how the makeup looked. When I first looked at the project brief I wanted to create a beautiful, modern look, with flawless skin, however after seeing this image I was inspired to look outside the box and see how far I could take this 'cracking' concept. I created a face chart below to show the look that this image inspired me to come up with.

Face chart 3

The grey cracks represent the cracking clay on the face. I wasn't sure whether or not to actually put clay onto the face or whether to draw cracks onto the face, but I would love to experiment with a new product and texture to expand my knowledge and I also think it would be a lot of fun, so I went with the clay option! I incorporated 'idea 1' with this cracked look and was thinking of putting the rosy pink eyeshadow on top of the clay and I think it would work; however I want to come up with something a bit more individual for my final look. 

How to: Blocking Out Eyebrows

In today's lesson we learned how to block out eyebrows. As we are working on Elizabethan makeup at the moment, we were learning and experimenting with blocking the eyebrows out and then applying white face makeup over the top. We also added a rosy blush on the cheeks and also on the lips to complete the look. 

Equipment:
-Toner
-Soap (unscented for sensitive skin)
-Warm water
-White base
-White super colour
-Powder
-Blush palette
-Disposable wands
-Powder puff
-Cotton bud
-Metal spatular
-Pritt stick
-Foundation brush
-Blush brush

Soap

Step by step:
1. Make sure eyebrows are clean and dry, run over with toner to check.
2. Soak soap in warm water, then rub small angled brush over the soap to create a thick paste on the brush. Get some soap on the back of hand so that you can get the soap quickly and easily.
3. Brush the soap paste against the hairs to get the underneath of the hairs covered.
4. Then brush the soap over the eyebrows in the direction of the hair growth to smooth them down.
5. Push really hard with your finger across the eyebrow to really smooth the hairs flat.
6. Repeat these steps until the eyebrow lies flat to the skin.
7. Remove any excess soap around the eyebrows with water and a cotton bud.
8. Then add whatever colour you want over the top and blend the colour in with the rest of the face.

Pritt Stick

Step by step:
1. Make rue eyebrows are clean and dry, run over the toner to check.
2. Use a metal to scrape out some glue to put it on the back of your hand.
3. Get some glue on the spatular and brush it on the brows in the opposite way to the hair growth.
4. Then smooth the hairs down in the direction of the hair growth to make the brows flat.
5. Press really hard with your finger to make the brow hairs as flat as possible.
6. Repeat layering the glue until the hairs are as flat as you want them.
7. When the glue is still tacky, pat some powder over them to give them more of a skin-like texture.

After completing either of these above stages..
1. Cover the eyebrows in the white base or in the white super colour, with the foundation brush, and then cover the rest of the face in the same white product to blend the eyebrows in.
2. Cover the whole face with powder using a powder puff.
3. Apply a rosy blush to the apples of the cheeks and to the lips, keeping both very blended and not harsh.

Before transformation

After transformation, front view.

After transformation, side view.

I am not happy with my outcome because the eyebrows are not as flat as I wanted them and the eyebrows are still visible. To improve this next time, I would make sure the eyebrow hairs are completely flat before adding any white to them. I will make them flatter by adding more layers and pressing harder to smooth the hairs down. To cover them more, I think I just need to add more white to the eyebrows but make sure I blend out the edges. However, I am happy with the white base application and I am happy with the positioning of the blush, I just need to make sure the blush doesn't look patchy. I am also happy with the lips as they look natural and not too harsh and precise.

Sketching Practice

We learned how to sketch 2D and 3D objects in one of our lessons so that we are able to quickly sketch down makeup and hair designs so that people can visualise them instead of you having to explain them. I was nervous to start drawing because it was never one of my strong points and I knew that others in my class had come from a fine art background and so would fine it a lot easier than me. However I gave it my best shot and am I excited about continuing to improve and develop my stitching skills.

We were first asked to sketch basic lines and 2D shapes.

We then practised sketching 3D shapes and compared the graded degrees of our sketching pencils, to see how soft or hard they were. 

After the lesson we were asked to sketch an object of our choice, so I chose a banana. I was nervous to draw it and found it hard to know where the shadows should go and how to draw them, but I gave it my best shot. I am definitely not completely happy with it and I know I could make some improvements, but I will keep practising to improve!