Book Inspiration

As previously mentioned in my proposal I was initially inspired by the design work of Graham Smith with the layout of the books We Can Be Heroes (Smith, 2011) and The Look: Adventures in Rock and Pop Fashion (Gorman, 2006). What I like most about these books is that no page is the same, however they clearly present a distinctive style and they are very clean, professional quality pages.

Feedback - Week 1

During my first meeting with my major project tutor it became apparent that some aspects of my project are still rather vague and certain details needed fine tuning.

First of all it was decided that I needed to decide on the specific focus/order/structure of my book.

Is it's intention to showcase me or my work? 

Is it to be a film in a book? 

Will there be a section on each character or will the book show the journey of the whole story as it progresses?

These were things that I had not completely considered but I have come to the conclusion that I want the focus of the book to be on my skills regarding character makeup and therefore want the book to be heavily image based and structured as having a section for each character. This means that I can design and plan for one character at a time, giving more detail to each shoot and this will eliminate any problems that could incur when it comes to finding several models to all be available at the same time as each other and my photographer.

My task and the next step is now to research book layouts and what I want from my pages when it comes to the relationship between image and text.

Pintrest

Please find attached (in the sidebar) my Pintrest page used as a digital sketchbook of my initial inspirational imagery for my Final Major Project

Week 1

At the end of the first official week of period 2 and the beginning of our final major project unit I am able to reflect on my progress...

To be perfectly honest I feel I haven't achieved much this week. I have mostly just been trying to get my head around the new unit briefs, my new timetable and the next (and last) few months of this course, and it has definitely been daunting to think about. 

Every time I make a small step forwards with this project it highlights even more things I need to consider.

I still need to find male models and plan exactly how I want my shoots to turn out and how many shoots I am going to produce to make an adequate project. 

However, despite this somewhat negative start to my proceedings, this weekend I did go charity and vintage shopping in Bexhill and Brighton in search (and hope) of suitable props, costumes and accessories for my shoots.

Here's what I found...

A Victorian Silver handled cane

 A Victorian style lace shirt from the 1970's

(Found in a vintage/charity shop in Bexhill)

(Detailing)

Victorian ruffled collar

(Detailing)

Victorian looking cuffs

 Accessories

Bow Tie, Victorian looking Brooch, 2 pairs of Victorian looking earrings, Victorian styled clip on neck pearls

(Found in a vintage shop in Bexhill, managed to haggle a bargain for them all)

And...

The lovely lady in the shop where the accessories were found (Maud's) gave me a pair of authentic Victorian ladies hand gloves for free because they are slightly damaged and very small and she did not have any suitable Black or White gloves for me to buy (Black and White being my main colour scheme)
I doubt I will use them as they do not fit in with my colour scheme, but it was very nice of the owner to give them away for nothing and who knows they may actually come in handy.

Authentic Victorian ladies hand gloves

I also managed to make what could become a useful contact at a vintage store in Brighton (Dirty Harry's), the man who worked there asked about my project and gave me the card for his personal online vintage shop where he said they regularly stock authentic Victorian clothing.

My Project

To explain more clearly...

The focus of this project is to interpret the characters in a narrative through the means of designing the make-up looks and hair designs, also paying consideration to appropriate styling, imagining that the chosen narrative is to be turned into a film. The interpretations of these characters are to be documented in a professionally printed and bound book, showing all stages of character development with research. All imagery will be supported with text extracts from the chosen book, whether that be important quotations that best sum up that particular part of the story or, important quotations from or about specific characters that will be designed.
The intention of this book, showcasing the character design process, is for it to be ready to present to a production company or director with the film rights to the story pitching the designs with the desire to become the head make-up artist for the principle characters.




The narrative...

The narrative chosen to interpret is The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern (2011). Set in 1886, it is the story of a travelling circus that only appears at night, with no advertising and no warning. A fantasy tale of magic and forbidden romance, the story is about two young magicians serving as students under the guidance of two old magicians. They are taught different ideologies about learning magic, one magician believes you are born with magical talent and the other thinks it can be taught to one willing to dedicate their life to study. The young boy and girl are set up to battle against one another to prove that their form of magic is strongest but they end up falling in love.

“The circus arrives without warning. 

No announcements precede it.

It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. 

The black sign, painted in white letters that hangs upon the gates, reads: 

Opens at Nightfall 

Closes at Dawn

As the sun disappears beyond the horizon, all over the tents small lights begin to flicker, as though the entirety of the circus is covered in particularly bright fireflies. 

When the tents are all aglow, sparkling against the night sky, the sign appears. 

Le Cirque des Rêves. 

The Circus of Dreams. 

Now the circus is open. 

Now you may enter.” 

Le Cirque des Rêves

Blogging...

So this is my first blog post