where it starts....DESIGNS!

So from my research, I have started designing and so far this is what I have. For this one I feel this would work well for my catwalk shoot, as although the hair is quite a statement and will be of a large size, the style of make-up I have practiced and with what my model shall be wearing (a black boob tube with a tribal necklace), this look as a whole would move well which is why it would be perfect for the catwalk and not editorial. 

This is from a practical studio session where we were allowed to spend our time practising any of the techniques which we weren't too comfortable with for our final shoots. I practised on my friend, Freya Mayo, and i aimed my session on perfecting contouring as with my final look I want the cheek bones and jaw line to be really defined, to give the final image quite a masculine feel. Whereas with my final shoot, my model is mixed race, but with Freya being white, I still took this opportunity to practise. Using mainly bronzer and a mixer of shades of orange and pink from my shadow palette, I think this was a great success as it made me realise that when doing a shoot, before hand when applying the make-up I must bare in mind that the lighting of the shoot will fade out a lot of the colours and tones. So much remember that to apply more and darker shades, will work out best in the end as I will gain the result that I want.

This is the design which I worked from when practising on Freya. As you can see on the face-chart that there are quite of lot of pinky orange tones, quite peachy as with throughout my research I focused on colour with regards to the make up and the hair. 

These are my initial idea designs, as with my focus being on colour, I wanted to incorporate this throughout the colour. To create this I think my options would either be to use Fullers-Earth which we practised in class or to use super-colour. I think with Fullers-Earth this would be a decent option as applying colour on top, the colour tends to show out quite well once the fullers earth has fully dried, but the downside about it it I think it only looks well if you apply it only to the hair line because with the way I want to style the hair, this wouldn't work well as the fullers earth would restrict me as to what I could to with the hair after applied. Whereas with super-colour, once the hair has been styled, using a think brush I could add the colour easily where I want it to be but it will make the hair quite straw like.

Accessories....

A big part of my look, I want to concentrate on accessories as I think this would be a good focal point for my final look. I think its safe to say, tribal influences will always appear in fashion whether it is in the clothes, makeup or accessories. As I have got my hair and makeup ideas sorted, I wanted to focus my ideas onto the accessories as I think this would bring the overall image together.

This is a collection I found online when researching tribal fashion and accessories, from the  Spring collections 2011. One of the Autumn trends which carried over to Spring was tribal looks. Safari-inspired pieces graced the runways at Michael Kors, Donna Karen and Diane von Furstenberg, as designers played with mixed prints, raw textures and vibrant hues. From head-to-toe animal prints at Michael Kors to warrior-like tribal dresses at Herve Leger, it is clear that tribal is still a main trend in the fashion industry. 

Rhianna has always been seen as a fashion queen, with her quirky bag girl/nineties look with denim cut-offs, oversize bomber jackets and creepers, but one of her most recent single releases 'Where Have You Been', Rhianna has gone all tribal. Wearing croc pasties and lace up trousers, the video styled by Mel Ottenberg, has a dark voodoo and tribal theme that reflects the set it was filmed on. Rhianna quickly moves to a desert style barren set where she kicks off some serious dance moves wearing pink harems and a zebra print swimsuit by Robert Cavalli. I love the way she mixes and collaborates bold tribal prints and colour. 

Rhianna  -  'Where Have You Been' music video: 

From looking around shops and into different current collections online, I have realised that it doesn't need to be a numerous amounts of jewellery to get the tribal theme I have wanting to create. This is a necklace my friend Emma made, she wore them the other night when she came round my house and I asked if I could borrow them as I thought they would be perfect for one of my looks. 

I tried with this necklace to wear it strategically down my chest but so the beads would cover my nipples, as I thought I might try out one of my models wearing it but with no top on underneath. To refer back to some of the tribes I looked into at the beginning where the woman don't wear tops, the walk around bare so I thought this could be a good aspect to focus on. In the next few days I am going to arrange to meet up with one of my models and try it out, or even maybe get them to wear a boob tube underneath and then simply Photoshop the top out after so it comes across as bare skin. 

From doing some further research, I came across this blog which showed the work of Yvonne Nusdorfer...I LOVE HER WORK! The end result images are amazing, I love the colors she has used and the modern, funky twist she has put on the tribal theme. 

These are some of the images I find most inspirational: 

http://kazmirkulture.com/ 

This is a blog I came across which I found inspirational as it got me thinking about how to set my model, the position in which I want her to sit in and how she should carry herself. As this can make or break a shoot as you can direct the attention to a focal point which is something I need to consider, for example including a hand or not, whether I chose my model to be wearing rings/bracelets or not. As one of my models, Rhiannon Cleghorn is mixed race, half Jamaican and half Irish, I think using strong, bold tones on her skin will work well. 

I think with my catwalk look especially, the accessories will be an essential aspect to my final image but I feel that this must be kept to a minimum. I feel to keep it simple but effective, I shall stick to a pair of earrings and that is it. Due to the fact that in fashion, a runway or catwalk is used by models to demonstrate clothing and accessories during a fashion show, with keeping the accessories to a minimum this will keep the focus on the makeup and it won’t draw the attention away from the detail. By keeping it with just earrings as well, this means that my model will be able to walk comfortably down the runway with no worries that the final product will change as she walks down. I find this is good practise to think of ‘THE BIGGER PICTURE’, when I shall be working on bigger and more important shoots in the future. As this is a still shoot and my model shall be sat down in a studio, I have to think visually as if she will actually be walking.

Wiggin' it out.....

Monday 12th November 2012, the inspirational wig maker and hair artist, Seema Chorpa came into uni and did a guest lecture on what she has achieve and how she got there throughout the years.

http://seemachopra.com/

This is a small collection of some of Seema's work which she presented to us during our lecture, then after we were split into 2 groups for a tutorial workshop. During this, we were paired up and told to try and create one of our hair designs for our project and finally, for our shoots. My partner Emma used me as a model from this, I learnt how to attach hair pieces securely and safely for the comfort of the model and how to create different shapes/textures/designs from a range of techniques. Once the base was complete, Emma then experimented with plaits and crepe colored hair to see how adding color would look.

I found this workshop very helpful as although I was doing the practical work myself, I learnt from simply observing. It gave me fresh ideas and confidence to try and create a unique look for my final shoot which I can incorporate these techniques in which I have learnt. 

Make-Up Talk.....

When I think of tribal make-up, I think of the traditional war-paint like marks across the cheeks and down the nose/forward which normally represents which tribe you are from or what you stand for, similar to scarification. But as I am trying to create 2 different  signature looks I aim to try and push the boundaries or maybe use similar techniques but in reverse to achieve this.

I found this image on a pinterest page and alhtough im not sure whether it is meant to be under the name of 'tribal', I was drawn to this due to the fact I thought about the similar lines and directions which tribal makeup usually is, but in reverse. This is something that I think I will experiment with on myself to try and create a similar effect. As the project is to create 2 looks, 1 for catwalk and 1 for editorial, if I am to continue on with this look I think this would look best for my catwalk look.

As well as reverse marks, I found this image on 'Instagram' and the main thing I love about it is the simplicity of the makeup, although the image as a whole seems allot more complicating and a lot more going on due to the heavily tattooed male model who's arms are around the girl. But when you take the male model away and look more in depth at the girl model, the look is so simply yet so effective, I LOVE it !! With something like this, this is a prime example of taking the whole look into consideration as the classicality is key with a look like this. I feel this would be a good look to push forward and would work very well for my catwalk shoot as the hair would be key for this look.

From researching different makeup artists Facebook pages and the Internet, something which I have picked up on and which I think works well is decorative patterns and relevant designs onto the face instead of the standard make-up look. I think I shall do a few face charts and designs to create a few looks which include the different patterns together to create something more unique and that'll stand out.

This image I found on Google which is interesting as the collaboration of different designs and techniques results in a fascinating end result including different types of media. Tribal tattoo designs which is something that I have researching into is something that I would like to expand upon. The symmetry is a factor which I think would work well, from this I shall start designing.

One thing I think will work well together for my shoot is the combination of using dark shades to contour the face and emphasize the cheek bones. From the tribes which I have looked into, many of the woman are quite masculine, with prominent jawlines and cheekbones and also walking around with no tops on, like many of the men in tribes. This got me thinking about how I could incorporate the two genders but to focus it onto my female models. To achieve this I think I shall practice my skills by contouring the face and keeping this as the key aspect of my look. To emphasize this I think I shall stick to one feature of the face and make this the focus point of the overall final image.

From researching different tribes and scenes also, I have picked up the fact that spots are included quite often. Probably means different things to different tribes and colours and what not, but I think they create interesting patterns and could do all sorts with this concept.

In class during one of our practical seminars, we looked into how to create the same/similar effect of scarification. Considering how brutal the original process is, our imitation was quite simple. A combination of liquid latex, beans, rice and peas ended in an interesting result, which we then painted on top of. Something I thought was different in a good way was after we completed the task, when I started removing the beans and peas of my models arm...........the effect in which it left I thought was brilliant!!! It reminded me of crocodiles skin which refers back to scarification. Instead of keeping the peas on, I think for my final shoot if I am to use this technique I shall remove the peas and keep that as the end result. 

Once we learnt the basics of applying, we then experimented with colour to see what different effects would come out from applying colour in different ways. I worked with a girl called Freya in my group and she used my arm to practise on. Once applied, she used different shades from her Super Colour palette and then after added glitter to see how the end effect would work out.

Contouring will be key with my catwalk look as well, so from a distance, to imagine the position of where the photographers will be, although my shoot will be in a studio, I have to think practically and imagine my model to be walking down a catwalk so my end result must be able to move fluently with no hesitations. 

This is a picture from my practice shoot of one of my initial ideas for my catwalk look. I concentrated on the contouring to see how the skin and bone structure would come out under the light. As well as taking images on my phone throughout the process, I took my model into the studio and took some pictures under the proper lights to see how the colors would come out. I realized that to achieve the look i wish to at the end, I must apply not only more of the products, but include some darker shades and tones as when my model was sat in front of the professional lighting, the flash of the camera took out the majority of the colors.