Inspiration

I like the idea of adding accessories to my make up look to add an extra level of interest and dimension to the design. As previous inspiration shows, I like the idea of the adding a detail into the eyebrows as they were such an important part in Elizabethan beauty. I like the idea of adding pearls to the brows as they were also very important within Elizabethan portraiture and as symbol of wealth and status. I discovered that pearls were used within the brows in the Chanel Autumn/Winter Ready To Wear 2012/2013 show. The eyebrows consisted of sequins, pearls, mineral stones and crystals. These looks will act as inspiration to me. I also like the idea of creating perfectly circular blusher on the cheek. I was however unsure as how to make it circular as well as contemporary and interesting. I then thought about the work of Lisa Eldridge where she used paper make up on a Harvey Nichols Advertising campaign. I thought that this would be a good way of creating a perfectly circular blusher look and acted as my main inspiration. I also want to incorporate pink into my design as it was a very popular colour in representing youth during the Elizabethan era. I want to incorporate it somewhere in the form of contouring just to add some dimension back into the face. I found the pink look below which was created by Alex Box for Illamasqua which I thought was very beautiful and inspiring.


Sources: http://www.makeup4all.com/get-the-look-chanel-autumnwinter-ready-to-wear-2012-2013/
http://www.lisaeldridge.com/blog/25266/harvey-nichols-paper-make-up/#.VGss67RJA20

Paper Make Up
 http://www.lisaeldridge.com/blog/25266/harvey-nichols-paper-make-up/#.VGss67RJA20

Pearl Eyebrows
http://www.makeup4all.com/get-the-look-chanel-autumnwinter-ready-to-wear-2012-2013/

Pink Make Up By Alex Box
 http://bonniechengdesign.com/blog/illamasqua-alex-box/

Inspiration

I have been researching different contemporary make up looks that I think resemble Elizabethan make up styles. These images have acted as inspiration when creating and designing my make up looks.

http://lesbeehive.com/2014/09/17/photographer-tim-walker-2/

http://poppysalt.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/contemporary-elizabethan-make-up_26.html

http://visionanddesign.wordpress.com/2012/12/01/a-day-at-somerset-house/tim-walker-helena-bonham-carter/

Inspiration

When researching contemporary Elizabethan make up I found this image.  I think that the plaited eyebrows are very clever and inspiring. I think the look combines many different traditions and fashions but draws them together in a clever and new way. I will bear this in mind when creating my designs.

Contemporary Elizabethan Make Up
http://ashleighsmakeupblog.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/contemporary-elizabethan-images.html

Contemporary Elizabethan Make Up

During a practical lesson we were creating and learning how to produce a contemporary Elizabethan look and were given previously created images of make up that resembled the Elizabethan style. We could either try to copy one of the looks or draw inspiration from it. The looks below are the make up that I produced. I decided to do an ombre face where the centre, like the Elizabethan style, was pale, and the outer edges of the face were more skin toned. I also blocked out the eyebrows to give them a traditional as well as contemporary feel. I used an orange eyeshadow to add some depth and interest to the eye lid. I also applied a pink blusher to the cheek because it is traditional, but I placed it at the back of the cheek rather than on the very apple, just to give the look a more contemporary feel. I decided to go for a dark lip as it is unusual for Elizabethan make up and is a trend that is very contemporary.

Angelina Jolie Is The New Elizabethan

To me Angelina Jolie is strong, successful, passionate, brave and beautiful and I find her very inspirational. I can see many of these attributes reflected within the Elizabethans, especially Queen Elizabeth I.

In some of her images Angelina physically reminds me of the looks that were fashionable and deemed beautiful in Elizabethan society. She has fair skin and has previously had red hair, which in Elizabethan society was seen to be beautiful as it represented youth. She often wears a red lip, which after studying many Elizabethan portraits was also popular and, like the hair colour, represented youth and wealth.

Angelina has worked on numerous charitable campaigns which has seen her risk her own life and has helped to draw attention to problems within society and countries that may have once been over looked. She has selflessly adopted 3 children, one of which was after a trip with the UN to Cambodia. Like Queen Elizabeth I who was dedicated to her country, it appears Angelina is dedicated to numerous countries and organisations which to me draws parallel between them both. Queen Elizabeth I was also known to be a strong women. In 2013 it was revealed that Angelina Jolie had undergone a double mastectomy as a preventative measure against breast cancer, to me this was a strong and admirable decision. She then went on to write an article in the New York Times about her decision in the hope that it would help other women if they ever found themselves in the same position. To me this selflessness strength and passion makes Angelina Jolie the New Elizabethan.

Sources: http://www.marieclaire.co.uk/blogs/suzannah-ramsdale/543046/angelina-jolie-how-she-s-become-an-inspiration.html
http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20140693,00.html

Angelina Jolie
http://www.helpmystyle.ie/how-to-red-carpet-worthy-red-lips

Traditional Elizabethan Make Up Practise

In this weeks practical lesson we learnt how to block out eyebrows and create an Elizabethan make up look. This was a good lesson as it taught basic but important and useful skills. I am pleased with how the results turned out as it was my first attempt at this technique. I am however not pleased with the shape of the blusher as it is not circular enough and one side is darker than the other.

Methods:

Blocking out eyebrows with soap

·       Run toner through the eyebrows

·       Create a cream from the soap using an angled brush

·       Brush against the hairs of the brow

·       Keep pressing the brown down with your finger

·       Keep area around it clean using a baby bud and water

·       Smooth down the brow

·       Get rid of any ridges

·       Keep repeating the process until the brow is smooth to the touch

Blocking out eyebrows with glue

·       Put some glue onto the back of a clean hand by using a spatula

·       Apply the glue under the hairs and on top of them with the spatula

·       Build up the layers

·       Smooth down

·       Can use the spatula to take of excess glue

·       Can use water and a baby bud to clean area around the brow

·       Sometime glue can be shiny so apply powder on top at the end

·       If you want the skin to be a natural shade mix up a peachy red colour and apply to brow, this will block out the dark colour of the brow

·       Powder the area after you have done the rest of the face

·       If you want a white face apply white straight on to the smooth brow

Traditional Elizabethan Make Up

The Taming Of The Shrew Character Analysis

In this week's seminar we watched a BBC remake of 'The Taming of the Shrew' which was first broadcast in 2005. I thought that this was a really clever remake as I found it still enjoyable in the contemporary society but could appreciate and understand the original subtleties. I thought that the character within the drama that reflected Elizabethan society the most was Bianca Minola, played by Jaime Murray, who was the younger sister of main character Katherine Minola played by Shirley Henderson. I believe she reflected society most because she was the epitome of renaissance beauty with fair skin and an upturned nose. She also looked wealthy by the way she dressed, for example fur, which in Elizabethan society was a strong representation of wealth. In royalty white Ermine was the main fur used as it was a rare animal, which only stayed white for a short period of time during the winter months. Her apartment also reflected Elizabethan society as it contained many of her own portraits on the walls. This is similar to Queen Elizabeth I who had many of her portraits commissioned and like Bianca controlled her self image and how it was presented to the public. In the Elizabethan society miniature images of the Queen were available for members of the public which meant they were able to have a piece of her.  In the apartment of Harry Kavanagh, Bianca's ex lover, there is a small portrait of her which I thought acted as the miniature portraits, which reinforced my opinion that she portrayed a true reflection of the society. The other character that I  believe represented Elizabethan society well was Bianca's mother, Mrs Minola, played by Twiggy Nelson. She wore many items, which like Bianca reflected wealth in Elizabethan times. Jewels were the main accessory which were incorporated in large necklaces and rings. She also wore many pearls, which were one of the most popular items for the Elizabethans as they represented wealth and purity as well as fertility. As the drama went on Elizabethan representation got stronger from Mrs Minola as she started wearing more expensive looking clothing in the forms of velvets and a heavily patterned shirt. She also wore deep red shoes, which in Elizabethan society would have reflected wealth.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/drama/shakespeare/tamingoftheshrew/

http://www.shakespearefilms.com/the-taming-of-the-shrew-shakespeare-retold/

Kevyn Aucoin

Kevyn Aucoin was one of the most influential and famous make up artists. He worked with some very well known women such as Julia Roberts and Janet Jackson. He was originally from Louisiana but decided to move to New York where he began his incredible career. He worked for Revlon as the creative director. He also launched his own make up brand in 2001 which allowed him to take the glamour he created on models and celebrities alike and make it accessible to the general public. He has also written books, such as 'Making Faces', that became a NewYork Times bestseller. Sadly he died in 2002 but even now still remains one of the most influential make up artists of his time.

Sources: http://kevynaucoin.com/the-brand
http://www.themakeupgallery.info/various/photo/lookalike/kastars.htm

Kevyn Aucoin Pictured With Janet Jackson
http://kevynaucoin.com/the-brand

Val Garland

Val Garland is one of the most influential and successful make up artists working today. She has worked with the world's largest brands such as MAC as well as the world's largest fashion houses and most famous models. She has created some of the most iconic and talked about looks, for example on a Vivienne Westwood show she covered models' faces in clear lipgloss and made them dip them in a box full of glitter, as mentioned on allure.com.

Sources: http://www.allure.com/beauty-trends/blogs/daily-beauty-reporter/2013/04/5-reasons-we-love-val-garland-makeup-artist.html

Val Garland
http://www.elle.com/news/beauty-makeup/get-glam-val-garland-ysl-3493

Drawing

Learning basic drawing skills is an important part of being a designer and creator. Michelangelo and Da Vinci are some of the old masters of drawing and, after studying their work, the detail and depth that they create from shading and shaping is incredible, and highlights to me that unfortunately I have a long way to go!  They are also extremely talented in other mediums of art such as painting and sculpture, with Michelangelo creating one of the most famous paintings in the world which is located on the roof in the Sistine chapel.

During the lesson we were working on basic shaping and shading and learning basic skills like how to hold the pencil. Despite studying A Level Art, I learnt from this lesson that I am still lacking in some of the basic skills and from this exercise it is clear that I need to continue to practise. 

Basic Pencil Testing

Shading cubes

Shading triangles

Basic Freehand Circles

Seven Photographs That Changed Fashion

'Seven Photographs That Changed Fashion' is a documentary presented by the highly acclaimed British photographer Rankin. During the documentary he attempts to recreate seven of the world's most famous fashion images by using original techniques as well as new modern cameras and technology. He recreated images originally taken by some of the most influential and talented photographers, such as Richard Avedon and David Bailey. This was one of the most interesting documentaries that I have watched, I found the use of the original cameras fascinating and enjoyed viewing the type of image that they created. I also found it fascinating to learn about how older techniques differ to more modern ones. In some of the photographs I think the original looks created were more beautiful, therefore showing that modern technology does not always produce the best results. My favourite photograph that Rankin recreated was the Richard Avedon 'Dovima With Elephants' image. I think that this is a truly beautiful photograph by the way it contrasts the elegance and delicacy of the model, originally Dovima and Rankin's model Erin O'Connor, with the large and rugged, rough elephants. I like the original more than the recreation as I feel that the model in the Avedon image looks more empowered, strong and at ease against the elephants even though she looks more petite than O'Conner.

The Seven Photographs and Photographers

David Bailey

David Bailey, Left, Rankin, Right

http://uk.phaidon.com/agenda/photography/picture-galleries/2010/april/13/david-bailey-look/

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/4161221/Rankin-Seven-Photographs-that-Changed-Fashion.html?image=3

Richard Avedon

'Dovima With Elephants' Richard Avedon, Left, Rankin, Right

 http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/4161221/Rankin-Seven-Photographs-that-Changed-Fashion.html?image=2

http://iconicphotos.wordpress.com/2009/05/16/dovima-with-the-elephants/

Cecil Beaton

Rankin, Left, Cecil Beaton, Right
http://thebeatonconnection.blogspot.co.uk/2014/01/the-strictly-connection.html

Helmut Newton

Helmut Newton, Left, Rankin, Right
http://ashleigh-chapman.blogspot.co.uk/2010/03/rankin-seven-photographs-that-changed.html

Erwin Blumenfeld

Erwin Blumenfeld, Left, Rankin, Right
http://joannatayloruk.wordpress.com/2014/06/30/erwin-blumenfeld-doe-eye/

Herb Ritts

Herb Ritts, Left, Rankin, Right
http://ashleigh-chapman.blogspot.co.uk/2010/03/rankin-seven-photographs-that-changed.html

Guy Bourdin

Guy Bourdin Top, Rankin, Bottom
http://aaaalexwalker.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/seven-photographs-that-changed-fashion.html

Complimentary Face Chart

Complimentary colours on the colour wheel are those that go well together and are usually situated opposite each other. I chose to do a smokey green eye and a dark red lip. I thought this look was very appropriate for this up coming season.