Queen

This is the discipline that combines everything I know and love: theatre, costume, shape, colour, photography, design, model making, illustration, character.

It's thinking on paper and making with my hands.

It's creating something tactile and real for other people to see and believe it too.

It's creature design & fabrication.

This task gave me such a free reign of media and process, so I wanted to do what I've been so enamored with for years. I wanted to become part of the fantasy world I encapsulate myself within and I tried to use some of the techniques I've seen on Face Off and Jim Henson's Creature Shop.

This task was a lot of work and I didn't do half of the things I would have liked to... I want to learn more about animatronics and have a go at making the mechanical elements of motion, I'd also love to work with latex and foam to make molds and casts. Although I didn't do everything I would have liked to, I still achieved a lot in this week and did it all from home. I put in so many more hours than I have for any previous visual language task and that's because I had so much fun doing it.

I wasn't recreating things and doing second photoshoots because I felt I had to 'experiment', but because I wanted to see if I could do it better. I was interested as to how I could improve this costume even more.

The reaction from my peers really made the task worthwhile. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but I was hoping that my peers would be able to read the theme of magic that I intended.

There was no time for comments, but I'm quite glad that people only got to see a fleeting image of this. It made it even more curious and fascinating because they didn't have the chance to ask questions or break the spell.

The reaction was an exhale of breath. No 'WICKEDD!' or 'COOL!', but a unified gasp. It didn't make them laugh and they weren't left with any questions, but it made most of the room 'oooh'.

Or so I like to think. Maybe it was just everyone yawning at the same time.

It made me feel really satisfied with the end product and I think my costume was successful in conforming to the fantasy genre.

I really liked Molly's worms! She used Plasticine and molded weird little wriggly worms. They were so realistic and I can't get the image of them out of my head.

Amazing how much difference the quality of a photo makes. Try and consider composition and lighting because it can change the entire read of the image.

Second Photoshoot

Although I was really happy with the photos I took on Friday,

 I didn't feel that they were as good as they could be!

I've enjoyed this task so much and I want to make sure that my end result captures the huge amount of fun and experimentation I've had this week.

TAKING IT SERIOUSLY AND CONSIDERING EVERY ELEMENT OF THE COSTUME.

My sister did my face make-up and I taped my ears into points. I want these to be on show in this picture, not hidden away behind my hair. Show off what you've done!

I bought some new superstitch clear string to hang the fairies with and it is incredibly invisible! Not bad for 85p but not as strong as fishing wire, so hoping it's not as windy today.

My boyfriend James came with me to Quarry Moor Park to take photos. He is a genius and took some wonderful snaps. Cheers, lad.

Much easier to have an assistant and not take the photos on self timer in my garden. Be professional and make the most out of the people you know! Use them to your advantage and give them cookies. COLLABORATE.

FACE OFF

Face Off is an original series from Syfy, a talent competition for make-up artists and creature designers to compose special effects transformations for movies.

Watching the show and being completely engrossed by the work produced, I wanted to take a step back from the American, fast-paced competitive nature and take a moment to really appreciate the products of these creatives.

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The judges often use the word 'silhouette' when talking about the shape of the costume and make-up. When cast in shadow, the make-up and costume can help to create a very strong outline.

The competitors are challenged to consider and alter human anatomy. Working with a human model, the contestants attempt to add, disguise or accentuate features in order to change the personality and movement of the model.

I find the most successful make-ups to be the ones that allow the actor to still emote but that change the nature of the human underneath. Several attempts end up interfering with the actor's face, making a static expression that cannot change with the model's. 

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I find it especially exciting when the contestants do something completely unique with the make-up, creating a hybrid or cosmic creature that is unlike anything else.

I'd love to work on this kind of scale. The prosthetics applied to the face are sculpted first using clay before being molded and cast. 

The hair is 'laid' onto the face and body, creating realistic fur.

I'm not particularly enamored by the body painters or bloody, gory special effects - just down to personal taste! I'm most attracted to the fantasy creations and theatrical transformations. I enjoy the beautiful, the weird and the inventive.

Fae Folk

3D Crafting - Super Powers

Queen of the Realm

I love love love love LOVE costume and special effects.
NEVER MIND SHAPE AND TEXTURE, this is the real stuff! Actual physical shapes and textures and materials. THREE DIMENSIONS! WOO!
I'm a big fan of puppetry and theatrical costume, so this task made me weep tears of joy.

I WANT TO MAKE MAGIC.

Plan
Queen of the Realm - me, dressed up as a fairy Queen summoning my woodland fairy folk. I will be wearing a fairy costume complete with a crafted pair of transparent wings and a crown. Maybe a staff.
At least three fairies (pixie dolls I make ALL THE TIME) with wings, hanging from trees with fishing wire.
Location - woodland (if it stops raining).

Costume & Props

Making the crown/tiara. Just playing with wire and bits of sparkly jewelry I have in my bitsnbobs tin.

Not sure whether to go with the oriental low hanging jewels or the more regal standing spires?

Going with upright spires for now, it's more QUEEN-like. The florists wires I have been using are quite sharp and it huts to wear the crown. As this is just for me, that's okay, but if I was making it for someone else or if I was using a model to wear it I would need to make sure that it was comfortable!

Is this concept too generic? Is it too easy? I've been watching 'FACE OFF' (I'll upload a blog post about this later) and they make prosthetics and amazing animatronics! It would be so cool to completely transform myself using silicone molds. Too late now and I am enjoying this way too much, just keep going kiddo.

THIS PROJECT DON'T HAVE TO END HERE. Pick it back up later and keep pursuing your interests dude. You want to have a go? HAVE A GO, LAD!

I really struggled to find the PERFECT fairy outfit. I was rummaging through charity shops in search of a really specific dress: must be floaty, must be plain (ish), must be a light colour (preferably cream).

I was about to give up and just wear a black dress when I found THE ONE! 99p in a charity shop in Harrogate, the above left photograph is my pride and joy. 99PENCE!!!! Too big for me and needs adjusting but proper happy with that, exactly what I was looking for.

Above, right is my ear folded with tape to look like an elf ear. I watched a YouTube tutorial of some other loser making themself into an elf (I'M NOT THE ONLY ONE).

Not totally convincing because the tape is glossy so doesn't look like skin, but can cover it with concealer? The tape doesn't take make up too well and goddamit I caught so much hair in the process, THERE HAS TO BE A LESS PAINFUL WAY.

Wondering if a different kind of cellotape would work? 'Ow about masking tape?

No, too bulky.

SCOTCH MAGIC TAPE! YAS! Matte finish, 'invisible' and less sticky-ouchy.

Wings

First attempt at fabricating the wings. Ma lil' bro modelling them like a trooper.

I really wanted to use clear cellophane and try melting it to get a liquidy, fluid look. Also tried some embossing glitter, but with a very basic wire frame, the cellophane didn't really look too exciting. Just looks like one single feather. Needs more detail in the under-wire structure.

Tried to reuse these wings and cut them up before re-glueing them as smaller feathers.

TOO ANGELIC, I WANT FAIRY!

Change of design - going INSECT. Studied some anatomical butterfly diagrams and followed the structure in fabricating my own. Used a thin wire to build the frame, then hot glued it down to cellophane.

WE RAN OUT OF CLEAR! I used some yellow stuff from the cupboard (a little garish but really bold and bright. Maybe just use these as a test if it looks too awful before buying some more clear stuff. 

They came out alright! They aren't totally symmetrical but I figured that in the photo you won't be able to tell so much. Struggling to get them to stand on my back without support, should have used a sturdier wire. I love how the light shines through but need to see how they go with the outfit too. Always have the option to paint over them to give more detail too.

Strapped them to stand just right on my back. Happy with them now, way better than those horrible angel wings. They read really well on camera too! No need for glitter, the cellophane and hot glue looks wet, shiny and sticky. Mmm. Just right.

Fairy Dolls

Okay so I make these lil' things all the time. I use a polystyrene ball, paper mache features and then add hair and clothes.

Since I've been making these for like half a year now, I'm really familiar with the process and can do the sculpting with my eyes closed. They are so simple yet really catch the eye, so thought they would just be the perfect thing to add to this task. It doesn't feel like a challenge to me because I make them every day, hence why I decided to make myself a costume too and just use these dolls as 'props'.

Used some funky coloured wool for the hair, added some wings (I don't normally put wings on but they look so much better with these ones! Mini versions of my cellophane ones. I'm going to make them more often).

Just a little concerned about how they will turn out on camera in proportion to me - will you be able to see them at all? Will the detail pick up? 

ALSO, THE COLOURS! AGH! I now have bright yellow wings, will that clash with the pink hair??