Practising my Partners Design - First Attempt

A few days ago my partner and I got together to discuss her New Elizabethan make up design and for me to have a practice at it.

Becky's Face Chart

Upon initial inspection of Becky's face chart I noticed that its a fairly artistic representation of the Elizabethan era. It involves the application of a mixture of water and flour to the face to create a sort of mask. This mask then dries and make up is applied over the top to represent the damage elizabethan cosmetics would have done to the wearers face.

Here's the look I created on the day.

Im really pleased with the outcome considering it was my first attempt using materials Id never used before. There are a few things I need to work on though.

1. I need to apply less flour mixture to the cheeks as in this attempt it didn't dry in time and didn't produce the cracked effect Becky was aiming for.

2. I need to blend the flour mixture in to the hair line more to make the application look more finished and flawless, and thus do the same with the products used on top.

3. My contouring needs a bit of work, on one side I've taken it further down the cheek and also the placement is a little bit off. Next time i need to remember to build up the application gradually and also to feel the cheek to help my placement 

Becky also decided that another layer of white skin base over the top would be needed to intensify the white as at the moment it looks a bit too pink. 

In this post I haven't gone in to great detail about the process used to complete the look as on this occasion Becky just wanted to get comfortable with using the products and the overall look she was aiming for.

My Contemporary Sitter & New Elizabethan

Sitter
Ive decided that the purpose of my contemporary Elizabethan look will be a design featured in a high fashion magazine editorial article based on the interpretation of icons throughout history. 

Ive decided that the sitter for my contemporary look will be Barbara Palvin.

Barbara Palvin for L'Oreal Paris
http://www.hdwallpapers.in/barbara_palvin_for_loreal_paris-wallpapers.html

The reason Ive chosen Barbara is because I feel she fits the bill as a contemporary Mary Stuart. Her complexion is beautifully pale and her hair is a beautiful shade of chestnut brown, altogether she has a very renaissance look about her. I feel her appearance would lend itself greatly to my high fashion design.

My New ElizabethanI have been tasked to nominate a modern individual who represents a new elizabethan. The aim of this I think is to solidify my understanding of the elizabethan era and individuals within it. 
I have chosen Prince Harry.

Prince Harry of Wales
http://tinyurl.com/lcme3r3

The reason I've nominated prince Harry as my new elizabethan is because i think he draws a few similarities with my researched elizabethan Mary Queen of Scots. First of all, they are both members of british regency. Like Mary Prince Harry has a claim to the throne, but as second born son this is overshadowed by his older brother prince William who has a direct line to the throne and would be the rightful ruler after his father, Prince Charles. Similarly, Mary had a claim to the throne but this was overshadowed by Elizabeth's stronger claim through her blood relation to King Henry VII. 

Although I doubt William's tried to murder his brother and nephew. 

Colour Theory

'Colour theory' is a guidance to colour mixing and the visual effects of colour combinations. The way we perceive colours has not always been entirely clear and theories date back to as early as Leonardo Da Vinci c.1490. 

Colour can attributed to moods, attract an audience and make statements. As a make up artist and designer I feel its essential to have a good understanding of colour and the effects combinations of colour can have.

The 'Colour Wheel' is a diagram that demonstrates the relationship between colours, this visual demonstration is most often associated with Sir Isaac Newton. The wheel is designed to show how show how colours relate to each other. Below is an example of a common colour wheel.

RYB Colour Wheel
http://www.tigercolor.com/color-lab/color-theory/color-theory-intro.htm

In this traditional colour wheel the Primary colours are red, yellow and blue. 

Primary Colours are a group of colours which when mixed create all other colours. The Three Secondary colours in this model are green, orange and purple which are created by mixing two primary colours together. The remaining six colours are Tertiary which means they have been created by mixing primary and secondary colours together. 

Colours that lay opposite each other other on the colour wheel are considered to be Complementary Colours, these tones are contrasting and often create a sense of vibrancy. For example red and green.

Complementary Combination
http://www.tigercolor.com/color-lab/color-theory/color-theory-intro.htm

Analogous Colours are found next to each other on the colour wheel. These colour combinations are often similar and create a sense of harmony. 
Tigercolor.com suggests that when using an Analogous colour scheme one should choose one tone to dominate, another to support and the third to accent. 

An Analogous Combination
http://www.tigercolor.com/color-lab/color-theory/color-theory-intro.htm

An Achromatic Colour Scheme is one that is void of colour and uses black, white and grey.

A Monochromatic Colour scheme is that focuses on the use of a single colour. It is achieved by by using one colour and making use of that colours various tints, hues, tones and shades.

A Monochromatic Combination - Purple
https://cs.nyu.edu/courses/fall02/V22.0380-001/color_theory.htm

Having looked at colour theory and the various relationship between colours on a colour wheel, I have experimented using face charts to try and harness these concepts. 

My Monochromatic look

For this look I've focused on the colour blue and tried to execute difference tones and saturations in order to create an intiguring look. Overall I think its a visually pleasing look, the addition of the darker and more saturated tone of blue on the lips completes the look and without it the whole design would loose impact. 

My Analogous look

For this look I've tried to create an analogous colour scheme of Pinks and Purples. Unfortunately upon reflection I don't think Ive varied the tones enough and it looks more like a monochromatic scheme than analogous. Unfortunately the tones of pink and purple I've used are quite similar and perhaps I should tried to introduce a more blue-tones purple or a more red-toned pink in order to accomplish this look.

Practical - Historical & Contemporary Elizabethan Make up

Awaiting practical catch up on Tuesday.

Developing & Experimenting with my design

Developing my idea - Kyrolan Lip Palette used

In this picture I've captured my trial application of one of my design ideas. Unfortunately I haven't blocked the eyebrows out as in my design as I couldn't get my hands on any soap or glue stick. Here Ive applied subtle shadowing around the socket of my eye as seen in my original design however I felt it was a bit too subtle and could be made more prominent. Although this was in the evening under domestic lighting which needs to be taken in to consideration, this could look differently under studio lighting.

Close up - Kryolan lip palette used

I also feel my mixture of lip colours has turned out a little too coral toned i feel this tone isn't particularly relevant to the Elizbethan era and in portraits I've studied of Mary and others the cheek and lip colour is natural hues of rosy pink. 

In this image you can see I have experimented with a different medium and choice of colour. I decided to dust a pink toned powder on to the lips and i think the result is very soft and natural looking and i feel the colour is appropriate however I feel the coverage of Kryolan lip colour is better and provide a more contemporary and striking look than the powder method. 
In this little experiment I've also added to the grey shadowing around the eye and m pleased with the result, it confirms my ideas that in the first attempt i was too light handed. 

Taking my design forward...
- I will feature a more natural tone of rosy pink more similar to that seen in portraits of Mary Stuart using matte lip colour
- I will make the contour shadowing around the eyes more prominent and perhaps depen the contour in the cheeks accordingly 

Design Idea 3

Design Idea 3
Various materials on paper

My final design idea is also based on my research in to Mary Queen of Scots and also what I have learnt of her execution. The thing you'll notice most about this design is the slashes of red supra colour across the neck. These are supposed to be representative of Mary's gruesome death as well as to represent her martyrdom. 

Ive also tried to emulate Marys extremely porcelain toned complexion as well a subtle hint of both natural hued lip and cheek colour which is always down played in portraits of Mary. 

As in many portraits of Mary inkling my favourite below, she is often seen in deep shades of black and rarely any coloured robes. I have referenced her choice of dress in this deign through the use of dark grey tones on the eyelids, which is a fairly contemporary addition. However I don't think I've featured this strongly enough and it looks a little too subtle and would reference her dress greater is the pigment was stronger. 

Design Idea 2

Design Idea 2
Various materials on paper

For this design I have fouled mostly on my research of Mary Queen of Scots and my favourite portrait of her during her brief reign on the Scottish throne.

Mary Queen of Scots c.1565 by unknown artist
http://www.marileecody.com/maryqosimages.html

In this design I've referenced traditional Elizabethan make up application including the blocking of eyebrows to accentuate the forehead and a extremely overly pale complexion. I have tried to emulate Mary's radiant complexion through the addition of some highlight using the Illamasqua skin base in white. I have also tried to take inspiration from the shadowing around Mary's eyes which is extremely prominent in this this portrait among others I've looked at. I have also featured a natural looking pink toned lip as seen in this portrait of Mary, as well as some subtle blush on the cheeks.  Unlike traditional Elizabethan styles i have included the use of black mascara which i intend to modernise the design nd bring out the eyes. 

If I were to take this design forward for my assessment I think I would try and add some further intrigue as currently I think its a bit safe.