Project Evaluation: Claudia and Quentin

For the second part of this term, when we were given Claudia and Quentin, and we were told to chose a TV series that these two characters could be in, at first I was looking forward to it as I have never had to think about creating characters to go into an already existing show. We also had to come up with a backstory for both of these characters too, I found this the hardest as I had so many ideas going through my head that I didn’t know what I actually wanted to do for both of my characters, apart from that I wanted to use the TV series, the Vampire Diaries.

At first I found it difficult to come up with ideas for make up for a male vampire, without having blood on it, therefore I chose my Quentin to have blood on the design instead of having Claudia as well ,because of my first design for Claudia was for her to have a small drip of blood coming from the corner of her mouth, but I thought that if I had put both characters with blood coming from their mouths would not look right, but the designs that I have come up with I am happy with. The only problem I had when creating the look was that, my model’s eczema  had flared up a couple of days before shooting, which did make it a bit hard when applying foundation to the skin especially when close to the eye,I also had to apply a small amount of eyeshadow, although I took my time when applying make up to this area, it was slightly hard as my model’s eyes would water a fair bit, which meant I then had to go back with foundation and then eyeshadow and it was a bit of an endless cycle. Where as my Claudia photo shoot went really well and I didn’t have any other problems apart from coming up with the designs.

Quentin: Photoshoot

Quentin: Hair Designs

For this design I was going to leave my models hair natural as it is naturally wavy, and just add in a small amount of wax just to keep it under control. Although this idea is quick and easy I don't feel like this idea will go with the make up look I wanted to use.

Although this design is similar to the first one, which it is as I am still going to keep my models hair natural and use wax to keep it under control but I will push it back to make my Quentin look like a bad boy, I also think that this hairstyle will go well with the make up look that I have chosen.

Quentin: Final Face Chart

 This is my last face design for Quentin, and this is the one that I want to use for my final look. I still kept the idea of having red eyes like he has never seen sunlight, and I kept it quite minimal as in my first idea I thought that it was too much, I also added in some burgundy colour as I felt this made the character look more evil and mysterious. I also still kept with my second idea of having blood coming from the mouth, however I chose to have the blood coming from both sides of his mouth and more on his lips as I thought this looked more like he has just fed.

Quentin: Face Charts

For my first idea for Quentin was to have him normal looking,but have his eyes looking sore and red like he too has not seen sunlight in a while. To do this I will use the red greasepaint as well as a red eyeshadow to create this red eyed effect. Although this look is simple and the red eyes makes it look effective I don't think I will use this idea as I don't think it really shows him being a vampire really.

For my second idea I still had the idea of the red eye look however I did not want it to be as noticeable on this idea than it was on the first one. I also added in some dark eyeshadows around the lash lines mainly in dark browns and black colours, I did this to make the eyes look darker and to define them and for my character look darker and mysterious. I also wanted to add in some blood to this look, to make it look like he just fed, I used some greasepaint to create a blood stain on his lips and then add some blood on top and let drip down one side.

Claudia: Photoshoot

Claudia: Hair Designs

For my first idea for Claudia's hair was to have it wavy, as I wanted to my Claudia to look innocent but have a little sex appeal about her too, so I wanted her hair to be wavy and quite big. To do this I will use a large curling tong to create these curls.

Another look that I had for Claudia was to keep her hair straight, as my model has long thick hair, I was just going to use hair straighteners, but I am going to wash my model's hair before I start doing the look, and I will blow dry it straight first to see how that comes out. However I think I will go with this hair design because I think this will suit Claudia's and the makeup look I want to do.

Claudia: Final Face Chart

Products:

- L'Oreal True Match Foundation: R2:C2 Rose Vanilla

- L'Oreal True Match Foundation:  N1 Ivory

- Revlon Photoready Face Illuminator: 200 Pink Light Clair Rose

Kryolan's Glamour Glow Palette: - Bronzing Summer

                                           -  Bronzing Sun

                                              -  Bronzing Agais

                                     - Pale Tan

- Kryolan's Natural Eye Shadow Palette: -Dark Brown

                                                  -  Beige 

- L'Oreal Super Liner Perfect Slim: Black

- L'Oreal Double Extension Mascara

- Kryolan's Supra Colour Greasepaint: 081 and  079

- Red Lip Liner

Method:

Step 1: I started with cleansing the face as this will get rid of any other left over make up, after I have finished cleansing the face I will then us toner which will help remove any trapped oil and dirt in the pores and then finally moisturise as this will help any dry areas on the skin as well as help to make a clean base when applying the foundation.

Step 2: For the foundation I used a colour that matched my models skin which was L'Oreal True Match Foundation in the colour R2:C2 Rose Vanilla. Which I applied to the t-zone then blended outwards, adding any more product if needed.

Step 3:  I then went over the top of the foundation with a lighter foundation which I used as a highlighter and placed in the usually places of highlighting such as: Down the centre of the nose, above the cheekbones, under the eyes, cupids bow and a small amount on the chin, which was blended out with a blending brush. I then went over the top of the highlighter that was placed down the centre of the nose, above the cheekbones and the cupids bow with a Revlon's Photoready Illuminator in colour 200 Pink Light.

Step 3: As well as adding highlighter to the face, I add contouring of which I used Kryolan's Bronzing palette in shades Bronzing sun and agais to line out shade the areas which are: under the cheekbones, temples, edges of the nose and the jaw line. I then went over the places that I just contoured with a dark colour and smaller brush to add a bit of definition and I used the colour bronzing summer.

Step 4: After I had finished applying the foundation the contouring the next thing I did was the eyebrows using an eyebrow brush, using the bristly end I brushed the eyebrows making them neater, then using the light brown shade from Kryolan's natural eye shadow palette I then applied the colour through the hair on the eyebrows.

Step 5: The next thing I did was the eyes, with the same palette I used for the eyebrows. Starting with the beige colour in the inner corner of both eyes which I applied halfway along the eyelid. From the outer corner of the eyes I used the darkest brown which was then blended into the lighter brown then into the beige colour. I then used the darkest brown from the outer corner and smudged it underneath the lower lash line.

I also added a red coloured eyeshadow from Kryolan's variety coloured eyeshadow palette, as well as a red coloured greasepaint to make the colour more intense and a red lip liner pencil to the bottom water line.

Step 6: Once I am finished with the eyeshadows and the other products, I will then liner the top lash line with a liquid eyeliner and then applied mascara on top to make they eyes more defined.

Step 7: When the eyeliner and mascara have dried, I will then use Kryolan's supra colour greasepaint palette to create veins coming from the eyes. Using the colour 081 which is burgundy coloured and a flat brush to gently create veins.

Step 8: Using the same brush and whatever product left on the there I will then use this to create a blood like stain in the middle of the lips, once I am happy with the shape on the lips where they join together I will then go back in and add a bit more product.

Evaluation:

For my third look I have decided to have aspects from both my first and second design as I really liked some things about those designs. I am still having the eyes dark and smoky eyes with the use of the red eyeshadow under the lower lash line like in the first design, as I like the effect it gives. I also added in some veins under the eyes as I felt that my Claudia would fit more into the tv series that I have chosen. And the final thing that I added was the lips as I liked the idea of the lips looking vampy and having a full lip but with the veins under the eyes and the lips being full I thought that there might be too much going on. So I decided that I would add a little colour to lips with smudging the purple and red in the center of the lips to create a blood stain effect. I am happy with this design as I feel like it isn't too simple and then it is not to complicated either.

Claudia: Face Charts

Face Design 1

When creating looks for my Claudia at first I wanted her to look like she has just fed so I designed her to have a small amount of blood dripping from the corner of her lip. I also designed her to have smokey smouldering eyes to intensify them as well as having red eye shadow on the lower lash line as this gave the eyes a bit of an evil look which I like. Although I do like this design and I like the full red lip look however I felt that having a full red lip as well as blood coming from the corner would be too much.

Face Design 2

For my second design I wanted it to be a more plain compared to my first design as I thought it didn't all go together. For this design I went for a plain simple yet bold purple lip stick as it gave it a dark vampy look which I really like, I still kept with the smoky eyes, however I used a few darker colours to make the eyes more intense, and I changed the shaped of the eyeliner as the first design was too winged out and I don't think it really suits how I want my Claudia to be portrayed. Where as I am happy with the shape of the eyeliner in this design, Although in this design I like it a lot more than the first especially the eyes, I feel like it is a bit to simple and this is how I came up with the third and final design.

Vampires

Vampire Diaries:
                                          
                           
http://nowhitenoise.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/notelena.jpg
https://files.itslearning.com/data/1149/2166/the%20vampire%20diaries/s4_stefan_HQ.jpg

The vampires in this TV series are slightly different to the myths of what vampires should be like, as the stereotypical vampire, is pale white whereas these vampires fit in well with the location they are set in. The only thing that you could tell them about from humans is that when they are about to feed or warn someone off someone there fangs come out and they get red veins under their eyes which move when feeding.

As some of the myths of would have said that to kill vampires would to drive a steak through their heart, for these vampires that faten death does apply to them, and if they stabbed with it anywhere else apart from the heart it just injures them but as they are immortal and strong they can just pull it out and heal within seconds.

Twilight:

                                  
                                     
http://www.writerswrite.com/pics/edward_cullen_sparkling.jpg
http://images5.fanpop.com/image/photos/30900000/Jane-Fanart-jane-of-the-volturi-30917109-1280-853.jpg

With the vampires from twilight are again a little different as the myth that says vampires are killed by a steak through the heart, whereas in twilight they are killed by getting their heads ripped off then being burnt after. They also have fangs but when they are going to kill, with the cullen family they do not feed on human blood so therefore their eyes are a different colour whereas the vampires that drink human blood have red eyes. With another myth that vampires can't go out in the sunlight, the writer of these books had deliberately set them in a place where sun hards shines. Twilight has still used this myth although there are some changes where the sunlight should have killed them however their skin just becomes shiny and sparkly and iced cold. These vampires also have special powers, not all of them have it only certain ones such as Edward can read minds, Alice can see into the future and when Bella turns into a vampire she has a force field.

Van Helsing:
    

https://www.tumblr.com/search/van%20helsing%20marishka

 With the van helsing vampires they are these three beautiful women who can turn into these hideous creatures with wings, again these vampires live in a place where it is constantly cloudy and grey looking. These vampires also have a power which is hypnotising men and women with their beauty. The way to kill these vampires is to get holy water from the church and shot them in the heart. Although it always comes down to the heart to kill vampires there are many different ways to kill vampires.

Claudia and Quentin Presentation

Vampire Myth and Legends

We all assume that vampires, are cold to touch, pale, very fast and very strong and not much can fatally harm them, apart from the one way you can kill them.
For years vampires have gotten all sorts of well known legends about themselves. These myths include:

- Steak through the heart: certain types of wood were said to be the most effective towards these old vampires, such as maple, hawthorn and aspen.

- Bats: Since the film Dracula by Bram Stoker, this is what made the legend that vampires turn into bats, however it wasn't that far off as some old legends believed that certain types of vampires could turn into animals.

- Water: Two main things with waters and vampires is that they can't cross running water and that holy water can burn them, but once again these myths are down to authors, TV series and films creating things that can defeat such evil characters.

- Mirrors: Back when people genuinely thought that vampires were real, they did believe that they didn't have a reflect in a mirror as they believed mirrors reflected souls and that evil beings do not have a soul.

- Fangs: Again it is down to authors, films and TV series that have created vampires to have fangs, whereas folklore believed very few vampires had fangs. The use of fangs to create vampires was to add a more scary effect to the character.

- Sunlight: Another myth is that vampires can't go out in sunlight as this is another way to kill vampires, but again it is down to folklore and fiction that this myth has come about, but again in folklore they believed that some could walk in daylight.

- Blood: This is the biggest belief in folklore, that vampires drink blood, its evitable that vampires drink blood as after all blood is life, so the undead would feed on blood to survive.

http://s638.photobucket.com/user/keno2012/media/toothlessvamp2012.jpg.html

http://www.vampires.com/top-10-vampire-stereotypes-explained/
[Accessed: 01/04/2015

Quentin

He is Claudia's imaginary boyfriend, he is a constant disappointment to her. Although they don't live together he visits her regularly and they talk over the phone if he can't get in to see her. Because he is apart from her imagination his appearance changes to suit her mood, sometime he can be a David Beckham looking guy, whereas in another scene he can be looking like Pete Docherty type, Daniel Craig type or a Hollyoaks Babe. If Claudia having a bad day Quentin will morph into an uncouth couch potato chav with all the brings with it.
Quentin is also into horror films as she is and into role-playing to suit her whims and moods.
However Claudia has a paranoid suspicion that he is constantly having affairs behind her back and keeps him firmly under her thumb, sometimes restraining him or keeping him prisoner in one of her rooms.

My chose keyword: Taste

I have chosen this word for Quentin, as he is a vampire and I wanted him to have a big influence on her, as they are both vampires and he is more willing to drink human blood than she is and I wanted her to be more innocent but with a bad side to her to fit in with the other characters from vampire diaries, and for this bad side to come out I wanted him to be the bad influence.

Claudia

Claudia has little to no parental guidance, however her neighbours give updates on what is happening in the world and give her essentials that she needs everyday. I feel like the neighbours have a heavy influence on her life and that is how she can achieve all these different looks, as they supply her with clothing and make up. I also think that because she hasn't had that adult supervision for most of her life, I feel like she lets things build up such as her dirty clothes and just general clutter everywhere, because of this buildup of dirt.

She is also an psychotic, which means she see things that are not actually there, as well as imaging them such as her imaginary boyfriend, because she is psychotic she also perceives things differently which I think that when she and her boyfriend argue and he says something she will take it the wrong way, making things worse for them.

My chosen word is spinning for Claudia, I have chosen this word because I feel like Claudia's mind is constantly spinning whether it is fast or slow and it is down to how she feels one day to the next and what has happened on the side world that her neighbours have been telling her also as well as what is happening between her boyfriend and herself.

Character Profile: Claudia

Claudia is a girl in her twenties. As a child she was left alone to develop with little parental guidance and through her relationship with T.V and movies has developed an unhealthy relationship with horror films, believing this to be the way life really is.

All the scenes taken place in various parts of Claudia's apartment, which is European style with a great deal of kitsch decor. She is agoraphobic and is kept in touch with the outside world by her neighbours, who provide her with everyday requirements. She models herself on a variety of girls often twisting her look to sit whichever film she is watching at the time and there is often a nod to the main character in the current film within her appearance.

The script portrays her as psychotic and there is always the feeling that although her character is scripted/can be seen as humorous, danger is just around the corner. However all this is normal to Claudia and she is of a cheerful disposition in this mad world of hers.

Effects on Claudia's Health:

Little parental guidance:

- Poor Hygiene.

- Bad Teeth.

- Dirty House.

- Doesn't know how to act around people.

Agoraphobic:

- Never goes outside

   - Lack of sunlight

   - Pale Skin

   - Moody

- Lonely

- Paranoid

Unhealthy relationship with horror films:

- Supernatural things are real

- Dresses like characters

- Wears make up just like them

Psychotic:

- Seeing things that aren't there

- Perceive things differently 

- Delusions

 

Vampire Diaries

Below is the trailer for the first series. 

Chosen TV Series: The Vampire Diaries

http://imageserver.moviepilot.com/-864fa581-59db-46b0-bce0-07c2ded8cbc7.jpeg?width=1920&height=1080

Mystic Falls a small town in Virginia becomes the target place for vampires with the return of the Salvatore brothers. Stefan, the youngest who is the controlled brother who's focused on his humanity, enrolls at high school attempting a normal life. Where as Damon who is the beautiful but yet dangerous brother who constantly makes Stefan's life a misery, whilst trying to steal his girlfriend Elena along the way. With the confusing emotions, hidden talents and deceiving acts, comes a deep history from 1864 that Damon is determined to overcome by rescuing the Salvatore brothers' old love with the help from Elena and her witch friend Bonnie.

 I chose to do this TV series as I am update with the current series and I thoroughly enjoy watching them. The main thing that I really enjoy about this series is that it is all about vampires and other supernatural things and about their world. I also feel like I will enjoy this part of the unit as I will have more fun creating looks for my Claudia and Quentin.

The target audience for this TV series is about 18 to 50 years of age. However I think it is targeted more at the younger end of that age range, as in the first series it is about a love triangle and I think younger girls are more likely to relate to it as it could be happening in their lives, although the supernatural bit obviously isn't part of it. They also have quite a few dominant female roles within this show, which can their audience want to be like these actors. 
Although I have just said that it is mainly the 18 year olds watching this, I also think it depends what type of  things you are in to, as some people love the supernatural however get scared easily, and The Vampire Diaries is an easy watching show that doesn't leave the viewers scarred more anticipating the next episode.

Gothic Motifs

Doppelganger:
The double motif suggests that humans are burdened with a dual nature, a soul forever divided. Doppelganger is German for 'double walker' - a shadow self that is thought to accompany every person, Traditionally it is said that only the owner of the doppelganger can see this phantom self, and that is can be harbinger to death. Occasionally, however a doppelganger can be seen by a person's friends or family, resulting in quite a bit of confusion.

Beast Transformation:
The protagonist's ambitious pursuit of forbidden powers often results in transformation into a beast/monster. This transformation is depicted as a degradation of the protagonist and a loss of humanity. In some instances, however in particularly in feminist literature and in some supernatural literature of the Asian and Native American traditions, the protagonists beast transformation is a liberating experience that results in an enlightening unity with the natural world. Sometimes the protagonist finds that being transformed into a beast that liberates one from the artificial restraints of human civilizations.


Madness:
This suggests that humanity's encounter with the fantastic side of existence that defies human reason, because mad characters are in touch with a deeper reality beyond rational comprehension, they often speak the truths that normal characters wish to deny. Madmen face universal or psychic forces that rational men fear to acknowledge.

Gothic Architecture and Literature

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2d/
Picardie_Amiens2_tango7174.jpg

Architecture:
Cathedrals: The high arches and spires of cathedrals reach wildly to the sky, as if the builders were trying to touch heaven, an ambition for the eternal that is likewise expressed in many works of Gothic literature. Vaulting windows in medieval cathedrals are adorned by ornate stained glass which sometimes contain images of the interaction between the supernatural and human worlds. Also the tall spires of medieval cathedrals likewise expressed the human ambition to transcend from the natural world and to touch the supernatural realm.
Medieval cathedrals are also covered with a profusion of wild cravings and depicting humanity in conflict with supernatural forces: Demons, angels, gargoyles and monsters. The architecture evokes the sense of humanity's division between a finite, physical identity and the often terrifying and bizarre forces of the infinite. The Gothic aesthetic also embodies an ambition to transcend earthly human limitations and reach the divine.

Literature:
Literature of the supernatural often uses recurring themes, images and symbols to envision the human condition. Supernatural motifs appear throughout literature but are most prominent in the literary genre labeled ' Gothic', which is developed in the late eighteenth-century as a reaction to the central ideology of the enlightenment that valorized human reason.
Gothic literature is devoted primarily to stories of horror, the fantasy and the 'darker' supernatural forces. These forces are often represented as the 'dark side' of the human nature.
The painting opposite illustrates a scene from one of the most famous Gothic novels, Bram Stokers Dracula (1898). It shows Dracula seducing a young women to drink her blood. Monsters such as vampires in Gothic works tend to externalize our own dangerous repressed desires.

https://ebooks.adelaide.edu.au/l/literature
/gothic/gothic.jpg

https://s3.amazonaws.com/readers/2011/09/04/madness_1.jpg

Internet Source: http://resources.mhs.vic.edu.au/creating/pages/origins.htm
[Accessed: 20/03/2015]

Evaluation of Great Expectations

When first hearing that the first half of this project was going to be about Great Expectation, I did not think that I would enjoy it, however as the weeks went on and the tasks we were given I was starting to enjoy it more, especially when we had to think about how the characters lived and how it has affected them both physically, emotionally and visually. When I started to look into the effects Miss Havisham would have, I found it really interesting and how not going out into the sunlight can cause so much damage, and can branch off into other problems of health.
When it came to designing my Miss Havisham looks I thought it would be easier than what it is was, however because I wanted to add in sores I had to research into, to make sure that I created it looking as realistic as I could. I also wanted to include old age effect to my look as well. When learning about it in class the demo looked fairly easy, when I came to do it I mixed my colours up to dark and it was more red so when I came to blending it in, it looked like she was more scarred than have wrinkles. To overcome this I used a different coloured greasepaint, which I had found out about using after watching people on youtube create old aged makeup and they used a grey colour, luckily I have another greasepaint palette in my kit that had a grey colour in it.
For my assessment for Miss Havisham I found the first part fairly easy, however I was worried I wouldn't get my look done within the allotted time, fortunately I did, then next task I then had to overcome was to recreate the same look on my model in two weeks time, because I kept my design simple I thought it would have been relatively easy, however I was wrong for the second assessment I was more nervous about doing as one small little thing can change the whole look. To ensure that I created it exactly the same I took close of photos of the most detailed parts, I feel like that has helped me as I think my two assessment of Miss Havisham looks similar, apart from one or two aspects.
My Estella assessment was much more relaxed and I felt it went really well because I didn't have the pressure of an actual assessment. For both of my assessments, I didn't really add anything to my design, although I did order a wedding veil to use however it arrived the day after my first assessment, because of this I could not afford to buy anything else in time for my assessments.

Gothic Horror Photoshoot

 

Estella: Informal Timed Assessment

 

I am also really please with how this assessment went for my Estella look, although it was not a formal assessment we were still given a time limit to complete our look in, and again I completed it with time to spare, I do prefer this as it always gives me time to go back and adjust anything that does not seem right. The only thing I found the hardest is the hair, as I did want it to be more curly making the hairstyle higher, other than that I feel like I did well.

Comparing My Miss Havisham's

Miss Havisham - Assessment 1

Miss Havisham - Assessment 2

Looking at both my assessments and feeling fairly confident about them both. Even though I used images from my first look to help recreate the exact same make up for the second time, I feel like there are small differences between the two, as in the first one she is more old looking by the wrinkles I created whereas in the second one she looks younger. Another thing I have now noticed is that I did not put enough dry shampoo on her hair the second time. One thing I was mainly worried about was that I would not be able to recreate the sores on the lips or on the side of the neck, however I oddly found that the easiest bit, especially when looking at back at the photos after having done both assessments I think they look pretty similar.