BRAVE NEW WORLD: November 2015

Thursday, 26 November 2015

Brave New World Evaluation

Throughout this unit, I feel that I have really learnt a lot of things. In terms of the Brave New World project, I feel that it has gone very quickly but I enjoyed the process of creating my hybrid. I think that when we moved on from the wound project, I expected there to be more time in terms of creating my brave new world and researching into what type of hybrid I wanted to create. I think towards the end of project I really put quite a bit of work into it as I did my hybrid twice and I had to go back in for a third time to make the silicone pieces and apply them for the images without makeup. I think that I stuck to the rough timeline given on mycourse and I am glad that I did as I felt that I was up-to-date and not as stressed as I felt myself being last year.

The main issues of the Brave New World project was the application. The first time I decided to create my hybrid, the piece on the middle of the head was too big and looked very unrealistic. I also felt that the makeup application on the pieces was also not the best as it looked very rough. When I originally went to create this hybrid I thought I would only have to do it once, but because I was really not happy with the outcome, I decided to do it again and change up my design.
To complete my hybrid again, I had to cast from my silicone mould all over again. After that, I completed my second attempt at my human hybrid. I think it went better than my previous attempt as I made the middle piece smaller and I feel that it worked better with the rest of the look. I also added a more distinctive giraffe print on the chest, going up the neck. I think this gave more of an indication of what my human hybrid was and I feel that it worked better than my original idea. Before I put makeup on the silicone pieces, I forgot to take images which then concluded my third time casting from my silicone mould for these images. I went into the studio for the third time to apply the silicone pieces for images without makeup on.
From the application process, I have come to the conclusion that I can get to the end even though there were a few bumps in the process but I am glad I put a lot of time into this project as I feel that it has paid off.

In terms of developing research, I really only thought of different animals I could combine with a human to create a hybrid in my mind but I did remember to put them into blogposts to benefit the flow of blog. I think I mainly thought of the ideas in my head because the change of project from the wound to the Brave New World project went very quick. If I had a lot more time, I would have liked to test and sculpt my other ideas to see what worked and looked the best before I settled with my idea. I also took a trip to the Natural History Museum to draw inspiration for different animals that I could create my hybrid with and I think this helped in terms of narrowing down my final idea. I also looked at different photographers, designers and musicians who helped my understanding of a hybrid and what I could possibly create.

Overall, I chose a giraffe as I was simply drawn to the thick lashes of a giraffe. I also thought that I could create a hybrid with the bone structure of a giraffe’s face. I did look into a few other ideas but I feel that I would’ve liked to experiment more before I made my decision but because I was more interested in a giraffe it helped me make a quicker decision. I am happy with my outcome and I am glad I had the chance to change my design to something more successful.

Technical Evaluation

Throughout this term I feel that I have learnt a lot as I have never previously done anything related to special effects a part from the small things we learnt last year such as cuts and using wax to create wounds. I think that the process of mould making and casting from moulds will make me a better makeup artist as I feel that not everyone has the chance to broaden their skills in special effects and it will help with my career in the future.

From the beginning we were thrown in straight to creating a wound. From this project we learnt how to sculpt with clay/plasticine and the importance of a smooth sculpture. We learnt how to prepare a sculpture for producing a flat mould, using fixing spray and petrolese. We then learnt how to make a negative silicone mould to allow us to cast our prosthetic pieces from using a mixture of silicone and deadener.

Throughout the production process of our prosthetic pieces, there are specific health and hygiene techniques that should be followed. We learnt that the silicones can not be contaminated as this will stop them reacting correctly. We also learnt that silicone is a very sensitive product as it reacts badly to aloe vera, garlic and latex. Silicone is a very delicate substance in the fact that it reacts to different things, it cannot be contaminated and if it gets on clothing it cannot be removed. It is also important to never pour silicone down the drain as it will clog it. Overall, we have been thoroughly taught the health and hygiene techniques when working with silicone and the likes of petrolese, fixing spray and alcohol.

When completing the process of making my prothetic pieces I found myself really referring to my notes. When I struggled with the edges of my first attempt at my hybrid I went on a website (learnmakeupseffects.com) to help my understanding of why the edges weren't perfect. This really helped but I can admit that struggled with colouring my pieces with the alcohol palette.
Overall, I am happy with the amount we learnt in a short time and I am glad I have the skills to produce a silicone piece. I am happy with the technical work that I completed in class and I feel that I have broaden my skills in terms of a makeup artist.

Bibliography

Images:

Videos:

https://vimeo.com/20473393

Articles:

N.Azzarello. (2015). cal redback manipulates human + nature into hybrid botanical bodies. Available: http://www.designboom.com/art/cal-redback-photo-manipulaton-human-nature-02-23-2015/

Information:

Human Hybrid Take 2 : Technical File

This is my second attempt of my human hybrid creation. I changed the design up and I am happier with this outcome.

Face Chart 2

First Face Chart

Second Face Chart

I have elaborated my idea from my initial idea because looking back at the images, I feel that it is hard to tell what my hybrid consists of. I decided to add more of a distinct giraffe print on the chest that fades up the neck. I then decided to colour the middle piece brown and bring it down the nose mimicking a real giraffe. I also added a dark brown colour to the front half of the eyebrows and then added yellow over the second half to mimic the short eyebrows that giraffe's have. I also decided to remove the lashes as I feel they looked too fake, especially on a male model. I just replaced that with black around the eye as a giraffe has very dark eyes. I am happier with this idea and I hope it looks better when transferred on to my model.

Wednesday, 25 November 2015

Human Hybrid Take 1 : Technical File

This was my original design concept that I wanted to do for my human hybrid. I really didn't like how the silicone piece in the middle turned out as it was too big for the face so I have decided to re-do my hybrid with a smaller appliance in the centre of the face. The horns of the giraffe look better than the middle piece but I think that I can do better. I found it very difficult to disguise the edges once I put colour on it but I researched into blending edges and I have found out that normal makeup doesn't react as well to the pieces. When I re-shoot my hybrid I am going to use my alcohol palette to colour it better. I am glad I decided to complete my character earlier so I have the chance to re-do it and perfect it.

Creating Pieces For My Human Hybrid : Technical File

Preparing the sculptures;

The first step was to cut the cups to make a guard for the silicone for all three sculptures.

I then had used fixing spray and petrolese on the sculptures, spraying it about 20cm away from the pieces.

Then I put the cut cup over each of the sculptures and used a glue gun to seal them in place to ensure that no silicone will leak out.

Mixing the silicones;
I obtained a clean cup and covered the scales and working surface with cling film. I then had to ensure I had clean gloves and mixing sticks as it is important not to contaminate the silicones.
Because I had three sculptures I decided to do this step separately using 50g of each silicone for each sculpture. I ensured that I slowly added the silicones to the cup using the designated mixing sticks.
I then mixed the silicones with a clean stick, tapping out the air bubbles.
I then poured the silicones over each sculpture, ensuring it was fully covered by going back and forth over each sculpture.
For the mould to fully dry, I waited 1 hour.

Casting from the silicone mould;
Firstly, I cleaned each mould with alcohol (isopropyl) using cotton pads and cotton buds.
I then had to make a mixture of Baldiez and isopropyl, with the ratio 1:2. I then mixed it well, tapping out the air bubbles.
I sprayed the mould with petrolese and spread the mixture on to the mould with a brush to distribute it over the pieces, not filling them completely. The mixture will dry matte.
I then mixed 10g of silicone A and 10g of silicone B, using the same process as before. I then added 60% of 20g of deadener to give the silicone piece a flesh-like texture for all three moulds.
I then chose the appropriate pigments and added two drops of a flesh-toned one and one drop of a white pigment.
After the pigment was well mixed in, I poured a little bit of the mixture at a time and evening it out with a metal scraper tool.
Again each piece took 1 hour to completely dry.
After they dried, I put baby powder over the pieces to prevent them from sticking to things.

Sculptures : Technical File

To make my silicone pieces I made three sculptures to cast from. I made the two horns (on a giraffe they are called ossicones) that are going to go on the two highest points of the forehead on either side of the head. And then I made a piece in for the middle of the head in-between the eyebrows.

one horn/ossicone

another horn/ossicone

middle piece

Face Chart 1

My final idea will consist of characteristics of a giraffe but toned down to fit the hybrid concept. I am going to do a slightly yellow base that will have a slight colour of brown to show the growth of the brown patches a giraffe has. I intend to add thick eyelashes to accentuate the thick lashes that giraffes have. I hope my hybrid will turn out how I want in terms of the silicone pieces.

My hybrid has grown these horns and developed a different bone structure due to the process of becoming a hybrid of a human and giraffe. The skin has changed also to a yellow toned appearance with brown patches which is a development of the giraffe pattern. My hybrid lives in a very hot and dry place which will make the skin very dry/matte.

Brave New World Moodboard

My moodboard is showing what I am basing my human hybrid on and what type of habitat my hybrid lives in as this factor will affect the appearance of my hybrid.

Final Idea

I have really thought about different animals and different things related to nature to create my human hybrid but I keep going back to a giraffe.

I just love how giraffes look with their long legs and neck and their really long thick eyelashes. I think that these factors can help me create my human hybrid.

I wanted to actually look at the face structure of a giraffe so I could get an idea of what silicone pieces I could create.

As you can see, giraffes have a bump between their eyes which I feel I could create with silicone.

Giraffes also have small horns at the top of their head in which I could somehow create with hair or silicone applications on the forehead.

I looked at some giraffe body painting and makeup and found some inspiration.

These looks are more theatrical and high fashion but I still find them useful to look at to explore different techniques that I could use to achieve my hybrid.

References:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giraffe
http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/local-news/folly-farm-pays-tribute-rafiki-6222481
https://www.facebook.com/305299745240/photos/pb.305299745240.-2207520000.1446902322./10150189853985241/?type=3&theater
http://thatguysf.deviantart.com/art/High-Fashion-Giraffe-362123351
http://www.artandculturemaven.com/2012_06_01_archive.html

Idea 2

I decided to look into gorillas as a possible option for my human hybrid. I really like the features of a gorilla and I think that I could create a very good hybrid. I think that the skin of a gorilla would look good as a silicone piece. I am not sure if a gorilla would be easy to create as a they are similar to humans so I feel that it may be confusing.

I decided to look into gorilla human hybrids but I didn't find anything apart from costumes. I did find these gorilla prosthetic pieces made from latex which I feel could be a possible outcome. I feel that if I were to do a gorilla, it would be a possibility to do it a flesh tone to still have that human aspect.

References:

Idea 1

My original thought when I thought of doing a human hybrid was a tarantula. I thought I could play with the texture of the skin and create a mouth piece out of silicone. I also thought about gelling the hair of a model up in thin strands to resemble the hairs of a tarantula.

I researched into tarantula makeup and hybrids to see if anything had been created and I found this look which looks like they have painted the face to make it look like the model has multiple eyes on the forehead and a mouth that resembles a tarantula. If I was going to go with this idea I think I would have made the eyes out of silicone.

References:

Human Hybrids in Mythology

Greek mythology is the body of myths and teachings that belong to ancient Greeks, concerning their Gods and heroes.

The stories involve many creatures that are half human and half animal. These are relevant to my research as I can elaborate on a design similar to the hybrids in mythology. I have noticed that the creatures are mainly human on the top half of their body which is the part of the body that I need to focus on but I can still use this research as part of my ideas.

Arachne - half human, half spider

Centaur - half human, half horse

Mermaid - half human, half fish

Satyr - half human, half goat

References:

Visit to the Natural History Museum

In preparation for starting this human hybrid unit, I visited the Natural History Museum to gain some inspiration for this project.

I looked at a few dinosaur models they had but I wasn't sure if I wanted to go down the prehistoric route as the features would be similar to reptiles.

We also looked at a number of different mammals, sea creatures, reptiles and bugs. I really think that this gave me a lot of ideas as I had seen many things that I have not see before which can benefit me for this project.