Ellis Faas

Ellis Faas is a makeup artist/photographer/film maker, who was commissioned to make a piece inspired by traditional masks from Ivroy Coast. In this short film we see a series of different makeup looks using various different materials, from wool to jewels to stockings over the head to just makeup. There were some looks that for me really stood out, for example to the girl who had her whole face covered in different coloured wool, I thought was really clever but you could still see her features and the wool was made to look like her face, like pink rosy cheeks and red lips, in the video you see her cover her face in black wool, this to me represents the whole idea behind the piece as Faas says about her work "Since ancient times, humans have been using masks - in order to express power and authority; to feel self-confident; to stand out or to hide behind; to not be recognised and disappear into the masses."

Watch the video here!

 http://vimeo.com/ellisfaas/identityrevealed

Symbolism in Portraiture.

http://www.marileecody.com/gloriana/elizabethpelican.jpg

All of Queen Elizabeth's 1 portraits had a hidden meanings and symbolism, this was her way of being able to communicate with her people, but in a discreet manner. This perticular portrait was called the 'The Pelican Portrait' 1575, this was because she had a small pelican pin on he body of her dress. 

In this portrait there are many items of symbolism, to begin with the pearls around her neck are a sign of purity, this was for her to reassure her people of her being the 'Virgin Queen'. Also in this portrait she has the Tudor rose on her bodice, this is a sign of unity, again to remind her people of being together and her mother like figure to the people. However the main fixation in this portrait was of course the pelican pendant, pinned to her chest. There was an old wife's tale that said that pelicans used to pluck their own feathers so they could feed their young, and as a result of their offspring well-being, in turn sacrificed themselves  so that their young would survive. However is a myth, but at the time of this portrait it was still thought to be the fact, this symbolism is similar to the belief of Christ sacrificing himself for his people, so that they could prosper and survive. Being the queen was looked at as being the closest thing to God, but to me i think what this represents is Elizabeth not being married, so that her whole attention, everything she survives for is to make England prosperous and so that the people of England can have a better life, as she is the mother and the nation is her child that she will protect until the end. 

Although the pelican is the most obvious of symbols in this painting, there are other symbols, for example, the black, white, red and gold seen in her clothes is a sign of her wealth and power, as these colours were the most expensive to produce, especially red, as this was made from beetle juice which had to be traded with Spain, a rival country at the time. 

Also the least obvious symbol in this image is the cherries tucked behind her ear, this again reinstates the idea of her being a virgin, completely dedicated to her country. 

(all references are from class)

Westmores

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/TheWestmoreBrothers.jpg

 Three legendary and scandalous generations of movie makeup artists, beginning with his six sons—Perc, Ern, Monte, Wally, Bud, and Frank. By 1926, Monte, Perc, Ern, and Bud had penetrated the industry to become the chief makeup artists at four major studios, and all continued to break ground in new beauty and horror illusions until the end of their careers. In 1921 Monte became Rudolph Valentino's sole makeup artist.When Valentino died in 1926, Monte went toSelznick International where, thirteen years later, he worked himself to death with the enormous makeup demands for Gone with the Wind (1939).In 1923, Perc established a blazing career at First National-Warner Bros. and, over twenty-seven years, initiated beauty trends and disguises including Bette Davis's eyebrowless, almost bald, whitefaced look in The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex. Ern, at RKO from 1929 to 1931 and then at 20th Century Fox from 1935, was adept at finding the right look for stars of the 1930s. Wally headed Paramount makeup from 1926, where he created, among others, Fredric March's gruesome transformation in Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde (1931). Frank followed him there. Bud led Universal's makeup department for twenty-three years, specializing in rubber prosthetics.Together, they built the House of Westmore salon, which served stars and public alike. Later generations have continued the name, including brothers Michael and Marvin who have excelled in special makeup effects, such as in Blade Runner (1982), Mask (1985) and Raging Bull (1980).

References:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westmore_family
http://www.filmreference.com/Writers-and-Production-Artists-Vi-Win/The-Westmore-Family.html

Elizabeth (1998) film

http://s3.amazonaws.com/img.goldderby.com/images/1353471616-elizabeth.jpg

When watching the film Elizabeht, we were told to go and look at Jenny Shircore, as she was the make-up and hair designer for the film. Jenny Shircore is a British make-up artist. She won the Academy Award for Best Makeup for her work in Elizabeth. She won a British Academy Film Award in 2010 for her work in The Young Victoria.[1][2]She was born in India to an Armenian father and a French mother, moving to England at age 10.
We was then also told to look at Anita Burger as she was the makeup artist for the film. she has studied in London and N.Y. Wig Company, Wig Specialities Ltd and also at The London College of Fashion. I found the makeup and hair in this film really interesting as it charted Elizabeth's changing style throughout the film, and also the comparison between the begining and the end of this film is a massive contrast, from looking fairly plain, without much makeup to lots of white skin and looking far away from natural, almost like a doll.

Elizabethan Beauty

Queen Elizabeth 1

Portrait of Elizabeth to commemorate the defeat of the Spanish Armada (1588)

The Tudor view of pure beauty during the Elizabethan era was a woman with light hair and a snow white complexion which was complimented with red cheeks and red lips. A pale complexion could only be achieved by a wealthy woman of the upper class. Poor women were expected to work outside and therefore acquired a suntan.  The pale complexion was therefore a sign of wealth and nobility - an immediate identification for a person from the rich upper classes. This alabaster complexion was therefore also sought after by Tudor men. Queen Elizabeth did have the natural attributes of this ideal image of beauty but she enhanced and exaggerated the image by using white make-up. This explains the odd white face make-up seen in many of her portraits. The favoured application of the upper classes was a make-up called ceruse which was a mixture of white lead and vinegar. Unfortunately was poisonous. The acquisition of a pale complexion was so desirable that rich Tudor women were bled to achieve the desired pale look. Face paint made from plant roots and leaves was also applied. The look was completed with an application of an expensive rouge made from cochineal to stain the cheeks and the lips. Madder and vermilion was also used to achieve this reddening effect. Kohl was used to darken the eyelashes, another element of make-up which was imported from the Middle East during the crusades.Rich Tudor women followed the fashion of light hair dyed their hair yellow. The yellow hair dye was made from a mixture of saffron, cumin seed, celandine and oil. Wigs and hairpieces were also popular and Queen Elizabeth I had a wide variety of wigs, periwigs and hair pieces which numbered over eighty. (Information from http://www.sixwives.info/tudor-make-up.htm and http://www.npg.org.uk/assets/files/pdf/exploring-elizabeth/npg_tudor_makeup.pdf )

The New Elizabethans

Queen Elizabeth 1

The 'Rainbow Portrait' 1600.

The New Elizabethans is the title we have been given for our first project. This is a project i have been looking forward to as i will never forget that on the day of my interview talking to some of the now second year students with there hair crimped and up high using padding to bulk it out, and also with the combination of makeup, with white faces and rosy cheeks, my excitement to start at Southampton Solent. One of the main aspects of the project which i am mostly looking forward to is looking into the history of what made Queen Elizabeth such an icon, this differing from the golden hair showing nobility, to the pale skin, showing her status in England, as she did not have to go out side to work like the poorer people of England did. My worry about this project is not being able to do look justice, as the Queen's look is iconic, and being able to reproduce it and have a modern spin whilst still having it being relevant is something i feel i will have to research properly, as i want to do the look justice. This aside i am looking forward to creating a design from this iconic era.

Induction Week

During induction week we was set a number of activities to introduce to our new class mates and also give us a insight into the industry. The first activity was to make a mask from a paper bag, with the inspiration of where we see ourselves in five years time. I feel this was a good experience, however i found it hard to express the way i thought i would be in 5 years time. Another activity was for both leading makeup brands Illamasqua and Charles Fox to both come in, show us products, previous work and also give us an insight into the makeup industry. My particular favorite was Illamasqua, as i found the talk by Spob, Illamasqua's head of professional development was truly inspiring. One of the final activities we had to do was an orientation around Southampton, The first place we went to was

Southampton's Art gallery, then we went to the Mayflower theater, situated only down the road form the gallery. Then the last place of call was WestQuay shopping centre to go and explore the makeup counters, these including: Mac, the first thing that caught my eye was there new collection, Novel Romance, i liked the neutral tones that was based around this collection, and also the images that went with this collection were stunning, however when i asked a member of staff there hero product, they informed me it was there red lipstick, Ruby Woo.
The next makeup counter i visited was Smashbox, there hero product being there Photo Finish Primer, my particular favorite is the green primer, well known for colour correcting red hues on the skin.

Another was Bobbi Brown, with its hero product being the gel liner, known for its staying power. The display of the best selling products really caught my attention on this particular counter.Lastly, the final counter i visited was Laura Mercier, with a product listing of there best selling product, this including there concealer, secret camouflage, there foundation primer and also there tinted moisturizer. 

I really enjoyed my induction week and it excited me for what is still to come.

Summer Project

    During the summer before arriving at Solent university, we was all set a task of creating a mood board and also watching two films and writing a critical analysis of the makeup for both productions. In my mood board which was about where we pictured being in 5 years time, i drew inspiration from some of the most well known makeup artist, for example, Val Garland, especially her work for Vivienne Westwood which has inspired me profoundly to becoming a makeup artist. I love the use of colour and also creativity in Garlands work, with a sense of no boundaries and 'thinking outside the box', creating something unique and different from some of the current artist out there. Val Garland is important to where i would like to see myself in 5 years time, as I would like to myself work on a Vivienne Westwood show. Also looking at the creative side to the makeup industry i immediately focused my attention on Alex Box, the creative director for Illamasqua, a brand who's main theme is being able to freely express yourself. Looking at Box's various collection for the company, i greatly admired her use of complementing colours and also her use of texture incorporating textiles into her work.
    After this i looked at two films, the first being The Great Gatsby, mainly focusing on the 1920's era and the 'flapper girl'. In the film 'The Great Gatsby' (2013) the main makeup artist and hair stylist was Maurizio Silvi and Kerry Warn. The hair for Daisy Buchanan, played by Carey Mulligan was based on a semi-shingle, a layered bob with a masculine shape in the back, typical in the 1920's, who styled it with John Frieda Frizz-Ease Serum, wax, and hair spray for a lacquered effect. Along with this hair style, Warn felt it necessary to accessorise with a $200,000 Tiffany hair band, to make daisy the centre of attention. To separate Daisy from a roomful of party girls, Silvi applied her makeup with a light hand. On her eyes, he blended a mix of black, gray, and brown shadows followed by individual false lashes. To keep her skin looking era-appropriate, Silvi forbade her from going into the sun and smoothed a pink-based Clinique foundation on her face and neck. This gave her a stand out look in the film while still remaining in tune with the 1920’s.
    The second film i went on to look at was Quandrophenia. The fashion in this movie is such a crucial part of the film, and a lot of what the characters did was based on outfit choice, especially as the film is from a mods perspective and looking sharp in suits and being a fashion statement was crucial. A key style for mod women in this film is the pixie crop, similar to Twiggy’s at the time, this being commented on by a rocker as being closely related to a boys hair cut, this referencing to woman wanted to come out of the submissive role, which was dominate in the 50’s and instead stand on their own two feet, through this movement the mini skirt became hugely popular, along with a bolder graphic eye with the pixie crop for the mods. Moving women into the 21^st century.

National Portrait Museum

On a trip to London i was lucky enough to visit the National Portrait Museum to be able to see painting of Queen Elizabeth. My perticular favourite was the 'Spanish Armada', as Elizabeth looks particularly powerful and also you can see the ships in the background marking her victory.