Updated Learning Agreement

Due to a couple of changes and revisions I have up-dated my learning agreement. I'm only going to post the new first paragraph because that is all that has changed:

In my Extended Major Project I will be challenging myself to work as a maker and a designer. I will be interpreting two illustrations by Sarah Gibb in the children’s book: The Princess Who Has No Kingdom; one is the Princess and the other is the same character in silhouette. To accompany these dresses, as the other half of this unit, I will be making appropriate under-garments to create the silhouettes and enhance each costume. This project will give me a challenge that I might be faced with in the future as a maker. I am viewing the story as a script, the illustrations as loose designs. It is my task to look into the story and develop a context that will read through the costume and compliment the character of the Princess. One of the biggest challenges I am faced with is to make the two costumes different while retaining a quiet similarity. This will be achieved with the help of different under-garments, subtle variations in line, and a wide range of techniques. Developing new techniques will give me a wider set of skills and a chance to explore surface decoration. I will also be improving my pattern making technique and increase my skill in draping on the stand. My proficiency in budgeting and fabric sourcing will be improved further.

To complete this project I will be creating a methodical time plan that will set weekly goals. To document my progress and discuss challenges, ideas, experimentation and continual evaluation I will be posting on my blog. Both the time plan and the blog will help me to work independently by allowing time for research and noting when the tutors are available. My goals in this project are to enrich my ability to contextually engage in a piece of work and to create a contextual explanation of my ideas through the costume and its photographs. To keep a disciplined time plan and hold myself accountable through my blog posts. And to develop my awareness and skill in appropriate making techniques.

Base Dress Line Drawings

After my second fittings I wanted to do a line drawing for the base of each dress, now including the skirt yoke.

Underwear Photoshoot

Today was my photoshoot for the underwear. I am very happy with how it went. First came the make-up and hair. Here are some in-progress and finished photos:

Rose's French-Braid

Camilla's Fish-Tail Braid

Rose's Make-up in Progress

Camilla's Finished Make-up

All hair and make-up was done by Sarah Harrison. I was very pleased with how the make-up turned out. It was very different to see them in the make-up studio and then to see them in the photography studio, they translated well for both. I was there for most of the make-up process and was able to discuss with Sarah what I wanted and what would look best throughout. It was a good collaboration. The hair also turned out well, at first I wasn't sure if the coif in the front was what I wanted but it added so much to their look, making it more relaxed and fresh. The only hiccup along the way was time. Hair and make-up definitely took a lot longer than I had anticipated. It was completely worth it; however for the final dress shoot I will be sure to leave more time for this stage.

On Set:
I was super lucky to have a great team to work with. Nelly Nguyen and Camilla Arnhold were my photographers for the day and they were very efficient and professional. We did three stages of photography to show the three aspects of the costumes. Most of them are with both girls in the shot, although there are few singles of each. The first set was the bloomers and chemise. I was also very lucky to have two wonderful models; Camilla Thompson and Rosalie Tyack. These first few pictures of the underwear were delicate because they each aren't wearing a lot. I wanted to keep it light and simple and to not draw attention to that fact. I think lightness has been achieved through the poses and the lighting.

These are the un-edited photos (so just in the studio):

The second set of photographs are the chemise and the bloomers and both corsets. These images turned out really well and I got some full shots and some detail shots for both.

The third set of photographs was the complete set of underwear each. The hoop-skirts were very interesting to photograph. It was interesting to see how the light could come through the organza hoop and how different it looked for the open cage. Space was also different with these large hoops. Keeping both girls fully in shot without squishing the hoops but maintaining intimacy was a bit of challenge but I think was over-come with some creative posing.

Evaluation:
For me this was very successful and fulfilling experience. It felt great to see things really come together and to see my vision realized. As a designer I was happy to see the relationship the looks had together: different but similar. One was sweeter and demure; one was more dramatic and sexy. As a maker I felt they were finished to a standard suitable for a high resolution photography. What I learned through this experience is to manage my time a bit better. I wasn't aware of how long hair and make-up would take so I think I would will leave more time for that. I also think I could have brainstormed some more poses I would have liked to have. I had one or two for each stage but I should have thought more about how I wanted them to interact together. I feel like this was valuable to learn for the next session; I know more of how my models look and work together and I can plan poses with help from the book and story itself. These are good high quality professional photographs that will enhance my portfolio and showcase my work and for that this was a highly successful experience. 

Toile Dress Fitting for Princess Silhouette

This was my first toile fitting for Princess Silhouette's dress. I did this fitting right after the underwear photoshoot since Camilla (my model) was already in her underwear. I think this made sense but wasn't the best time; I felt very aware that she was tired and hungry and had given her whole morning to the photoshoot. She was absolutely lovely and patient which I greatly appreciated. I also had a time mix up with my tutor so I ended up doing the fitting by myself. Although I probably could have used the help; this might have been a good step in me learning to do a fitting on my own. I used my best judgement looking at my research and original design and since I will be having a second fitting in top fabric I think trying this on my own was a good learning experience. From what I could tell there weren't too many changes to be made. It was obvious that the front needed a bit of tweaking. The neck-line was a little too low, just like on the other dress and I changed that design line now to include all the seam allowance. And I made a little dart just to stop it from gaping. It also didn't line up in the front so that had to be accounted for. On the back (which I foolishly didn't take a picture of) was taken a little just to make it fit really well. The arm-hole was okay on this bodice but I still made it just a little bigger to account for some ease she might need in moving. And then the sleeve, just like on Princess Colour, needed taking up. I did something a little different on this one and changed the leave to include a kind of three draw-string effect based on one drawing of this dress in my book. However I didn't actually like this as much on the model and I eliminated one whole draw-string but left one extra draw-string close to the bottom.

Evaluation:
I think this was a positive fitting over-all. The emphasis on time was both good and bad in ways. I needed the experience of working on my own and also to work quickly. In the industry I might not be able to have a whole afternoon with an actor and will have to get a lot of information in a short amount of time. On the other-hand using the tutors insight and knowledge is invaluable as the deadline for this project gets closer and closer. What this time constraint taught me is that: take lots of photographs. Really that should go without saying but especially when you don't have a lot of time with a model or actor, photographs can be a key to making a successful fitting. Luckily I don't feel like I had too much to alter on my toile and the information that I did get was very useful. I'll be interested to see how the second fitting goes after I make these alterations to my pattern and start in top fabric.

First Laser Cutting

I had my first session with laser cutting this week. I had done just a small design in illustrator to get used to the process and see how things would lay out. I had an induction early in the work-shop and had printed out a few hand-outs on using the laser cutter so I felt prepared. I still needed a little help but the results were so exciting! I really can't wait to get started on the final cuts for the costume! This was a good trial to do because I took lots of different types of fabrics to gauge how they cut and the different settings they would need. This way when I have my final images done I won't have to do samples and can just start in on the final fabrics. This was also good because I think I can use all parts of the fabric, both the images it cuts out and the fabric negative.

Laser Cut Pieces

The Fabric Negative

Draping Princess Silhouette

Using my historical research and line drawings I draped Princess Silhouette's dress. I also opted not to put the corset on the mannequin for draping this dress for the same reason, I didn't want it to get damaged in any way. I also used a basic stomacher to better get the shape of the corset.


The Bodice:

After draping Princess Colour's bodice this seemed relatively simpler because it had fewer pieces.  But it was still just as challenging, especially with the stomacher. I am really pleased with the results.

The Skirt:

Very simply: I just used the skirt from Princess Colour's toile for this toile. Since they will be same it made sense to not waste the time making the skirt again.

The Sleeves:

For these sleeves I decided to also use fabric that could be top fabric and the correct weight. I also decided to make three channels on this sleeve. Looking through the book at various illustrations of the silhouette Princess the sleeve looks a bit different from how it does in the colour illustrations, so I wanted to make it different. I have the feeling they might be a little too long, but only a fitting will tell!

Photoshoot Preperation and Ideas

Although I have been having a difficult time sticking to my time plan I knew I wanted/needed to finish and photograph my underwear before the Easter Holidays. I had some finishing to do before the photoshoot but I also had some planning for the photoshoot itself. I will be using imagery from the book for the final dress photos but this shoot could be completely up to me. I don't feel like I need to follow the book for this because it isn't directly related, however I wanted to keep a similar tone of grace and elegance. I've come up with these general words for how I wanted things to end up looking:
Graceful
Elegant
Dewy
Fresh Faced
Simple

I am lucky to have some great people to help me on this shoot. Nelly Nguyen and Camilla Arnhold were my photographers, Sarah Harrison was my make-up artist, and Ellen Hughes was my assistant. I went over some general ideas and desires for the shot with Nelly and Camilla mostly just telling them the over-all feeling I wanted to evoke and showing them this image:

Nana 2012. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Retrieved 07 April, 2012, from http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/402465/Nana

 This painting by Manet really has the feel I am looking for. I like her stance and her facial expression as she takes on the viewer with a kind of nonchalant look. I also like the man in the back-ground because underwear in some aspects is always meant to be seen and the decoration on my under-garments certainly plays to that ideal as well.

For my meeting with Sarah I expressed my general ideas. What I was sure on was how I wanted the hair. I wanted Rose's hair to be french-braided down her back and Camilla's fish-tail braided down her back. I like this style because it is simple and elegant but still interesting. Also they would look very similar from the front and similar with a slight twist from the back; these play in nicely with the whole theme of similar but different that will be played out in the final dresses. Here are some hair images I found online and sent to Sarah.

http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?start=87&hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=sZw&sa=X&rls=org.mozilla: tumblr_lg61e1I2pz1qc891yo1_500.jpg

Rachel-McAdams-www.aceshowbiz.com_.jpg

http://www.tumblr.com/tagged/long-fishtail-braid

Next came the type of make-up I wanted. Dewy was my key word but I wanted to keep it simple. I don't feel like I knew exactly what I wanted til I started looking at images online. I knew I wanted something fresh new morning with a kind of bright eye with a little high-lighting. Here are the images I sent to Sarah; I found most of them by simply typing in 'runway make-up':

Rachel-McAdams-www.aceshowbiz.com_.jpg

michaelkorsfall2012.jpg

tumblr_lzi3nmp9Gj1qfyjoto1_500

There are similar elements in all these pictures that made me choose them. They are the simple eyes keeping them mostly clean and light and the direct application of colour to the cheeks. I really want to highlight these two areas: around the eyes and the cheeks. I think a lot of it will come together while the make-up is being done.

Aside from hair, make-up and photos my styling part is mostly done. The only other item I am looking to supply some shoes. I am hoping to find nude ballet flats for both.

Princess Colour Dress Toile Fitting

 

  

Above are images before alterations

Today I had my toile fitting for Princess Colour's top dress. I was pleased with how it went and I feel like although there are many changes they aren't things I wasn't expecting. There were a few fit issues I noticed on the mannequin when it was being draped but I wanted to wait til the fitting to really see if they translated the same on my model. Just like on the mannequin it was a little big and has mostly been taken in at the centre back. I've also added a few more bones to make it really stay smooth. There were more changes on the design side of things rather than the fit. Looking at the illustration again we made the neck line a bit more shallow, recognizing that it was a lot higher than I had cut it. It's still a little lower than in the illustration but by adding lace it will raise it a bit more to really fit. The centre front piece has also been made a bit smaller to better fit my model.  The sleeves were another area with a few alterations. Although it wasn't too tight I decided to make the arm-hole a little bigger just for more ease and comfort. As well as making it a bit shorter as it was a little too long. But I was pleased with the size and overall shape. I think the skirt was a great success. I think it will really come alive when it is made out all my different types of fabric. The underskirt seemed to work really well, however my tutor did bring up maybe making a yoke for the underskirt if the pleating adds too much bulk. This will be something to take into consideration because even though my fabric is light I still don't want it to be weighed down in any way.

Side view of shortened sleeve, added bone, and changed design lines

Centre Back View with Alterations

Front View for Changed Seam Line and New Neck Line

Evaluation:

I think this was a very positive fitting. It was my first fitting using a toile I'd draped. I think it did have problems in a few fit areas and design lines but over-all these alterations will be easy to fix on my pattern. In some ways it was difficult to look at this toile during the fitting as a designer and a maker. I think I had to look first at the fit from a maker's perspective and then look at it from the design perspective. I think I could have looked more at my design while I was draping, because the neck-line was a lot lower than it should have been. This is an important thing to realize now because I think I was looking a lot at the historical research more than the design and really should have been an even mix between design and historical research. But I am really pleased with how the skirt looks. I wasn't sure if having even half a skirt for the toile would really be worth the time and fabric but it certainly was. I think going into top fabric I'll be a lot more confident and experimental. 

Front View after Alterations

Side View After Alterations

Back View After Alterations

Draping Princess Colour

Working from my collaged research pages and line drawings I draped Princess Colour. I decided not to put the corset on the mannequin because I was afraid it would get damaged by all the pins, so I just carefully padded out the mannequin.

The Bodice:

I started first with the bodice. I haven't ever done female draping on the stand in University before, aside from a few exercises beginning of second year, so this is a new process for me. I learn the importance of having the right shaped mannequin and making your original design lines as neat as possible the first time so it is clear when you are tracing the pattern off again later, where the right lines are. But over-all I am very pleased with the result.


The Skirt:

While gathering my research I came across a pattern instruction to gather the back of the skirt and pleat the front, this is the basic principle I used when making the underskirt. Although you will never see it, I think it is a nice idea to have it grounded in historical research.

The Sleeves:

 When it came to thinking of the sleeves I knew it had to be light and flowing. By using organza I think I'll be able to really judge the shape and flow of the sleeve in the fitting. And since it is a basic one piece sleeve I also might be able to use it again as the base for the real one.

The Tabs:

Creating the tabs was a huge experiment that really paid off. When I had to begin them I was unsure, I much prefer if I can pattern something first then drape it. But by making up the shapes I was able to see how they all hang differently and about what size looks more appealing. I'm not sure how to proceed from here, though, after my fitting. I'm not too sure if I will want to pattern them from the draped bits or draft whole new ones. From this little experimentation I can really see the dresses taking shape.

Trimming Mistake

I've made a small mistake while doing some trimming on the inside of Princess Colour's corset. Instead of trimming the black lining fabric I trimmed the cream fabric that needed to fold over the black fabric. Opps. So my solution was to trim the black fabric as I should have originally. And then I cut a thin piece of the cream fabric folded over an edge and slip-stitched it to the little seam allowance I hadn't trimmed off. Then continued as usual as if I hadn't made the mistake and folded it over and slip stitched it like the rest of the seams. I think this was a rookie mistake but I think this was a good solution for it and a good lesson in problem solving.

Accidentally trimmed seam-allowance and the added piece to solve the problem