Technical File: Burns

First degree burns can also be called superficial burns or wounds.  They are the mildest form of skin injury in terms of burns, and don't usually require medical attention. Examples include sunburns, scalds and electricity.

Second degree burns are more serious as the damage extends to the top layer of the skin. This damage can cause skin to blister, become extremely red and sore. They can look wet!

Third degree burns are the worst kind. The burns go through every layer of skin and can result in death if they reach major organs and bones.


In our lesson with Sue today we learnt how to create an effective looking burn using gelatine. We firstly looked at the types of burns that we could create, and then watched her explain how to create them with makeup.

1. Melt the gelatine in a plastic pot in the microwave for about 20 seconds. Stir until ready to use, keep it moving otherwise it gets thick very quickly!
2. You must test the temperature of the gelatine before you use it on your client. When it is bearable on your own skin, it is ready to be applied to the client. 
3. Once it's on the skin in a thick layer, smooth out the edges so that it blends with the skin and doesn't look 'stuck on'.
4. You can make blisters by dapping and pushing at the gelatine and letting it ping back to place.
5. Dry the gelatine with a cool hairdryer until cool to touch - it will feel tacky!
6. You can neaten the edges by dipping the cotton bud into witch hazel. 
7. Powder with translucent powder to make it look more fleshy.
8. Use a powder brush to mix moisturiser and the red colours from your supra colour palette and dab/stipple them to create a sore look around the 'burn'. 
9. For the next step, I applied wound filler to the edges of the burn, blended them out, and then filled in any little holes/lines with it too. I also used fake blood to dabble onto the burn for effect.

Products used for this technique:

• Gelatin (you can use the sachets from supermarkets if you can't afford a huge amount of gelatine)
• Supra colour palette - the red/burgundy colours
• Witch hazel
• Wound filler
• Fake blood

Tools:

• Microwave (to heat the gelatine)
• Plastic bowl 
• Metal Pallet knife
• Makeup brushes
• Artist brushes
• Cotton buds

HEALTH AND SAFETY:

For this this special effects lesson I ensured my model was covered over in case anything spilt/splattered on her, as well as tying up her hair so it didn't track in the wound. I carried out a skin test with the products I was using before I started the process. Once I knew there wasn't a reaction on the client I could proceed the wound! As well as this, before starting I made sure that the heated gelatine wasn't too hot for the client by testing on myself first and then applying a tiny amount to the client and asking if it was alright to carry on.

Bibliography:

https://www.scripps.org/encyclopedia/graphics/images/en/1078.jpg

http://www.healthline.com/health/burns#Third-Degree5

Technical File: Cuts and Black eyes

In our practical lesson with Sue today we learnt how to create an effective looking black eye and also how to create cuts using special effects equipment.

Black eye

1. For the black eye, start with a clean base.
2. Moisturise the area you applying the products to, as a shiny black eye looks more effective than a matted down version.
3. Follow the shape of the eye socket; using a dark mauve/red/purply colour line the socket and blend with your ring finger. Add bits at a time and blend as you go along. 
4. You can refer to a photograph of a black eye throughout the process, as it is good to refer back to the colours and particular shapes. Usually the darker areas are in the inner sockets by the nose, and get lighter around the outside of the eyes. 
5. If you want to add red eye drops and use a red eye pencil this can be effective too!

My first attempt at a black eye

Products used for this look:

• Supra colour palette (the dark burgundy)
• Ben Nye's bruise wheel in the dark purple and dark red

Brushes used:

• Artist's paint brush (small)

Cuts:

1. Prepare the skin by using Kryolan's barrier cream
2. Take the amount of moulding wax you need using your spatula and put it on the back of your hand. This will warm the product up and make it easier to mould onto the skin and blend it in.
3. Apply the wax in small sections and blend the outer edges carefully. Once you have applied your wax and you're happy with it, cut a slit (or whatever kind of wound you want) into the middle, thicker areas
4. Apply liquid latex with a cotton bud and dry using a cool hairdryer
5. Once the liquid latex turns from white to clear, you are ready to neaten up any edges using a cotton bud and acetone. Take away any obvious mistakes.
6. Apply a foundation colour that is suited to your model and blend it in. You can also mix supra colour colours (in reds,blacks etc) with alcohol and create a pinker, sore look to the cut.
7. Apply wound filler to the inside of the cut with a hair pin, or wherever you want it to go
8. Lastly, add some blood and make it as gory as possible!!

From left: the moulding wax before the other products went on, the final product

I really enjoyed this lesson because we got to get quite creative!! I want to improve soon and make the cuts look more realistic. 

HEALTH AND SAFETY:

For this lesson I washed my hands thoroughly and made sure my work space was clean. I covered my area over with couch roll and laid out my products ready to use! I covered my client over and then tested the products on her skin before proceeding. 

Technical File: Creping of the skin/ageing

In our first lesson of the semester with Sue we learnt about liquid latex and how to age a person. It is really important to stick to the same health and safety rules we learnt last term to avoid spreading bacteria. Before you start working on your models face you must ensure that your hands have been washed thoroughly and that your work space is clear and clean.

ENSURE that you do an allergy test on your client before you start applying the liquid latex to them. Apply a small patch on the inside of their forearm (as the skin here is quite delicate) and wait until its dry to see if it causes a reaction. DO NOT use the product on them if the skin feels hot, itchy or goes red and patchy.

The tools used for this technique:

• Liquid latex
• Old age stipple
• (Pure) acetone
• Barrier cream

How to achieve the 'aged' look:

1. Remove any makeup from your clients face. Cleanse, tone and moisturise to ensure that the latex will stay put on the face. If your client has makeup on, the latex won't grip to the face and will slide off. 
2. Once the face is clean, use a barrier cream to protect the face and prepare the skin for the liquid latex. 
3. Prepare your liquid latex in a small bowl and make sure the bottle has it's lid on firmly. Use a small stippling sponge to apply the liquid latex to the skin; apply it fairly generously to taught skin if you want a very wrinkled effect, but buffer out the outer edges to ensure it blends well into the skin and isn't patchy. 
4. With a hairdryer on a cool setting, dry the liquid latex until it turns clear. (It goes on white so you'll know when it's dry when you can't see it anymore.)
5. Play with the skin a bit and you'll be left with wrinkled skin. You can do multiple layers for deeper lines.
6. You can add colour or texture by applying coloured or translucent powder. This dries the latex slightly and makes it more skin-like. 
7. If you have any mistakes or thick pieces of latex that don't look right, dip a cotton bud into acetone and gently rub at the error until it melts away. Don't scrub, as this removes big chunks and will make the latex uneven in places. 

My model, Liberty, a few years older!!!

I really enjoyed learning how to achieve this look as I've seen it everywhere and think it's amazing. I can't wait to get my teeth into this project and learn some new techniques!! I will definitely be purchasing my own liquid latex and I'll be perfecting this look. I found that using one layer of the latex created a dry, fine-lined effect, but layering the latex creates really deep, effective lines.

HEALTH AND SAFETY:

For this lesson I washed my hands and covered my work space and client over. I did a skin test for the liquid latex and tasted the heat of the hairdryer on myself before using it on the clients face. To remove the product I washed my hands again and assisted with peeling it off and removing any extra bits with witch hazel.

Victorian Hats

It was extremely fashionable and practical for Victorian women to wear bonnets on an every day basis. Basic bonnets were used daily to keep hair away from women's faces and out of their way when doing jobs etc. They eventually became more intricate, detailed and pretty as time went on.
Bonnets became trimmed with feathers, flowers, ribbon, frills etc. Wide brimmed bonnets became a real fashion statement in the 1830s, originating from New York and inspiring women in magazines.

Although bonnets stayed fashionable for quite some time, featuring in Vogue and being the fashion talk amongst women, the trimmings and extra ribbons/accessories changed almost seasonally,keeping up with current trends. The wide set bonnets protected women's faces from the sun, however as they didn't wear makeup at the time, some women lined the inside of their bonnets with pink materials which gave them a pretty glow when they were out and about. Clever!

Here is an example of a bonnet from the era, still in great condition!

Bibliography:

http://www.victoriana.com/Fashion/antiquehat/1830.html

Late Victorian Hairstyles

In our lesson with Helen today we learnt about later Victorian hairstyles (from about 1840s onwards). The style was ever changing but the main focus of a traditional Victorian lady was that her hair was kept neat! In the 1840s women started wearing their hair in 'barley curls' - these were long ringlets that mostly children wore before it became fashionable for women to wear! At this point too, chignons start moving to the back of the head.

As hoop skirts became popular in the 1850s, hairstyles got bigger to match them! Hair was still parted to the middle, however many women started using padding in their hair to make it bigger. In general, hair from the 1840s onwards became longer and the curls were a lot looser than they had been before. Sometimes too, the partings became triangular - hair shapes changed a lot. Victorian women kept their hairstyles so that they still framed the face, and so that they were also still suitable to wear with a bonnet, which remained fashionable. 

Bibliography:

http://www.fashion-era.com/images/HairHats/original_hathair_images/6hats1893-97.jpg

http://www.onlinecostumeball.com/GermanBook/Hats/hats11.jpg

http://www.whizzpast.com/victorian-hairstyles-a-short-history-in-photos/

Early Victorian Hairstyles

Queen Victoria was on the throne from 1837 until 1901. During her reign, it was very fashionable for ladies to arrange their hair in an up do of curls at the back of their head, followed by one or more loops of hair leading from the front of the hair to it's arrangement at the back. This style of loop could either be loose or plaited, both were very popular. 

For some women however, this was not an ideal hairstyle in the working world. A lot of women took to wearing bonnets or hats, to keep their hair neat and contained. An undo meant that their hair could sit under the bonnet without looking untidy. 

Queen Victoria

As always, the public were very influenced by their queen and would take her hair styles as inspiration for their own. Victorian women would part their hair in the middle, and their hairstyles would always be very neat. They would have plaited buns, to keep the hair in place and tidy. Early Victorian hairstyles showed that the hair would only come as low as the ear - and the front of the hair would often have 'sausage-like' ringlets framing the face. 

As time went on, hairstyles became a bit looser. Curls would be more wavy than tight ringlets, and the hair often came down to the jawline rather than around the ear area. The styles stayed almost the same but they became a little bit more playful after the 1840s. 




Pre-Victorian hairstyles included the 'apollo knot'. This was particularly popular between 1825 and 1845, it was an elaborate hair style that tended to lean to one side and was complex looking. Another style that was popular was called the 'Madonna' coiffure, which was a centre parting and was built up with tight ringlets at the side and crown of the head. Many women thought this was an elaborate hairstyle to wear every day, and was worn for special occasions, however it became more well known and more worn as time went on. 

Bibliography:

http://www.fashion-era.com/romantic_era.htm

Sadie Frost as Lucy Westenra

My favourite representation of the character Lucy was played by Sadie Frost. I really love the innocence but obvious naughtiness Frost portrays, and love the makeup transition from a beautiful, vulnerable young lady to a distorted, ruined vampire version of herself. The 1992 production is obviously more advanced than the first few Dracula films, and the makeup is vastly improved by this point.

The makeup and fashion throughout the film is accurately presented to the time the novel was written. I love the curly hair and up dos- however the character of Lucy is portrayed as a wild card in a few scenes, with her long red hair down and free flowing, which represents how secretly she craves a mans attention and has sexual desires.

The makeup for the vampire version of Lucy is quite simple in this film. She has dewy white skin, with red/blue eyes and a bright red messy mouth with long, yellow fangs. I love that she's in her wedding dress and has a headdress. It totally contrasts her new, distorted appearance and personality with her clean, white, innocent wedding dress.

Bibliography:

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2010/08/28/article-1307010-0AF44BBC000005DC-435_468x612.jpg

http://40.media.tumblr.com/c7d7733e5c04660281035ed47dffd73b/tumblr_mvj3euyC7J1sjed9co7_1280.jpg

Frances Dade as Lucy Westenra

I had a look at the actresses who have played Lucy over the years and they've all portrayed them very differently. The first actress I researched was Frances Dade, who played Lucy Westenra in the 1931 film 'Dracula'. I was interested in this film and what the makeup and special effects would be like.

The overall special effects of the film are limited to using fog, lighting and large flexible bats, and Dracula's transition from man/vampire into a bat were always off screen. The film also had extended periods of silence and lots of character close ups, which was useful for seeing the makeup in the film. 

For the character of Lucy, the makeup was typical of the 30s. A thin, arched brow, dark smokey makeup and a defined lip were the perfect combination for the film's beauty. She is delicate looking, accurately presented as vulnerable in this film. I really like the classic makeup for this look, and think it's quite appropriate for the time in which the novel was originally written.

From left, Lucy Westenra played by Frances Dada, Dracula played by Bela Lugosi

Bibliography:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frances_Dade

http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/headhuntershorrorhouse/images/b/bf/Lucy_Weston_(Universal_Classics).jpg/revision/latest?cb=20091007215300

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/93/db/d5/93dbd561e1a4593edd2d40a5a6eb58f3.jpg

My chosen character: Lucy Westenra

Throughout the novel it's apparent that Lucy is very flirty and voluptuous. She is constantly making sexual references and encouraging her friend, Mina, to be more flirty and outgoing. Due to her flirty, promiscuous, yet innocent personality, many men are attracted to her. In the novel she is proposed to three times and struggles to choose which man to marry. She says to Mina; "Why can't they let a girl marry three men, or as many as want her, and save all this trouble?" this is a clear indicator that Lucy likes the attention she gets.

Lucy is blonde and described as innocent, sweet, virginal and vulnerable. Her vulverability makes everyone want to protect and look after her, and this is draws Count Dracula in to her. He knows that she's quite headstrong, but can manipulate her and use her sexual desires at an advantage when she sleep walks. He takes control of her body and she starts to sleepwalk every night, and one evening Mina finds her with a mysterious beast. It is then apparent a few days later that she's been bitten by a Vampire - the bite is found by Dr Van Helsing - and she dies a few days later, or so everyone thinks.

When Lucy becomes a Vampire.. 

Lucy's appearance changes drastically. She is buried by her fiancé and Van Helsing in her wedding dress, just as beautiful as she was at the start of the novel. Van Helsing makes the connection between the bite on her neck and her death and realises she's not dead after all, but a vampire. He describes her to the other men as 'undead'.

She is pale, wearing her dress still, with red raw lips. Her attractiveness comes out as a vampire and her purity turns into 'voluptuous wantonness'. "The sweetness was turned to adamantine, heartless cruelty, and the purity to voluptuous wantonness." (Chapter 16, pg. 231) Her maternal instincts alter, as she clutches a small child and starts to feed from it.

Mood Board

For our new topic, we have each chosen a novel and focused on an individual character to recreate. I chose 'Dracula' by Bram Stoker, focusing on the character of Lucy Westenra.

We needed to produce a mood board showing the moods and feelings of the novel. I chose to put my mood board in black and white because it's a dark and mysterious story. The main features of the novel obviously have the feeling of betrayal, darkness and mystery. I chose to show the wolves that were featured in the novel because they are scary and not the norm. The main character of Dracula, is polite and friendly in the novel before his true colours show. He is a manipulating but clever character who invites innocent people into his home for his own benefit: their blood. He's also clever in who he chooses because his main goal is to manipulate the wife of Jonathan Harker, Mina, because he was in love with her in a former life and wants to feel that love again. The story unravels to also show the manipulation of Mina's naive friend, Lucy Westenra. I chose the character of Lucy because she was the one that interested me the most; I wanted to know what happened to her!