Theatrical Aging

Equipment:

·      Cleanser, toner, moisturiser

·      Base

·      Supracolour palette

·      Brushes

·      Disposible mascara wand

·      Mixing palette

·      Latex

·      Sponge

·      Hairdryer

Instructions:

·      Prepare the face.

·      Apply a small amount of base, the same colour as the skin.

·      Take the base over the lips whilst the model pinches her lips. This creates a cracked effect.

·      Using the grease based supracolour palette, apply a dark brown/grey around the eyes, nose, cheekbones and temples to make the face appear gaunt, emphasising the hollows.

·      Blend in with fingers.

·      Ask the model to screw their face up to show creases in the skin. Apply a darker shade in the creases of the skin and blend in with fingers to create the effect of wrinkles.

·      Get a lighter shade and highlight the raised parts of the creases to emphasise.

·      Using a disposible mascara wand, apply grey to the eyebrow in a backwards motion.

Creping of the skin

·      Stretch skin so it is taught.

·      Apply latex onto skin using a sponge.

·      Pinch skin to create ‘wrinkles’.

Dry the latex using a hairdryer, making sure that the temperature is suitable.

French Pleat

Equipment:

·      Dry shampoo

·      Pintail comb

·      Tongs

·      Padding

·      Grips

·      Pins

·      Clips

·      Hairspray

Instructions:

·      Apply dry shampoo to roots in sections.

·      Section hair at the crown down to the front of the ears and pin the front section forward.

·      The back section of the hair is to be tonged to creates direction, lift and curled ends.

·      Section the hair into workable sections. Slightly backcomb then curl.

·      The first curl is the top back section and this is to be curled under facing downwards. This is then clipped in place to set.

·      The second and third curls are next to eachother below the first curl in ‘brick’ formation.

·      The sides are then curled vertically and inwards towards the back.

·      Curls in the back section are curled in direction of the roll.

·      Once the whole of the back section has been curled, release them and gently comb them together. Be sure to leave the first three curls.

·      Pull the hair over to one side and secure by cross gripping with curby grips.

·      Then roll the hair around your hand to create the effect of a roll.

·      Once happy with the shape, secure into place using pins. Slot the pins into the cross gripping to secure the roll.

·      Release the top three curls, secure some padding, backcomb the section of hair, then swirl around the roll and pin into place.

·      Release the front section of hair, backcomb and bring over the top.

Once happy with the positioning of the hair, set with hairspray.

My version of a french pleat with added height using padding

Pinterest

http://www.pinterest.com/bryonycampbell9/

Cruel Hair

Romantic Hair

 Eccentric Hair

Gothic Images

The Cutest Blog On The Block (July 31, 2012) Gothic And Fantasy Photography (image online) Available at: http://julie-thewheeloflife.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/gothic-and-fantasy-photography.html

This image is beautifully tranquil, yet there is a strong sense of density. The water looks thick and black like oil but also appears very peaceful with how smooth the surface is. The woman in the boat looks almost emotionless and completely content with sitting in a sinking boat. There is something about how innocent and normal the image looks, but the fact the boat is submerged in water makes me feel anxious. The colours in the surroundings are dark in contrast with the woman’s ghostly pale skin, creating her to stand out. The light reflection on the water could be metaphorical for the life above the surface and death below. The sinking boat could be symbolic of the transition from life to death as she sinks slowly sinks.

Daily Photos & Art (May 3, 2012) Feeling Lost At Dusk (image online) Available at: http://unconfirmedbreakingnews.com/2012/05/daily-photos-art-568/

This image produces a gloomy atmosphere. The colours aren't an obvious black and white gothic theme as the ground is filled with rich colours from the leaves and plant life. What strikes me as having gothic characteristics are the trees. They are tall, intimidating and dark in comparison to the surroundings. The remind me of dark figures with abnormally long limbs. There appears to be an army of them as they blur out towards the background.

Phil Whiting (2008) Cornwall In Winter (Painting) The Rainyday Gallery 05/01/08 - 01/02/08. Available at: http://www.artcornwall.org/exhibition_phil_whiting.htm

This painting by Phil Whiting creates so much mystery as it’s unclear what we are looking at. The vertical strokes look like water dripping down a dirty window. From what my imagination is is producing, the view is from inside an old abandoned house with filthy windows, looking out to a miserable wet day. The application of the paint is dense and makes the image look more unattractive and depressing.

Clockwork Pictures (2014) A Day In The Line Of Density (online image) Available at: http://www.clockwork-pictures.com/stories/a_day_in_the_line_of_destiny/a_day_in_the_line_of_destiny.html

This image shows a woman bending over and facing her reflection in the water she is standing in. Her legs are submerged in the water as she is fully clothed in a white lace dress. The white lace is fragile looking, and dipped into the water makes it float outwards from her body. Her hair is extremely dark which creates a heavy contrast to the white lace and her place skin, yet her face is not revealed which creates a sense of mystery.

Hersey and Beauty (2014) St. Michael's Cathedral (online image) Available at: http://heresyandbeauty.wordpress.com/2010/12/05/lost-gothic-buildings-destroyed-in-the-2nd-world-war/

This image really stuck out to me for the interesting architectural structure and the lighting through the windows. This was taken inside St. Michael's Cathedral, a holy place, with religious interior. The black and white photo adds to the gothic setting and we can see the beautiful detail on the pillars, windows and pews. 

Gothic Elements

Within the first few scenes of the text, I have noticed the FORESHADOWING WEATHER conditions and surroundings. The weather is wet, cold and foggy. To me, this implies that there is an unsettled atmosphere and that something is metaphorically building up to a climatic storm. The marsh is dense, dark and filthy with an atmosphere filled with danger. I feel the marsh symbolises potential death with the prisoners roaming through it. The filth creates the idea of poverty, ill health and poor living. Instantly I feel threatened by this scenery and I sympathise the characters in this environment, especially Pip, whose personality completely contrasts with his surroundings.

So far, the primary TONE of the text has been unsettled and GLOOMY. The atmosphere is filled with threat and negativity, except Pip’s warmth. The scenes upon the marsh show the characters living a very low class life with now hope of escape. But with the hope of Pip’s investment the characters are instantly uplifted with the thought of money and escaping their unhappy lives. The scenes within Miss Havisham’s home are just as gloomy and depressing. The house and Miss Havisham are decaying together. I can sense that both the house and Miss Havisham were once glorious, but over time they both gradually became cold, unloved and lifeless.

This leads me on to express the SUFFERING in the text. Miss Havisham is suffering from a shattered heart after her marriage fell apart from betrayal. She is so heavily effected that her life is completely in standstill and she cannot move on from her suffering. This has led to her dislike for the male sex as she metaphorically creates a heartbreaker, Estella. She is immensely beautiful and has been raised to make men fall in love with her and then she breaks their hearts. In my eyes, I feel Estella is suffering from her inability to love someone. There is also suffering displayed in the living conditions where Pip originally lived with poor health and sanitary. Pip is an orphan and we see his suffering from the verbal and physical abuse he received as a child. He seems unloved and unwelcomed, yet he is still capable of looking passed this and remaining positive.

Even though Pip has endured a hard upbringing, he is always showing signs of positivity. He FANTASISES about constantly improving himself as a man. He is full of hope and wishes to become a gentleman, but he never loses his knowledge of where he is from or how lucky he is for the opportunity he is given. We see how he is eager to be taught ‘everything’, which brings a warmth to the text.

In contrast to Pip’s positive aspect on life, Miss Havisham shows her WEAK character with displays of fragility and negativity. She is decaying in her home, trapped in her broken past. After initially disliking her character, I feel huge amounts of sympathy for her after explanation of her behaviour. She is very mentally unstable and her appearance clearly displays this. She is pale, ghostlike and looks malnourished. She remains in her bridal clothing and looks very innocently gothic. The lace of her dress and the white material is angelic in the way that she is not physically present or alive, yet she looks harmless and innocent. Also, the lace symbolises her fragility in the sense that it is delicate and can be easily broken. She has nervous twitches and snaps easily. Her actions are unstable and I feel very sorry for her as she is a woman in need of help.

Introduction

So this semester we have the exciting prospect of studying the Great Expectations! Whilst reading the text, the book initially felt like it went on rather a lot… But after a while the story began to really unfold. Also watching the BBC film helped to piece together any confusion and really brought the characters to life. My understanding then further increased after taking some time looking through sparknotes online.

I’ve gained varied impressions on the characters throughout the book/film. My thoughts on Pip didn’t differ at all throughout. He remained warm hearted and humble. His down to earth mentality and kindness made me instantly warm to him. He is always wanting to improve himself and become a better person socially and morally, which I found quite adorable.

My thoughts on Estella and Miss Havisham were definitely mixed throughout the book. At first I felt a very cold towards the both of them. Miss Havisham seems a very fragile state of a woman who is lost in her heartbroken past. She lives in a world of sorrow and sadness which reflects in her insanity and appearance. In the BBC film and TV series she is ghostly looking and deathly. As we develop through the book, I felt my sympathy grow for her as we discover the reason for her heartbreak and instability. It also becomes apparent that she is an independent woman, something that is very unusual for this period. She makes her own decisions, which has led her to isolate herself and engross herself in an unusual and disconnected world.

With Estella, I felt her mannerisms were at first very rude towards Pip. She was patronising, rude and verbally abusive to him for no apparent reason. But what I did notice, from both the TV series and film, was her immaculate appearance. She looks pure and virginal. In the TV series she is wearing lace; symbolic for purity and innocence. This image is all deceiving as she takes advantage of her beauty to capture men’s hearts and destroy them. Initially I thought this was hideously cruel, but I grew in understanding that Miss Havisham raised poor Estella to think this way, “love is death”, in attempt to get revenge on the male sex for her own heartbreak. Also, being a similar age to Estella, I found it easy to relate to her character and I began to feel a warmth to her.

In general, the atmosphere of the book is dark and threatening throughout. There is a strong sense of unwelcome and the scenery appears very gothic and deathly. In contrast to this atmosphere, Pip is the warmth and hope in the book which brings light to the desperate and isolated setting.