Identity Revealed - a filmed triptych by Ellis Faas

De Nieuwe Kerk in Amsterdam commissioned this film by makeup artist/photographer/filmmaker Ellis Faas, asking Ellis to draw inspiration from traditional masks from the Ivory Coast.

Ellis explains her approach:
"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. Not only by traditional masks, but also by disguising and ornamental elements such as clothing, jewellery, hair and makeup. But can one truly change one's identity, or is it merely a temporary transformation? And who or what defines someone's true identity? Is it the mask, is it the human being behind the mask, or maybe even the creator of the mask?"

I found the video extremely eerie, due to the dark background and the music that was being played, I also thought the way in which the models were moving very unusual and unnerving. I also thought that some of the looks Ellis Faas created were actually quite scary but in a hidden sense; for example, I found that 2 of the looks reminded me of a gas mask used in the World War... 

The masks that completely covered the whole face were the ones that creeped me out the most, because you do not have any idea who that person is or what they look like - everything that you would potentially judge someone on has been taken away, so this left me feeling slightly on edge. 

Initially, from just watching the video (and not reading the meaning behind it) I did not necessarily understand the concept, but upon reading the information, everything became much clearer and I found the video very intriguing and interesting once I understood. I liked the way she explored different elements, for example, she used wires and 3D objects to create a mask, not just make-up, and I was very impressed with all the different looks she was able to come up with. Also, I think she was very clever with the concept she was trying to portray, because there is no direct answer to the questions she is asking, and different people will believe different things, so she is opening the subject up for discussion. 

Furthermore, I believe the concept is very contemporary because of the looks she creates and diversity she uses, as well as the fact that fakery and 'masks' are arguably often used by people in today's society... 

Reference: http://vimeo.com/109956784

Fashion Toast - Where have all the surfing cowboys gone?

I found this blog post extremely intriguing... It simply contains numerous images of a girl wearing, what looks like, a tennis outfit and white slip-ons, standing against a blue wall which says 'surfing cowboys'. The small undescriptive caption/explanation provided by the blogger states: "How to make body conscious look fresh: generic slip-ons from Harajuku and some of that pale Venice Blvd. sunshine. Plus Friend of Mine just does it right in the first place. Called the Danger dress for a reason, careful how you walk in this one.."

My initial reaction to the images without actually reading the caption made me think it was an amateur model trying to get some shots for her portfolio. The reason I thought this is because the model does not necessarily look comfortable in all of the photos, and some of the poses do not seem  'natural', therefore I thought she may be starting out and everyone has to start somewhere... 

However, when I read the text, this totally changed my perception of the image and model, even though it was such a small passage of writing. The part which says "how to make the body conscious look fresh" made me think perhaps that is why she appears slightly uncomfortable because maybe there are underlying issues and the model is in fact body conscious? A friend may be trying to help her overcome these issues by getting her to model and see that there is no need for her to worry, or even the model may be pretending to be body conscious, and actually isn't... 

The part which says "generic slip-ons from Harajuku" then, once again, made me change my thought process; I started thinking this may be a fashion styling shoot. They could be advertising either the shoes or the 'danger dress'. They may have picked a fairly random and plain backdrop to emphasise the clothing and styling options. 

As you continue to decode the text, the end part was one that particularly interested me. " Called the Danger dress for a reason, careful how you walk in this one.. " - this makes the image much more personal and almost suggests that something prior to these images being taken has happened. Why is the dress a danger dress, and why must you be careful of how you walk in it? Is it the daring slit up the side - does it reveal too much in certain positions? There certainly isn't an answer now, and I doubt there will be in the future... It just keeps you guessing.

And finally, what does surfing cowboys have to do with it all?! I think the blogger has actually been extremely creative with his choice of writing and how it connects to the images; it reveals not too much, but just enough to keep you guessing, and even checking back on the blog to see if anything else is given away or revealed. It could be a strike of pure genius, or it could just be a man of very little words! The frustrating thing is that we will probably never know, and for now, you just have to use your own opinions and your own thoughts to figure out what is going on. 

Reference: http://fashiontoast.com/2013/11/where-have-all-the-surfing-cowboys-gone/

Creating Elizabethan Make-up

• Carry out the blocking eyebrows out process as shown in previous post
• Apply a white skin base all over the face, ears and neck
• Using a disposable mascara wand, apply white mascara/the white supercolor to the eyelashes
• Add blusher to the apples of the cheeks
• Apply some colour to lips (in this case, I used the same blusher colour as what is on the cheeks)

Products/equipment used:

• Palette & spatular
• Illamasqua white base 
• Kryolan Supracolor palette
• Kryolan blusher palette
• A pritt stick
• Soap (dove)
• Illamasqua translucent powder
• A puff
• An angled brush
• A blusher brush
• A foundation brush
• Sponges
• Disposable mascara wands

Blocking Out Eyebrows

• Ensure the face has been cleansed, toned and moisturised, including the eyebrows

Using Soap:

• Soak soap in warm water and mix up a cream/paste
• Using a angled brush, put this into the eyebrows, but do this in the opposite direction to the hairs. Wiggle the brush around and ensure you cover every hair
• Apply the soap in the direction of the hairs
• Use your finger or a baby bud to remove any excess soap around the eyebrows
• Repeat this process and add another 4-5 layers of soap (leaving time in between each layer)
• Ensure the eyebrow feels quite smooth at the end of applying the soap
• Ensure there are no ridges or big lumps within the eyebrow 

Using a Pritt Stick:

• Use a spatular to scrape out some of the glue onto the back of your hand
• Using the spatular, apply the glue onto the eyebrow against the direction of the hair 
• Apply glue in the direction of the hair
• Use your finger/a clean spatular/a baby bud to wipe away any excess
• You must remember to be fairly quick otherwise the glue will dry
• Build this up in the same way as soap
• If necessary, dry this using a warm hair drier (not hot)
• Apply powder onto the eyebrows (when quite tacky) to make the texture more skin-like 
  
  
  
  To blend in with skin tone:
  • Mix the supracolors into a rosy pink colour, to take out dark colours 
  • Apply this all over and around the eyebrows, using a stippling motion (using soft brush or sponge)
  • Apply a few layers of this
  • Then apply foundation, again using a stippling motion, and eventually blend this out into the rest of the skin
  • Powder the whole face
  
  
  To blend in with other colours:
  • Simply apply the colour straight onto the brows, using a stippling motion (using a soft brush/sponge)
  • Build layers up until you are satisfied and then apply a skin base
  • Finally apply powder
    
    
    
    (to see final look, see next post)

Val Garland

Val Garland is a fixture backstage with MAC at some of the most exclusive and creative shows, including Vivienne Westwood and Alexander McQueen. She has a knack for crafting out-there beauty looks that not only look crazy-amazing, but cause us to question the concept of beauty and what we think is beautiful. When asked how she comes up with such weird and wonderful makeup, she simply replies that she's "a bit bonkers." 

"I fell into the industry by pure chance, really. I was a hairdresser and I used to wear tons of makeup — tons, and tons, and tons — and photographers kept saying to me, 'Oh, you should do makeup.' I was a bit reluctant, and then one day the makeup artist didn't turn up. So, I had to do the makeup, and that shoot ended up being in a magazine in Australia. Then people just started booking me. I made a lot of mistakes because I'm self-taught, so in the beginning I would make everybody look like me — they always had big, black eyebrows and very black, heavy, sooty eyes — but it's only by making mistakes that you learn. As time went by, I kind of refined and honed my craft."


I really like both Val Garland's work, and her way of thinking. I love the looks that she produces and how she is not afraid to make a statement or stand out. I also feel like she does not have a particular area that she focuses on/specialises in; she explores many different looks and styles and each and every one works well and looks amazing. 

But it's not like every look needs to be drastic and bold and different; she is also able to follow her client's directions as shown here: 

http://www.dazeddigital.com/fashion/article/22239/1/val-garland-amplified-realness

Reference: http://www.refinery29.com/val-garland

The Masters Of Drawing

Leonardo Da Vinci 
Da Vinci was one of the great creative minds of the Italian Renaissance, hugely influential as an artist and sculptor but also immensely talented as an engineer, scientist and inventor.

Renaissance Italy was centuries away from our culture of photographs and cinema, but Leonardo nevertheless sought a universal language in painting. With perspective and other realistic elements, Leonardo tried to create faithful renditions of life. In a culture previously dominated by highly figurative and downright strange religious paintings, Leonardo's desire to paint things realistically was bold and fresh. This call to objectivity became the standard for painters who followed in the 16th century.

No slouch when it came to the techniques of the day, Leonardo went beyond his teaching by making a scientific study of light and shadow in nature. It dawned on him that objects were not comprised of outlines, but were actually three-dimensional bodies defined by light and shadow. Known as chiaroscuro, this technique gave his paintings the soft, lifelike quality that made older paintings look cartoony and flat. He also saw that an object's detail and color changed as it receded in the distance. This technique, called sfumato, was originally developed by Flemish and Venetian painters, but of course Super-Genius Leonardo transformed it into a powerful tool for creating atmosphere and depth.

Pablo Picasso 

The Weeping Woman, 1937 by Pablo Picasso

Arguably, one of the most famous and influential artists of all time is Pablo Picasso. Before the age of 50, the Spanish born artist had become the most well known name in modern art, with the most distinct style and eye for artistic creation. There had been no other artists, prior to Picasso, who had such an impact on the art world, or had a mass following of fans and critics alike, as he did. 

Although his art career spanned over a 7 decade period, Pablo Picasso is most known for his introduction of cubism, and modern approach to painting, which set forth the movements to follow in to the twentieth century. Not only was his art form well ahead of his time, but the works he created went on to influence artists and painters down the line, for a period of more than 50 years, and still influences the styles of many artists today.

With his first piece Picasso was greatly criticized. But, today, it is one of the most iconic pieces he created. What he did for modern art was to create a new way of looking at art. Basically, he broke away from tradition, and what was believed to be art, and focused on creating work that challenged the mind, challenged your vision, and created different ways of looking at the same thing. Much of his work was painted in the form of cubes and squares, to mimic what they looked like in different dimensions. 

Although, there is not simply just one, or a few masters of drawing... Each and every artist in their own right, may be a master in what they do. I believe it is simply down to opinion, one thing which the artist may think is stunning, another may think is abysmal. All artists have a unique style and work in different ways.

For example, I would call myself an artist (as well as a make-up artist) and when I create artwork I like to work in a very realistic way and I believe I have quite an eye for detail. 

An example of an acrylic painting I did

The finished product

But I also experimented in many different areas of fine art, and some people may argue that some of my work was not actually art, or was not very good, etc. For example, this piece I created in 15 hours and simply consists of 4 different colours (white, light grey, dark grey and black), and the whole image is made of tiny dots (as you can see on the right). Some would argue that this is not art, but to me, it is, and this is what I created for my A-level art exam. 

Reference: http://www.pablopicasso.org
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/da_vinci_leonardo.shtml
http://legacy.mos.org/leonardo/artist.html

More Halloween Make-up

To create this wound, I used liquid latex and applied 4-5 layers to make it appear as though there was an indent in my head. I then used a sponge to apply different shades of purple, black and brown eyeshadow to make it appear as though there is very severe bruising. I then used a foundation lightly on the sponge to blend the bruising out. Finally, I filled the cut with fake gel blood and allowed it to drip slightly. 

This wound was quite different to the one above - the one above is a cut gushing with blood, whereas the this one is more of a graze, which is lightly bleeding. To create this, I used the bruise wheel to apply a purple-coloured base, and then you a stippling sponge to dab fake liquid blood onto the area. 

I accompanied both of these looks with a very dark smokey eye, and in one of the looks I actually wore red contact lenses. I sprayed fake blood over my ripped up dress to create an almost zombie look.