Examples of combining contemporary society with the Elizabethan era

This advert shows the extent to which you can combine the old and the new, and how it works extremely well. This is beyond something I would love to achieve by the end of my project, but it provides a lot of inspiration and a limitless amount of ideas.

And just a quick behind the scenes clip for more info...

And it's not just Beyonce who has been involved with combining modern day society and the past - the Geordie Shore crew have also done the same, and it's safe to say, you can't get much more 'contemporary' than the Geordie's! Although this look is not necessarily Elizabethan, it has a key theme of royalty and just shows how the 2 different eras can work together. 

The History Of Tudor Cosmetics

Within the Elizabethan period a pale face for both the male and female gender was considered, as in the Middle Ages, a desirable feature obtainable by only the wealthy. Tanned skin was associated with peasant workers due to long hours spent in the fields under the sun. To enhance these features a white powder made of white lead and vinegar was often applied to the face - this over time actually ruined the skin and made it turn grey. A small amount of rouge (made from crushed beetles) was also applied to the cheeks and lips, and coal was used to darken eyelashes. 

The Queens ivory complexion was viewed as the perfect base for contemporary beauty, however, the means of which the white foundation was created proved highly toxic. The toxic combination of ceruse and white lead ate into the skin while the alabaster powder only worsened the sores. On top of this a rouge created from further lead and a red ochre colourant was added to the cheeks and a lip 'pencil' of alabaster and plaster of Paris was allowed to dry on the lips to create a red lip colourant. In addition to this blue paint was added to the skin over areas of exposed veins to enhance the illusion of the skin being almost transparent, the paler the skin the more beautiful the women. This aspiration for perfection was a daily task within the lives of Elizabethan women, often they would cover their faces with thin layers of egg white in the hopes of maintaining youthful skin (a technique still included in many natural facial treatments to this date) or during the later Elizabethan period it became fashionable to wear a white oval mask held in position by the teeth for the purpose of shielding the skin from the sun.

Book Reference: 'The Artificial Face, A History of Cosmetics', Fenja Gunn, David & Charles, 1973

Queen Elizabeth portrait at National Portrait Gallery, London

In the National Gallery, there were 2 paintings that caught my eye and stood out to me from the Elizabethan era... 

Unknown artist
oil on panel, early 17th century with 18th century overpainting

This portrait of Elizabeth was virtually all painted in the eighteenth century. However, recent technical analysis has revealed that this image was painted over the top of an early seventeenth-century portrait. Dendrochronology (tree-ring dating) indicates that the wood used for the panel was felled some time after 1604, just after the queen's death. Therefore the original portrait was posthumous, based on a pattern developed during Elizabeth's lifetime.

The reason I like this portrait is because you are able to see the power Queen Elizabeth had, by the way she is positioned, what she is wearing and just in general how she looks. You are clearly able to tell that her clothes and jewellery were extremely expensive and I think this is how a queen should be portrayed. 

I also like the fact that you are able to see colour in her face and have a clear idea of how she looked (to the extent possible, since she had to approve of images before anyone else could see them, otherwise they would be destroyed). It almost like she is actually smiling slightly as well, which is different and unusual to many other portraits of her. 

Marcus Gheeraerts the Younger
oil on canvas, circa 1592

Known as the 'Ditchley Portrait', this painting was produced for Sir Henry Lee who had been the Queen's Champion from 1559-90. It probably commemorates an elaborate symbolic entertainment which Lee organised for the Queen in September 1592, and which may have been held in the grounds of Lee's house at Ditchley, near Oxford, or at the nearby palace at Woodstock.. 

The portrait shows Elizabeth standing on the globe of the world, with her feet on Oxfordshire. The stormy sky, the clouds parting to reveal sunshine, and the inscriptions on the painting, make it plain that the portrait's symbolic theme is forgiveness. 

I like the concept of this image and the hidden meanings that it holds. But the main thing that captured my attention was the sheer size of it in person; and due to this, the outfit that Elizabeth is wearing largely dominates the picture. Norris describes this dress in Tudor Costume and Fashion as  "a white satin diagonally cross-barred with white silk puffings, having roses superimposed with ornaments of goldsmith's work set at the intersections. These gold ornaments vary in design; some have groups of four pearls, others oval rubies, and others again rectangular sapphires. The long-pointed bodice and sleeves are decorated in the same manner, but the hanging sleeveshave these ornaments set along the edges. The wired-out portions are the only parts of the veil visible. The headdress of crown-shape is a mass of rubies, pearls, and some spherical jewel of a brilliant red, with a pearl apex surmounting the whole structure. Other interesting details are the ropes of pearls hanging from the neck and the pearls on the wig, the pink rose set on the ruff, the decorated brown leather gloves in the left hand, and the Chinese fan, made to open and shut, attached by a coral-colored ribband to the waist girdle."

Reference: Tudor Costume and Fashion, pp.606-607 
http://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portrait/mw02079/Queen-Elizabeth-I-The-Ditchley-portrait?LinkID=mp01452&role=sit&rNo=10

Make-up styles using colour theories

Colour wheel schemes are creatively developed from background knowledge of color and include monochromatic, complementary, analogous and neutral 

Development of interior colour environments

The basics of color environment development are essentially based on the
1. Personal taste of the client
2. Use of the space; commercial or residential; public or private
3. Character of the interior
4. Backgrounds
5. Orientation
6. Climate
7. Psychological effects of colour

A monochromatic colour plan: is composed of one hue in many values and intensities.

This is a purple monochromatic look with extreme contouring

This is a blue monochromatic look 

A complementary environmental colour plan: is composed of two colors directly opposite each other on the color wheel.

An analogous environmental colour plan: is one in which the hues used each contain some of one hue.

This face chart uses Red (being the middle/main colour), pink and orange

An achromatic colour plan is, well, not very colourful at all. In fact, the achromatic category is not always referenced as a colour scheme since it consists only of black, white, and/or various values grey. But, black, white, and grey are in fact colours in the broad sense of the term. However, by definition achromatic means “free from, or without colour.”

Reference: http://www.archiq.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=65&Itemid=21

Reference: http://colorindesign.net/2010/03/22/color-schemes-for-interiors-achromatic/

Colour theories

In the visual arts, the color theory is a body of practical guidelines to colormixing and the visual effects of a specific colour combination. 

The Colour Wheel

A colour circle, based on red, yellow and blue, is traditional in the field of art. Sir Isaac Newton developed the first circular diagram of colors in 1666. Since then, scientists and artists have studied and designed numerous variations of this concept. Differences of opinion about the validity of one format over another continue to provoke debate. 

There are also definitions (or categories) of colors based on the color wheel. We begin with a three-part color wheel.

Primary Colors: Red, yellow and blue
In traditional color theory (used in paint and pigments), primary colors are the 3 pigment colors that can not be mixed or formed by any combination of other colors. All other colors are derived from these 3 hues.  

Secondary Colors: Green, orange and purple
These are the colors formed by mixing the primary colors.

Tertiary Colors: Yellow-orange, red-orange, red-purple, blue-purple, blue-green & yellow-green
These are the colors formed by mixing a primary and a secondary color. That's why the hue is a two word name, such as blue-green, red-violet, and yellow-orange.

 Colour Harmony

In visual experiences, harmony is something that is pleasing to the eye. It engages the viewer and it creates an inner sense of order, a balance in the visual experience. When something is not harmonious, it's either boring or chaotic. At one extreme is a visual experience that is so bland that the viewer is not engaged. The human brain will reject under-stimulating information. At the other extreme is a visual experience that is so overdone, so chaotic that the viewer can't stand to look at it. The human brain rejects what it can not organize, what it can not understand. The visual task requires that we present a logical structure. Colour harmony delivers visual interest and a sense of order.

Some Formulas for Colour Harmony

There are many theories for harmony. The following illustrations and descriptions present some basic formulas.

1. A colour scheme based on analogous colors

 

Analogous colors are any three colors which are side by side on a 12 part color wheel, such as yellow-green, yellow, and yellow-orange. Usually one of the three colors predominates.

2. A colour scheme based on complementary colors

 

Complementary colors are any two colors which are directly opposite each other, such as red and green and red-purple and yellow-green. In the illustration above, there are several variations of yellow-green in the leaves and several variations of red-purple in the orchid. These opposing colors create maximum contrast and maximum stability.

Colour Context

Colour context refers to how colour behaves in relation to other colours and shapes...

Red appears more vibrant against a black background and somewhat duller against the white background. In contrast with orange, the red appears lifeless; in contrast with blue-green, it exhibits brilliance. Notice that the red square appears larger on black than on other background colors.

Different readings of the same color

Here you will see that the small purple rectangle on the left appears to have a red-purple tinge when compared to the small purple rectangle on the right. They are both the same colour as seen in the illustration below. This demonstrates how three colours can be perceived as four colours.

Observing the effects colours have on each other is the starting point for understanding the relativity of colour. The relationship of values, saturations and the warmth or coolness of respective hues can cause noticeable differences in our perception of colour. 

Reference:http://www.colormatters.com/color-and-design/basic-color-theory

First attempt at a face chart

This was my first attempt at a face chart, so I am simply experimenting with what I thought would work well and what did not...

Using powder based make-up, I used a small brush to push the pigment into the paper on the skin, eyebrows and eyes. For the lips I used lipstick, and added different tones and used blending techniques to try and add a 3D effect. 

For a first attempt, I am quite satisfied with how the look turned out, but I need to apply more make-up around the eyes, because it looks too faded and blend the blusher/bronzer slightly more. 

The Westmore Family

The Westmore’s are family of Hollywood makeup artists credited with having introduced the art of makeup to the motion-picture industry.

Born in Great Britain, on the Isle of Wight, George Westmore (1879–1931) fought in the South African (Boer) War and, after marriage to a hometown friend, Ada Savage (died 1923), opened his first hairdressing salon. He moved to Canterbury and then to Canada and the United States, working as a hairdresser in various cities before gravitating to Los Angeles in 1917. There he soon got a job at the Selig Studio and established the first studio makeup department in history; a few months later he moved to Triangle Studios, supervising the makeup for such stars as Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks, Lillian and Dorothy Gish, Billie Burke, Norma Talmadge, and Theda Bara. During the 1920s, however, his own work came to be overshadowed by that of his sons; and a series of disappointments, together with an unhappy second marriage, led to his suicide in 1931.

All his six surviving sons became heads or assistant heads of makeup departments of major studios. Montague George Westmore (1902–40), known as “Mont,” first worked free-lance for such directors as Cecil B. deMille but eventually joined the studios of David O. Selznick, supervising makeup during the screen tests for as well as the filming of Gone with the Wind (1939). Percival Harry Westmore (1904–70) headed the makeup department of First National Pictures and then of the company that absorbed it, Warner Brothers, where he remained for 27 years, joining Universal Studios only late in life. Perc was also the chief administrator of the elegant salon on Sunset Boulevard, The House of Westmore (1935–65), though all the family were financially involved.

Perc’s twin brother, Ernest Henry Westmore (1904–68), known as “Ern,” worked at First National and then became head of makeup at RKO; while there he won the first award ever given to a makeup artist by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, for his work on the film Cimarron. Ern later supervised makeup at 20th Century-Fox Film Corporation. Walter James Westmore (1906–73), known as “Wally,” headed the makeup department at Paramount Studios for 41 years (1926–67). Hamilton Adolph Westmore (1918–73), known as “Bud,” worked at Paramount and 20th Century-Fox and then was makeup chief at Universal Studios for almost 24 years (1946–70). Frank Westmore (1923–85) was long associated with Paramount Pictures.

Some third-generation Westmores also became prominent in the art of makeup—not only in theatrical makeup but also in therapeutic makeup for victims of facial burns, diseases, or accidents.

George:

Smilin' Through (Franklin) 1922

Secrets (Borzage) 1924

Mont:

Blood and Sand (Niblo) 1922

Monsieur Beaucaire (Olcott) 1923

A Sainted Devil (Henabery) 1924

Cobra (Henabery); The Eagle (Brown) 1925

Son of the Sheik (Fitzmaurice); The King of Kings (DeMille) 1926

Mexicali Rose (Kenton) 1929

Scarface (Hawks) 1932

The House of Rothschild (Werker) 1934

Mutiny on the Bounty (Lloyd) 1935

Intermezzo (Ratoff); Gone with the Wind (Fleming) 1939

Rebecca (Hitchcock) 1940

Perc:

Stella Dallas (H. King); The Lost World (Hoyt) 1925

Bordertown (Mayo) 1934

Captain Blood (Curtiz); A Midsummer Night's Dream (Reinhardt and Dieterle) 1935

Cain and Mabel (Bacon); The Story of Louis Pasteur (Dieterle); The Walking Dead (Curtiz) 1936

The Life of Emile Zola (Dieterle); Dead End (Wyler) 1937

The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex (Curtiz); The Return of Dr. X (V. Sherman); Juarez (Dieterle); The Hunchback of Notre Dame (Dieterle) 1939

Kings Row (Wood) 1941

Casablanca (Curtiz) 1942

The Blue Veil (Bernhardt) 1951

The Catered Affair (Brooks) 1956

Munster, Go Home! (Bellamy) 1966

The Arrangement (Kazan) 1969

There Was a Crooked Man . . . (Mankiewicz) 1970

Ern:

The Sea Beast (Webb) 1926

Cimarron (Ruggles) 1930

Way Back Home ( Old Greatheart ) (Seiter) 1931

A Bill of Divorcement (Cukor) 1932

Lost Horizon (Capra) 1937

Wally:

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (Mamoulian); Island of Lost Souls (Kenton) 1931

Alice in Wonderland (McLeod) 1933

The General Died at Dawn (Mielstone) 1936

Spawn of the North (Hathaway); Professor Beware (Nugent) 1938

The Great Man's Lady (Wellman) 1942

Breakfast at Tiffany's (Edwards); One-Eyed Jacks (Brando) 1961

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (Ford) 1962

Hud (Ritt) 1963

The Carpetbaggers (Dmytryk); Lady in a Cage (Grauman); Robinson Crusoe on Mars (Haskin) 1964

Harlow (Douglas) 1965

The Oscar (Rouse); This Property Is Condemned (Pollack) 1966

Barefoot in the Park (Saks) 1967

The Odd Couple (Saks); Will Penny (Gries) 1968

The Molly Maguires (Ritt); There Was a Crooked Man ... (Mankiewicz) 1970

Bud:

Mr. Peabody and the Mermaid (Pichel) 1948

The Creature from the Black Lagoon (Arnold) 1954

Tarantula (Arnold); This Island Earth (Newman) 1955

Creature Walks among Us (Sherwood); The Mole People (Vogel) 1956

Deadly Mantis (Juran); Land Unknown (Vogel); Man of a Thousand Faces (Pevney) 1957

Flower Drum Song (Koster); Lover Come Back (Delbert Mann) 1961

Lonely Are the Brave (Miller); That Touch of Mink (Delbert Mann); To Kill a Mockingbird (Mulligan) 1962

The List of Adrian Messenger (Huston); Captain Newman, M.D. (Miller) 1963

I Saw What You Did (Castle); The War Lord (Schaffner) 1965

Madame X (Rich); The Plainsman (Rich) 1966

Thoroughly Modern Millie (Hill); The War Wagon (Kennedy) 1967

Madigan (Siegel) 1968

Death of a Gunfighter (Smithee); Sweet Charity (Rosse); Tell Them Willie Boy Is Here (Polonsky) 1969

Airport (Seaton); The Forbin Project (Sargent) 1970

Soylent Green (Fleischer) 1973

Frank:

Beyond the Blue Horizon (Santell) 1942

Tars and Spars (Green) 1946

Unconquered (DeMille) 1947

Let's Live a Little (Wallace) 1948

Storm Warning (Heisler) 1950

Rancho Notorious (F. Lang) 1952

All I Desire (Sirk) 1953

Abbott and Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (Lamont) 1954

The Mountain (Dmytryk); The Ten Commandments (DeMille)1956 

The Joker is Wild (C. Vidor); The Buster Keaton Story (Sheldon) 1957

Hot Spell (Daniel Mann); Houseboat (Shavelson); The Match-maker (Anthony); The Buccaneer (Quinn) 1958

The Rat Race (Mulligan) 1960 

My Geisha (Cardiff); Two for the Seesaw (Wise) 1962

Irma La Douce (Wilder) 1963

What a Way to Go! (Lee Thompson) 1964

The Flight of the Phoenix (Aldrich) 1965

Two Mules for Sister Sara (Siegel) 1970

Fool's Paradise (McLaglen); The Beguiled (Siegel) 1971

Kung Fu (Thorpe)1972

The Towering Inferno (Guillermin and Allen); Mr. Ricco (Bogart) 1974

Farewell, My Lovely (Richards) 1975

Reference: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/641129/Westmore-Family