Catwalk shoot.....

FINAL IMAGES....

I am extremely happy with the outcome of  my Catwalk shoot and i feel the final images i produced were very strong. Overall , i feel i achieved a sense of tribal strength, power and identity which is what i had aimed for. The makeup look on camera worked really well and i feel is very striking and bold, something that is very important for a catwalk look. I am pleased with my decision to stick to the use of black on the face which i feel contrasted well with the white circular form of the necklace.I feel the images i created clearly speak tribal , and the use of wire around the face and eyes for me tie the look together and brings the Wild Kingdom theme into the modern day. I managed my time well during the shoot and achieved my look within 90 minutes. Initially i shot the image against  white background which didn't give the dark and atmospheric look i was intending so i decided to use a black backdrop which worked really well. I also had to add a little more face mask onto the chest as initially it was not as strong as i'd intended on camera. If i were to change anything i would use more glue on the safety pins as i feel they weren't as secure as i'd liked however i do feel they were really effective on camera and represented tribal pattern in a dynamic way. I was able to direct my model with ease and i feel my choice of model worked really well, i particularly feel the darkness of the eyes add to the enigmatic feel i was going for.

Editorial shoot.....

FINAL IMAGES.....

The overall outcome of my editorial shoot i feel was successful. I think my vision translated really well onto the camera, and i created very striking shots. I was really happy with my choice of colour pallete and the eyes for me really stood out on the camera. The face mask also worked really well underneath the supra colour and created a texture to the skin which was really effective.I was particularly pleased with the hair styling in this shoot which is one of my favourite elements. The plaits and loop in the hair i feel are the strongest reference to the tribal theme. The concept of the hand print was really effective and stamps the idea of identity on the image. Overall i think i achieved the really modern and slightly futuristic feel i was aiming for and brought something new to the Wild Kingdom theme. Reflecting on  my final images i would have perhaps considered the styling a little more for an editorial shoot as i feel this was my weaker area, although i do feel the wire worked well with the look and feel of the shoot. I would also perhaps consider adding a little more line or pattern to my design , particularly around the eyes as a finishing touch.

Editorial facecharts...

These are my initial face charts for my Editorial look along with my finalisd idea....

For my editorial look i want to create something highly contrasting to my catwalk look using a female model. I still want to create  sense of strength and identity however i want to create a slightly edgier look. I will use fiery tribal colours - reds , yellows and oranges around the eyes. This look was inspired by my research into tribal colours looking at pottery, masks and face paint. I love the idea of the eyes being a focal point of my design. As this is an editorial look i want it to be much more detailed. I want to create texture around the eyes using face mask as a base and letting it dry and crack. I will then apply supra colour over the top. I will use simple black tribal dots and dark eyebrows to accentuate the brow line and eyes and use face mask on the mouth in a sporadic way to create texture. I have decided to use blue on the lips as a bold contrast to the orange tones of the eyes, again inspired by tribal images i found.I want to continue the modern tribal theme by again using wire around the neck of my model, and i have introduced the idea of symbolism by intending to use black handprints to decorate the chest and neck area. Symbolism is a massive part of tribal history and culture so i feel this links strongly to the idea of identity within a tribe.

Final Editorial face chart .....

For the hair styling i will divide the hair into 3 and create  large plaited bun on he forehead. I Will then create plaited 'loops' on each side of the head. This inspiration originally came from the catwalk however i feel it would work really well for an editorial shoot. I am using the loops on each side of the head to represent the stretched ear lobes of tribal men and woman. I intend to use a very light haired model in contrast to my catwalk shoot. I hope to create a modern but almost futuristic look to my editorial image, bringing the wild kingdom theme into the 21st century, in particular with the hairstyling. 

Face charts a design concept...

These are my initial ideas ad face charts for both my looks...after taking inspiration from many different sources, i am very clear on the direction and design concept for both my Editorial and Catwalk looks...

Catwalk face charts....

These are my initial ideas for catwalk makeup. Both are very dark and focus on the eyes. I want to keep my makeup look fairly simple bu it needs to create impact and be bold.

For my catwalk look i will be using a male model. I want to use black on the face with no colour. I want to keep to simplistic line, bold shapes and blocks of back as i feel for a catwalk look the makeup needs to be kept simple and striking. In my interpretation of the Wild kingdom theme , i want to explore the idea of transformation by representing tribal culture in a modern way, using modern materials such as wire and safety pins. I have chosen to use a male model as i want to convey the sense of strength and status which we see within a tribe, this i hope will also be captured through posture of the model and bold line. My choice to eliminate colour from my design was inspired by the makeup looks of the collections by Qasimi Homme and Lie Sang Bong. Both used black to create bold shape which i feel was very striking and i hope to create a similar effect with my look. Both designers also created a sense of status and power, the black almost creating an eerie look to the collections. 

                                                 

I will keep the hairstyling to a minimum , adding a small amount of face mask to the tips of the hair. The makeup will be finished off by wrapping solder wire around the forehead and nose of the model. I want the model to have a bare chest to create a primal and tribal feel. I will add small detail such as tribal fabric wrapped around the arm and face mask on the body to finish the look. I want the look to be raw and unkempt and want to create texture on the body using the mud mask . I have created a necklace for this look using wire and a polystyrene ring. I have intentionally left the polystyrene ring as it is as i want to create a contrast between black and white. I also chose a ring as the circular form represents neck rings and has connotation of body modification  rings which links to the trial theme of the shoot. I will use Illamasqua product for the base and Supra colour for the application of the black on the face. I have chosen a dark haired model as i feel this will best compliment the black makeup an d help to  create a sense of male power and dominance.

                                         Necklace using wire and Polystyrene ring

                                               

Colour...

 As i have mentioned before i want my editorial look to be all about vibrance colour and texture. I have looked at different tribal masks, art and face paint as inspiration for colours in  my design....

African Chokwe mask 

Masks of Lombok islands Indonesia

Tribal masks and art tend to use strong earthy colours such as reds , browns and  oranges. I particularly love the contrast of orange and blue seen on the last picture. I would like the colours in my design to contrast in the same way, and i would definitely like to use fiery strong orange and  red tones. 

The images below are from  "The Better Triumph" editorial for Zink magazine.  I love the vivid yellows and orange used around the eyes, very simple but effective. Similarly to the tribal masks i looked at it uses a beautiful combination of Deep blues and oranges. This makeup look screamed tribal to me and really caught my imagination.

                                              

                                               

I particularly like the use of colour on the lips in the image above. It reminded me of the blue lips of the womn in the Fulani tribe of west africa....

                                            

The Fulani girls tattoo their mouths when they hit puberty. Although it is seen as decorative ,  one of the theories behind it is that the tattoo was used to deter slavers looking for  unblemished girls.

                            

                                

Other tribes using vibrant  oranges and yellows...

                                                

                                               

                                                                  Wodabe tribe

                                    

Having been inspired by my research into the use of colour in tribes and tribal art, i have exprimented with colour on the face....

I started by using yellows an oranges round the eyes using eyeshadow (left eye) however i found the colour was not vibrant and bold enough so i used Supracolour on the right eye which really made the colour stand out on the skin.

                        I also experimented with the application of blue supra colour on the lips....


                                                      


This use of fiery colour is definately something i would like to incorporate into my editorial design. I now need to start to pull all my research and ideas together and come up with a few potential design for both my editorial and catwalk look...

Hand prints...

As i want to create a bold and colourful makeup look for my editoral image i have considered using the hand print within my design on the body of my model... i want to keep the hand prints black as inspired by the black hand prints of the American Indian tribes. I hope to transform the ancient symbolism into a new modern representation of identity through my use of hand prints. Below i have experimented by using black Supra colour and handprinitng on the chest....

Symbolism...

Symbolism is a key part of tribal culture and history, and  I would like to incorporate this into my editorial look. I began by going back to my initial research of looking at the Navajo tribe of monument valley. Whilst visiting monument valley in 2011, i saw first hand the prehistoric rock carvings or 'Petroglyphs' a carved into the red stone. Symbolic image was also incorporated into costume and jewellery. The image below is a chart of different Navajo symbols and there meanings. 

The photo below is one i took of  the petroglyphs  i saw on  my trip to monument valley.

The tribal symbol that particularly interests me is the Hand print or hand symbol. The hand symbol was a common symbol seen on the face or body of native American Indians. It represented success in hand to hand combat and human life, spiritual power and domination.The term "war paint" originally derived from the application of the hand symbol applied to the body of Indians to intimidate the enemy. Below are some examples i have found of sketches of the hand symbol on Native Americans..

                                                     

Black hand symbol applied to white horse before battle. The hand was fast and easy to apply requiring no artistic skill. Back paint was made using ground charcoal mixed with animal fat or spit.

Tribal hand marking found in Rio Pinturas dating back to over 9000 years ago

I really like the idea of using the handprint as a stamp of identity and strength. It has a really strong tribal reference and for me represents the theme of wild kingdom.