Analysis of Chosen Character Carmilla for Screening.

I have chosen to create my character Carmilla for a film, because of this I need to make sure my makeup is suitable for HD and also that I keep good continuity throughout the makeup. The stage of the makeup I am going to focus on is mainly the end chapter, this is because we finally find out the big plot twist that Carmilla is actually Mircilla and we are enlightened about vampires, I believe this part of the film will give me the most freedom to create something that is a little bit more than a straight period makeup, but I still want to keep it simple as we only have 1hr 20mins to complete the whole makeup and hair design and we also need to keep continuity as I will be applying the makeup twice.

For Carmilla's makeup I will want to be creating a flawless porcelain base, that is slightly sculpted so you are able to see her features, with rosy cheeks, to create this I will use Supracolour and blend it into the apples of the cheeks so it looks more like a stain than an actual blush application, I want this to look unnatural against the white skin, this goes along with the image of the ideal Victorian woman, as Carmilla was meant to be extremely attractive. If I am creating the scene when she is in the coffin then I might add some sweat or some chapped lips to make her look like she has been dead.

Because the novel was published in 1872 I will have to create a late Victorian hairstyle for Carmilla, however it is often pointed out in the novel that Carmilla would wear her hair loose, so I want to incorporate this into my hair design. However because Carmilla is actually Mircilla she was actually around 1698 making her 174 years old, so I might also take some influence from Stuart hairstyles (1603 - 1714) and give a nod to this period. Ideally I would create my hair to look like the portraits of women in their boudoir (long flowing waves that are slightly frizzy) and leave it completely down, but I don't think this would reference my period well enough, so I will take the hair off the face and pin it up slightly at the back.

In the way of styling I have been inspired by Victorian mourning dress, and also by Victorian nightdresses as a lot of the main parts of this novel take place at night time, It is said in the novel that Carmilla wears mainly white. I want Carmilla's mannerisms to be very dream like, she will move slowly and smoothly, and will always look slightly fatigued and/ or emaciated. Her mannerisms  will be ladylike, but at times pretensions and false.

The impact I want my character to create is one of unease, although my character will be visually attractive, but will be strangely off and slightly demonic. I want the viewers not to trust my character simply from her appearance. The end scene that I am creating I feel like my makeup will be made to shock the viewer, as it will be such a large contrast to the beautiful languid character that has been seen before.

Dirt and Dirty Teeth (Technical File)

Products

• Tooth Enamel
• Fullers Earth
• Hair dryer
• Aqua Colour
• Surgical Spirit
• Kryolan Colour Hairspray

Health and Safety

• Make sure your model doesn't breathe when spraying the colour onto face.
• Make sure all your brushes and products are clean.
• Make sure the model is covered over at all times.
• Tip out products to avoid cross contamination.

Procedure (Fullers Earth)

• Make sure the skin is moisturised
• Mix the fullers earth with water and make it as thick or thin consistency as you need.
• Can scrape aqua colour in at this time to make it a different colour.
• Apply to the area with your hand.
• Dry with a warm hairdryer.
• Use coloured hairsprays to build up colour.

Procedure (Tooth Enamel)

• Shake the bottle of enamel and pour out onto a palette.
• Wipe down the surface of the tooth which you want to work on.
• Apply the enamel to the tooth with a baby bud.
• Wait for the enamel to dry before letting the model close their mouth.
• To remove get some surgical spirit on a baby bud and wipe away the enamel.

Procedure (Dirtying Down)

• To dirty down mix up different browns and rub these into the hands or face.
• If you need the Supracolour to be thinner mix with alcohol or moisturiser.
• Make sure to apply under the nails as this is a place that always gets dirty.

Reflection

I have never worked with tooth enamel and fullers earth before so this lesson was really interesting for me. I have touched on dirtying down so I skimmed over this but, as you can see from the picture I have rushed this part of the makeup so it isn't as strong as I want it to be, I could have spent a little bit more time and applied the colour into the creases of the knuckles and also under and around the nail and it would look a lot better.

I am quite pleased with the application of the tooth enamel, however I don't really like just the black as I think this looks a bit theatrical, this is good for blocking out the teeth to look like they are missing, I think the mix of the tobacco and black looks most realistic. If I was to do this again I would use a small brush to get into the cracks of the teeth as this is where most of the dirt that would collect on the teeth if they decayed.

I'm not too sure about my application of fullers earth, when using the coloured hairsprays to make it look like dirt I think it made it look false and I don't think it would be suitable for HD, I think next time I use it I would scrape aqua colour into the mix. I had some problems with this fullers earth too as when the model used her hand the earth would crack more and flake off, so I don't think this would be very good for film when someone is moving about. I really did like the patterns that the fullers earth made when it dried, and I do think this is something I would want to have in my kit for fashion work, as I think it is a really interesting product to use.

Carmilla Makeup Inspiration

 

 

I have gathered these images to get a visual idea of my inspiration for creating my character Carmilla. the portrait that you can see in this collage is the makeup that I want to create, this will include porcelain skin, as one she is a vampire, and also she is from an upper class background so she would not be outside working (lower class people would have to work outside for money and their skin would get tanned in the process.) There will be slight definition round the eyes, and will be lightly smoked out on the lower lash line because I think this makes the character look sinister and will be a slight nod towards her evil side. I also want to use a tiny bit of eyeliner on the corner of the eyes to make them cat like, this is a reference to the feline form that she takes at night. The brows will be filled but will be kept natural and the eyelashes will be dark to emphasise her dark features. I also want her to have rouged cheeks, but this will be unnaturally applied to the apples of the cheeks. I also want the lips to be red, but more like a stain so it looks like it was applied with a vegetable dye like they would have during these times. I would also like to experiment with applying glycerine to the face to create sweat and also by creating dry chapped lips to add to the character, I have chosen to do this because it will be a contrast to her beautiful self that you see throughout the film.

Camilla Hair Inspiration

Elizabeth, Empress of Austria.

This is a portrait of Elizabeth, Empress of Austria where her hair is worn loose but adorned with ringlets, she was very proud of her long flowing hair and continued to wear it loose rather than putting it up even when she became empress, to stop people thinking that her hair wasn't dressed she adorned her hair like you can see in the picture. Wearing the hair down like this in polite English society was seen acceptable only in girlhood and widows no matter how young were expected to wear their hair up and covered. Women would often get maids to brush their hair because it was too long, this was mostly done in the higher classes though.
 

 

I have been really inspired to create hair like this for my character because of how eerie it looks, the only problem is if you saw pictures of hair like this you do not think of Victorian straight away, this is why I was so glad that I saw this portrait of Elizabeth, empress of Austria above, her hair was worn long and down which would have been very rebellious. I also believe having the hair down during this period would have been very sensual, which is something I want to convey through my character.

 





Bryer R (2000). The History of Hair : Fashion and Fantasy Down the Ages. London: Phillip Wilson Publishers. p 84 - 93.

Other Interpritations of Carmilla and Vampires.

Whilst trying to gain research on my novel Carmilla I found it very hard to get information on my character as there is no real analysis that has been done on the book. So I have decided to look at other interpretations of Carmilla and also other vampires in books and TV to get some ideas for my makeup designs.

The Moth Diaries (2011)

The moth diaries directly references Le Fanu's novel multiple times, there is also many similarities between the characters in the novel and those in the film. The film is set as a modern day interpretation of the novel. The film references the gothic and gives reference to anxieties about female power and female sexuality, and also refers to vampires as being very lonely figures that want something to be all theirs, this is a close reference to how Carmilla is possessive. I really like the use of Lily Cole to play this part as she has a strange beauty to her, this makes her look unnatural, and is how I imagine Carmilla to look, I also like the porcelain skin and also the dark stained lips. I think this is a technique I will use in my makeup design because it looks very natural. I think this makeup and hair is a nice nod towards how I would like to do my makeup, but I will need to make mine period accurate.

Styria (2014)

Styria is an adaptation of the novel set in the late 1980's and it depicts the intense and fragmented relationship between a lonely teenager and a beautiful stranger. The film is pretty accurate to the novel, but is brought up to date as Carmilla is found after a car crash instead of a carriage crash. I really do not like this interpretation of the book in the way of styling and makeup and hair, as you can see Carmilla is pictured left and Laura to the right, in the novel there is constant references to Carmilla being dark haired and featured and Laura being blonde and blue eyed, and because this has been changed in this movie it proved it hard for me to wrap my head round. However I do believe that the ideals of the time would influence  how the writer perceived the characters.

Carmilla (Web Series)

Carmilla is a Canadian web series that is based on the Le Fanu's novel, these mini episodes are filmed in the style of a vlog, and follow a student investigating the mystery of her missing roommate when she gets assigned a new one named Carmilla. I think this is a really unusual how they interpreted the story, they have managed to make it really modern and it will appeal to a younger audience, however I don't feel that I will take much reference to this web series when creating my makeup and hair designs because I feel it looks a little bit unprofessional and far too modern. However I do like how they have stuck to the descriptions of the characters in the novel, and how they have fleshed out the characters through styling and mannerisms is interesting.





Interview with a Vampire (1994)

Interview with a vampire is a film based on the 1976 novel Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice where a vampire in the modern day recounts his life story to an interviewer. The flashbacks date back to 1791 when he is changed into a vampire. I like the strong reference to the period In this film, this Is something I would really like to capture with my makeup design too, however the makeup in this film is a little bit hit and miss, it often looks heavily applied and it is noticeably too pale (although this was done on purpose, you can tell that it is heavily applied) however I do like how the vampires features are sculpted, and also how tiny veins are painted onto the faces. I also like how the vampires look very human, as this is how I want Carmilla to look.

30 Days of Night (2007)

30 days of night is an American vampire film that was based on a comic book mini series. I have chosen to include this film because it has quite a different interpretation of vampires. The makeup is really creepy in the way that they still look human, but they have a full set of sharp teeth, black eyes and are often depicted with scars and blood spatters all around their face and mouth. During the film they seem to morph into something that looks a lot more reptile or alien with eyes slanted up however I did not like this because it looks too fake. I do like the makeup that I have shown on the left, but I think it is a little bit too intricate for our current brief and it would be hard to maintain continuity.


The Moth Diaries (2011) Harron, M (Film) Canada, Ireland.

Styria  (2014) Chernovetzky, M & Devenforf, M (Film) Unknown.

Interview with a Vampire (1994) Jordan, N,  (Film) United States.

30 Days of Night (2007) Slade, D (Film) United States.

KindaTV (2014) Carmilla Season 1 Available at : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4QzRfvkJZ4&list=PLbvYWjKFvS5rX2yv-k5AJ8oxPoZ9zHcpe (Accessed : 29th Feb)

Analysis of Chapter XV : Ordeal and Execution & XVI : Conclusion

For my final makeup design I want to focus on the final chapter of the book, this is where Mircilla is executed in her tomb and it is the part of the book where I feel like I will be able to build the best character for my film.

When the tomb was opened Carmilla was described as "The features, though a hundred and fifty years had passed since her funeral, were tinted with the warmth of life... there was a faint but appreciable respiration, and a corresponding action of the heart. The limbs were perfectly flexible, the flesh elastic, and the leaden coffin floated with blood, in which to a depth of seven inches, the body lay immersed." This is the scene in which I want to create my makeup for, because it is almost like she returns to her grave and bathes in the blood to retain beauty or youth, I imagine the character in the blood to be slightly imperfect and this is what I will base my makeup design around, maybe by using glycerine for sweat, or contouring to create a slightly emaciated look.

The conclusion that was given about vampires in this novel is that they live an amphibious existence and they return to their grave for renewed slumber and that they are prone to become fascinated and engrossed to particular people, which comes across and resembles the passion of love, and they will not stop until they have drained the life of their victim. The strange thing about vampires in this novel is that they seem to yearn for something like sympathy or consent off their victim, but with ordinary victims it goes directly to them, and usually kills them with one single feast.

The novel ends with this final verse "Carmilla returns to memory with ambiguous alternations - sometimes the playful, languid, beautiful girl; sometimes the writhing fiend I saw in the ruined church; and often from a reverie I have started, fancying I heard the light step of Carmilla at the drawing room door." I really like the ending of this book as it shows how Laura is still plagued by the images of Carmilla.

Sweat, Fever, Pallor and Tears (Technical File)

Products

• Supracolour
• Latex
• Moisturiser
• Blood
• Glycerine
• Bruise Wheel
• Alcohol
• Stipple Sponge
• Palette knife

Health and Safety

• Always patch test the model before using liquid latex
• Make sure to use liquid latex in a well ventilated room
• Keep eyes closed when applying latex to the face.
• Keep glycerine away from the eyes
• Make sure the model is covered over at all times.

Procedure (Fever)

• Using Supracolour palette mix some of the red shades with moisturiser to thin them out.
• Layer the shades to build up a rash like appearance.
• Could mix the colours with alcohol and flick onto the skin with a large artists brush. (When doing this always make sure that the models eyes are closed)

Procedure (Sweat)

• Apply the glycerine to the face with a stipple sponge.
• Stipple product onto the parts of the face that you usually perspire (fore head, nose, upper lip.)
• Spray water into the hairline to add to the effect.

Procedure (Chapped Lips)

• Get the model to pucker their lips and apply a layer of latex whilst they are puckered.
• Allow to dry and apply more if needed.
• Use fingers or a small pin carefully to peel bits away to create a further chapped look.
• Powder so the lips don't stick together.

Reflection - Sweat, Pallour and Fever

I am not too pleased with how this makeup went, I feel like for the fever part the areas of the face could be a lot better positioned, the red on the face to me looks a lot more like sunburn rather than fever, to achieve this I would need to use more moisturiser to sheer down the red, and also not to apply it as liberally, I could also use IPA to sheer down the red but I would have to make sure my models eyes were shut before doing this. I really enjoyed applying the glycerine to the face, however the way I have done it I believe looks a little bit too theatrical, if I was to do this again I need to stand behind  my model and apply this and whilst doing this keep looking in the mirror, this is because you can see a clear line where I went across and applied it. I could have also used a lighter hand when applying.  The part I think went the best was pallour, as I sheered down white supracolour with moisturiser and applied it to the face and this gave me the sheer gaunt look I was after. 

Reflection - Tears

I dripped some glycerine from the eye to make it look like tears but again this was far too theatrical, It would look good for fashion makeup but not for TV/ Film, on reflection it would be a lot better to use a tear stick, as actual tears would be a lot better, and the eye would get slightly red and irritated.

Reflection - Chapped lips

I also really struggled with creating chapped lips because I did not have a utensil to pick up the latex to get the flaps of skin, instead when I rubbed it I got holes that looked unnatural, I also tried to colour with a little bit of supracolour and blood, but I could not make it look realistic. If I was to do these chapped lips again I would deffinately think about building up the layers before I started distressing the latex.

Art of Gothic Review

As a way to learn more about the Gothic literature, art and architecture I watched BBC's The Art of Gothic, this programme took you through the Victorian era and depicted the main fears and anxieties of the Victorian era and how people have interpreted this into literature art ect. This programme also states the beginning of gothic, the restoration of gothic and also how gothic can still be interpreted in modern society. This programme helped me truly understand the motifs that are present in gothic literature for example 'the sublime' I found his definition of the gothic as 'a grope towards a new sense of self, the conscious and unconscious mind, they had began to express terrors of revolution, or of a world where god isn't present and also sexual transgressions.' This has a real relevance to some of the themes in my novel. The thing I found the most interesting was looking at the gothic architecture, and also his explanations of gothic paintings, as they are something that I wouldn't be able to understand just by looking at it myself, however it was very hard to stay engaged throughout the whole programme as it is very long and in my personal opinion not always as relevant to my subject as I would have liked it to be but overall the programme has greatly broadened my understanding of the gothic.

• The Art of Gothic: Britain’s Midnight Hour, 2014 [TV] BBC 4. 6^th Nov

Stuart Makeup and Hair

Because in the novel my character Carmilla actually turns out to be the Countess Mircilla she was actually around in 1698, so I want to do some research into hair and makeup from this time to see if i can incorporate it into my makeup design.

The Stuart period is a period in British history that refers to the period between 1603 - 1714, the period ended with the death of Queen Anne. This period was plagued by internal and religious strife and a large scale civil war. During this time the high oval shaped hair that was fashionable during the Elizabethan period was still considered very fashionable during this time, the hair was brushed up over a pad or high wire frame, and then drawn back into a bun that was set quite high on the head, this may have very narrow plaits that were arranged at the back of the head or around the bun. High foreheads were still fashionable. Women during this time were not afraid of using cosmetics, women patched and painted to get the pink and white complexion which was so desired.

"Her mouth compar'd t'an Oyster's with a row of pearl in't stead of teeth; Others make posies of her cheeks, where red and whitest colours mix; In which the Lilly and the rose, for Indian lake and ceruse goes." 

After doing this short bit of research into the Stuart period I don't really think it will be appropriate to incorporate it into my hair and makeup design for my character, as it is too far away from the Victorian beauty ideals and would take away from the period completely. However doing this research has been beneficial to me because I have realised that this is the wrong direction for my design.

Courtas G (1973). Womens Headdress and Hairstyles in England From AD600 to the Present Day. Essex: The Anchor Press Ltd. p 112 - 144.

Continuity Practice

As a first attempt at continuity I helped out one of the photography students on a photoshoot, her theme was film noir and I was required to create a dramatic smokey look with a bold lip. For her shoot she had to shoot once, get feedback and then shoot again so I thought this would be a good time to practice continuity.

These are the two images from the shoot, the left picture being the first attempt and the right the second. During the first shoot all the makeup bays were taken so I had to do the makeup under the studio lights so you cant see the makeup as clearly. The makeups I think are very similar, but I do think that the second attempt looks a lot more polished, the shape of the smokey eye is a lot more sleek, and so is the hair and the eyebrows. I also see that the lipsticks arent exactly the same colour. I found that it was really hard to keep continuity between these two images, and this was definitely challenging to do with only a picture for a reference. This has taught me that I need to write notes to help me.

Overall I am really pleased with the second makeup, the contour doesn't look muddy and I think the shape of the eye that I have created is really effective. However I think the hair could be slicked back a little bit better. I really found it fun working with a photographer and it is definately something I need to do more in order to build up contacts and also images for my portfolio, this is the first one I had done and I was really anxious about if I had done the makeup right and if they would like it or not, but after doing it I realised how laid back it is and the girl I worked with was really appreciative of my work, this put me at ease and has made me excited to get involved with more projects.

Final images from Shoots.

High Definition Broadcasting and the Effect on Makeup and Hair

HD is short for High Definition and all of the public service broadcasters offer HD channels (Channel 4, Channel 5, BBC and ITV) Netflix and Amazon prime play movies in HD and even some phones have HD screens. HD refers to the level of detail on screen that provides more fluid video and more vibrant colours, it technically refers to the amount of pixels on the screen.

Because of HD broadcasting the hair and makeup has to be done to a HD standard, too much makeup can be obvious and the skin needs to be perfectly cleansed, toned and moisturised. When you look at someone in real life this is how you will see them on HD TV/ Film. Makeup trials suggest that some colours at the red end of the spectrum resolve more strongly and vividly than they look to the naked eye, so this can cause problems with uncorrected redness in the skin, and also choice of blush and lipstick colour, and also 'period authentic' colours can also look different

One way to get makeup that is suitable for HD is to use airbrushing, these are made from micronised pigments that are far less detectable on camera, it often lasts longer than conventional makeup and blends easier, however HD makeup can still be achieved through conventional makeup. One of the main problems that makeup artists have with HD makeup is setting powder, this is often invisible to the naked eye, but can give the skin an ashy, dull caste on camera so special HD powders need to be used. Any problems apparent to the naked eye will also become a problem apparent on HD and film so it is essential to check over the makeup.

Woodbridge J. (Unknown). Tips: make-up for HD. Available: http://www.bbc.co.uk/academy/production/article/art20130702112136285. Last accessed 23rd Feb 2015.

Woodbridge J. (2005). Film Makeup.co.uk : Looking good in HD.Available: http://www.woodbridgeproductions.co.uk/hd5.htm. Last accessed 23rd Jul 2015.

The Importance of Continuity

When working in film or television the scenes are often shot out of sequence so it is important to keep good continuity, this can be because of issues such as access of locations, availability of certain actors and also the weather conditions. So the scenes can be done up to a year after and the hair and makeup still needs to be the same, or something might happen where the film needs to be shot again. If the makeup and hair is not the same this can ruin the whole atmosphere of the film.

Some of the issues you might have with continuity that might arise are the makeup department might be working on other productions by then, so new people might be hired to pick up the shots. These new makeup department will have to watch the film and make sure that all the actors are dressed the same, have the same skin tones, wear their hair at the same length and also have the same makeup. In TV soap series if the director picks up shots of close-ups four months before, the makeup artist has a number of continuity problems, matching the clothes when many costumes have been returned to the hire company, matching hair and hair pieces to be tracked down from wig makers and also matching makeup because some of the makeup (foundation, lipstick ect) may have been lost.

Dealing with continuity can often be very stressful, but some of the way to overcome these issues is by taking photos of the actors from the front, back and profile views and take extensive notes, and log all the changes to hairstyles, costume and makeup with a scene number and the day of the film sequence. Makeup artists often keep a hairstyle the same shape to make their lives easier, when the action of the filming calls for the hair to be wet or untidy photos must be taken. When the person is outside in the rain the inside shot of them might be shot in the studio months later and needs to be exactly the same.

Some examples of bad continuity in moves are in the original Batman, Jack Nicholson's Joker rubs off a bit of skin toned makeup revealing his dead white skin underneath, this small patch changes shape and location throughout the remaining shots in the film and also in Lord of the Rings: Return of the King, Frodo has a wound on his lower right cheek near his chin, this can be seen flipping to the left of his cheek.

Unknown. (2009). An Introduction to Continuity For The Make-up Artist. Available: an-introduction-to-continuity-for-the-make-up-artist. Last accessed 22nd Feb 2015.

Nulph R. (2007). Maintaining Continuity. Available: http://www.videomaker.com/article/c14/12988-maintaining-continuity. Last accessed 22nd Feb 2015.

What Are Monsters?

A monster is a distortion of something that has a normal, non threatening form. The monstrous form is threatening and disturbing because it is beyond what we consider normality, it is a deformation of what we consider normal.

As an exercise we had a go at creating our own monsters we got given the charismatic maker; this made us think of mad scientists with crazy hair and glasses, he would be very intelligent, and would also create monsters for example, Frankenstein, The Fly and Dr. Jeckyl & Mr. Hyde.

Zombies - originally about voodoo where a which doctor would summon the dead to do their bidding. Now it is all about the fear that as we grow older we become something monstrous, no one can escape this.

Ghosts - Ghosts are spirits of the dead this has come about because we are afraid of our own mortalit, ghost are usually created if we have unfinished business.

Werwolves - Change during a full moon, there is a distinct focus on self and separation of mind and body (I think, therefore I am). Often an alien or lupine form that is threatening to the social collective.

Vampire - Started off as being rat like, but then over time becomes more human and good looking. Can come from the fear of capitalism, and also the spread of AIDS, and can be representative of human sexuality.

Contagion is one of the dominant horrors of the 21st century, marked by an era of war, terror and economic crisis.

For my monster Camilla she fits into the Vampire section, she is attractive and is described as cat like and is also concerned with the fear of human sexuality.

Gelatine Burns

Products

• Supracolour palette
• Powder
• Brushes
• Gelatine
• Hairdryer
• Witch Hazel
• Moisturiser

Procedure

• Melt a nugget of gelatine in the microwave, this usually takes about 20 seconds, check every once in a while to make sure it does not boil.
• Can colour the gelatine at this stage if you need too.
• Test the gelatine on yourself before applying it to the model to make sure it isn't too hot.
• Apply the gelatine and blend away the edges, this works best using a metal palette knife.
• Create holes in the gelatine and texture.
• Set with a cool hairdryer.
• Get a baby bud and witch hazel and blend away the edges.
• Dab powder onto the gelatine with a powder puff.
• Use Supracolour to colour and mix it with moisturiser to get a sheer effect.

Health and Safety

• Always cover model over.
• Test gelatine on yourself before the model to make sure it is not too hot.

For my gelatine burns I decided to try and make blisters, I am moderately happy with the result, although the blisters aren't quite the right shape, the could have been a lot smoother as this would make them look more realistic, I also feel like it would look a lot better if I applied a deeper red around the blisters this would give them more dimension. However I think the colouring of the red looks like irritated skin rather than just painted on so it would be good for HD. I created this burn as like a scald burn from hot liquids falling onto the hand, I am pleased with this as a first attempt but I do believe it could be a lot better.

Late Victorian Hairstyling (Technical)

Products

• Hot rollers
• Comb
• Pins
• Hairspray
• Small curling iron.

Procedure

• Start by putting rollers in the front of the hair, as seen as in the pictures below.
• Take the back of the hair and create rolls or buns (I created two rolls and a twist.)
• Curl the remaining hair.
• Take out the rollers and pin them back creating a pretty wave.
• Let the curls hang out of the style and make it elaborate.
• Take the curls at the bottom and pin them up into the style.
• Spray hairspray to finish.

Inspiration

 
This is my first attempt at a late Victoria hairstyle, I was really lucky when creating this as my model had lovely long hair tow work with, however I think that I made my style too symmetrical which ruined the effect of the overall hairstyle, I would like to add some extra hair to the back and curl it and let it hang down the back as this would make the style look a lot more elaborate. One of the main criticisms I have for my hairstyle is that I believe it looks too contemporary, so I would like too re-create this hairstyle again to make it look more accurate to the period.

Late Victorian Hairstyling

Mid Victorian Hairstyles

 The late Victorian period is shown as being from about 1870 - 1901, the hair during this time was a lot more elaborate and less structured around the face, the curls have shifted from around the face to the back of the hair, fringes were often short and curled and women often wore hats and flowers in their hair.


Late Victorian Hairstyles showed a rapid change in how women would wear their hair, false hair spread like wildfire women often wore so many hairpieces that their hair underneath was often obscured, most of this hair came from Paris the prices ranged from fifteen to two hundred dollars (£71 in our terms). During the late Victorian times a brown hair dye was introduced by Mr. Condy of Battersea and it consisted of a solution of permanganate of potass, and stained the hair to a chestnut hue. The few women who had an abundance of hair of their own tended to wear it in "thick plaits, turned up and fastened at the top of the head, the arrangement completed with a bow of ribbon."

Late Victorian Hairstyles

Women gained extra padding to their hair by using pads, that were composed of long, large sausage like separate pieces that were only held together at the top, this enabled the hair to be dressed higher than ever and would tower high above the forehead.
The year 1872 found that ribbons were fashionable for head-dresses, the ribbons were made up into bows, which nestle in a fullness of white lace, and pins were worn in the hair, they sometimes had filigreed gold or silver heads or were enamelled with butterflies or flowers. In 1872 Marcell also created the first curling iron and the Marcell wave, this was created by holding the curling iron upside down and it imitated the natural curl of the hair, so it was less of a crimp more of a curl. Hair was sometimes seen to be a reflection of a girls character, curls indicated a sweeter temperament, whilst straight hair was seen as more reserved or even awkward, and hair was pinned up as a right of passage.

For men in the late Victorian Period beards gradually disappeared leaving only the moustaches, men used Olive Wax Pomatum 'for fixing and lying the hair, whiskers and mustaches.' and it was 'highly perfumed, each stick was wrapped in tin foil.'

Warner M . (Unknown). Victorian Hair. Available: http://www.hairarchives.com/private/victorian1new.htm. Last accessed 14th Feb 2016.

Corson R (1965). Fashions in Hair - The First Five Thousand Years. London: Peter Owen Publishers. p 398 - 463.

Courtas G (1973). Womens Headdress and Hairstyles in England From AD600 to the Present Day. Essex: The Anchor Press Ltd. p 112 - 144.

Gothic Archetecture

In my book Carmilla there seems to be a very strong influence of nature and architecture, so I have decided to look at gothic architecture to get a good idea of what the castle would have been like. The castle was described as "nothing can be more picturesque or solitary. It stands on a straight eminence in a forest. The road very old and narrow, passes in front of its drawbridge... the schloss shows its many-windowed front; its towers, and its Gothic chapel." and "At the right a steep Gothic bridge carries the road over a stream." There is lots of reference about isolation and loneliness, as it is said that the forest around the castle extends fifteen miles to the right and twelve to the left, the nearest inhabited village is about seven miles to the left.


Gothic Architecture is a style of architecture that was around during the late medieval period, there was many characteristics that include the pointed arch, the ribbed vault and the flying buttress. Gothic Architecture is often the style of architecture for many castles, palaces, town halls and guild halls.

                                                                                                                                                                                              Gothic Architecture, Morris, William, London : Electric Book Co. c2001                                                                          
        
 

Victorian Mourning

Victorian Post Mortem Photograph



Two Women in Mourning Dress

The Victorians were in a way obsessed with death and had very unusual mourning traditions before the funeral the dead are dressed as they would be when they were alive, as this gave people a feeling of comfort, there was a tradition called watching the dead, where a friend or relative would sit up to give the dead any attention necessary, this was also a tradition to make sure that the person they were burying was actually dead not just in a coma. Black crepe tied with white ribbon was placed upon the door bell or know as an indication that the dead visitor has entered the home, sometimes the door is left ajar so people could enter quietly, people would speak softly and would be helpful, children would get white crepe looped with white ribbon and black crepe with black ribbon for the aged. When someone died curtains would be drawn and clocks would be stopped at the time of the persons deaths, mirrors were covered with crape or veiling to prevent the deceased's spirit from getting trapped in the looking glass, and family photos were turned upside down to stop the close relatives and friends getting possessed by the spirit of the dead.

Post Mortem Photography.

In the 19th century grave robbery was a huge problem, so some graves were bricked over to ensure safety after death, coffin makers even created coffins with warning systems like a bell on the grave if the person was prematurely buried alive.

Post mortem photography became a huge thing in the Victorian era, so people started to photograph their deceased relatives, especially infants and children, they were a normal part of European culture in the nineteenth century, grieving families made these to help with the mourning process and were one of the only visual remembrances of the deceased, and were one of the families most precious possessions.

          

Unknown. (Unknown). House of Mourning - Victorian Mourning & Funeral Customs in the 1890s. Available: http://www.victoriana.com/VictorianPeriod/mourning.htm. Last accessed 17th Feb 2016.

Unknown. (Unknown). Victorian Mourning Etiquette . Available: http://www.tchevalier.com/fallingangels/bckgrnd/mourning/. Last accessed 17th Feb 2016.

Victorian Paintings

For some extra research into victorian hair makeup and beauty ideals I have started looking at books about Victorian Painting to see how women were represented throughout art in the victorian era. I will be looking through the pictures that inspire me.

The Opra Box

This is a painting by Henry Nelson O'Neil 'The Opra Box' it presents a single figure of a beautiful girl in fashionable clothes. I have chosen this picture because of the early victorian modest hairstyle. This image was painted as a keepsake or a Book of Beauty, this was the product of early victorian society, this celebrated feminine beauty and were often titled 'English Pearls or Portraits of the Boudoir.' A common feature of these books were languid luxurious women with full figures dressed in historic or foreign costume. The main emotional themes are of virginial, romantic abandoned love.

Left - The Young Mother Right - The Soldier's Farewell.

 I couldn't find much information on these two pictures other than the left one (The Young Mother) was painted by Charles West Cope and it was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1846, and the one on the right ( A Soldier's Farewell) was painted by John Callcott Horsley and was an example of one of his less ambitious works, this image was seen as a contemporary scene and showed an admirer summarised by the characteristics 'sunshine and pretty women'. I have chosen these 2 images again because of the hair, the image on the left you get an unique view of what the back of victorian hair looks like which you can not usually get in standard portraiture. I also really like the reference to love and longing in the portraits and this would tie in really well with my character Carmilla.

The Bower Meadow

This image is of The Bower Meadow and was painted by Dante Gabriel Rosetti and was painted in 1850's. This image was created at the time of The Pre-Raphalites and they made a decisive rebellious change to the direction of British photography. They were rebelling agains the Keepsakes and books of beauty that I have shown in the two previous pictures. There was an interest in the medieval and perverse ill posed bodies. Rosetti was one of the most attractive and gifted of this brotherhood it is possible to see a sense of wasted genius, as you can see in this image it is much like the keepsakes but the women were more fleshy and more overtly sensual.

The thing I enjoy about this painting is the whimsical looks on the women's faces, I also see the loose hair as quite rebellious. The women are also pictured dancing and in loose clothing which I would also imagine was quite rebellious at the time.

Hylas and The Nymphs

For some inspiration for my character Carmilla this image was one of a few that really inspired me for my project. This image (seen bottom of the picture) was painted by John William Waterhouse and is called Hylas and the Nymphs. The painting illustrates the Odyssey where Hylas goes to draw fresh water from a lake and is carried away by the nymphs that have fallen in love with his beauty.

This reminds me of how Carmilla has fallen for Laura in the novel, and becomes obsessed with her. I do believe that this a more playful depiction. I like the long flowing hair that is seen tied in a slight not at the back of the head. It is avery seductive image and they are seen grabbing and caressing Hyla's arm.

Flaming June and Beads.

These following pictures also sparked my interest, the first one is by Lord Leighton and us called Flaming June and the bottom right image is by Albert Joseph Moore and is named Beads.

These images really link to the victorian ideal of women being 'fainting beauties' or in the case i am looking as being languid, as Carmilla was described as being 'languid-very languid-indeed, with no sign of being an ivalid.'

Water Babies and Psyche in the Temple of Love

These two images are Water babies and Psyche in the Temple of Love, these were painted in around 1900's so can still be classes as victorian, as you can see in the images the hair is completely different to how it looked at the start of this image as after this we are slowly moving into the Georgian era.

 This is the final image that I saw in the book was by William Frederick Yeames and was called Amy Robsary is is about the murder of Amy Robsary. Ithinkthis painting would be good to link the all the 'mysterious deaths' that were happening in the novel, as Carmilla was feeding on young girls in the night.

The girl in this picture is shown in what looks like her nightdress, and she is in a really dark hallway, this makes me think of the gothic castle that Laura lives in.

Reynolds G (1987). Victorian Painting. London: Guild Publising. p 11 - 179.

Early Victorian Hairstyles

Apollo Knot (1829)

Hairstyles during the victorian period changed drastically as it was Queen Victoria's reign was so long (1837 - 1901). For early Victorian hairstyles I will be focusing on the period from about 1830 - 1860.

At the start of the era the apollo knot was fashionable this was inspired by Queen Victoria which was constructed by a plain or coiled plait attached onto wires to create loops that were worn vertically on top of the head, they then proceeded to become more natural and demure with no use of artificial products and was left dry and natural, often parted in the centre, and drawn into a bun or coil with curls that fell either side of the face.

Bust of Queen Victoria

 Sometimes the hair would be plaited at either side and looped round the ears as this was seen as attractive at the time. The hair would usually sit at the level of the jaw, and was styled cleanly, simply and modestly, the hair was not cut therefore it was long and one length. Hairstyles mirrored the aspirations and social changes that were occurring at the time, the industrial revolution saw the rise of the middle class and brought new fashions for these people, there were soaps to clean the hair as washing had become more accessible, however this often left the hair stringy and dry.

Charlie Arndt Clean and Groomed.

At the beginning of the century wigs were often worn by the older generation of men, however this was not seen as fashionable and dropped off around the middle of the period. Men were also a fan of grooming and styling their beards and facial hair, hair was often relatively long and curly, they often favoured side partings and the hair was usually high to fit under the top hats that were popular at the time. Moustaches, sideburns were the height of fashion but they were groomed to perfection but there was also a trend called 'a la mode' which was a puritan hairstyle where people sported no moustaches and sideburns that was attached by a short beard, a leading example of this look was Abraham Lincoln.

Unknown. (Unknown). The Hair at the Nineteenth Century. Available: http://thehistoryofthehairsworld.com/hair_19th_century.html. Last accessed 9th Feb 2016.

Wald, D. (Unknown). Hair: the styling of society. Available: http://www.chertseymuseum.org/hair. Last accessed 9th Feb 2016.

Research National Portrait Gallery London

To gain some primary research for this project I visited the National Portrait gallery to have a look at the Victorian portraiture, this is one of the best ways to look at Victorian hair and makeup as there was busts of people of the era, so you can get a full 360 view of the hairstyle.

One of my favourite things that I saw in the portrait gallery was this bust of Queen Victoria. This bust was created by Sir Francis Chantrey in 1841, this was made out of marble. This is a good way to see all the way around the hair and is a pretty close match to the hairstyle I did in an earlier post (see early Victorian hairstyles technical).



This is a portrait of Jenny Lind (1820 - 87) she was a singer and was born in Sweden; her exquisite voice, allied with rare qualities of character, aroused intense enthusiasm in British audiences following her debut in 1847. This portrait was by Eduard Magnus and was created with oil on canvas and was created in 1846. I really like this portrait as it shows the Victorian love for décolletage, with short hair to frame the face and elongate the neck.

This image is of the Bronte sisters (from left to right) Anne Bronte (1820-49) Emily Bronte (1818 - 48) and Charlotte Bronte (1816-55) These sisters were the authors of poetry and novels, published pseudonymously. Charlotte's Jayne Eyre and Emily's Wurthering Heights were published in 1847 and Anne's the Tenant of Windfell Hall in the following year. This portrait was found on the top of a cupboard  by the second wife of Charlotte Bronte's husband.

 This is a portrait of Queen Victoria painted by Sir George Hayter this was painted in 1838 and 1863. I believe the portrait was probably done for the Queens coronation as she is seen wearing the crown and holding the staff. In this picture you can see the same hairstyle is worn in this portrait is also on the marble bust of Queen Victoria.

These images are of busts of Angela Catalani (1780 - 1849) who was an Italian opera singer who came to England in 1806, she was described as 'a Roman with the regular Italian antelope face... large eyes, with a sensitive elegant nose and a lively expression. Felicia Dorothea Hemans (1973 - 1835)  who was a poet and a playright she was characterised as 'too many flowers, too little fruit.'
I again really like these busts as I was able to get a good detailed 360 look round the hair. They all show different types of buns and a variety of different curls.

I forgot to take the picture of the details of this portrait  but I especially liked the youthful fresh cheeks that are shown in the picture and the long curled flowing hair.
















This is a portrait and the supporting bust of Lord George Cavendish Bentinck (1802 - 48) he was a statesman and sportsman they are both dated 1848. I have chosen to take a picture of this because it shows how sideburns were popular at the time and also side parted hair.