My Partner practising my hair design.

My partner recently practiced my final hair design which went very well. Using my hair design I felt that she confidently created the hair design I wanted, I only had to ask her to retry and edit two things and after these were sorted she captured my idea the way I wanted. These things were bringing the shape of the three buns more towards the front of my head and also creating the right shape of the china bumps. Because she styled my hair so quickly Lottie advised that she uses the time to make sure the hair is perfected and neat as the hair style does take such little time to make. By experimenting too my partner inspired me to keep a change to my design which will be to have two different types of curl in my hairstyle to finish the look. One curl will be crimped and curled and the other will be a normal curl both framing the front of my face, I decided to have two as I couldn't decided on what texture I liked the most. As I couldn't decide I am now going to keep both curls as I think it perfectly fits into the character I have created which symbolises revenge, attitude and a loss of innocence. 

Padding and styling on your partner.

Today I practiced my partners final design in our practical session, as my partner has dreadlocks she brought in a model for me to work on. My partner showed me her design and talked me through each instruction step by step, alongside showing my pictures of previous examples she had done on her Katie head which was very helpful. The process of the look was to section the hair into 3, creating a fish plait in the back section and then curling the two other sections which would later be styled. 

As I began to create the fish tail plait I told my partner I had never done one before, and felt like I struggled slightly at first to understand the technique. My partner decided to show me first how to do the technique and the way she wanted the plait to appear at the back of the head, which was thick at the top and smaller at the bottom. Creating this plait consisted of me sectioning the hair into two and then taking a small strand of hair from each side so that it overlapped the next section. When I first began to do this I got confused in the middle of the plait and mucked it up, so I decided to start again and this time making the plait a little tighter, the second time I attempted the plait was very successful and I constantly asked my partner If i was doing it correctly and if she was happy. Once I had made the plait my partner wanted then band that secured the plait to be discreetly hidden with a strand of the models hair, me and her both tired different ways to hide the band but because the models hair was very soft It was difficult. The next time I practice the hair style I will attempt to try and different method of holding the clip in the hair to hide the band. After creating the plait I moved onto spiral curling one front section of my models hair. Each time I created a curl I secured it with a bobby pin so that the curl remained tight and defined, after finishing the whole section I removed the pins and began to ask what shape my partner wanted in the hair and what technique to use.

My partner explained she wanted the curls to be backcombed enough for them to appear large and full of volume and also be able to stand but keep the curl shape. Whilst discussing this Helen came over and spoke to my partner about her ideas advising her that It may be an idea to crimp the models hair and then curl the ends as her hair is very long and also very soft. I began back-combing the hair and observed that as the models hair was so soft it would take a while to back comb the hair enough for it to stand the way my partner wanted. I carried on back combing sections of the hair but as we were running out of time I had to quickly create a plait secure it to the scalp and then practise placing the padding my partner wanted in the hair and then observing the direction and style she wanted to achieve by wrapping the curls around this padding. Her desired look is an amazing design and is possible to do but I feel that the only factors that may make it difficult for me is the type of hair my model has and also the time frame we have to complete the look in the assessment. We discussed this with Helen and she advised that we may want to create the spiral curls before the session so that the hair is prepped and then create my partners design in the assessment which would be much easier. My partner and me agreed this would be best and plan on practicing her design again in our own time to perfect and practice the look before the assessment. I feel fairly confident I will  be more then able to create the style my partner wants, but for the time being I plan on practicing it on my Katie doll head.

modern elizabethan hair

Recently I practiced one of my hair designs I created in a practical lesson. I created this design prior to the practical session which I made in response to some research I had done, looking at the artist FKA Twigs. I wanted to take my inspiration and then merge it with some traditional french plaits and crimping to keep the Elizabethan elements in my hair design. 
Using my Katie head, I separated the hair into two sections leaving a small strand of hair out at the front, enough for me to plait and curl. taking these two sections, one side I began crimping and back combing and the other side I left straight and smooth. I did two different textures on my dolls head so I could experiment with both techniques for my design. After making sure I had both textures I started to style the hair into a bun shape by bringing the section of hair upwards and then began twisting all of the section into a swirl shape and then wrapping the hair around itself to create a small thick bun, I then secured these with clips. After creating the buns I played with them a bit so that they became looser and higher so they weren't as compact and neat. After creating the bun style, I concentrated on the small section I left out at the front, splitting this small section of hair into two I curled on side so that it fell facing away from the face and then on the other section I created a tight plait which I could then wrap around one of the buns I had made. I chose to practice this hair design as It is something I had thought of when developing my contemporary ideas, but I liked the design because It visually reminded me of a modern practitioner I had looked at who has at a lot of symbolism and attitude in their style. 

This is my Hair Design.

The Outcome.

The three images above are of the finished hairstyle I created, I feel that the styling of my design was simple and fast to create. After practising my design I feel it was successful to create but I no longer like this design. Compared to other designs I have created I feel that the finished outcome of this design makes the hair appear very boring and doesn't properly communicate the dramatic concept my character is about. Although I used the traditional crimped texture and also featured the use of a plait detailing in the hair, I don't think I will develop this design and use it for my final hair design. I think this design was very practical in terms of time and it would work on most hair textures and also hair lengths. If I was to recreate this look and develop the style I think I would change the amount of plaits and the plait style I created to a fish tail style, so that the look held more texture and detail. I would also change the amount of hair compacted into the buns, I would experiment by letting more hair hang loose at the back so that the hair appeared more dishevelled and interesting and less neat. 

Final Hair design.

In response to a recent hair design I practiced which consisted of curls and china bumps, I created another final design which is what I aim to use for my final assessment. I have created a hair design similar to the other hair designs I have created previously, but this look will have a crimped hair texture mixed with plaits and china bumps that I hope will form and appear as if I am wearing crown. I am very happy with this design and aim to practice it tomorrow with my partner, the only thing I am unsure of with this design is wether to leave my hair as it is naturally or straighten it beforehand as my hair is afro Caribbean and very curly. I could either leave my curls and then crimp them in their natural form as they already have kink and volume, or I could straighten it before hand so the texture of the crimped hair is smooth and not frizzy. As I plan to create two looks with half of the front and back of my head also I will practice what hair texture works best, especially in terms of time and what is more practical for my partner. 

Practising hair design ideas.

I recently designed a hair style I wanted to try out, to see if it would compliment the makeup design I had decided on. The hair style consists of plaits, curls and buns just like I intended to create in earlier ideas, but this design consists of a number of small buns all over the head as well as just the top. When designing this look I intended to create a more edgy look that would be contemporary with hints on Elizabethan style, that would give my character Elizabeth Brydges alter ego, a complimentary rebellious hairstyle.


So, I began researching punk rockers and their style, looking at inspiring images and thinking of ways to make something so bold and edgy more subtle and wearable in the Elizabethan Era. And then I came across some images of women with their hair worn in 'china bumps' which is something my sister used to wear to maintain her curls whilst sleeping.

Rihanna wearing china bumps in her hair.
Sourced image from Google.
http://static1.squarespace.com/static/52c87076e4b076c49f5dd649/t/5365a58ae4b08700007e9a15/1399170443357/RihannaatiHeartradiomusicaward7.jpg



Model with china bumps in her hair. 

Sourced Tumblr Image from Google.
https://40.media.tumblr.com/14194506ede8b28838c6a9ed6e028f84/tumblr_nuc7tgA4TR1sjc5sqo1_500.jpg


After being inspired by this research and creating my design I ended up creating this.
If I was to recreate this look I would allow some hair to be free flowing out at the back of the head and also small curled pieces at the front of the head so that it frames the face. I really like this design and style I made and find that it communicates the symbolism and theme of my character more compared to my other designs. Considering time and the technical skills I feel that this hair style was okay to create and didn't take me too long. Something i struggled with when creating this look was the shaping and forming of the china bumps at the front of the hair and making them look neat and similar to each other, this is something that would need to practiced.

The images below are some hairstyles I wanted to use alongside the contemporary images I have been inspired by above. I struggled to find any portraiture of women or Queen Elizabeth who wore their hair in the bun style I was inspired by, only heart shaped buns. So I found this website that featured Elizabethan styled buns and plaits with ribbons added to the hair. This site explores different hairstyles from different eras of history, so I thought It was really helpful when linking contemporary and historical inspiration together.

'Olivia'
'Four 3 plait braids: two that begin at the top of the head, and 2 that begin at the base of the neck. These four braids are then pinned into cute buns near the top of the head.
Image and text sourced from www.braidsformaids.com.
http://www.braidsformaids.com/#!Olivia/zoom/c1iim/imagedfw
Each image of a hairstyle on the website has a small step by step description of how to achieve the look.

'Laurel - Heart'
'A variation on our Laurel,with the braids pinned into a heart shape at the back of the head.'
Image and text sourced from www.braidsfromaids.com.
http://www.braidsformaids.com/#!Laurel%20-%20Heart/zoom/c1iim/image112v

 
 
 
 
 
 
Bibliography 
http://www.braidsformaids.com/#!renfaire/c1iim
http://static1.squarespace.com/static/52c87076e4b076c49f5dd649/t/5365a58ae4b08700007e9a15/1399170443357/RihannaatiHeartradiomusicaward7.jpg
https://40.media.tumblr.com/14194506ede8b28838c6a9ed6e028f84/tumblr_nuc7tgA4TR1sjc5sqo1_500.jpg
http://www.braidsformaids.com/#!Olivia/zoom/c1iim/imagedfw
http://www.braidsformaids.com/#!Laurel%20-%20Heart/zoom/c1iim/image112v

Contemporary Elizabethan Inspired Hair.

 

These are images I have decided to observe and discuss, exploring the texture and use of different styles which create a contemporary Elizabethan theme to the hair.

Sourced image from Pinterest.
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/404549979004897891/
I chose this image as I have recently looked at this hairstyle when researching. This image is from the artists Gwen Stefani's
music video 'Rich Girl'. The hair and makeup really stood out to me in the scene of the music video as the hair is full of shape and beautiful accessories which really made me think of Queen Elizabeth portraiture and her use of symbolism. The hair appears to barrel curled and then shaped into buns and rolls possibly with the us of adding and then decorated in beautiful accessories. The texture of the hair appears to be soft, smooth and glossy.


 

Sourced image from Pinterest.
https://www.pinterest.com/Ayelishakaym/elizabethan/
I find this hairstyle interesting as it is full of texture and detail in the styling and shaping of the hair.
The hair appears to be completely crimped and then separated and braided into 4 sectioned plaits creating even more volume and denser and thicker texture to the hairstyle. I like the way the models plaits are wrapped around the head in different directions creating a horn like shape which creates a theme of drama and power. The free flowing hair with this hairstyle also reminds me of the Rainbow Portrait c1600 of Queen Elizabeth, as her hair in this portrait is worn in a similar way. This hairstyle is very dramatic and full of personality which creates a really bold and interesting character.
 

Sourced image from Pinterest.
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/281756520413429243/
I like this image because of the style of curls used to shape the heart form into the models hair.
It is a very contemporary version of the classic heart shaped bun worn in the hair that references Elizabethan hair.
The curls appear to be styled in thick curled ringlets that wrap around sitting flat on the head, but altogether makes the hairstyle appear very 3D and dense. The hair appears soft, glossy, thick and a little bit heavy. I especially like the form of the fringe made at the front of the models face which sits and falls down the side of her face in a waterfall effect. There are a few loose hairs left out that are styled into loose curls that look soft, big and bouncy.
 

 Sourced image from Pinterest.
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/ac/72/89/ac72893da9d1780dd3c473a6f36ea786.jpg
I enjoy this image because of the variety of different textures and styles in the models hair.
Her flowing long hair has been crimped which creates a really nice textured, soft look full of volume, the rest of her free flowing hair is braided into two large braids that appear to be fish tails. These two braids add a contemporary feature to this Elizabethan themed hair, because the whole of the models head is crimped it makes the hair look very dense and heavy. On to of the models head her hair is worn into two buns resembling a heart shape that appears very similar as to how Queen Elizabeth wore her hair in some of her famous portraiture.












 

Elizabethan Society.

The Elizabethan era (1158-1603) brought and celebrated a lot of new art, trends and music to society. Many book and internet sources that talk about Elizabethan hair often refer to high society and rich socialites that could afford not to work, to follow Queen Elizabeth's beauty habits and spend money as they please. Extravagant hairstyles I had been looking at for inspiration for this project, are ones I would consider that only the rich and royal would wear. In my first few studio lessons I got the chance the create looks with curls and plaits which created really pretty and subtle looks, and we also got to add adornments and accessories that we desired into our hairstyles, just like the Elizabethans did. After collecting some images as research for my hair design ideas, I realised that a lot of styles I liked consisted of thick or think braids, small curls and bun shapes.

Sourced from Google Images.
http://images.fineartamerica.com/images-medium-large/elizabethan-girl-thomas-bedson.jpg
I like the drama and contrasting colours in this image e.g. the bright warm hair colour against the black background and clothing.This hairstyle is full of volume which symbolises power and powerful presence, the hair texture is frizzy and curly formed into two massive buns on either side of the head although they aren't perfect as they have tendrils falling from each bun which symbolises that the character could be a little crazy. This image doesn't remind me of anything very Elizabethan when comparing it to someone who would have worn it or a style they would have worn, apart from the red hair and texture used in the hair, it is a very contemporary style.
 

Sourced from Google Images.
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/60/c8/8d/60c88d6c4a1c59e2f5e1c4272971678d.jpg
This is one of the inspiring images I found which describes the bun shape I liked. Although I like the shape I would prefer if the hair had more texture in it so it appeared more interesting. But it is a interesting interpretation of Queen Elizabeths unique shapes she wore in her hair with hair pieces and wigs. This image reminds me a lot of Queen Elizabeth portraiture in terms of the way the model is posing, the hairstyle and subtle makeup, the extravagant large dress the model is wearing and also the focus on the pose of the model similar to how Queen Elizabeth sat in her portraits.  

 

Sourced image from Pinterest.
https://www.pinterest.com/explore/17th-century-fashion/
I enjoy this image because the hairstyle makes the model  in this image look powerful but also very feminine, pretty and sexy. The shape of the bun is very loose and consists of wave like curls. The models hair texture appears to be soft and glossy even with the volume and wave added to the hair, with this hairstyle I feel that you could apply a lot of different accessories in the hair that could even be partly hidden, symbolising that the character is full of royal secrets.
The ruffle, clothing and position of the model is what reminds me of the Elizabethan Era in this image but a very contemporary version as it looks like it belongs on a fashion magazine cover. 

Bibliography
https://www.pinterest.com/explore/17th-century-fashion/
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/60/c8/8d/60c88d6c4a1c59e2f5e1c4272971678d.jpghttp://images.fineartamerica.com/images-medium-large/elizabethan-girl-thomas-bedson.jpg