Showing posts with label Practice. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Practice. Show all posts
Tuesday, 10 November 2015

2nd Attempt with My Design (Tara as Stylist)

In our second practise session, Tara styled my hair again for my New Elizabethan bridal look. The images show her completed attempt within the 2 hour time limit.

 I am very pleased with the final outcome of this session. The raised and rounded frizzed section is a great shape and is very smooth round the edges - the sleekness is how I would imagine a bride would desire their hair to be! From the front, the style looks simple and polished which is exactly how I desired it to be in my design. Moving onto the elaborate back of the style, Tara decided to create the look using two plaits to define the separation between the bun and the crimped hair as previously this was not there. It also helped Tara a lot this time round to section the hair into four areas before starting so she knew exactly how much hair was used for each and each section would be obvious - this is a step I would be sure to include in my consultation notes for the assessment. Slightly less hair was used for the bun, as discussed in our last session, to have more curls and it fitted in well with the rest of the style. The curls were also very effective as Tara pinned them up and under the bun to give them more volume and to appear as though are falling from the rest of the hairdo - an aspect often used within modern bridal updo's. 

 There is not much I can ask of Tara to improve! Tara took on board my requests and her struggles from the last session and created the look I pictured in my head. However, one thing that could be perfected is the neatness of the round shape at the front. The last image shows how the hair above the left ear is not connected to the head like the opposite side. I pointed this out to Tara (being very picky!!) and she will try and perfect this before the assessment. Otherwise, this was a successful test run before the assessment and if we can practise again the assessment it will only be to boost Tara's confidence and gives her a chance to perfect the style.
Leave a Comment

2nd Attempt at My Partners Design (Me as Stylist)

Plait
I started the second practise session with Tara's design by creating the french plait that goes over her head from ear to ear. To begin, I sectioned the hair amount of hair I needed behind her fringe into a middle parting and kept the sections either side even to keep the look symmetrical. In my first attempt, I found it difficult to have the start and end of the plait the same. This time I started lower down her head, more so by her ear, and after I had completely the french braid I loosened the style up with a metal pin comb which gave the impression of the hair being the same thickness all over (by loosening some bits more than others). As part of Tara's design, she wanted the plait to be very messy so I have taken photos of the plait at the stage Tara felt it was the right style for her character's hairstyle. I also discussed with Tara what she wanted to do with her fringe and she has decided to leave it out straight (as it would be awkward to include in the plait neatly and she did not want it crimped).

Backcombed Section
For the crimped and frizzed section, I began by crimping all the remaining hair behind the plait. I then sectioned the hair, layer by layer, to crimp and backcomb (using a thin-toothed comb) from bottom to top - focusing on the roots. To shape the hair into the rounded look Tara desires, I then used an afro comb to soften the frizz from the backcombing and pinned the hair in sections using hair grips. I gripped the hair in sections (from one side of the head to the other) to make it easier to make a symmetrical and meant I can take sections out of the grip again to backcomb more or smooth the hair. Tara was pleased with the shape as she does not want it to be extremely high. I felt there were quite a lot of flyaways, as a result of the backcombing crimped hair, that I will attempt to smooth in the final assessment. However, Tara stated it added to her 'crazy' personality linked to her character so it may be worth leaving the messiness in the look.
Plaited Bun
Tara's plaited bun design
Following our inital trial of Tara's design, we agreed to change the technique of creating the plait to make a larger finished bun. Instead of creating a ponytail and plaiting that hair, I separated the hair into three sections and plaited them. I then wrapped the middle plait into a circle and pinned into place. After that, I wrapped the other two around to create a rounded shape. Both of us were much happier with the section plaited bun shown above as it was larger and more like the style Tara had practised in the designing stages. Even though the first in neater, it is not as in-keeping as the second bun as it is messy and looser (I teased the plaits before pinning to achieve this). I feel it could be more round when I create it for the assessment and I can do this by pinning the plaits into a tighter circle shape and then teasing the hair to create Tara's loose design.  

Overall, I am very pleased with my second attempt has been very successful. I have achieved the style of bun Tara really wanted and the issues with the plait behind her fringe have been solved. I also completed the style in less than the 2 hour limit. Tara and I want to have a final practise session before our assessments and I feel like this will be a perfect time to perfect the techniques (so it is not trial and error on the day!) and be very confident in the process.
Leave a Comment
Thursday, 5 November 2015

1st Attempt with My Design (Tara as Stylist)

This week we had the chance to swap our hair designs with our partners for the first time. Above are the images of Tara's first attempt at mine. My final design can be found here. 

 I think Tara's styling turned out to be very successful. The backcombed and crimped section had great height and stability, without a hair rat or padding. She used an afro comb instead of small-toothed comb to backcombed and this meant the finished look was less tangled and frizzy and more smooth and soft (to keep in theme of my bridal hair design). I was massively impressed by the finished front section as it was higher, bigger and smoother than I expected!! Unfortunately, I do not have a photo to show the front but it was a nice rounded shape, we agreed the front needs to be perfectly symmetrical but for a first go it was great!! The bun was also slightly altered as Tara was not happy with the shape of the 'modern bun' when she tried it out. Lottie showed her an alternative technique and it produced a style that was less obviously modern and tied into the finish look even better than the original design! It is more interesting and eye-catching than the standard round bun. 

 In our next practise session, I would like Tara to work on the plait. The actual plait was how I desired it to be, however, in the images it is quite hidden and I want it to be shown as one of the features of the hair. It may be that there would be slightly less hair in the backcombed section so there is more space for the hair to be in a plait. Also, Tara explained to me how she will use less hair in the bun next time and more in the section left down and curled. This is because Tara was saying the bun was quite hard to work with because of the amount of hair she had sectioned off for it and also we would like to see more curled hair. Finally, I asked Tara to also try and pin some of the curls up and under the bun to finish of my desired look. 

 Overall, the session was very useful to help me communicate my ideas with someone else and see how practical my design is on my head. I am still happy with my design, and also the alterations Tara made, and I feel it still in-keeping with my New Elizabethan bridal hair design for Lettice Knollys. Also, it was a great time to get to know Tara and become a team to help each other and our first trials were both a great start and the next practise session should mean we can perfect each others looks! 
Leave a Comment
Monday, 2 November 2015

1st Attempt at My Partners Design (Me as Stylist)

For the final assessment I am working with Tara. She came to me with the three images on the left as inspiration for her desired hairstyle. Her character is image conscious and so desires a polished hairdo but has elements of madness in her personality that Tara wants to portray through little details in her design. For example: the plait running across the top of her head would be messy and the hair will be crimped and backcombed.


To start my first attempt, I began by sectioning her hair so I could create an even plait running behind her fringe. I braided the hair into a french plait and pinned it behind the ear, so hopefully the ending of the plait cannot be seen. In our next practise session, I will improve the plait by starting the braiding lower. The first image on the left shows how the plait does not actually start until about half way up and the other image shows how it ends behind the ear. To solve this, I will begin much lower down on Tara's head to make the plait more even and symmetrical. 

 After I created the plait, I proceeded to section her hair further to create the elevation behind the plait that Tara wanted. I crimped the section and backcombed it with a pintail comb. I was finding it difficult to build up the right height with this particular comb so I moved onto using the afro comb and this made the technique easier and the finished result a lot smoother. From the front, it did not seem to have a lot of height but Tara was happy with this look to keep the hairstyle polished from the front and messy from behind. Next time, I will be able to be more confident with my backcombing and will be able to achieve the look much quicker. I will also try and gain a bit more height with the more time I will have so the front is more fitting with the height of the back. 

 Finally, I attempted to produce a plaited bun at the bottom of the head. I put the hair in a ponytail and plaited it. As the hair was only partially crimped, due to my sectioning, there was different textures so next time I will definitely crimp the whole head. Once it was plaited, I teased it to make a thicker plait, wrapped it around itself and pinned it into place. Tara was happy with the style and agreed the texture should be consistent, however, I feel that in the next practise I will use more hair in the bun to create a bigger style as the plaited bun looked disproportional in comparison to the large plait and backcombed section.

 Overall, I found this lesson very useful to have our first attempts at being designers and hair stylists. It gave me a chance to get to grips with Tara's hair type, length and design and allowed me to discover what I will need to do to make sure it is technically good as well as being how Tara has designed it. I have gathered enough information to hopefully perfect the look in our other practise sessions before our final assessments! 
Leave a Comment

New Elizabethan Hair Designs

1st Design
My first design is heavily inspired by the traditional Elizabethan heart-shaped hair and high hairline. My modern take on this look is to include a heart shape in the back of the hair style as well. The hair shown on the 'front' of the head in my drawing would be created using padding with a hair rat. Also, the hair ideally would be crimped to add to the Elizabethan element of the design. 

The back of the head would be separated into a heart shaped and raised with the aid of backcombing. I attempted this style on my model head at home to try out the techniques I have proposed.

To begin with, I section the hair into a heart shape using a pintail comb. I kept the sections of frizzed hair at the front away to make the sectioning a lot easier and to keep the sections even. Once I had divided the hair, I backcombed the heart shape to make it seem raised and more obvious. I created my own hair rat with tights and cotton wool and used this to created the round shaped shown above. I was unable to complete the look as I did not have any more tights or hair grips! Although I was able to gather enough information through my practise to understand my design and the practicalities of it further. I do not want to use this as my final design as I think it is too obviously 'Elizabethan' and for my look I want to create a more subtle design incorporating both modern and historical techniques. As well as that, I recognised with the harshness of the style I wanted to make the look softer with more details to make the hair look more youthful - as the Elizabethans so desired!
2nd Design
I have been working on my second design for a few weeks now in and outside of lessons. My technical and practise posts can be found here:


With this design, I really enjoyed creating the plaits and adding adornments to gain confidence in experimenting further. However, I do not feel this elaborate enough to incorporate different skills and have a high enough technical element to it to be a piece I would be very happy with. Therefore my final design I will incorporate sections of both of my designs so to create one that is elaborate and includes various techniques. 

Final Design
Following my previous experiments and design, I have created a final hairstyle I want to re-create to portray a youthful New Elizabethan bridal style. The style incorporates the 'half-up half-down' style that is popular in recent years but also can be recognised in multiple Elizabethan portraits so is a perfect style to include both techniques. I wanted the look to be gentle and rounded at the front to keep the look soft, much like the styles of younger woman in Elizabethan times. I also want it to be decorated and elaborate at the back to demonstrate a beautiful bridal design as well as more juvenile and youthful style, as opposed to the well-recognised stiffness of the heart-shaped and hat-adorned hairstyles of the aged Elizabethans. 

The left hand side of the drawing shows the simple look of the style from the front. I want to use a hair rat to padding the hair into a semi-circle on the top of my head, framing my hairline. The hair would be crimped and brushed out to replicate Queen Elizabeth's favoured technique. Directly behind the padded hair, there will be a small french plait adorned with pearls (attached to hair grips to slide into the hair easily). The remaining hair would be spilt into two sections, the top section would be taken into a modern style bun and decorated further with pearls around the circular shape. The bottom half of the hair that is left would be curled using the modern technique of 'spiral curling' to create loose curls. Some pieces of hair would be pinned underneath the bun, against the way the hair falls, to add more volume and layers and the rest of the curled hair would rest over the shoulder onto the front of the body.


These images above show the techniques I have practised that I would like to incorporate in this design. I am very happy with my final design as I feel it will be a well-rounded combination between modern and historical Elizabethan styles. 
Leave a Comment
Monday, 26 October 2015

Modern Bridal Hair

Compared to Queen Elizabeth I's abstance with marriage, being a bride has almost become a fashion trend in itself. Bridal hair is a massive business in the 21st Century and often incorporates curls, plaits and buns - trends seen in Elizabethan society. In today's lesson we were given a brief to create a bridal hairstyle where at least some of the hair was up (and if partly up, the rest must incorporate curls) and plaits were used as a technique in the look.

My initial design included a loose french plait going across the top of the models head and round to the back that turns into a plaited bun. Following from the bun, I wanted to then produce a very loose and boho fish tail plait (with loose curls around the head). My inspiration for my sketch was a 'boho' bride and I did not want the style to be slick or polished.

The images above demonstrate my attempt to translate my design onto a models head. Luckily, Charlie's hair was lovely and long so I had plenty to work with! However, I do feel my final images show that it is not very 'bridal'. I really loved the loose, large french plait on the top of Charlie's head as it was the exact style I wanted but the fishtail was too narrow and was difficult to make looser without looking un-styled and too messy or frizzy. I do like the incorporation of the plaited bun as it separated the two styles of plait at the back of her head. As I was not happy having all the hair up in the unsuccessfully styled fishtail plait, I made another attempt at a bridal hairstyle with just the french braid.

This is my second attempt at creating a bridal look. I am much happier with this style as the curls and piece at the back of the head portray more of a bridal hairstyle. I used a pintail comb to tease the hair from the french plait, making it looser and larger. This teased plait would definitely be one I would like to incorporate in a New Elizabethan look amongst crimping or curls. For the back of the hair, I wanted to still keep it as interesting as the bun but less precise so I gripped pieces of curled hair up and away from the direction of Charlie's hair so it would fall back on itself and create volume and more of a shape (than if it were to be pinned in the same direction). The shape of the back piece almost looks like the bottom of a heart shape and I want to try and develop this further into my final design.
Leave a Comment
Monday, 19 October 2015

Curling, Frizzing and Shaping the Hair

Our week 4 lessons with Lottie and Helen consisted of using each other as models to create an Elizabethan hairstyle using traditional techniques. As I missed week 3's lesson, I had to experiment and produce a style on the spot without a plan.
I had not learned the technique of crimping and frizzing before starting on Beth, so to begin with I started with a spiral curl technique that I was familiar with to incorporate a style of curl into the Elizabethan style. Looking back on my choice, I feel I should've perhaps used a roller curl to create more volume. Once these curls were released, I started to backcomb the front section of her to start shaping it into a heart shape. 

 I feel the shape was reasonably successful in creating a high hair-line and a divided, volumized heart shape. However, I feel it could've been much bigger if I had used a hair rat or crimping. This look I created is a simple and toned down version of how I would've wanted it to look. Also, the parting could've been clearer when you are looking above Beth's head. As I knew we had to incorporate a bun shape at the back
of the head, I simply created some rolls at the back to finish the look. I do not feel this could've been my best attempt but as I had missed a previous lesson learning the techniques I realised I have to practise more to create a better look. My finished attempt on Beth was not large enough to compare to an Elizabethan look, and I feel I could've incorporated more techniques (crimping and padding). I really struggled to get to grips with creating a look on the spot, so after the lesson I practised on my model head to perfect crimping and shaping this hairstyle. 

On the Kate model head, I crimped the hair all over and brushed it out to create the 'frizz' used so often in Elizabethan hairstyles. Following that, I divided the hair into a centre parting and backcombed the sides to make the sections sturdy enough to hold itself in the desired heart shape. The first image shows my attempt at this. I feel this second attempt is a more successful shape compared to the one in class as it is much more structured and solid (leaving the heart shape clear), as well as having more of an Elizabethan feel having the crimped texture. I finished the look off with a simple twist bun. The result of incorporated all the hair into this left an unintentional heart shape from the back of the head too. Once I noticed this, I used a pintail comb to tease the heart into the heart shape further. The attempt became much more effective with the shape as well as the frizzing technique. I also developed an idea to incorporate tiny plaits over the backcombed hair to add another dimension to the hair - almost create a cage or adornment on the hair.


In our Elizabethan Adornments lesson, I created a heart shaped plait (shown on this blog post) and developed a successful technique to re-create the look. I wanted to include my new skills into this look to develop it further. The crimping and frizzing technique allowed me to create a raised heart shape within the plait. It also allowed me to have a higher and more rounded front of the hair.
Leave a Comment ,
Thursday, 8 October 2015

New Elizabethan Plaits and Adornments

Elizabethans are famous for their elaborate accessories and adornments that are incorporated within their fiery red curls. In Helen's lesson this week, we explored various ideas to include ribbons, beads and jewellery into a modern elizabethan design.
Hearts are shown in multiple illustrations and references to the Elizabethans - whether it be there heart-shaped hair line, crimped hair or hair decorations. Therefore, to start an idea I wanted to include the heart shape in a plait at the back of the head. I started by dividing the hair down the middle and moving the bottom part of the hair to one side (to create a half up, half down look). To begin the heart shaped, I faced the model towards me and started a small french plait at the back of the head and plaited it slightly towards me. I slowly curved the plait by bringing in more hair, in each section of the french plait, from the left of the plait and underneath. Once the curve was created, I continued to form a classic french plait towards the nape of the neck. The looser end of the plait allowed the hair to be more relaxed and created a thicker style. 


The difficult part began when I needed to make the shape symmetrical. The first image shown on the left is my first attempt at the second half of the heart. The shape was lost and less defined than my first half. Beginning with the top, it is not tight enough to the scalp so I did not have enough tension and contact to begin with. This then developed into the plait not being controlled and the shape was completely lost. I attempted it again as I found it frustrating how hard it was to complete symmetrically. The second image shows my further attempt that was more successful. The point of the heart shape at the top of the head is more pronounced and defined and the plait becomes looser towards the end. Ideally, this attempt would've defined the heart more all around the back of the head but I practised the skill further at home and developed a technique to produce the shape every time. 
Final attempt in class.
Showing heart shaped front of hair
and adornments in plaits
Practise at home.
The three images on the left show my stages I practised to produce a reliable technique to recreate the style every time. To start with, I separated the hair into a heart shape using a comb to produce the clear line in the hair. Once I achieved the desired shape, I could plait around the shape leaving the definition there. I plaited both sides around the shape to neatly create a heart shaped plait around the sectioned hair. The develop this further I could raised the hair in the heart shape, or pad the front of the hair and curl the hair underneath the design with Elizabethan inspiration. 

 After the lesson I wanted to create a second design including more plaits. Again, I divided the hair to allow for different styles and the photos demonstrate the two main plaits. on the left hand side I produced a standard french plait and the opposite plait is a reversed french plait (or a dutch braid). I decided to practise the two different plaits and incorporate them into this look to demonstrate my skills to produce both. I personally prefer the reversed braid as it produced a sleeker and more modern hairstyle. If I continue to develop this idea in the future I would most likely use that plait on both sides. I also added some small basic plaits throughout to add more layers and depth to the hairstyle. Once I develop more Elizabeth techniques, I would like to raise the plaits or crimp and curl the bun at the nape of the neck.
Leave a Comment
Wednesday, 30 September 2015

Introduction to Elizabethan Hair

The first thing I think of with the word 'Elizabethan' is red hair. All portraiture and modern interpretations have a variation of the red colour in their hairstyles. This stems from Queen Elizabeth's iconic royal updo's. 'By 1550 the fashion of frizzing the hair had arrived from France. This was done in a similar way to modern backcombing, the hair then being brushed over pads and wires frames to hold out the style on the temples' (Keyes, 1967, pg 7). A trend Queen Elizabeth also started was the use of wigs. It is suggested by historians she is known to have more than 80 wigs throughout her reign. These popular wigs that would be re-created following Elizabeth were mostly made up of curls or frizzy hair. They were built up into a variety of shapes, usually symmetrical or heart-shaped with the peak in the centre of the forehead. (Keyes, 1967, pg 11). The photo from the book 'A History of Women's Hairstyles 1500-1965' demonstrates the evolution of the heart-shaped updo's. As well as the common tight and frizzy curls, bonnet size hats became a massive part of the style. They add various shapes and textures into the look. 

 In the Elizabethan Era, men's style was also transformed. The Elizabethan man 'was more inclined to 'feminine ways' due to the atmosphere of court life which was orientated to the whims and desires of a woman' (Gunn, 1973, pgs 70-88) following Elizabeth I's reign. Masculine hair trends for the English man became moderately long and curled with groomed and pointed beards and moustaches. Men also had their own ways, like wigs, to keep their hairs in place - gum! 

The updos, textures and colours throughout Elizabethan hairstyles will be a great place to start with my personal evolution to create my own 'Modern Elizabethan' hair style. 

Book used for reference:
Jean Keyes, 1967, A History of Women's Hairstyles 1500-1965, London, Methuen & Co

Fenja Gunn. 1973. The Artifical Face, A History of Cosmetics. Published by David & Charles (London). Chapter: Late Fifteeth and Sixteeth Centuries
Leave a Comment , ,
Powered by Blogger.

Copyright Redheads And Royalty. Designed by Georgia Lou Studios

Back to Top