Frankee Walker

Independent Project blog

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Evaluation

Evaluation

The independent project has really helped me understand my strengths and weaknesses as a designer, I feel much more confident than my last project with my costume designs as  I believe they have improved by a considerable amount. This is because I have kept to my learning agreement this term and have focused on understanding what it is that makes a good designer and how my costume designs can get a more professional look.  I have thoroughly enjoyed this project as it has allowed me to expand my creative skills but refine them in a much more pressured time limit, it has been quite a challenge to go from one project being 3 months long to just a short 6 weeks. In regard to this however I believe I have been successful with my historical costume research as I think I have picked out key elements and key fashion changes that could be echoed in my designs for the show. Also I am pleased with my history research as I think it was thorough and has helped me to understand the period more effectively.

I am extremely happy with the result of my final designs and think they have a strong look as part of a collection, I have tried different techniques this term and taking my feedback from last term have stuck to using my strength with analogue techniques and have only used photoshop to tidy up the images and put neat titles on them. Working with magazine templates has opened my eyes in seeing that I can create lots of initial designs quickly as they are like a template and I feel confident as I know the proportions are correct for my figures, I would like to continue this technique in my future design projects. I think my design would compliment my set designer’s work very well as we have collaborated as such a close team making sure we make decisions together especially on colour scheme etc. My weakness this term is my choice in fabric samples, I feel they are quite un-researched and un-explored, I would have liked to have spent more time experimenting on the fabrics by painting them and asking for tutors help to get the best result. Hopefully, if my design becomes realised I will have the summer to redirect my thought with them and execute them as professionally as I feel my costume designs look.

I feel I have let myself down in terms of my blog with this Independent project, I have found it difficult to keep up with on a regular basis, however I did note the things I was doing weekly and understood how I could reflect on my progression that would therefore be developing my costume designer skills.

Overall this project has been another strong learning curve for me and I feel confident that I have made a significant improvement from last term in my costume design style. I hope to continue with this success and push myself even further next term especially if my designs are realised for the show.

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Bibliography

BBC (2014). Napoleon Boneparte (1769-18210. [online] Available from: http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/bonaparte_napoleon.shtml [Accessed 5 May 2014]

BBC (2014). The Battle of Waterloo. [online] Available from: http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/empire_seapower/battle_waterloo_01.shtml  [Accessed 4 May 2014]

Cunnington, C. (1970). Handbook of English costume in the 19th century. London. R.Maclehose and company LTD.

Donnellan, D. (2002).Vanity fair. London: Samuel French LTD.

Foster, V. (1984). A visual history of costume The Nineteenth Century. Great Britain. Butler & Tanner LTD. 

Mira, N. (2004). Vanity fair. [Film]. USA/UK:Focus Features.

Peacock, J. (1991). The chronicle of western costume. London: Thames & Hudson LTD.

Pinterest (n.d.). Vanity fair. [online] Available from: http://gb.pinterest.com/frankeewalker5/vanity-fair/ [Accessed 22 May 2014]

 Thackery, W. 1987. Vanity fair. Penguin Books. London.

The Royal Household (2008). Victoria (1837-1901) [online] Available from: http://www.royal.gov.uk/historyofthemonarchy/kingsandqueensoftheunitedkingdom/thehanoverians/victoria.aspx [Accessed 1 May 2014]

Willet Cunnington. C.(2003). Fashion and women’s attitudes in the Nineteenth Century. New York. Dover Publications, Inc.

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22nd May

I have had a tutorial with Will to show him my nearly finished costume designs and seek advice on the overall look and professional standard. He was pleased with the outcome of many of the designs and thought they were working well together, he gave me advice to make slight adjustments on some of them making them more obvious of the period and he questioned some of my choices which we revisited to make the costume more connected to the characters. After this I began to use my improved photoshop knowledge to finish them with a complimenting title and refined the backgrounds using the tutorials on Lynda. I also spoke to Will about my fabric samples as I have began to paint various types of fabric to make them look like patterns of a fake nature, Will liked my idea of using calicos and other quite plain fabrics to make into more extravagant pieces and that I just needed to experiment with it to refine them. I have realised that I am most comfortable with using magazine templates for my figures before I begin to draw and paint my costumes, as this project has progressed I have began to collect figures I think could be useful in the future, I plan to increase this collection so when I come to design I have many portraits, faces, figures and poses ready to start designing on. Overall I am really pleased with my final designs and believe I have achieved a developing professional look to them which I originally set out to do.

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19th May

I have continued to develop my designs and I am very pleased with the result of some of them. In particular George Osborne and Rawdon Crawley as I have researched into depth the military costumes they wore and the ranks they were in, so consequently I believe them to look quite successful as designs. This shows me the importance of research, especially when looking at military costumes as there are so many in history another project I plan to do this summer to further my skills as a costume designer will be to create a book of pages with different regiments and pictures of the costumes ranks within them. This will be like a guide for me if I am to create military costumes again in my costume career.

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14th May

We had a meeting with the director yesterday, Kalina and I presented our ideas to him stating our concept and intent of design showing him mood boards and a few of my initial designs and Kalinas set model. I think I was quite prepared for the meeting and had plenty of questions to ask the director and think I gave him a good amount of work to show for my considered design, this is sound practise for me shaping as a costume designer as I will have to meet with directors and present my ideas in the early days of design as well as when they are finished. The director showed interest in our design and gave me advice to not complicate it too much, if I am going to exaggerate ideas it needs to be simple and not distracting from the content. Also he said that the change in costumes for multi rolling would need to be quick and simple as the actors won't need much to show a different character.

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8th May

After continuing my development of designs I have realised that I will not be using photoshop to render the fabric on my designs for my final pieces as I think my analogue skills are much stronger and give the right look I am going for with my concept. However I will be using photoshop to print the titles on the finished pieces and maybe scaling them down to be all of a similar size. 

To upkeep with my learning agreement I have visited the online Lynda website to access the video tutorials concerning photoshop and have been practising how to put titles on, how to move the scanned images to make them smaller and also how to alter some of my scanned in image to the way I want it for example I have taken off one of the painted heads I didn't like from my original images to put on a new face from the internet. Lynda has helped me refine the knowledge I had from last year to make it much improved I believe. Over the summer period when I have more free time I would like to revisit lynda to clarify my refining and rendering fabric knowledge which I can now do as I have a had it installed on my laptop. Overall I think the skills I have improved on i think has improved the professional look to my designs already.

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2nd May

I have had another meeting with Kalina and we have decided on a colour scheme for our production together its going to be dark but rich colours including deep purples and reds but incorporating gold into it as it is such a colour to evoke the emotion of wealth and status which is what the production is all about.

I have completed a script breakdown this week to get my head around the characters and the multi-roling that occurs throughout the piece, this is good practise for me as a designer, as script breakdowns are extremely important when analysing a text for a production to know what every character wears, how many costume changes they have and for accessories etc.

I have continued my work on the magazine templates for my initial designs and I am really liking the result, I beginning to realise my strengths in analogue techniques Although in my learning agreement I stated I was going to improve my photoshop techniques for rendering, I don't think this would be relevant for these specific design ideas at the moment as they are supposed to look quite flat and painted.

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30th April

This week I have focused some days dedicated to my POP essay I have spent many hours in the library researching finding quotes and attending tutorials, I have found this week particularly difficult as I find it hard to balance written work and practical work on the same day this is something I need to improve on and should practise doing mornings of writing and then continue in the afternoon with a more artistic approach to  keep my brain active and focussed to not make my writing ranting on about useless stuff.

In my learning agreement, I stated I wanted to all in all improve myself to become a successful designer with a professional look and feel to my designs, especially in costume. I was recommended to sign up to The Society of British Theatre Designers of which I have done and have been looking through lots of other designers, some much more experienced than others, to see whats really out there already in the design world and to compare the look of their outcomes to mine. It is clear that for a collection of costumes to be successful and look professional they should all coincide together either with a colour balance or a recurrent theme. I also noticed when looking through the various artists that that the titles and names on the designs are equally as important and should really enhance the design but not take away from it. I have found registering with this society very useful in scoping out whats already expected of me as a designers with my designs and hopefully before I graduate I will be able to put my own portfolio on there to kickstart my career as a designer.

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26th April

I have had a tutorial with Rebecca Pride my tutor today to dicuss my ongoing ideas for the show. She liked the sound of mine and Kalinas concept and also thought my ideas of the caricatures would be suitable for the production. However she pointed out that I should consider when creating my designs to think about the proportions of the bodies as in my reference material they are disproportioned swell as the clothes. Rebecca gave me the idea to draw over magazines or templates of figures to create  the exaggerated sizes on a real body shape. I also talked with her about fabrics and we discussed thinking that they should look fake too and that maybe I should consider using calicos that I paint instead of expensive period fabrics to create the look I wanted. 

  After taking Rebecca's advice I have started to create my initial designs over magazine templates, I have really enjoyed this type of process and am beginning to see a huge improvement in the artistic style of my designs hopefully this will continue to help me create a professional look to them.

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23rd April

This week I have closely worked with Kalina my set designer for the Independent project, we have created some mood boards for inspiration together which I believe are a good way of showing our ideas to the tutors and to the director, when I start my career as a designer I will use mood boards as a way of condensing my work to get a feel of my concepts and themes. Kalina and I have decided to create our design of Vanity Fair like a roulette wheel where the characters are very forced and fake, for my costumes I have taken inspiration from 19th century caricatures where the  fashions are extremely exaggerated, I want to create the idea that the costumes look real but have fake elements and the concept that possessions like jewellery etc are of the utmost importance.

After having this meeting with Kalina I have realised how important it is to have constant contact and discussion with the set designer as it really enhanced my ideas and felt like a proper collaboration where we were both on the same page to make the costumes and set work really well together. For the next couple of weeks I will make sure I have regular meetings with Kalina to ensure of ideas are still cohesive together and also won't make any rash decisions or design choices without her knowing and vice versa with her set design. This is important to note for my future career in design as I will make sure I have ongoing contact and meetings with the other people involved in the productions.

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Weekly reflection

After a tutorial with Adele I now understand my weekly reflection should be more about the progression of myself as a designer and relate back to the work rather than a description of everything i have been working on.

This week I have began to put together my sketchbook of ideas this has included lots of historical research from various books and the internet. I believe this is good to help me understand the period in more depth however I think to really grasp the fashions of the 19th century it would be even more beneficial for myself as I designer to go to some exhibitions (possibly a trip to London) and see some of the garments in real life.

Also in my sketchbook I have read and researched about some of the historical events of the time and how it could have affected society at that point in time. To expand my knowledge I think I should attend trips to history museums/fairs as I think this will make me a better designer.

In addition to going to museums and exhibitions to expand my research and understanding of history for period costume I have also realised my little knowledge of the english monarchs through time. I believe a good exercise for me would be to create a historical timeline including the monarchs and relevant events in time that have affected society and therefore clothing, this could be a summer project I can set myself after I have finished the independent project.

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Costume research

Next for me was to really immerse myself within the novel of Vanity Fair, I have started to understand the victorian writing much more and am beginning to really enjoy it. I have made notes and ideas concerning the characters and surroundings starting my initial thought process.

As I am quite uneducated surrounding the actual garments between 1805 and 1840 I thought it be very useful of me to create a timeline in my sketchbook to refer to when I am designing the costumes so I can have period clarity and authenticity which is what the director has demanded from us as his vision. I have found it useful to look through a few books and to photocopy some images with the descriptions necessary, highlight them and see what was really relevant to the garments. This has helped me in understanding the history and furthered my knowledge.

i have used these books to help me: 

Willet Cunnington. C.(2003). Fashion and women's attitudes in the Nineteenth Century. New York. Dover Publications, Inc.

Foster, V. (1984). A visual history of costume The Nineteenth Century. Great Britain. Butler & Tanner LTD. 

Cunnington, C. (1970). Handbook of English costume in the 19th century. London. R.Maclehose and company LTD.

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Historical research

I have began my research. Firstly I found it important to research into the history around the period that the novel of Vanity Fair is set in. I looked at a brief history of Napoleon Bonaparte to expand my knowledge of the era so  I can understand my costume designs and reflect the history in them. George Osborne a protagonist of the play is killed in the battle of Waterloo so I found it important to research around the battle as well as it will give me the knowledge of what the uniforms were like and the state they may be in. 

These two websites were what I used for my research and I cut the text down and highlighted the importance in my sketchbook so I can review it when I look back through to create my designs.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/bonaparte_napoleon.shtml

http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/empire_seapower/battle_waterloo_01.shtml 

I have also looked into the reign of Queen Victoria, as I think she had a big impact in history by coming on the throne which inevitably would have altered the way in which people dressed in society. Although she only comes on the throne right towards the end of Vanity fair I believe it is important to have a little knowledge about her to really help me understand the period even further. 

I  used this website to help me do this:

http://www.royal.gov.uk/historyofthemonarchy/kingsandqueensoftheunitedkingdom/thehanoverians/victoria.aspx

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Action Plan

This is my action plan for the next few weeks of this project- there are a few gaps as I will be changing it as I go along but it is a quick overview to organise myself and my time before I progress with the project.

VANITY FAIR (red)

POP ESSAY (blue)

WORK (green)

PLEASURE (purple)

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Learning Agreement

NAME: Francesca Walker

COURSE: BA (Hons) Costume with Performance Design

UNIT TITLE: Independent  Project

REF. NO.: CSS553

WEIGHTING: 1.0

HOURS OF STUDY: 200 Hours

Unit Leaders: Bunny Winter/Adele Keeley

Project Title: AUB productions - Vanity Fair

Project Role: Costume design

Description

For the Independent project I will be designing the costumes for the Autumn production of Vanity Fair, directed by Philip Dart performed in the AUB studio theatre. I will be collaborating with a fellow peer set designer to hopefully realise both our ideas as a production. As I have had a meeting with the director he has explained his vision for the piece to be kept classical of the era therefore I will be exploring the exciting period of the early 19th century to coincide with his ideas. The play is a long story shown over 30 years so I will be researching into the history and costumes of that time including, Napoleon, the battle of Waterloo, and the beginning of Queen Victorias reign to help me to fully understand and grasp the nature of that time and design my costumes correctly to that period.

Vanity fair appealed to me as I am interested in period costume however have never had much experience with it, I want to extend my historical knowledge as I think it will help me with future design projects- hopefully within industry. It will be important for me to research fully into the fashions of the period as well as the history, so I reflect the right feel for my actors in their dress and present the era to my audience correctly. I have chosen to do the costume design as I am very excited at the chance to have my ideas realised for a real show.  I want to further my knowledge in costume design, especially focussing on refining my photoshop skills to give the finish on my costume designs look more professional. I want to practise hand rendering fabrics with paint and other mediums within the design process to really adhere my artistic style and start to see myself as a confident designer. 

Aims

A1 To provide opportunities for self-initiated, autonomous learning and develop the ability to plan time and work independently.

A2 To provide opportunity to study the contextual development of Costume with Performance Design.

A3 To further develop the creative, intellectual and practical applications of research and contextualisation within a self initiated environment.

A4 To propose, develop and evaluate professional aspirations through independent learning and self-management.

Learning Outcomes

On completion of this unit you will be able to

LO1 Identify and define the context for the development of your own work towards professional aspirations.

LO2 Demonstrate an understanding of the development of Costume with Performance Design.

LO3 Demonstrate creative, intellectual and practical applications of research and contextualisation.

LO4 Demonstrate the application of organisational skills and evidence of independent learning and self-management.

Assessment Components

A collection costume designs (for a minimum of 10 actors) for the production of Vanity Fair supported by a design sketchbook and a personal reflection of the development of your project in your blog. 100%

100%

Each assessment requirement must be passed at a minimum grade of 40% to successfully complete the unit

Assessment Criteria (specific criteria related to the learning outcomes and linked to the statement of generic assessment criteria matrix):

The level to which your work demonstrates the context for the development of your work towards professional aspirations. (LO1)

The level to which your work demonstrates an understanding of the development of Costume with Performance Design. (LO2)

The level to which your work demonstrates creative, intellectual and practical applications of research and contextualisation. (LO3)

The level to which your work demonstrates the application of organisational skills and evidence of independent learning and self-management.  (LO4

Reference Material

This will vary according to the needs of the individual project.  You will define Reference Material through personal investigation and consultation with staff and list it in your Learning Agreement using Harvard Referencing protocols.

Thackery, W. 1987. Vanity fair. Penguin Books. London.

Mira, N. (2004). Vanity fair. [Film]. USA/UK:Focus Features.

Peacock, J. (1991). The chronicle of western costume. London: Thames & Hudson LTD.

Donnellan, D. (2002).Vanity fair. London: Samuel French LTD.

5. V&A. (n.d.). Introduction to 19th century fashion. [online]. Available from: http://     www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/i/introduction-to-19th-century-fashion/ [Accessed 22 April 2014]

STUDENT……………………………………….DATE………………..

TUTOR…………………………………………..DATE………………..

You should devise a work plan set out on a DAY BY DAY/WEEK BY WEEK basis and attach it to this Learning agreement and upload it onto your Blog.

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Beginning The Independent Project

Yesterday I was told that I will be designing costumes for the aub show in Autumn named 'Vanity Fair'. We had a discussion with the director Phillip Dart he has clear ideas about the kind feel he wants for his production, he wants to keep it classic and periodic with a changing flexible set using props and actors to create the settings. As my initial thought he wants to keep periodic dress however is open to twists and maybe making some of the more eccentric characters more stylised. I am very excited for this process to begin, so today I have watched the film to familiarise myself with the story and hopefully tomorrow I will get the script to begin my script breakdown. I need to research more in and around the period the story is set in which is actually over 30 years. I also think it would be useful to find out more about the writer William Thackeray.