Friday, July 29, 2011

Thrift stores = Biggest bang for your buck




For this scene in Chutes and Ladders, the hair was kept pretty simple, a thin braid that started on one side and wrapped around to the other. I'm lucky to have a friend (Ella Maria) who is an amazing Hair Dresser that I can call up before a shoot and make sure I am fully prepared.


The costume was a lot of fun to work on too. The vest started as an ugly puffy vest with fur trim on the hood (Think J-Lo circa P. Diddy). I promptly removed the trim and sewed the hood back together. I also wanted to add a little edge but had to find a way to do it cheaply. Taking a bit of inspiration from Project Runway a few seasons ago, I purchased the longest black zipper I could find, and broke it apart. 2 dollars well spent to add a metal trim up the front of the vest.

My favorite part however was the belt. I cleared out the rack of belts at the local thrift store. Four black belts, some with broken parts, were fasted together into this giant mega belt. To save time, I ditched the task of sewing through leather, and went straight for my card hole puncher. I snuck into my husbands desk and stole a few of the little brass fasteners used for scripts. Turns out, they are great for fastening pretty much anything. I told you I was resourceful. I was pretty pleased with the overall look of the final product. I think she is ready to kick some ass, don't you?

Thursday, July 28, 2011

Making use of my bruise wheel

This was for a project I worked on recently, Chutes and Ladders, a web series my husband created and I helped produce along with one of the actors (Datta Dave).

Cuts and bruises have always been one of my favorite things. I am pretty clumsy myself, so I generally have plenty of real life samples to base my work on. I watched a few tutorial a few days before this particular day, but I didn't really find anything that was different from what I was already doing. I also searched for images I liked of fake bruises. If you can stomach it, I recommend searching for images of real ones too.

I used Ben Nye's Cuts and Bruise Wheel, layering on the blue and red tones with a nylon stippling sponge. Layering the two helps create the uneven purple tone found in real bruises, pale in some areas and almost green in others. I went back in with a little extra red to create fresh scratches and a little yellow in the center to make it look a bit swollen. I used a basic translucent powder to set it, also from Ben Nye. Brushes won't work here, bruises call for velour powder puffs so you can really press it into the skin. A little stage blood and in our case, a little bit of dirt and ashes, and you are ready to go.

Creating this look is fairly easy, because it's ok if it looks a little haphazard. However if continuity is going to be an issue, plan ahead and practice on your own face a few times. Getting it just right and exactly the same each time takes some practice. I like my cuts and bruises, but there is definitely some room to grow, so it's back to my make-up area until I get it "just-so."

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Why crowd learning? Why now?

My mother is a Jill of all trades, and she taught me well. I grew up writing, doodling, sewing, and generally crafting my way through summers. I made some of my own clothes and even took a floral design class once. But at some point in High School, I arbitrarily decided that that part of me wasn't worth keeping. Maybe because I didn't have time, but probably more so because it didn't fit in with my image of a "smarty-pants." And so I went to college, got a BA in History and Span Lit. I ended up teaching High School English for a few years and then went back to Grad School to get an MPP.

I've always been a bit of a workaholic and a part of my kind of enjoys being stressed out. I kept dabbling, but always with a purpose. I took on a DIY attitude and played with other mediums like painting, drawing, makeup, costuming and re-purposing anything from thrift stores and craigslist. I painted my bedspread, added a trim to the shower curtains and hung them in my bedroom, and transformed dusty picture frames into jewelry holders. I never knew what I was doing, but that never mattered. And then I found myself on a set, where I was able to put all those years of practical dabbling to good use. I was a true DIYer, and I spent hours on-line learning to make things, mix things and do it cheaply.

I do a lot of things, and I do most fairly well, but I am certainly not an expert. I thought about maybe starting over, going back to school, but I honestly don't know where my true artistic passion lies or what I am really good at. I don't know if there is something out there I could potentially make a career out of. But I plan on spending the next year discovering what I can do and how far I can go, using easily accessible resources. This means on-line tutorials, websites, books I find on amazon etc. I am going "back to school" but I will be crowd learning, taking bits and pieces and creating my curriculum as I go. This will include beauty makeup and out of kit special effects, sketch work, and sewing.

This isn't new obviously, lots of people are self taught in a variety of fields. I'm taking that same journey, but I am documenting it and will be showing you my progress along the way. I hope you enjoy it and maybe pick up a trick or two. "Classes" start September!