Wednesday 21 November 2012

Kayapo tribe



Kayapo tribe are based in the eastern Amazon with a population of only a couple of thousand , they are under constant attack from cattle hunters and illegal loggers . They believe that their ancestors learnt civilisation from animals which is why these markings are now painted on the body . They also wear headdress as they believe in the universe which is why there headdress are circular and so are their buildings . These buildings are made from thatch palmed roofs with no room separation they all sleep on hammocks. They believe that if you look across a lagoon at dawn a man on a white horse will be visible in a knights armour . they also believe that the dead all join at a community where during the day they will sleep and at night they go out and hunt for food . The adults turn into children and the children turn to adults . All religious ceremonies are intertwined with everyday life however they do hold ceremonies for coming of age and naming ceremonies .  Men normally marry between 2 to 3 wives of which he may have several children with each this is encourage to keep the population of the tribe up . 

Video found : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FylRAhHWyW0
This is a video displaying how the lip plate is used in daily life .


Image found : http://www.rainforestfoundationuk.org/photos/Enlarge/004Kayapo,%20Brazil%202

The clothing that they wear consist of coloured cloth around their abdomen , bead, shell and cotton bands are also worn . The headdress are made from bright colour feathers , the chiefs just ear yellow feathers to replicate the sun . 

Image found : http://www.bbc.co.uk/amazon/images/416_234/may/kayapo_children_3.jpg
The Kapayo believe that bee's helped their ancestors so this is a popular design created on the skin .

Image found :http://assets.survivalinternational.org/pictures/1344/braz-bmdam-ab-010_screen.jpg
I would really like to give the impression that a lip ring has been inserted into my models lip i would like to look into this and practice a few ideas that I have .




Image found:http://www.bbc.co.uk/amazon/images/416_234/may/kayapo_family.jpg

Geometric shapes are painted as well as markings in the colours black and red . These two colours agianst the bright colours of their clothing and accessories looks amazing .


Image found : http://static.euronews.com/images_news/img_pod_kayapo-baby-boy-brazil-RTR2LYOL-040511-pod.jpg

Hair development


I create these looks using polystyrene balls it was very simple an easy to do . It is something I would like to do for my final images . I would like to recreate a hair style from a sculpture that I am currently researching , this will be incorporated with the headdress I am currently making . 



I added crepe hair to cover the bobbles , I like how this has added colour and texture , this will look amazing captured in the shoot . 

I then dragged the crepe hair down the pony tail which created  a dread lock style . This was just out of luck that this appeared as I went to pull the crepe hair out . 

I stuffed the hair with a donut shape that pulled the hair back onto it , I then weaved the crepe hair over the shape . I like this weaved effect I think it would look better if it was tighter and more crepe hair . 


Hair Sculptures

This is a collection I have gathered of tribal hair sculptures , these are the only real reference to how the hair would have been in the past and now. 


This was a sculpture I found at the Horniman museum in London , I really like the plaits and the pattern they have created alongside the scarification . The height in this hair is something I want to recreate , I would achieve this using wire or stuffing, it is something I would have to practise.

Image found : http://www.africanarthba.com/images/hairstyle/hairpix1.jpg

This hair appear to be braided following the contours of the head , it then looks as though a headdress has been worn or the hair has been adorned with jewellery . Again these are circular shapes which I have found is very common shape amongst tribes . I also would like to recreate the round fat dread locks that look like spikes, I could achieve this with stuffing . 
Image found :http://www.echinacities.com/userfiles/2011-Year/2-Month/16-Day/image002(2).jpg
This Sculpture has an interesting Kriss Cross pattern , this could be a good hair style to trail , as this also reflects the environment they live in , as many tribes create their homes out of weaved wood . The large point could be recreated with polystyrene balls or flatten polystyrene .

Image found : http://www.genuineafrica.com/images/Rasta/African-Masks/African-Masks-Rasta-Mask-21-FR.jpg
The sounds that must come from the mask must be amazing every time the head is turned the mask will make a unique noise . I think this would be difficult to recreate as I would not know how to attach the metal cylinders to the hair. 





Developing Scarification

I am trying to work out the most realistic way of representing scarification on the skin , in the following images I have used lentils, rice, PVA glue, Latex. I created the designs by looking in designs on the bodies, textiles and ceramics .




First ever attempt and I hate it !! It looks like rice on the arm I think this is due to the rice being to thick and clumped together . I did not realise it would appear like this on the skin , I know next time I would have to do a delicate design.

I added colour to the lentils which made it look worse , I think scarification should be just one colour, shadows can be enhanced, but I think adding strong colour just does not work for the effect I was hoping for .




This was the scarification with no make up on .


I then added foundation to cover the rice and lentils , I think it looks ummmm ..... OK , but it is not something i would like to take further , I don't feel it looks realistic enough . I would rather build up a design that looks like skin . This would probably look like skin on the catwalk but i feel it would be too time consuming for the time limit that I have and it would also easily come off it the model changed clothes .

DO NOT FORGET THE HANDS !
This is something I keep reminding my self as I would like the hands to be in the image and I believe this brief really let's me be very experimental with how the hands can be used in terms of make up .

When creating this design I looked at the ceramic pots , these are designed by the women of the family and often mirror the same pattern as their scarification on the skin . 





I used Duo to create this design , I think it worked really well as it is easy to control with the small application hole . I also prefer this as it drys like skin rather that the rice that still looks alien to the skin. I did cover the skin with foundation once the Duo had dried however I found that it was too thick, next time I would like to add primer to the foundation .

This was a patch of latex that I placed on the skin , that I then scratched the latex and this was the outcome. I really like the effect it has given , this was very quick to achieve which would be good for either image .





Tuesday 20 November 2012

Mursi Tribe


The Mursi tribe has a population of less than 10,000 living in the south west of Ethiopia, this tribe could be extinct soon due to droughts and hunting restrictions . This tribe has formed over the past 200 yeas with different communities migrating to the land . The rainfall is limited and the area is volcanic which instantly made me think of the landscape and the environment these people live in , everything must be dry and dusty . This is reflected on there appearance as the paint they use on there bodies appears to have a very mat finish , this will be partly because of the hot temperatures as well . 

Video Found :http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6PQBqTOn_AA
An interesting insight into the daily rituals of the Mursi  tribe , I found it fascinating how quickly the  natural paste was applied and how the colour depended on what nature has provided as well as the pattern. As the pattern is influenced by the animals which cross their land I would like to look into these animals, their markings and postures . 


Image found : http://cdn.lightgalleries.net/4bd5ec0255078/images/Africa-26-2.jpg
 The head piece is something I am aiming to recreate out of hair , I want the hair to look sculptured and reflect the accessories worn by the Mursi Tribe . I think that the metal colours look beautiful mixed with the dark skin tone and light body paint .


Image found : http://www.timelessethiopia.com/gallery_mursi/images/mursi_tribe%20(22).jpg

An image of the full body paint, which is noticeable now that they have taken inspiration from a zebra on some of the patterns displayed on the body which looks amazing set against the green tree's.
Image found : http://www.nerdygaga.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/Mursi-Tribemen-of-Ethiopia.jpg

I really like how the patterns have been carefully placed on the body , but then the paint that has been smudged on the legs . It creates a sense or life and everyday living to the body paint it is obvious that this is done daily and is not something that has been created for the camera . I would like to use this as inspiration for my catwalk images , as it a catwalk image does not have to be perfect it just has to be bold enough for all the audience to see . 
Image found : http://www.mursi.org/life-cycle/images/duelling.jpg
Mursi men take part in Duelling competitions which consists of communities of men coming together and fighting with 2metre long wooden poles . The aim is to get their opponent to the floor using the pole but not the point . The men wear protective clothing which includes :
  • Hand guard 
  • Shin guards - Animal skins 
  • Sisal cord plates to protect elbows and knees 
  • leopard skin on torso 
  • hide skirt 
  • bell round waist
  • Cotton around the head .

The man that wins the fight will be carried around his mothers friends unmarried daughters, these same daughter will also give the male beaded necklaces when the man returns from war and has killed. This shows that the Mursi people have a interest in styling , they also believe that the body paint protects them as well as the accessories . This is something I will need to consider in my designs , I would not want to represent something on the body in the wrong way . For example if I was to place a beaded necklace round a male it would be story boarded because this male killed at war . I like to have reason behind my styling and the colours that are used otherwise I feel this could be where the image would lack in reference to tribes .











Imagefound:https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9YpYuBMVgUenR-X5cVGRSPI4crfIW3P4OHEsdGyN00SuThquVZgyqNxg3w-1b2bo3c3nTm5A3uTZ15uImvbIcQARd1FzS_SqBlpBoqgaqwFYeb0r3BtOtlimZYpEHXLpk32Vze08mlu_B/s400/mursi_tribe_03.jpg

Lip plates are something that I have looked into previously however I wanted to return to look at the reasons behind these in more detail . I have found that they originated to try and stop women going into the slave trade, this is because they ahd deformed themselves and would no longer be of use to the traders . It  represents beauty and attracts males to them for marriage, depending of the size of the lip plate the more cattle a women would receive from the males family after marriage . The hole is created by cutting the lip and stretching it with wooden plugs from the age of 15 . It is up to the individual how big the hole they create is , but as I said earlier it helps later in life with their marriage and cattle . The average size is around 12 cm diameter . This a trend that has been in fashion in the recent years of western culture , many young people are adorning their bodies with plugs in their ears and other body parts .
  Image found :http://blog.bodycandy.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Wooden-Plugs.jpg


image found :http://qpiercing.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/Jared-Suzannes-Wedding-077-440x352.jpg
Image found: http://th09.deviantart.net/fs43/200H/i/2009/072/4/9/Bug_Plugs_by_ModifiedLife.jpg
This is making me want to research further into body adornment and how this is different in every country .


Sunday 18 November 2012

Development of Catwalk Image

This is the development of my catwalk make up. 
I used the fullers earth on the skin , then as it was drying I carved in the scarification designs. When the fullers earth dried it gave this amazing texture , which I then covered with yellow and gold from the aqua palette . I then added golds and browns to the eyes , this keeps the basic make up natural but will accentuate the eyes on camera.













After creating this image I would like to add more golden tones to the original foundation to give a sun ,glimmering effect . I would also like to add scarification to the lips to enhance them on the catwalk . This will be something I will recreate this week and continue developing . 



When looking into my hair design I knew the circular shape would be difficult, I attached a polystyrene ball into the hair then plaited the end of the hair . I like the style but when I used this in my final image I will spray the ball black so it is disguised in the dark hair .





Initial Face Charts

This idea was inspired by a combination of tribes, strongly referencing the Mursi tribe which I have briefly researched but will be returning to research to gain more information on them. I like the strong use of colour and would use fullers earth to create a dry paint texture . I would also carve into the fullers earth to create scarification, I want this to be a catwalk image so it has to be quick  to achieve. I believe this could be created in a variety of different colours depending on the garment . The hair for this face chart is fairly quick, it would involve a separate head piece in order to create the half moon shape in the centre of the head. I would make this out of wire and cover with hair extensions ,  I would then create spiral twist on the head stopping at the crown these would then be pinned and small plaits down the rest of the hair finished off with material. The circular section by the ear would be made from a polystyrene ball and cover the hair . 

This design is based on the hunting mask which I saw at the Horniman Museum , I was captivated by this mask when I saw it in person and would love to recreate a modern version of this . There are two options that i have thought of to create the beads : 1. cover the face in a variety of different red toned crystals 2. use gelatine or latex to create round circular lumps . Then cover the entire face in red aqua colour leaving the eyes and mouth. The shoulders and down the spine  and the chest would then have designs of scarification . The hair fro this would be crimped and backcomb to hair way down the head then plaited and beads added . This would work as an editorial image as i would like to take time over the placement of the beads. I don't believe it would work for a quick change catwalk show anyway as it would be too delicate . 


A face chart based on the tribal tattoos and accessories of the Maori tribe . These designs would reflect the tattoo patterns of the Maori tribe as well as influences from other tribes. I like this face chart however, I feel it lacks a lot of colour and I want to use colour to engage with the audience whether its on the catwalk or in an editorial the designs have to speak for themselves . I like the tattoo's down the neck and onto the arms this is something I will trail run to see if this would be achievable in the time frame . The hair in this piece consist of a fluffy texture almost cotton wool like , with plaits braided round the ear .

Inspired by my research into 'Sing sings' and the birds of paradise , I created this design , I like the strong use of colour and the relfect it has to the tribe and there most precious animals. I would try and source long white feathers and paint the blue lines onto them then attach them to the face.  I would also make a head dress from feathers and other natural objects . The hair would be encourparated into this with plaits, spiral twist and curls. This designs would work for the editorial only as I believe it woudl be to striking for the catwalk and may not compliment every garment . However a concept of many different birds of paradise could be used to adapt to the different garments on the catwalk . The way I would apply the make up would reflect the images of Theo - mass , I want there to be alot of texture to my images . 


This is a sketch of a man I saw in hair book , I really like the patterns that had been created in his hair and this made me think that the tattoo design reference could apply to designs in the hair . I was thinking of recreating iconic tribal tattoos but in the hair , this would be a chance to create amazing sculptural shapes that would cast the designs onto the background . This will take more development into the shapes and what can be created using stuffing and structures in the hair . 

This is the initial sketch of the hair design in my first face chart, it was from the same hair book on African tribal hair . I like the accessorises that hair been used, they reinforce the circular shapes used in many tribes and the body adornment idea . 

Tuesday 13 November 2012

Mohawk

These images of hairstyles working with the amazing Seema Chopra . The advice from Seema was great I don't think I would have had this result without Seemas help . To create the Mohawk , the hair was place into 5 ponytails down the centre of the head. This was then backcomb with crepe hair and the Mohawk was created by folding the hair inwards