(Inspiration)

I took this photo the other morning on the way to uni, it reminded me of the old victorian images i had collected with the faded background the fog also creates an eerie atmosphere. Particularly i love the branches of the tree in the foreground creating a webbed effect something i think of when reading about Statis house in Great expectations. When looking at the top section of the image it also reminds me of veins an element i could explore within my Miss Havisham? 

French Pleats

Step 1: Part the hair in the direct you want the hair to sit i.e.- Middle or Side.

Step 2: Section the hair from in front of the ears and clip out of the way, section a middle part at the crown of the head take the tong and tong in the direction you want the hair to sit in this case away from the front of the face or at the sides into the middle of the head. Using Brick work sectioning (one sections then two smaller ones) tong the entire back of the head and pin to set start with the middle section then do the sides. Repeat with the front section tonging away from the face and pin in place to set.

Step 3: Taking the back section of hair ( from behind the ears) brush the curls out creating a soft wave, take the initial top section at the crown of the head a pin back until later on and back comb to create lift.

Step 4: Pull the hair tight on one side and cross clip using pins to secure into place, taking the rest of the hair pull around to the middle wrapping around your hand and pin with giesha pins through the middle to secure.

Step 5: Take section from crown that was pined out the way and curve the hair around placing on-top of the rest to create the circle at the top.

Step 6: Taking the front section brush out the curls and pull tight away from the face pining into the rest at the back, hair spray to create a sleek look.

Seema's Example

Romantic, Cold & Decay

These are my 3 Hair Pinterest board looking at different key words- romantic, cold and decay;

http://www.pinterest.com/milliejohns/romantic/

http://www.pinterest.com/milliejohns/cold-hair/

http://www.pinterest.com/milliejohns/decaying-hair/

I have selected my favourite image from each Pinterest board, i have chosen the ones i feel most represent the overall feel of the words above. Although i like these images i loved the overall effect of the boards i feel are much more representative of the 3 words. 

The soft wave and texture to the hair i feel gives the romantic feel, the slightly bouffant top creates volume and lift creating that sexy bombshell feel but i feel the soft waves and wispy bits of hair contrasts making a more romantic style. 

I loved this take on a finger wave i feel this image represents cold partly due to the colour but mainly the very slick and tight pull the hair creates, the finger wave almost creates a snake like movement across the head.

The texture is instantly what i think of when i think decay within hair, i love the matted fizz  and varied texture this style creates yet the formed soft shape at the top almost looks as if the hair has fallen out of a structure. 

Colour, Shape & texture

In last Thursdays lesson we began looking into the idea's of Colour, shape and texture when looking at objects really looking into detail how the colour, form, scale and texture changes an object or if applied in a different context can create something new.

'The physical impossibility of death in the mind of something living'- Damien Hirst

Yvonne found this quote and related it to Miss Havisham from this i began seeing the character for her personality and what i began to imagine her to look like. This is something i find hard as there have already been different creations of the Miss Havisham character and moving away from that is difficult, we were showed many images high fashion to art pieces relating in Yvonne's eyes to the character of Miss Havisham some literally and others just looking at a certain element in the image ie- the colour, shape or texture.
I loved the idea of colour pallets within images, i have really was inspired for the colourings i would like to experiment with in my creation of Miss Havisham. Using inspirations from shades of colours in bruising and a Jenny Saville painting a colour pallet i have always loved. I feel this colour pallet reminds me of the Miss Havisham character the cold blue undertones mixed with the yellow and purples create an unheathly drained feel.

Below are the two images from my Pinterest 'Miss H inspiration' folder were i have began collecting images that have inspired me - http://www.pinterest.com/milliejohns/miss-h-inspiration/

Gothic Victorian

The images below i have chosen i feel represent my own understanding of the term Gothic, all my image are from the Victorian era exploring architecture, art and people from the time.

Lori McLean . (2012 ). mourning jewelry . Available: http://lorimclean.blogspot.co.uk/2010/11/mourning-jewelry.html. Last accessed 24 Jan 2014 .

I chose this image of Queen Victoria as it represents the rich textural designs of the fashions at that time this was Queen Victorias mourning dress, the elaborate texture at the bottom of the dress drew me to this image as well as her facial expression the dull and lifeless look on her face to me expresses the dark and depression atmosphere of the victorian era.

Natural Beauty . (). Gothic Victorian Architecture . Available: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/29836416255373876/. Last accessed 24 Jan 2014 .

I loved the decaying element within this image it contrasts with the detailed design around the windows, this image also reminded me of a church something that was a large part of victorian life, yet the era atmosphere of this image creates a gothic feel.

Vincze Miklos. (4/13/13). The strangest tradition of the Victorian Era:Post-mortom photography. Available: http://io9.com/the-strangest-tradition-of-the-victorian-era-post-mort-472772709. Last accessed 24 Jan 2014 

This is an image taken by a photographer at the time of a traditional process very popularly used by the victorians of photographing the dead. This image has a very sinister element the little girl surrounded by her dolls dress up and wide eyed and perfectly placed creates a very unsettling feel to the image.

Terry Riggs . (Feb 1998). 'Ophelia' Sir John Everett Millais,BT .Available: http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/millais-ophelia-n01506. Last accessed 24 Jan 2014.

Painted at the time of Victorian era from the book 'Hamlet' by Shakespeare 'Ophelia' killing herself in the steam is a very popular known image today i feel represents a gothic element the detailed lace dress floating in the river and a similarity within the post-mortom photography within the positioning of the arms and facial expression. Below is the quote from Hamlet.

There, on the pendent boughs her coronet weeds

Clambering to hang, an envious sliver broke;

When down her weedy trophies and herself

Fell in the weeping brook. Her clothes spread wide,

And, mermaid-like, awhile they bore her up;

Which time she chanted snatches of old tunes,

As one incapable of her own distress,

Or like a creature native and indued

Unto that element; but long it could not be

Till that her garments, heavy with their drink,

Pull'd the poor wretch from her melodious lay

To muddy death

BBC school radio . (). Life in a wealthy victorian family . Available: http://www.bbc.co.uk/schoolradio/subjects/history/victorians/emily/emily_at_seaside. Last accessed 24 Jan 2014 .

I was drawn to this image due to the horse like carriages lined up next to one another later on reading that this image was taken at the sea side, the sea creates a foggy atmosphere creating an eerie feel to the image. The women in the group central to the image also stand out all grouped in their black dresses look very morbid and cold is a large comparison to our expectations of beaches today.

Gothic Elements

I have chosen these five elements as i feel to me they are representative of the storyline, characteristics and themes within Great Expectations.

1. Suffering: I feel that a lot of the characters experience suffering through out the story from the start, especially in the cases of Magwich and Miss Havisham having gone through times that have effected there lives forever and now they are suffering because of this. 
2. Gloomy tone & mood: This relates to the settings surrounding the characters, the marshes especially hold this feeling often created an atmosphere that you can feel something bad will happen there.
3. Melancholy/Melodramatic action: This to me represents Miss havisham one of the main characters in the text sitting in Satis house never leaving feeling sad and sorry for herself, the melodramatic nature in her eccentric character also represents a larger than life character. 
4. Unsatisfied yearning, cloaked, secret passion, verbal coquettishness or flirting: this expresses Pips secret passion for Estella the ongoing flirting and yearning for her within Satis house prompted by Miss havisham this only encourages him when he gets to London to become a gentleman for her.
5. Psychological discovery: this relates to the process and transition in which the characters find themselves, for example Pip realising social class dose not define who he is and the need to be a gentleman to impress Estella and finding out she is the daughter of Magwich a convict furthermore the transition of Miss havisham using Estella to hurt men like in revenge to her own experiences i feel the scene when pip returns to tell Estella he loves her is key in seeing Miss Havisham's regret and discovery into what she turn Estella into rearing her to have no feelings. 

Introduction

When first received our project brief i had remembered touching on the book in school the main image that i remembered was of the decaying Miss Havisham who's character had stuck with me. I began re-reading the book but found that the old english was very hard to follow , although i loved the use of imagery Dickens had used through his writing. I further used spark notes to help me gain a better understanding of the entire story line and delving into the on going themes and symbolism's used. This helped me gain a better understand along with watching the 2012 Film and later on the BBC version in class both portraying very different views of the characters to me this was interesting how they took what Dickens had written and both brought the characters to life in a different ways.

I found Gillian Anderson's adaptation of Miss havisham very interesting she portrays the character though adult eyes unlike Helena Bonham Carters version was seeing Miss Havisham through Pip's eyes Helena was a lot more grotesque more to me describing the character Dickens had created within the book. This may have been as the audience for the BBC version was a lot different to the (2012) film version had to encompass something for everyone more a family film. Gillian's recreation of the character encompassed adult issues such as her scratching ticks and the bone like worrying structure of her body, although i felt she looked very pretty, the characterisation was gentle with the sense of underlying darkness and craziness to her rather than Helena's more abrupt characterisation.

I felt that both films set the opening scene well and this was ongoing through out portraying visually the themes within the book creating a dark creepy and claustrophobic atmosphere. When reading the book Dickens writes in a very visual way so i felt the film in kept with how dickens had visualised the story when he was writing the settings that surrounded his characters especially in the marshes and within Satis house.
I was instantly drawn to Estelle her character i felt was intriguing the sense that she was trapped in this decaying but beautiful house with a crazy old woman yet her character is very strong, intelligent and she has a lot of attitude something i wouldn't expect from a little girl who hasn't experienced much of other peoples company. Her character also like the central character Pip's is a theme within the story about Class and wealth and when this is broken down much like Estelle it's all a hard edged frount.