Development of Quentin FaceChart

When creating my face chart for Quentin i came up with the idea of black ink running onto the face from the black eyes to create serial effect, as i was really trying to think of way i could create this fantasy, imagination, out of life element within the character to portray the fact he is just in Claudia's imagination. I was looking at my slow shutter speed images and wanted to find a why i could portray this idea- constant movement within the character i though of directly painting the smudge of colours onto the face although trying to do this on paper proved difficult as the texture of the paper stopped the paint from creating that smooth seamless smudge effect. When looking at my initial Pinterest board for Quentin i found an ink in water image i had pinned this has inspired me to use ink or makeup in this effect across the face to create a texture and pattern that to me symbolises a un earthly quality about quentin. Below are some images that have inspired me although i feel i need to work further on this idea to create an effect end result mixing this with Gothic Horror. Another idea when researching is the idea of line drawing across the face using this mask like element could create an interesting effect.

Millie Johns . (March 2014 ). Quentin . Available: http://www.pinterest.com/milliejohns/quentin/. Last accessed 2014 .

Below i have created a face chart based on this idea of line drawing onto the face directly. i feel that this is effective with the natural skin tone underneath and red tone around the eyes as it portrays that human realistic element but the black eyes and effect of the lines across the face conveys the imaginary, fantasy  of Quentin. Symbolising Claudia creating this character almost drawing him within her head.

Products Used:
Illamasqua White foundation
Illamasqua translucent powder
Illamasqua illuminating primer
Kryolan foundation pallet- alabaster,fs38
Kryolan Shadow pallet- cigar,charcoal
Bourjour bronzer
Kryolan lip pallet- LC008, LC009
Kryolan Camouflage- D1-D4
Kryolan supra colour- Black
Bareminerals- orange

Initial Face Charts

I created some face charts based on my initial research and ideas. Below is my interpretation of the vampy Femme Fatale look, i was instantly drawn to the dark glossy lip everything about the look to be perfect i chose a pale base and contour to show that fact that she never leaves the house. I wanted a dark smoky eye but wanted at add something different to pull it into the Gothic horror genre i used a pink based colour around the eye to create a tiered effect, using darker shades from the lash line blending out wards. The brows i imagine slightly unkept but each hair placed perfectly. I wanted to used my inspiration from the 'crimson lip' dripping video smudging effect to symbolises a crazy slightly on edge element within her character although i want the lip to look smudge i want the lip all on place and perfect with a slight smudge underneath so it almost looks unconnected almost like a detiberate perfect smudge.

Products Used:

Illamasqua White foundation
Illamasqua translucent powder
Illamasqua illuminating primer
Kryolan foundation pallet- alabaster
Kryolan Shadow pallet- cigar,charcoal
Naked 2 pallet- Black & hightlighter
Kryolan lip pallet- LC008, LC009
Kryolan Camouflage- D1-D4
Kryolan supra colour- Black
Bareminerals- orange, purple
MAC eye pallet- deep purple, bronze
Sleek brow pallet
MAC black mascara
MAC lip paint- red,blue

These face charts below were my exploration with if Claudia was watching Paranormal ghost horror films as tho she looks at Quentin like a devil/Demond. I wanted to use the idea of blacked out eyes to add a un natural feel with the character as if he is imaginary i feel this would look effective as you can read emotions from someones eyes so by using the blacked out effect adds a blackness to there face. I wanted to keep it simple as designed for a male model. In my initial creation of the character i imagined him with a very structural beard i took the inspiration from hair and extended this from the eye brows down to create a masculine element while contouring to add depth.

Products Used:

Illamasqua White foundation
Illamasqua translucent powder
Illamasqua illuminating primer
Kryolan foundation pallet- alabaster
Kryolan Shadow pallet- cigar,congo,charcoal
Naked 2 pallet- Black
Kryolan Camouflage- D1-D4
Kryolan supra colour- Black

Below i was experimenting with ink like black tears dripping down the face i further felt the lip needed some colour by adding a red in a very deathly look i felt created a eerie atmosphere within the image.Although i like the slight red onto the lips i feel the black tears and the lip look far to theatrical something you would see on stage rather than appealing to a fashion audience.

Products Used:
Illamasqua White foundation
Illamasqua translucent powder
Illamasqua illuminating primer
Kryolan foundation pallet- alabaster
Kryolan Shadow pallet- cigar,congo,charcoal
Naked 2 pallet- Black
Kryolan Camouflage- D1-D4
Kryolan supra colour- Black, red & brown
MAC lip paint red

Claudia Trapped & Inclosed

I began thinking after reading the poem how Claudia must feel being stuck in her room and flat all day just watching horror film after horror film. I decided to research about confinement and mental state:

'I began to research the effects of solitary confinement on prisoners' behavior while thinking about the ways in which we isolate ourselves from others, or are isolated by others in our daily lives. I cherish and am very protective of my own chosen moments of solitude, but I also know that long periods of time alone can send me into a depressive state, or make me feel like I'm going crazy. More specifically, a kind of panic sets in when I realize I'm alone with my thoughts with no one to affirm or deny the validity of what I'm thinking. When I'm by myself for too long, I start to question my own understanding of reality—of who I really am and what the world is really like. I need interactions with other people because they are such a significant part of how I understand and enjoy my life and my reason for living. All people seem to depend on varying amounts and intensities of social interaction to keep them happy, stable, and sane. This is not surprising given that human beings are social animals by nature.'

'In an environment with very minimal stimulation, such as a prison cell, the randomness with which the unconscious explores the environment continues, although it is unclear whether randomization increases when fewer stimuli are reaching the brain. Perhaps the brain attempts to compensate for stimuli it is missing by creating stimuli of its own, that is, by increasing random activity. Either way, when the brain is not receiving much input from the environment, there is little information based in reality that the unconscious can focus on or try to interpret. The story reported back to the "I"-function is more likely informed by more random connections than real facts about reality because reality is not offering enough stimuli to make a coherent story. This helps explain why people often experience mental and emotional breakdowns and psychotic episodes when in solitary confinement for extended periods of time.'

-Frinter, C. (2005). Lonely Madness: The Effects of Solitary Confinement and Social Isolation on Mental and Emotional Health | Serendip Studio. [online] Serendip.brynmawr.edu. Available at: http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/exchange/node/1898 [Accessed 1 May. 2014].

This is an essay on Lonely Madness: The Effects of Solitary Confinement and Social Isolation on Mental and Emotional Health essay by Carly Frinter I found what she wrote very interesting it made me think how Claudia could develop such characters as Quentin and they can be real people in her head and very prominante within her life, furthermore how she almost uses films to escape and practically lives her life through these films and what the characters are doing within the films using the films as her stimuli to feed into her own life. 
This made me think everything about the styling of the character should be very committed to the film she is watching or genre, that the film is her life and she is living it within her own reality. 

Edgar Allan Poe

'Alone'

(1875)

From childhood's hour I have not been

As others were -- I have not seen

As others saw -- I could not bring

My passions from a common spring --

From the same source I have not taken

My sorrow -- I could not awaken

My heart to joy at the same tone --

And all I lov'd -- I lov'd alone --

Then -- in my childhood -- in the dawn

Of a most stormy life -- was drawn

From ev'ry depth of good and ill

The mystery which binds me still --

From the torrent, or the fountain --

From the red cliff of the mountain --

From the sun that 'round me roll'd

In its autumn tint of gold --

From the lightning in the sky

As it pass'd me flying by --

From the thunder, and the storm --

And the cloud that took the form

(When the rest of Heaven was blue)
Of a demon in my view --

edgar allan poe . (1875 ). Alone by Edgar allan poe . Available: http://poestories.com/read/alone. Last accessed march 2014 .

''Edgar Allan Poe (born Edgar Poe; January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American author, poet, editor, and literary critic, considered part of the American Romantic Movement. Best known for his tales of mystery and the macabre, Poe was one of the earliest American practitioners of the short story, and is generally considered the inventor of the detective fictiongenre. He is further credited with contributing to the emerging genre of science fiction.^[1] He was the first well-known American writer to try to earn a living through writing alone, resulting in a financially difficult life and career.''
- Wikipedia . (). Edgar Allan Poe . Available: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edgar_Allan_Poe. Last accessed March 2014 .
This poem i feel relates to Edgar's struggle of being a writer alone but i found the words reminded me instantly of Claudia and her metal state of living by herself the end line 'of a demon in my view' to me would relate to Quentin that fact she is reliant on this imaginary character as her partner is always stuck in her head and will never leave she is always adding to his personality or style. 

Paranormal Horror

When looking at horror films that are scary within our society today they all mainly consist with ghost or demands, paranormal happenings is something that can't be scientifically explained and people have reported experiences with. I feel that this is such a popular theme for horror films today as it shows are need to explain and know everything as a society we constantly want to know exactly how and why things happen genres like vampier's and zombies we can prove can't be real unlike ghosts. This genre furthermore shows our fear of death and the afterlife something that is the epitome of the unknown.

These two films below are an example of this, i feel these clips explore the unknown this could be interesting to look at for the film that Claudia is obsessed with at the time the fact she dose not leave her flat is almost the opposite to watching this film as her fear is the fear of the unknown of the real world. Furthermore the idea that Quentin is imaginary she could project the ideas of demons onto his character and almost create this toxic atmosphere about him.

Below are some images collected from my 'Gothic Horror inspo' Pinterest page- http://gb.pinterest.com/milliejohns/gothic-horro-inspo/ these images portray a paranormal ghost like feel about them. The top right image also reminds me of a memory of someone as though she was abducted a topic we constantly here about in the news this is very specific to my generation and particularly to the target audience of my music video (teenage girls) as its an issue that is always happening and every time sends shivers down my spine. This is also picked up on my the creators of these types of paranormal horror films each time the victim is females or young girls.

Millie Johns . (March 2014 ). gothic horror inspo. Available: http://www.pinterest.com/milliejohns/gothic-horro-inspo/. Last accessed 2014 .

Crimson Splash

Sharif Hamza. (June 5 2013 ). Crimson Splash . Available: http://www.nowness.com/day/2013/6/5/3079/crimson-splash. Last accessed 23/03/2014 .

I found this video and found that it was very similar to the lip images i had been collecting on my Pinterest for Claudia the glossyness and perfect element is something i wanted to include in my characterisation of her. The colour and texture of the dripping effect to me symbolises a sexual element within the video something i had touched on when researching music video interpritations of horror films and how adding a sexual element takes a classic horror situation and turns it into a more contemporary fashion image/video.
This further to me had a vampirest feel to it the red lip colour dripping from the mouth is reminiscent of blood to me the visuals of vampier's are a lot more glamorous than other horror characters such as zombies or demands and to me this is what makes it gothic horror. The glamorisation of vampier's has been a huge thing in Europe and America from films such as Twilight, Buffy and True blood using that vampy look within the styling has further been used within high fashion such as the classic dark plum red lip and alabaster white skin favoured by designers such as Alexandra McQueen's run way shows.
The image below by Steve prue by Artillery magazine i feel portrays the vampy style while adding the dominate female feel the short hair cut adds a rough element. The feel of this image with the candid positioning is something i would like to create within my own final images.

Pinterest . (). Alexander McQueen Fall / Winter 2009. Available: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/492299802986847480/. Last accessed march 2014 .

steve prue . (Wednesday, September 11th, 2013). fashion editorial : Breaking Boundaries. Available: http://auxiliarymagazine.com/tag/steve-prue/. Last accessed march 2014 .

Below i have created a face chart based on the inspiration of this video, i have explored from the begging the perfect finish I imagine this look to be very glossy and perfect the lips i want to be high gloss mirroring the dripping effect within the video above. The base i would like very pale but with a luminosity to it as shown in the picture alongside creating that vampier magical element. This contrasts against the strong dominate black winged eye to me this explores the femme fetale idea of the woman being mysterious, men being wary of her i feel this eye creates a strong effect. 

Products used: 

Illamasqua White foundation
Illamasqua translucent powder
Illamasqua illuminating primer
Kryolan foundation pallet- alabaster,fs38
Kryolan Shadow pallet- cigar,charcoal
Kryolan lip pallet- LC008, LC009
Kryolan Camouflage- D1-D4
Kryolan supra colour- Black

Naked 2 pallet- tease, snakebite, blackout 

Sleek eye brow pallet 

Vaseline 

Horror films inspiring Fashion & Music

(Millie Johns . (March 2014 ). Fashion Hair . Available: http://www.pinterest.com/milliejohns/fashion-hair/. Last accessed March 2014 .)

The relationship between Horror films fashion and music all interlink and take inspiration from one another. This clip from one of the classic horror films of all time 'The Grudge' to me is portrayed within this high fashion image its taken the veiling of the face with the hair and makes it sleek. Using that flick of the hair over the shoulder almost mimicking a scarf to me makes is fashion. If the hair was flat onto the face and messy it would be a horror mimicking of the film. This shows how taking inspiration from a film and adding another element to it can make it its own image but holding reference to a classic horror film that we all recognise.

The same technique is used within Beyonce's music video 'Haunted' (can only be watched on iTunes)  its takes inspiration from 'The Shinning' using the twins to create an eerie atmosphere something people recognise to take the viewer into that horror film scenario ( twin little girls) but by making them women she's glamourised the scene and added a sexuality to her video something thats seen a lot in pop videos within our generation.

Steven Meisel . (04 2014 ). Cinematic . Available: http://www.vogue.it/en/magazine/cover-story/2014/04/cinematic#ad-image342219. Last accessed 04 2014 .

Steven Meisel . (04 2014 ). Cinematic . Available: http://www.vogue.it/en/magazine/cover-story/2014/04/cinematic#ad-image342219. Last accessed 04 2014 .

The images above are from the 2014 march issue of Vogue Italia http://www.vogue.it/en/magazine/cover-story/2014/04/cinematic#ad-image342219 the images obviously hold references to horror films such as the shinning but this editorial was aimed to create awareness of domestic violence. This shows how high fashion publications such as Vogue have mixed the horror genre with a real issue that effects many women but in a way that can still be seen as high fashion using silk, frilled hems and designer labels its relatable for women.