Blog 3
These past few weeks I have learnt how to use a variety of materials to create different special effects. Developing a character- transformation and identity is a very broad but interesting subject. This unit was categorised in three different sections that we learnt; evolution adaptation, ecological balance and personal identity. When I first understood which topic, I had been given I felt unsure as I have previously practised a bit of prosthetics before UAL and I didn’t think I had too much talent in it; therefore, I was disheartened. However, when I attended the first workshop, I was positively surprised as the tutor was extremely experienced in the industry, he was transparent how much he thoroughly enjoyed teaching us all and had an endless amount of knowledge. This automatically engaged everyone in the class and made us look forward to what is to come. Also, he was very open to hear feedback from us about what specifically we would like to learn, which I think was reassuring, helpful and gave us an opportunity to learn something we haven’t before. Throughout the workshops I learnt top tips that I didn’t know before. Practice makes perfect with this type of prosthetic makeup, but it also can’t look too perfect because the perk of it looking more realistic is if it’s not ‘perfect’. I struggled with some for example, I thought creating bruising was a bit difficult, as to make it look realistic the shape and tones of colour you go for are important. For example, you need to think the colour process and why/what’s happened to get that bruise. A bruise goes through a story of its own and makes it look unique and real. However, my partner I was working with, found this easier than me. It was very interesting to see my classmates’ developments as we were all from different course backgrounds. On the other hand, I particularly enjoyed creating a freckle effect. I found freckling much simpler as it was more natural and because there isn’t a certain correct one look it makes it easier to re-create. Overall, I have learnt things that have changed how I will work in the future for example; to always give something a go even if I’m not feeling one hundred percent about succeeding. To have an open mind and be up for anything as there is always room to learn more, as well as practice makes perfect but perfect doesn’t mean the best and don’t feel as de-motivated as quickly as I normally do. This gave me motivation to experiment in my future projects. Finally, in my final design I created a character relating to the fact that we have less than ten years to make a change to the climate emergency were living in. Per person in the UK it is estimated we create forty kilograms of waste every year therefore my character has been harmed by the waste that we have caused in the polluted oceans. I would also use the glazed effect on my character to make the water realisation more realistic to come to life. With special effect makeup it is difficult to be sustainable as a lot of the products can only be used once for hygiene reasons. This means I will take extra care to be as sustainable as I can.
10th May 2020 @ 8:48 am
https://1920betterlivessmc.myblog.arts.ac.uk/2020/05/03/blog-3-11/
Reading through Agata’s third blog post, I can see that she has had a real connection with her better lives option. This is highlighted through the blog posts when she discusses how she was not too sure on whether she would be good at it. But with the tutor’s enthusiasm for the subject, she became less intimidated about being good at it and concluded that her skills would be a work in progress. To me this displays a journey with the subject area that has had a positive outcome on the ways in which she may use the skills she learned in the future.
Agata used interesting ways of explaining the prosthetics in practical terms. She describes the bruise and the effort that went into creating it so that it appeared real with a story of its own, yet also shows what areas she felt weaker in and what areas she felt stronger in. For example: she preferred doing the freckles over the bruises, however she wrote about how not being so good in a certain area did not demotivate her. This proves to me that she had a positive outcome from doing the better lives course. Additionally, Agata considers her classmates developments in her blog post and how it was interesting to see other people develop at different speeds but remains confident in her own practice without being concerned or intimidated.
When discussing the final outcome, it was nice to see that Agata had researched into environmental damage to get inspiration for her to create a character. It shows that she has knowledge about sustainability and how she is aware of it in prosthetic makeup. However, in Agata’s blog post there seems to be an absence of discussion about the other two themes, as she focuses only on sustainability. I understand that this is because her outcome related most to the theme of sustainability, yet it would have been interesting if she could have discussed further the meanings behind the three different sections that she had learned about: evolution adaptation, ecological balance, and personal identity. One way in which she could have done this would have been if she explored how prosthetics such as bruises and freckles related to the three themes in any way. For example: the theme of diversity in ‘evolution adaptation’ could relate to freckles being caused by over exposure to sunlight, and possibly how a character could be created in this theme with those prosthetic effects. In terms of social responsibility in ‘personal identity’, this could have been conveyed in a character through the bruising prosthetics and how elements of their life created this personal identity with bruises.
Overall, I think Agata did an in-depth and detailed blog post about her experience with makeup and hair for performance and how her development in the subject area is ongoing. Despite this, the themes of diversity and social responsibility could have been discussed more in the blog post and related back to what practical skills she had learned.