Final Hair Design

My Final Design:

For my final design that I will use in my assessment,  I decided to take elements of my first design but adapt it in certain aspects. I took the first design and used the whole look as I found this look was my favourite, as it works really well with my hair type (curly) so I knew I could achieve large buns and include lots of texture. To make it a lot more interesting and contemporary I decided when doing the look to leave some hair down at the bottom and plait the hair into ten very tiny plaits. When having these tiny plaits I then would take four either side and curve them over attaching them into the buns. Then leaving two in the middle to take up the back of the head down the center parting clipping them into the sides of each bun. Overall the plaits in this look creates a caging effect which is what some Elizabethan styles had but also relates to my character as she was very secretive with her pregnancies, marriage and men so the caging can represent her caging herself in and her secretes.

Final Design Practice:

This was my partners first practice of my final design and as originally in my first design I was going to do the more simple version of it. I am more happy with this outcome as I believe it shows more skill and detail in the look and makes the overall design looks more appealing/interesting. When practicing we where unsure to how many plaits to put in as it was my first practice of this design but as explained in the plan I think its right to do ten as it creates four caging over the buns either side and two down the parting which makes it look neater and more symmetrical. In this practice I did not put any heat on my hair but to improve the design I am changing the texture to crimp the whole head as I think this will make the look much neater and give it a better texture. Lastly, I will curl some loose pieces of hair around the front of my face as to soften and frame the face.

Inspiration:

I was also inspired by these images that I found on pinterest . In these images it is a contemporary version of an Elizabethan costume and the headpiece inspired my new look. This look is showing a women caged in with elegant beading and I believe it represents she is trapped by her own wealth and can't really be herself. Therefore, by having this concept I adapted it to my own idea of caged in feelings and decided to used the plaits to represent another interpretation of being caged in. This also relates to the character I wanted to portray in my look as I chose Anne Vavasour  and I wanted my hair to highlight her other trapped personalities as she was seen as sweet in some sense to raising both illegitimate children but also sly/seductive as she tried to marry whilst still being married to another. Therefore I think this look portrays the character I want to get across really well. I also believe by creating this caging look with my own hair rather than costume pieces this further highlights that elements of herself trapping both these personalities. 

By Amelia Richmond-Knight 

Evaluation

Final Hair Evaluation

Overall, I am very pleased with my journey throughout this unit. I've learnt many new skills as I have never had any previous knowledge of how to perform any complex hairstyles before. I now feel very confident to experiment with new styles. My confidence has improved also by having to work with others in an aspect that is quite up close and personal and having to complete their designs to their desired image, as well as improving on other skills such as time management and having to work independently. I have enjoyed researching further into the Elizabethan era as it has always interested me but then having to apply it to a modern contemporary design made this more exciting for me as I am a very creative person and love to create any kind of art form. On the Other hand, to improve on my experiences I need to expand my ability of gaining information e.g. using the library more, referencing, watching videos etc and remembering to keep track of references.

 Regarding my final New Elizabethan Hair design, I am very pleased with my final design and outcome as I believe I applied all my learnt knowledge and skills from this project and created the best design that I could. I have combined the traditional Elizabethan look with contemporary to create an interpretation of this era. I know this project has given me the right start to further improve on these skills and eventually give me a wider range that I can later use in a work environment.    

Bibliography:

https://uk.pinterest.com/pin/408842472392644742/
https://uk.pinterest.com/pin/312789136589819134/
http://www.elizabethan-era.org.uk/elizabethan-ruffs.htm
https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=rick+racking&biw=1920&bih=895&tbm=isch&source=lnms&sa=X&ved=0CIICEPwFKAFqFQoTCMn294iy0cgCFUW6FAodynYH4w#

Experimenting: Rick-Racking

Experimenting: Rick-Racking 

To start this look I started by parting the hair at the front of the head, with the size of the section to your choose (smaller is probably better) like shown in the top right hand picture. When having a square section of hair on the left and right side of the head, leaving the back of the hair separate and crimp these sections ready to create the heart shaped hair. You can then either use a prop to create the heart or use the backcombing technique. I decided to backcomb again, working by sections up the side of the head then I did both sides and rolled the hair over pinning it into place to create the heart shape. (shown in the top right hand picture). Now having the front shape I took the hair that I parted at the front from earlier. Then to start Rick-racking take a small section of hair and using a wide pin, hook it over the hair and then rapped the hair around the pin in a figure of eight shape. After that, pin the hair secure at the bottom of the hair and with straighteners press the rick-racking between them holding heat on for a couple of seconds (shown in the bottom right photo). Continue this around the front part off the head until finished.

When finished with that part of the look remove all pins from your Rick-racking technique and it should look like the left hand picture below. When having all your pieces ready pull each piece of hair one by one over the heart shaped hair and clip into place on the other side of the head. This look gives the heart shape hair a bit more texture and interest, as well as making the hair more of a period piece.

After completing the front part of this hair look I decided to part the hair down the middle and create a french braid. I then braided two french braids down the hair but instead of leaving it there I then took the end of the braid and rapped it around the other side of the head. I did the same with the other plait. This creates a milk maid braid and I believe this was more suited for the theme of look and really tied the whole design together. 

Contemporary and Elizabethan Examples:

These are examples of some contemporary and Elizabethan looks using the technique of rick-racking. The picture on the left is a contemporary version of this technique I really like this contemporary version as it still has elements of Elizabethan by having fiery red hair and the texture. On the other hand, to make this design contemporary it has a clean cut to the hair which really adds to the modern version of this look. The Elizabethan look to the right is an interpretation of what this technique would have been used in during this era. In comparison to the contemporary version this is very neat and regal which also shows off her forehead, as the hair line is a lot further back.

Reflection:

I found that when performing this look that with the heart shape hair with more practice it becomes easier to perform as making the right shape can be hard to get right. The Rick-racking technique I found was quite difficult at first but again when practicing it more and more it became a lot easier. I really enjoyed making this look as I feel as if I have improved in my technical hair skills and by achieving this look and I am improving more and more.  

By Amelia Richmond-Knight

Plaits

Fishtail, Three picese plait and French Braid

In this blog I am writing about some basic style that I was taught in my Hair lecture to start us off in the new project "New Elizabethan' which towards the end of the project we would have to create our own contemporary hair and make-up design. Therefore by being taught the some basic hair skills such as plaits this will help me develop my ideas for the final project as I could incorporate them into my final design. I found this practical session really useful as I had never done a french braid or a fishtail plait before as for my curly hair type I found it quite difficult to achieve.

FRENCH BRAID: 

I had never really attempted this kind of braid before and found that it was easier then I thought. Its starts off as a normal three braid plait but as you carry that plait on down the hair you  just pull in more hair from each side as you carry on. I gave this braid at least three of four attempts and this was my best but I believe its a hairstyle that can be hard to achieve at first but with more practice it could be achieved and incorporated into a 'New Elizabethan' look very well. 

FISH -TALE PLAIT:

For this braid again I had never done this look before but as I was given simple instruction I found that I could achieve this look far better than I first thought. Its starts with sectioning the hair into two sections instead of three and as you work down the hair just pulling small sections of hairs from one side to the other and just continuing that down. I found this look quite fiddly at the beginning a I had, had little practice on it but again with more practice it would become a lot easier. 

THREE PIECE PLAIT:

For this braid I had done this look many times before and I found it very easy as you only take three pieces of a section of hair and overlay them to create a three piece plait. However like both the other plaits, even though its simple it could be created or used in a later contemporary look that could looked very detailed. 

 

 

 

 REFLECTIVE:

Overall, I found this practical lesson very useful as mentioned before all these looks can later be interpreted into contemporary designs that can look very detailed and complete when prep and designing is put into it. As well I did find other plaits harder than others  e.g. french braid and fish tail plait but with more practice I think I could make this hairstyle look more structured and neat. 

By Amelia Richmond-knight