The Featherstonehaughs Draw on the Sketchbooks of Egon Schiele

Jon found me some postcards about this, I would love to go and see this but it is in about a week and is 111 miles away.

Images of Costumes in the Show:

https://www.liveatlica.org/whats-on/the-featherstonehaughsegon-schiele

A clip from the performance:

Some of Egon Schiele's work:

Illustration 21st December 2012:

I have added this artist into my illustration portfolio because I think my drawing is quite similar to his. Very scratchy and messy but you can still see what I have drawn. I also like his work because his costumes drawings was turned into a stage play.

Quentin Blake

I listened to this a couple of days ago and it is a radio program where Quentin Blake is talking about music he enjoys and his life. He talks about how he began illustarting and he trained as a teacher at Downing College, Cambridge.

This is some of his work below, I want to create one of the costumes that look like Quentin Blakes drawings. A bit like this that I researched into at the beginning of the year.

source

Other Pictures Quentin has done Another costume/ puppet that use an illustration to create it is Royal Opera House ballet version of Alice in Wonderland. The cat is created from John Tenniel's original illustrations from the book. source A Clip of the Cheshire Cat More I researched into about Alice's Adventures in Wonderland - The Royal Ballet Illustration: His style is very like mine, slightly childish, very messy and a bit scratchy.

Final Pieces

The Second Mask Review

I have finished the second mask and this one is a lot better than the first, The ears stay in the right place and it doesn't look like a pig. The mask can be seen through and fits Ashley very well. The mask didn't need to loko like a cartoon as the fur would have covered that up anyway.

Second Mask Prototype

This is the prototype for the second mask. Changes include having it is a half mask and not covering the mouth, making it not look so much like a cartoon. I think it is best for the tail and mask not to look like they have been drawn on because the sewing of the line will get in the way of the fur and will look messy. There is no point making the mask look cartoon like because it will be covered in fur. I will also make sure the ears are built up so not to look like a pig.

Mask Attempt number two Research

I was looking on Youtube for videos about making masks and the thoughts behind them. This playlist has told me all of this and I think it will help me with making maquettes tomorrow for the second mask and I will be making the real mask tomorrow afternoon.

Mr Fox's Tail

This is the tail inside out and I've added the wire below, in a pouch, to make the tail repositional.

New Design for Mr Fox after 'Finding Jacket

Big buttons would look really nice on the jacket if I took off the originals and changed it to big one. I bought one for my FMP last year and will check if I can still get them.

Mod Roc Cast

I have made this ready to make the next mask on. I'm going to put the clay mould on this ready to cover in liquid latex, the mask will fit Ashley for doing this and will fit better on the face.

An Advert with Animal Masks

I thought this video was interesting because of the animal masks. They are very simple and just have a few things stuck to them.

The Fox Mask

This is the finished fox mask but comparing it to a picture of a real fox the ears are too close together and the eyebrows don't look right. The mouth on the mask is too small and not really visible.

A foxes mouth is more square than on my mask, more like a dog. The ears of the fox are pointy but have a rounded look to them. The ears on my fox are floppy and make it look more like a pig.

I'm quite surprised this is the shape of a foxes skull, it looks quite like a dinosaur skull and the nose is quite square.

I made the mask with a long nose to make it look like Quentin Blake's drawing. Looking at the drawing again the nose isn't a thin as I thought it was. The eyes are quite big but he still has a sly looking face. I think if I add eyebrows to the next mask it would look more fox like but still have the feel of Quentin Blake's style.

Next I'm going to make small maquets of the mask and see how I can alter it and make it better. I will latex them to see how the ears stand and try effects with fur on them.  

I have spoke to Jon and I'm going to make another mask because this one isn't working.

What I'm going to make the mask look like

This is a scaled down protoype for the foxes mask. I've tried to make it look like the illustrations of Mr Fox in the book. The eyes will be cut out later to add eye holes.

Taking apart the Jacket

I could have just made a jacket from a pattern but I have done this in the past and costume designers use this technique to save time and money. If they 'find' a jacket they will alter it to fit the actor, this also is useful if they find a jacket with the perfect fabric and can't buy that fabric.

For this I took off the arms front, back and sides off and measured Ashley and applied the measurement for when cutting. I needed to cut a bit off the arms and out of the back. I then pinned the jacket inside out and sewed it. I then put some darts in it. For the sleeves I made patterns to copy the shape of the jacket already and then cut out the excess fabric and used the patterns to make the line the same as before and attached the arms.

I had taken out the lining for the jacket while taking it apart and I decided not to put it back in because it wouldn't be seen by the audience.  

Alginate

I first started mod-rocking Nicola's face to get used to covering someones face safely before using alginate.

This is fast setting alginate and it is pants, I tried it three times with different consistency of powder but it just set far to quick.

Trying on this hair dressing head didn't work either. The parts that fell off are below.

Here I tried it with applying alginate to the doll and then covered that in modroc as a support.

Alginate Mask Experiments

I first started mod-rocking Nicola's face to get used to covering someones face safely before using alginate.

I tried to cover this head in alginate. The results are above and are dreadful, this maybe because I bought the fast setting alginate and think the slow set would be better. You would think this would work though.

 I'm going to look at other techniques next.

Different Mask Making Techniques

What are some different mask-making techniques?

Leather - wetted and held in position over mold to harden - wood or plaster mold.
Metal - hammered into shape, most conveniently against a sandbag - called raising and chasing metal.
Foil - aluminum foil built up in layers with spray adhesive.
Paper - built up with glue from pieces cut to shape
Paper mache - paper strips or pulp wetted with glue mixture and laid down or molded into shape.
Wood - carved to a thin shell
Fabric - as a hood or hardened with glue or "dope" (varnish, shellac or other paint)
Fibre glass with resin - requires a mould form.
Latex - using liquid latex on a mould.source

Looking at these techniques the most suitable for cost and suitable for stage mask is the 'Paper' and 'Papier Mache'. These techniques are easy to do and are very strong and light weight after. I'm going to look at using using liquid latex because I have used it before and think it would be a good mask making tool.

After watching Equus and Helping with Babe...

...I'm changing my idea. The costumes in Babe and Equus were very simple. I have decided to make mine more simple and not so garish I am going to have black as a base colour and just add a waistcoat, jacket, tail and mask, like in Babe with the ducks. They just had rubber feet and and orange caps.

Mr Fox's Waistcoat Idea

Looking back at this research Harriet de Winton made a yellow waistcoat. I'm going to make a bright yellow waistcoat instead of buying one.

'Found Jacket'

Today I have been looking around charity shops to find costumes for the characters instead of making them from scratch. I have 'found' a green jacket that I think will be perfect for Mr Fox. I have looked all over for a maroon jacket and a yellow waist coat so I'm going to make the waist coat and alter the jacket to fit Ashley.

Music Paper and Maps

Today I have been to my grandmas and she gave me patterns. I have thought about using different types of paper to make Mr Foxes costume. I would then try different techniques to look like Mr Fox had been drawn. 

Types of Paper:

• Fabric Pattern Paper
• Old Maps
• Books
• Old calenders  
• Music Paper
• Newspaper  
• Brown Paper