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Anderhuber, F., 2012. Cross section image of a cheek [digital pdf image] [viewed 06/10/2015]. Available from: http://www.researchgate.net/publication/221690462_Anatomy_of_the_Cheek_Implications_for_Soft_Tissue_Augmentation

AYCYAS.COM., (Dateunknown). Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde (1931) [viewed November 2015]. Available from: http://www.aycyas.com/jekyllandhyde1931.htm

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DAVID, L., 2009. Avatar Concept Designer Reveals the Secrets of the Na'Vi [viewed November 2015]. Available from: http://io9.com/5354315/avatar-concept-designer-reveals-the-secrets-of-the-navi

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Ebony., 2014. Re-upload of wolf scratch image on Pinterest [digital image] [viewed 06/10/2015]. Available from: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/456411743459222246/ https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/54/bd/f7/54bdf7f3256c7395628c54ce530b9707.jpg 

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The Final Look

When I began painting and creating the look, I became happier with the outcome, not because of how the prosthetic look but because of how I had the opportunity to redeem myself with the other elements that I wanted to create, such as the green skin and the peeling skin, although I am aware that the most important part is the prosthetic.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I did not encounter any problems while painting the skin, and I know that I would have had I not practiced it beforehand. I think that here I was successful in creating contour on the face with lighter and darker greens, and creating more depth on the chest; making the collarbones and shadows more visible.

It is also clear to me how much I learned from my mistakes in my practises. Firstly with the eyeliner and the eyelashes being too thick in the first practice; this time I was really satisfied with how the eyeliner looks as it is sleek and neat, and the eyelashes do not overpower her eyes like they did before as I cut them down. I decided to last minute disregard the necklace that I used in my practice as I felt that the colours were too contrasting with the red and yellow on the head; too many colours would have detracted from the green, black and gold. Moreover, I used supracolour for the lips this time instead of liquid liner, and placed the lines closer into the mouth and I feel like this gave a more realistic look and was closer to one of the images that I used for my inspiration. Lastly, buying gold string to wrap around the hair tied all the gold elements together I feel, and I only noticed that this would be effective from the photos from my practice.

Sue gave me different points of advice for my look. She suggested painting this black tongue onto the lips and mouth, and this gave an effective tribal edge to the look.

Overall, I am pleased with the whole look apart from the prosthetic area. This was the most important part that would have benefitted the most from practising, however I did not have enough time to do this, but it has taught me a strong lesson that it is important to be completely sure of the sizings of your pieces as this is definitely an element that let me down. I was pleased with the scales, but they were also too big for the face. I would also change the colouring as Sue commented on the colours saying they were too harsh and I agree, I think that a black and orange would have been more effective and matched the colour scheme better.

It is a shame that my prosthetics pieces turned out so disappointing as I was very excited to embark on this unit and now I feel as if I have not done myself justice and wasted my opportunities in a way. I would also liked to also done a look that is conventional of that of the TV and film genre, as my look is still fashion based, but in retrospect this must be the route I feel most comfortable in.

Application of the Prosthetic

When putting my prosthetic on Sylwia's face, I was not happy with it as soon as it went on. The baldiez layer was too far away from the edges of the silicone mould, and so when it went on, because the edge was too close to the hairline and the eyes, I had to cut around it and it turns out that the edges were made of silicone, not baldiez, meaning I would not be able to blend the edges. This was extremely disappointing; the point of creating a prosthetic is so that it realistically merges into the face and looks as if it is part of the person. This meant that my prosthetic didn't have realism and the edges were completely obvious. Because of this, I felt that I had to work really hard on the skin and the rest of the look to create obvious characterisation and detract from the terrible prosthetic application.

These are the photos from the first attempt at my application. At this point, this was where we discovered that I would not be able to blend the edges as they were silicone. If I knew that this had happened, I would have tried again, however I did not have enough time to try again, therefore had to make the best of the situation. After this, I took off the pieces and cut around them more so that it was not in the hair, and to reduce the impact of the appearance of the silicone. 

On the face, I found that the pieces I made were too big. While sculpting, I was continuously cutting them down so they weren't big in height, however it is clear that I didn't do this enough. Moreover, I feel as if the pieces should have extended all the way from the eyebrow part to the hairline. I am not happy with how the prosthetics look as I feel like they are too big for the forehead, and I wish I had been able to practice the moulds before I had done the actual thing as there are so many things about this that I would have changed in order for it to look more realistic and for it to look as if it really is part of the face, as I think that if this look had been done well, it could have looked really good. 

Here are the photos of my final application. The colour is not right as there was a setting on the camera that was on that none of us were aware of until Lottie was able to change this later on in the day, so this is why these photos have a blue tinge to them; the moulds were more green than this. Even in this photos I am not happy with the prosthetic or the application for the same reasons as in the explanations above. 

Peeling Skin Practice

 

To create this look, I used liquid latex, a sponge and 1 ply of toilet paper. I dabbed the latex on my arm, then ripped sections of the tissue and stuck it on the latex. I repeated this process once more and then let it dry until it was clear. Next, I tried to colour match it with foundation, and then picked at one side so that I could create this peeling skin effect.

I was happy with how straight forward this method is and how the texture comes out when the latex is combined with toilet paper. I think that this will be easy to achieve while creating my look at university and is not time consuming but a fast method, so this is the most suitable way to create my peeling skin look.

If this method did not work then I could have tested out Snazaroo's Special FX Wax, or Ben Nye Nose and Scar Wax, however with these methods I would have had to sculpt the wax which I think would take too long combined with all of the other elements that I have to create.

Supracolour Practice

 

 

 

My practice with supracolour was much more successful than using aqua colour. Firstly, it does not dry and goes on with a dewy finish that can then be powdered if desired, so this gives me the option if I want to make the skin texture more like that of a snake (dry) or more that of a human (dewy). I was able to layer the paint without displacing much of what was underneath, and still felt as if I was able to work quickly and also able to blend into the hairline easily.

Another advantage with supracolour was my ability to contour with the green colour on its own, which I did not think about during the practice before. Here, I am able to mix colours to make the natural green that I want and also create more depth on the face and on the chest when I create my look.

Overall, this practice was incredibly helpful as if I had continued with the aqua colour I would not have been satisfied and the colour would not have been the one that I really wanted. Moreover, I am still able to highlight with supracolour and I feel like this is important to add to the texture and dimension of the face.

First Practice

I practiced my look in order to decipher what products I would use for the skin, and how to make the hair look how I want it to.

Firstly, I tested on my arm the difference between supracolour (on my hand) and aqua colour (on my arm). What I found with the supracolour was that it gave a natural green colour, however the skin underneath is still visible. This could be rectified with more layers, however I still felt as if this was too light to create a realistic effect that my character's skin is really green. In addition to this, I used a dark green eyeshadow on it to see what it would look like when I contoured, and this gave a strange dark colour that didn't look natural and didn't match the green I created with supracolour. 

Contrastingly I found that the aqua colour was not the right green colour, it is too much of a dark mint colour that i did not think was stereotypical of a green snake. However I thought that I might be able to rectify this by adding white and yellow to make it more natural. However what I liked about the aqua colour is that it is matte and fast drying so I don't have to worry about it sliding off while creating my look, it is also thick so there is no sign of the skin underneath. However I think that this thick, matte effect does not look natural. In addition to this, I used the dark green eyeshadow on this and it did not work either. Despite this, I decided to try the look with aqua colour. 

 

To create this hair, I used two different hair extensions wrapped around Sylwia's ponytail. Her hair is mid to long length naturally, so I had to find hair that would extend as long as I required when in a ponytail. I also think that these extensions are a perfect colour match on her hair.

I achieved this look by firstly putting Sylwia's natural hair into a ponytail. Next, I took one hair extension that had a slide in fastening, which made it not possible to wrap around, so I slid it in the underside of the ponytail at the top. After this, I wrapped the other hair extension around the ponytail many times. This gave an effective thick effect and also was not visible on the hair. These two extensions gave the perfect long, thick look for the ponytail. After this, I used small elastic hairbands to partition the hair and give the look that I created in my drawings.

The downside to this hairstyle is that Sylwia has bonds in the front of her hair, so my original idea to have the whole of the front of the hair pulled back would not work. Instead, I have decided to pull back as much of the hair as I can, and then use her fringe to cover the bonds but flatten the hair down as much as possible. However overall, the practice of the hair went very successfully.

 

 

Not having the prosthetic yet, I had to improvise where it would be with paint as this practice was mostly about getting the green colour right as it will cover quite a percentage of Sylwia's upper body. The aqua colour looks alright on my iPhone camera, however in real life it did not give the effect that I wanted. It was too thick and did not look realistic, and it was still also not the right colour. I also found that once it had dried, I couldn't go over with more without the product underneath displacing and revealing skin tone. I also found that the thickness and drying of it meant that it was not easy to blend into the hairline. Therefore after this practice, I decided that aqua colour would not be suitable and that I would need to practice with supracolour.

In addition to this, I felt as if I had made the eyeliner too thick, and the eyelashes were too long. Now after this practice I know that the eyeliner will look better with thinner lines, and that I will need to cut the eyelashes so as to not dwarf Sylwia's eyes.

Despite this, I was very pleased with how to ponytail went. I was apprehensive about using two different types of hair extensions, however both worked well together and the colour matching was perfect. The only thing that I will need to change is to take the fringe out and fasten it to the head, and to make sure that the bonds aren't visible.

My next step is to practice using supracolour for the green skin, and to practice the peeling skin effect.

Extra Products and Accessories

For my look I have needed to purchase some additional products and materials in order to add to the characterisation of my look.

Firstly, I purchased Liquid Latex that Kat suggested and a sponge that I will use to create the peeling skin effect.

This will give a more realistic effect of peeling skin than the Snazaroo Special FX Wax that I was going to use. I also found that when I've used this before it is difficult to colour as it is sticky. Now that I have this, I will be practicing how to use it to make sure that it gives the effect that I want. 

I bought fishnet tights that I can pin to the hair and paint over to create a scale look on the hair which creates a transition from the prosthetic to the hair. I have also used these before to create mermaid scales.

I found these tattoos, and think that some of these would be perfect for the arms to present regality and a tribal look. I need to test them to see whether they look believable. 

I bought some earrings and 'hair bando', which I will be using as a neck choker. I thought that these items looked mayan and tribal as the earrings are a triangle shape which the mayans used a lot. The choker is beaded which is tribal in that it looks hand made. They both have gold in them, and I think that they will add to the tribalism and regality. 

The eyelashes I got are separated like I envisaged, however they look as if they will be too long for my model's eyes, and so I think I will cut them. I will test them on her eyes before I do my shoot as I don't want to get there and realise that they do not fit or are too large. 

My 1-1 with Kat

During my tutorial with Kat, she gave me some pointers for my design. What she suggested is that where the prosthetic scale area is, it may be hard to blend that into the head, especially as the hair will be pulled back. Therefore she suggested that I paint the scales onto the hair to make less of a transition. My idea is that I paint scales on the hair on top of fishnet tights. In addition to this, Kat suggested that to make it more obvious that the skin is peeling rather than make it look as if her head has been sliced on her neck, to make the skin peel from around the shoulder area, and to use liquid latex for this.

I drew up what I want this to look like:

This tutorial was helpful in that it gave me more ideas that will improve my look. It gives an option for the transition from prosthetic to hair. Moreover, the latex down the shoulder gives more area for the green skin which makes it more obvious that she is a snake and expands the hybrid area. It will also be effective for the mid shot of the hybrid. 

World of my Character

I have created a background in which my character lives in in order to give her substance and make her costume and appearance correlate with where she is living.

Appearance:

My character is a human/snake hybrid woman that is in her 20's. Snakes shed their skin two to four times a year, which is how often she sheds. When her exterior is that of a human, she sheds that skin and underneath is her snake exterior where she has scales on her head and her skin is green. This process happens every time she sheds. So depending on which exterior she has outside, the other will be underneath and be her new exterior. She will have a long black ponytail that is sleek and straight, and her face will be a solid green colour with a contour to sculpt her face. She will have spaced out eyelashes that are sleek and not thick as I don't think this is reptilian like.

She wears gold or tribal jewellery that shows her regal position and connotes Mayan culture. Moreover, she wears clothes with gold on them but it is also partly makeshift from materials people have made or that she finds in the jungle and fashions them accordingly.

World:

The world she lives in is post-apocalyptic. The world was destroyed when the Mayans were around, and they predicted that the world would end correctly. It took thousands of years for the world to recover, and now it is filled with lush green and vast jungles, one of which my character lives in. The apocalypse was caused by a meteor that brought foreign materials to the world, and these began to flourish and changed the way biology works on earth. Therefore, this then enabled mutants to form, meaning mixes of animals and humans grew and evolved, thus creating a strain of snake humans that my character is a species my character is of.

The small amount of population in this world has gone back to primitive ways where gods and royal families are worshipped, and my character is of a high ranking. Therefore she wears gold jewellery and looks as if she is clean and neat. She lives off the forest, so is an expert in weaponry, fighting and hunting.

Inspiration for my Character

I have been looking at characters and locations that inspire my character, her costume and her background. This is useful in gauging what impression I want to give when someone looks at her, and this will add to her characterisation.

Xena: Warrior Princess

Xena: Warrior Princess was a popular tv show in the 90's that sprang to mind when I had ideas for the costume. I want my character to be a woman of power and strength, however also looking feminine at the same time. The characters and costume in this show present this well.

The costume of the character on the left is similar to that of what I imagine my character to be wearing as it is tribal, connotes nature and is feminine. I like the arm band features and the brown colours, I would like to replicate this in a way, however with more gold and in a regal fashion as I would like my character to seem as if she is a goddess or of royalty and wealth.








Kylie Jenner

The hair and costume here is my inspiration for my character. The thick black ponytail shows femininity and I think is a homage to snakes as it will be shiny, straight and slinky like the shape of a snake.

The costume is a bit too war-like and not naturalistic or tribal enough, however the bra part and gold chain is something that inspires me for the character; it is regal, feminine and goddess like.

Avatar

The character of Neytiri is an inspiration for my character as she lives in the jungle in a tribalistic world, and has a strong personality, physique and is completely adapted to living in the forest. Moreover, she is high ranking in the tribe. This is the kind of position I would like my character to have. Moreover, some of Neytiri's accessories that she is wearing in this photo on the left are tribalistic, and I would like to use something like this, however probably in gold to represent the regality of my character.

Moreover, the location of Pandora is something like the world my character would live in. I don't think that there would be glowing plants, however this jungle atmosphere with abnormal geography is what I see the world she would be living in to be like. As it could be post-apocalyptic and this world contains mutants like my character, who knows what would have/can happen to the geographical features of the world if the biological normalities could change.

Tomb Raider: The Game

This is another inspiration for the world that my character lives in. Lara Croft here is on a 'deserted' island called Yamatai, which features a lot of old temple ruins on a jungle/forest covered island. I don't see the buildings in my made up world to be clean and new, they are old, crumbling, covered in jungle vines and leaves, however are still partially inhabited.

Lara croft in this game is the body inspiration for my character. I see her with this physique, anger and determination. She is extremely skilled with weapons and makeshift weapons.









Apocalypto

The world in Apocalypto is what I envisage the world of my character lives in to have been like before the apocalypse. The world she lives in now will be the ruins of this in the jungle, with only remnants of the mayan culture left, mostly regarding their gods and temples.