Explorations

INTRODUCTION

PROCESS AND BEHIND THE SCENES

To start my project, I first had to do some research on how Costume Design works. To start with a definition, Costume Design refers to the part of dressing characters for film, television, and theater. Characters must don the appropriate attire in order to say things about the story and match the setting which the plot occurs in. Factors must be considered, such as:

1. Budget
2. Location
3. Personality
4. Etc.

I put specific focus on studying two specific designers, Patricia Field and Marilyn Fituossi, two decorated veterans of the industry. I was drawn both to their work experience and also their unconventional, high-fashion looks. By using various interviews and clips from these two, I was able to get a sense of how designers dress their characters,

I decided to focus on three main ways designers get their costumes. First is “pulling,” which means locating pre-made items to incorporate into a larger outfit. This method is most useful in shows centered around realism, where characters would have clothing the same as what we would wear in real life.

The second is creating pieces by hand. This method is most common for fantasy, science fiction, adaptations of preexisting material, and period pieces. If a very specific piece of costuming is required in order to portray the character properly, the designer may construct it by hand.

The third is accessorizing, which is slightly different from the first two. Though accessories like jewelry and headpieces can be found using both of the prior methods, they are distinct because they also include props. Props are different from clothing because they have to serve a distinct purpose and are often created very differently from clothing. 

For a costume designer, a series of steps must be taken before dressing a character to ensure that the costuming is accurate. First, a costume designer is given a script or plot analysis to help narrow down the options. To emulate this, I wrote a plot summary for a story that I could base my costume on. 

The next step would be to do some research on how exactly I could construct the items I had in mind. I knew, based on my plot, that I wanted to make an angel costume. Since this outfit would have several different elements involved, I had to figure out how to create pieces the way that I wanted to. I decided that I wanted to make a skirt by hand, alter shirt to match, and construct a pair of angel wings. 

Next up are rough sketches. Since I had a clear idea of what I wanted to include, I created a rough sketch in my notebook for each item. From there, I transferred it to Illustrator, traced it, and shaded it. After multiple rounds of edits, I ended up with sketches that were suitable for the assignment.

First, I made the skirt. I cut out a rectangle of fabric based on my measurements and folded it inside out, pinning it together with an overlay of ½ inch. I then sewed over this top to bottom. From there, I folded the waistband, leaving an inch gap for the drawstring. I sewed all the way around and then cut two small slits to insert the drawstring.Next, I hooked the lace onto a safety clip and pushed it through the space I made, cutting it at a length I liked. I also ended up trimming the bottom of the skirt with the same material. Finally, I steamed the fabric to get all of the wrinkles out.

For the shirt, I took a white tank top, and to make it match the skirt better, I tied lace onto the straps.

From there, with my base completed, I began to add the feathers. It took me hours to glue all of them on. Once I finished that, I wrapped two white boas around the frame and added small lights to the back.

From this project, I learned a lot about how to create a visual for a character. I gained a lot more skill in sewing and creating items, and came to truly appreciate how much effort costume designers put into their jobs. I expanded my Illustrator skills when I made the digital drawings and learned a lot more about the technology that goes into costume design and digital art in general. I had so much fun with the project and was really happy with how the wings turned out!

POETRY

For English class, we spent several weeks learning about poetry and doing different exercises to expand our skills. We studied poems such as The Opposite Game by Brandon Sanderson and had discussions about different techniques common to poetry. A Poet-in-Residence came to help us learn, designing unique lesson plans and helping us improve our poetry through feedback. She taught me a lot about how to portray emotion through language and make deliberate decisions in my word choice, both of which helped me express my ideas in a clearer way.

My main poem was called Words, and it was about my Writer’s Block I had while trying to get started on the assignment. I went with a rhyme scheme because I liked the musicality of rhyming poetry, and it reminded me of other pieces I had read before the unit. Though I initially struggled to get started, I ended up having a really good time!

 My poetry taught me focus. I ran into writer’s block, but learned to channel that into my poetry. Struggling to come up with something cohesive, I began to write poetry about my exact phenomenon. I was stuck, and the expectation weighing me down felt endlessly heavy. So, I decided to channel that feeling both for its shallowness and its depth. I also experimented with a rhyme scheme, since I like listening to music and using rhyming as a catalyst for that.

My production conveyed the meaning of my poem by exploring the abstractness and artistry behind my poem. I used pictures from museums and public areas to show how my poetry process is both within and outside of myself, and different fonts and placements of words to emphasize the meaning of different words and phrases.
I valued being able to choose what images and words I used in the visual part of the video. I also appreciated the freedom surrounding the audio and being able to read out each line the way that it is in my head. I chose to use a flowy font and neatly constructed artistic visuals from my camera lens in order to capture the specific aesthetic that I associated with my work.