Ballet Tutu Photoshoot- Lilac Fairy and Friends

So here are some of the finished photos, by Ying Yu Chen and my model Becky Pepper. The other tutu's made by my colleagues at the Arts University Bournemouth with models from Arts Ed, London.

EMP: Ballet Photoshoot

I have not written as much in my blog as I had hoped to, although most of my time has gone into the practical application of making the costume and writing up full instructions and a workbook, but I have particularly enjoyed working with the students at the Arts Education School in London. They are mainly a musical theatre school but they learn dance, including ballet and so we have had live dancers to fit our costumes to.

The fittings have been covered in my instructions, but it is still interesting to reflect on the opportunity and is positives and challenges.
I unfortunately ended up with a different artist for each fitting, and then another artist for the final photo hoot. Naturally, I was worried that my costume would not fit, but luckily there were no major problems on the day- I could have achieved a better fit, had I received the same artist on each occasion, but the nature of costuming is very fluid, so it is an asset to be able to think on your feet in such occasions! However, my final artist was lovely and very accommodating having travelled at short notice all the way from London to Bournemouth. So it was important that I put her at ease as quickly as possible by being approachable, friendly and judging whether she wanted to have a natter as I dressed her into the costume. She was obviously aware that the costume had not been made for her specifically so I made sure I gave her confidence in how she looked in the costume (although she looked great in it anyway).

The shoot was fun and colourful, but long and tiring, especially for the artists who had to stand around for long periods of time. Provisions were made to feed and water them during their visit and I did as much running around for my artist as I could to make sure she was comfortable and that she had a good experience. When her time came for the individual shots, from experience I knew I needed to make sure I gave her a lot of direction so that I got all the shots that I want for my own portfolio.

As a group the costumes looked amazing and their was a real sense of achievement from the whole of the group, even though working in such a tight knit unit held its own challenges, the outcome was very positive and I think we could all stand back and appreciate each others hard work and input into such a successful project.

I am still waiting for the professional photos to be delivered but here are a few shots I took on the day.

EMP Thoughts on Tutu Construction

In my last post I touched on my thoughts around what it was like to finally learn the process of tutu making, I thought it would be a good idea to elaborate on that and the relevance  it has to my studies.


Problems:
I never expected I would have specialised in ballet during the course of my degree, but the allure of learning to make a tutu was huge, hence, here I am. I have discovered over the three years that I am certainly a perfectionist and I thoroughly enjoy careful, neat and decorative work. I knew a tutu was difficult in its construction, but I am really enjoying the methodical processes; I am already planning my next tutu. That's not to say I have not struggled with the making process, I have had an absolute nightmare with a 'floppy' tutu, compared to the other girls, my tutu seemed to look more bell shaped than plate shaped and this has continued to irk me throughout the whole project. Nevertheless I like to look upon these things as a learning process! Here's a few thing s that I have learnt out of this problem.

• Firstly, these ARE robust items indeed, at first I was worried about touching it in case if fell apart, but because of the drooping I had to re-string it and handle it far more than I would have done if it had been more pancake shaped. This meant that I had a lot of confidence in how well I had built the tutu, after all, in reality they would need to survive, hours and hours of dancing.

• The length of steel in the hoop does make a big difference: Our tutor did say that hooping the tutu was the hardest part to get right. I did not put enough steel into it in the first place- I thought if I removed the steel and added a longer piece then this would rectify the floppy issue. It did not, it just made a really awful shape...

• You can never have enough strings: Lots of strings help to control the net just how you want it. I tried putting strings in everywhere to help combat my droopy tutu. They helped a bit.

• Net quality is a huge factor: We were advised at the start to try and get the best quality net possible, specific to tutu making, the net was better than some, but it is my final conclusion that it was the net that was the major cause of my problem-

• ...unless.....being a neat stitcher my pleats were very uniform which helped to create a beautifully smooth tutu. This did however make it very flat, with a distinct lack of body (a bit like straightened hair), I wonder if this also added to my little problem.

• Other thoughts considered were the size of the layers as I cut a medium sized tutu and also where the channel was sewn in for the hoop- next time I would try and sew it further out to give the net layers more support.

Thoughts:

Ideally I'm hoping that this niche skills will make me a valuable asset to someone, but I have enjoyed making them for the sake of art and beauty, something that I looked at in depth during my dissertation- the tutu is symbolic, as Balanchine famously said "Ballet is women" and ballet is synonymous with the layers of pleated net that show off the long lines of leg and foot work so prized in the art form. As I really enjoy this genre of performance, being able to have the skills needed to build an fit these specialist pieces of costumes is important to me and I hope to pursue this skill throughout my career.

EMP- Fabrics and Flowers

Fabrics

So after a lot of debate and a tough, wet trek around the London fabric zones, we have decided on a cohesive colour palette- we are going with the slubby hand woven silk dupion in the rich, deep colours, so reflective of the pre-raphelite shades. Admittedly, I still do not like the thought of using dupion as it is used lazily in costume making as a cheap silk. However, in the interest of the group we have decided to go with it as we can all find a suitable colour for our costume from the same range of fabrics which was proving to be very difficult. The challenge is deciding a shade and finding a silk organza to match the dupion, but thankfully I have I have succeeded by doubling up two layers of silk organza (red and purple) and getting a near perfect match. The gold layer under the coloured organza with just be a gold/silk organza and I have decided to introduce silk velvets into my costume to reinforce the royal overtones of Lilac fairies costume this may be the sleeves and around the neckline.

Our next task was to start the construction of the actual tutu, something I have eagerly been anticipating! Since learning how to make a romantic tutu in SDP last Summer I have really been looking forward to learning this most niche of processes and demystifying the construction. You do not 'make' a tutu- you 'build' it.

I am of course writing up a full set of instructions on how to do it, but not to be published on my blog ( no-one really admits it, but you don't give up the trade secrets, it's a bit like the magic circle!)

It is a time consuming process and requires accuracy and patience, but so far, so good, quite enjoyable, the key I am finding is to keep refining the process, so you find your own specific way of achieving each step in the most productive way that suits your own style.

 

Flowers

 

 

We are already starting on the decoration samples- each costume will include the briar rose but the briar has to be made the same way using the same components on each costume. In the first we are all just coming up with our own samples. I have decided to laser cut some flowers and hand craft and paint some other flowers. I already wanted to try out something I saw at the ROH for the bramble: It involved unwinding would cord as it leaves a lovely kinky braid and then adding in some beads/ crystals for interest.

 

 

 

 

 

As you can see they all turned out very different, some of them were very delicate and worked very nicely, although I was quite pleased with mine I could see from the other samples that it was too large in proportion- remembering that the decoration is for a photo shoot and not for the theatre...mine was suited more towards the theatre in style.

 

We decided to pull all the best elements from each sample and then devise a short list of materials before each going away to make a second sample, using only those components and applications. The idea behind this was to refine the sample in the direction we wanted to go but without limiting our own talent to push the sample forward.

 

The whole process was quite difficult as we were expected to critique each others work and eliminate things that did not work, this is actually harder than it sounds in a group of your peers and I stepped forward to diplomatically suggest ways of working out what to do.



EMP Ballet Pinterest Board

Just a very quick post to link my Pinterest Board for this project to my blog.
I will be adding a lot of visual inspiration here, as well as uploading some of my own photos. Take a look to see my 'mood board' of images...





http://pinterest.com/illustriousc/costume-emp/


Just a taster...... the Lilas flower.

EMP Ballet Plate Tutu Design

The Sleeping Beauty

Last term/unit Melissa Burton designed the six fairies from the ballet version of Sleeping Beauty plus their male counterparts- I was always aware that this is what we would be constructing this term. Her inspirations come from the pre-raphelite colour palette and lines and was inspired by pre-raphelite paintings of the Sleeping Beauty by Edward burn Jones:

http://hoocher.com/Edward_Burne_Jones/Edward_Burne_Jones.htm

Here is another pre-raphelite painting of sleeping Beauty:

http://www.leicestergalleries.com/19th-20th-century-paintings/d/pre-raphaelite/john-dickson-batten/15430

Lilas- Fairy Royalty

Melissa had six designs to choose from, each with a different colour palette and shape, so each had their own distinct challenge.

As myself and my colleague had elected very early on to continue with ballet into EMP, we were both able to see how Melissa's designs were developing, before they were finished, so to be honest I already had a favourite. 

Lilac fairy(or Lilas, as she is called), always appealed to me as head of the fairies, in most depictions of Sleeping Beauty ballet's I have seen, she is always slightly more distinctive, or grander (she has her own attendants) and she is present throughout the whole ballet. I really want to push myself in this unit and I felt as though I wanted to take on the challenge that the *probably* more embellished design will give me.

I am also a big fan of the colour lilac, and purple shades in general, and I felt this was an important factor as well. I have learnt that you can definitely get sick of the sight of a particular colour quite quickly in costuming, and it's good to work with varying colours as it always feels fresh.

I will be making the full tutu as well as painting tights and pointe shoes and we, as a group are very much hoping to have real ballerinas to fit and wear these costumes for a photoshoot, with the ultimate of having them actually perform a small piece from the ballet in the costumes. But that is very much only in the pipeline at the moment rather than an actual reality, and it is also something that Melissa, as supervisor is responsible for organising. Until then I will keep my fingers crossed.

There was the option to make the matching male costume as well, but here I have decided to complete the corset project instead with my time, as, for me, I feel I would get more out of that experience.

Here are the designs for both male and female:

Thinking About the Design

The first thing we did was all get together and have a look at our individual designs and start to talk about how we are all going to make this a cohesive collective- which certainly has its own challenges.

Here is a rough write up of all the points considered to help create the signature of the costumes:

• All bodices to have a total of 18 panels-9 per side.
• Designs will be updated by Melissa so that the top design lines are all matching- we went further to say that when we map the pattern on the stand and drape, that we all need to make sure they are as similar as possible(think back to SDP design lines, they were all very different)
• Soft, delicate and feminine- decoration is to be made, not just braid stuck on.
• All tutu bases will be the same- ivory net
• Gold layer of chiffon/ plate layer of organza.
• Decoration will be in your colour, plus golds and creams- will probably all be using the same gold beads to decorate.
• Measurement will be set for the distance from plate to net on the tut skirt, so they all match(like a border).
• Small delicate beads, built up to create texture, no large bead/decoration, maybe minimum hot fix crystals, maybe none at all(!-much to my horror)
• Will be buying propper dance tights and pointe shoes(i'm quite pleased by this) and painting into them as per design i.e stronger at the crutch and barely there by the time you get to the pointe shoes.
• All tutu's to carry the vine decoration on the skirt and for all tutu's except lilac fairy, they will also now have same vines down one arm(same arm on each costume) supported by powernet.
• Each person to create sample for the vine, but must work together to choose one way of doing it- once chosen and added to design, this design cant be changed or added to.
• Your extra designs can be of your own making, remembering the above points.
• Diaphanous layering and highlights in cream and gold.

Specific to Lilac fairy Design:

• Head fairy- has extra 'guilding' i.e, more gold bordering/accents than the others
• Keeping the original medieval sleeves
• Lacing to be taken up higher to at least nipple height so it looks like 'real' lacing

Bringing in my past experience and some new ideas:

This was a good place to start and I felt I had a strong idea of what Melissa was tying to create with her designs. Interestingly enough I had sampled some lilac silks/brocades in London when I went at Christmas, looking at them again I could easily eliminate most of them for having the wrong kind of feel. I guess I could recognise straight away that the costume I had had in my head that I wanted to make; gold brocade bodice and lots of sparkle, was miles away from what Melissa was after.

But actually, that was fine. I really like the idea of creating some very artistic, soft and delicate decoration, I think it will make much more of a statement in the context of this unit. These costumes will all be viewed up close in the final exhibition, and the creative elements that have gone into making the decoration will be seen and recognised for their effort. IMHO, i'm not sure if they may be too delicate on a full stage at the back of the theater, but for what they are in their own context-perfect.

I also have some great ideas of how to create the vines- something that, yes, I saw use in a different way at the ROH but it has sparked an idea. I will be using unwound braided cord in shades of brown. As they unwind they stay wavy, then I plan to paint into them and add fabric flowers, crystals and bugle beads, I'm looking forward to sharing a sample on here!

This now has me thinking and I want to look at laser cutting flowers, such as the violet at briar rose and even looking at resin casting real dried flowers, as I really want to push the boundaries of making some artistic decoration.

Meeting take two:

After Melissa and I went on an impromptu shopping trip for beads and braids, we decided it would be a good idea to get together again and go through the fabric books at uni, before our trip to London the following Monday for fabric samples. This was a very good meeting and it meant that some really imprtant points came together and were clarified. Namely:

• All skirts will have x number of tutu net layers in ivory.
• Then a matching layer of gold tissue/organza-whatever is decided on.
• The bodice fabric will all be plain and the same type of silk eg taffeta
• No shiny satin's, and should not be 'shot' with an overpowering colour eg gold, as this will be seen under stage lights and blot out the real colour intended.
• Melissa has a specific colour palette in mind, that matches the feel of the pre-raphelite. these are all earthly shades and are not too bright. All colours chosen must work together under this colour palette.

Problems-      We did come across a specific range of James Hare Handwoven Dupions in the exact colour range. We have all ordered the shades relevant to our designs. I am not personally a fan of handwoven dupion at all- I always feel as if when a costume contains this fabric, it looks as if the designer/maker could not be bothered to search out alternatives. I feel Mark may need persuading in this choice, I certainly did. But the colours are perfect for pre-raphelite and the slubs to give a naturalistic organic feel which really works with the theme, much better than any of my samples did.

There is a problem with this though:- Originally the skirt plate was meant to have a top layer of organza to match the shade of the bodice. With the beautiful mulled shades we are looking at, we will be unlikely to find a match for some or all of the designs, so we may have to look at alternatives. One suggestion was to carry the dupion onto the skirt, although I am not sure how that will look (might look too heavy and certainly not suitable for some of the designs) or possibly dying the organza to match the bodice, but again this may have varying degrees of success.

I would also really like to look at some silk/crushed silk velvet for my costume, as I feel this is one way I could incorporate the rich guilding and royalty of Lilas.

(painting shown again for colour ref)

Still lots of question marks at the moment, plus I need to plan out my workload, once we get our timetable from Mark. Tomorrow, we are off to London and I am interested to see what we all think.

Then we have planned to go and see the pre-raphelite Sleeping Beauty mural in Oxford the following week, as it is(for me at least) a really important part of understanding the essence of my design.

Extended Major Project: Ready, set.....GO!

 A Good Place to Start

So, I am finally here, at the pinnacle of my degree education. Everything I have done over the last three and a half years has been about getting to this place. My last practical unit, will cover from now, all the way up until the end of May and it is all about taking all my experiences over this time and amalgamating them into my most technically advanced, and creative pieces of work yet.

For me this will be two pieces of work, that draw on my previous knowledge and strength.

The first will be the interpretation and construction of a given ballet design- a plate tutu, which will lead on from last years SDP unit where I made a romantic tutu. I can also harness the knowledge and skills I picked up during the two weeks I spent in the women's workroom at the Royal Opera House, making costume for the Royal Ballet and the Royal Opera.

The second will be the design and construction of an advanced corset dress. This will be a representation of all I have come to learn about corsetry and its construction, since making my fist corset in my first year. It has been a huge passion of mine and an avenue I intend on pursuing once I have graduated. I have spent some time developing an aesthetic, that represents my 'brand', and this corset will be an embodiment of that. I have created previous pieces that have inspired my idea for this piece, and whilst I have a good idea in my head about how this piece will look; its colours, silhouette and materials, I will be fully engaging with the design process (something from which my portfolio will benefit) to make sure this piece is at a standard with what AUCB costume expects.



There are lots of things that I would like to muse over, on both of these projects, but that will come in time. Although I have not yet completed my learning agreement or work plan, I know that the corsetry will not really begin until the second half of this unit, as for now I will be concentrating on the ballet costume. So I am going to hold off on that for a while and as such wont be talking about it in my blog yet. So I will kick off with the ballet...

Work Experience at The Royal Opera House

On the back of making the romantic tutu last term, I applied to go and work in the women s ballet and opera workroom at the Royal Opera House (ROH). I was very lucky to be accepted and spent two weeks there just before Christmas just gone.

It was an amazing experience, and a chance for me to see how industry works for such a large organisation within the arts. I also got to help make costumes for new ballets and operas and even got to see famous prima ballerinas dance in costumes that I had a part in making- no matter how small.

It was also interesting to discover that in fact I really did not enjoy commuting, and I found London hard- even just for those short weeks.

Nevertheless, I learnt a lot about the construction of the costumes that will, without a doubt enhance how I make the upcoming tutu. Here are a few photos of my time there and some of the costumes I helped out on (with the exception of the white and red chemise and the three sets of knickers, which I constructed for first fitting):

(I think I should make it quite clear here that I had permission to take these photos and that my part in their construction was fairly minimal; tacking, sewing down decoration, swing catches on ballets skirts etc.)



I have also been trying to finish the green romantic tutu that I started during the Summer, directly after finishing the white tutu. This was to solidify what I had learnt and a chance to try out different fabrics and techniques. After a bit of a lapse, I am determined to see it finished, before I get too stuck into this next project as, namely I need the photos for my portfolio; I have a model and intent to have it shot professionally, in the woods.

Coming back to the decoration after my work experience has proven to be a good thing. It means I can apply, ideas and techniques I saw in action at the ROH and produce a better piece of work.

So now that I have caught up with myself I will write a separate post about the ballet costume I am going to be creating for EMP, where I can look at the design and what my thoughts are so far.