Project Evaluation

The initial intension for my project, Sweet Dreams, at the beginning of this year was to produce a physical book outcome of my dream responses. This then developed throughout my proposal as I made the decision to produce a website to exhibit my work inspired by my dreams, with the addition to have continuous submissions from externals with their dream responses in an online magazine format. After deliberation of the idea throughout my final production, I decided to create an online exhibition of just my own work, but collaborating with other creatives to produce a consistent style throughout, ensuring the project outcome was an exclusively personal response.

The project represents a part of me, not only because of my personal input of dreams, but I have also developed a style as a result of deeper investigation of inspiration and influences. My two most influential professionals have been photographer Tim Walker and Makeup Artist Elya Bulochka. Both creatives possess an unmistakable style that I find disturbingly beautiful and inspiringly creative. Tim Walker captures dream-like creations with the combination of his imaginative creative direction and unique concepts. Elya Bulochka has the rare quality of a makeup artist who has the ability to single-handily shock her audience with her haunting yet ostentatious creations. These creative individuals have influenced the movement of my personal development within this project and have really enabled me to understand the importance of being passionate about my work and to not lose who I am as an artist.

The aesthetic that I subconsciously began to adopt throughout this project was initially derived from the play on words with the project title. I wanted to choose dreams with a nightmare origin as for some reason I am really intrigued by dark psychology and disturbing art. Toying with a sickly sweet idea, I wanted to produce a beautiful adaptation to provoke thought for the viewer but to also generate something glamorous with a contemporary twist. During the design process I noticed a reoccurring theme of eccentrically styled hair and makeup, producing flamboyant and theatrical aesthetics. Developing a style to represent dreams as our subconscious fantasies I saw myself being drawn to the works of Pierre et Gilles. Their style is bold and colourful with a very strong sense of sexualisation and obvious camp characteristics. After studying their work, I began to notice myself incorporating a similar suggestive style. The reaction I gained from my peers was exactly what I was after as they were visibly absorbed in the concepts.

In addition to adjusting the aesthetic outcome, I have also further understood my desired aim. By using artificial enhancements and bold choices of hair styling and makeup; including wigs, nails and eyelashes, I have created an emphasis on the unclear boundaries between fantasy and reality of dreams. With the power of clever lighting manipulation and postproduction I have been able to produce surreal visuals.  Throughout this project I have also become progressively understanding of the incredible potential of our creative minds.

Not only have I discovered my own personal style, but also I have learnt many other valuable lessons throughout the progression of this project. The most significant being learning how to successfully perform under pressure and effectively organising team collaborations. Working as a part of a team is an essential for a makeup artist in the industry, but leading a team is a skill I have had to quickly pick up. My first shoots, ‘Neglect’ and ‘Scopophobia’, had to be the most challenging shoots of them all. With what seemed everything against us during ‘Scopophobia’, we eventually managed to get the images and footage we needed. From this, I have learnt to be prepared for virtually anything and to not be solely reliant on the equipment supplied by the university. ‘Neglect’ was a definite challenge, and I had many sleepless nights as a result. In preparation, I was extremely prepared in terms of team organisation and covering my creative production role. What occurred to me was that I clearly hadn’t portrayed my concept well enough to the photographer and model, resulting in a misconceived idea of the desired outcome. Even with provision of reference images of inspiration and style, then providing posing and expression examples to the model, it was still clear that the idea was not presented successfully. Both photographer and model had generated a completely conflicting concept to my own. In my state of panic, I arranged to meet the photographer to adjust the images in postproduction to create the correct conceptual outcome. During this time it was necessary to enforce a clear briefing for the two approaching shoots in order to avoid future miscommunication. During this action on my reflection from the previous shoots, we were able to produce the following shoots with great success and little confusion.

I also had the pleasure to collaborate with two other talented photographers. They both understood my project and brief instantly with the same explanation process. The results were fantastic with a fast turnaround of postproduction and very little chasing up. This leads me to question if my leadership and communication skills were actually poor with the other photographer, or if he simply tried to force his own ideas into the project too much and ignored the purpose of the shoots. Luckily, I am more than pleased with the final images, even if they were a challenge to produce and receive after many difficulties. From this, I have discovered I possess persistence with my approach to reaching my goals.

During the briefing process with the photographers, models and stylists, I was able to also benefit by discovering my exact desired outcome in better detail. This procedure was very important for my own concept development. Also working with multiple creative people was extremely inspiring, especially in comparison to the experience of the proposal shoots. The quality of the final images have exceeded my expectations and really demonstrate the importance of having a passionate team to understand my creative visions, especially as some concepts are quite controversial. During this briefing process I had large concerns of prejudgement from the team, but they all took of board my concept very professionally and even contributed to the creative direction. As a result, I believe that working with a larger team, despite the challenge of organisation, has largely benefitted this project.

As an addition to the images, my decision to create films presented a slight risk as it generated a much larger workload for myself. I had very little knowledge with the editing program and had to quickly teach myself. The first few dreams took up a lot of time, taking away opportunity for valuable reflection, but I believe the outcomes have massively enhanced the overall experience of my project. Reflecting on this, it is clear that I misjudged my time management skills and the production period but I am extremely happy with my decision to produce the films as I believe they are highly beneficial for the concept interpretation. I also took the responsibility to completely design and produce the website myself in order to gain full control of the final visual outcome. After developing the concept and style, the pressure to produce an outstanding website resulted in a challenging creative block that I struggled to overcome. After taking advice from my tutors, I went and researched other creative online exhibitions to construct the ultimate style of layout. After many failed computer based attempts, I resorted to sketching and concentrated on presenting a more image based outcome. My mind was able to think creatively rather than productively and I have produced the desired outcome.

Choosing to create a website over a book was a result of deliberating the benefits of presenting an online outcome to other professionals and potential employers. Considering the future development of this website, I am still undecided if I will add a blog-like submission section for other artist’s work. Depending on the success of the website this will determine the future prospects. To enhance the popularity and success I produced an Instagram account solely dedicated to the project. This decision was made in order to promote my work onto easily accessible and regularly used platforms. Social media has massively helped with my self-promotion as an artist and I have had people approach me about my project and show a genuine interest and excitement.

This project in no way represents the physical representation of myself, but perfectly depicts my creative mind and love for bizarre art. I would like to think that my weird concepts and controversial outcomes demonstrate my creativity as an artist, possible representing my inner alter ego. But although this project has not only tested my positivity and motivation, I feel as though I have generated something extremely personal and rewarding that I am so excited to fully share.

Social Media

Social media has provided an excellent platform for myself as a makeup artist throughout my years at Solent with getting to be a part of different collaborations to having people message me for appointments. For Sweet Dreams it is slightly different. I wanted to create a really professional image based Instagram account to display my work on the most visible site to my peers and for other creatives to view. With the beauty of hashtags I have had great responses to my work. If this platform continues to grow, this account may be able to develop and eventually into my initial idea of producing an online platform for other creative individuals to submit their dream interpretations.

Facebook has also had a vital role in my self-promotion, and it is extremely rewarding to see people appreciating my work and enjoy working with me. It means a great deal to see others enjoy my work in the way that I also do, and makes the journey all the more worth it. 

'Revenge' Production

The idea of Revenge was to produce a completely different outcome than that of Certain Defeat. I feel I have successfully created that idea with the completely differing colour palettes.

There were many things that could have gone wrong with this shoot being on location. As we were faced with very varied weather during April is was hard to predict a convenient time to shoot, and then also ensuring the photographer and model were available with little notice. Luckily we managed to get a few good mornings of weather in a row so I jumped to the opportunity and proceeded with the shoot quite late into the production of this project. This was in fact the last shoot.

The smoke bombs let down the shoot a little. Their performance was very poor as the smoke lasted about 30 seconds each and only produced a small amount. Eventually we gave up on the idea of the smoke in the photos and only used them in the filming which was much more important. The photographer made the suggestion to edit the smoke in the images just like I did in the test shoot.

We also had a few issues with the styling, as the lace kept on coming apart and a stylist on hand would have been extremely beneficial. Another annoyance came from the fact the false nails I created wouldn’t stay on and kept on falling off as she moved the material around. Eventually we removed all the nails and avoided any focus on the hand area.

We also faced the challenge of using natural lighting. We did have a location lighting kit but I really wanted this look to be so different from Certain Defeat. So when the sun decided to show I quickly jumped to the area with a reflector. We got some amazing shots and Petar edited in some really awesome vampire teeth! I think they look brilliant, and so realistic!

Petar (the photographer) had his concerns with how the images and film would turn out but I had every faith in his ability and I am so pleased with how it all turned out. This shoot is very different to the others I have done, but I feel as though it adds another dimension to the project than just ‘easy’ studio shooting and creates a real sense of atmosphere. I do believe that the shoot could have ran a bit smoother by ensuring there were loads of smoke bombs, or even grenades that are easier to ignite.

'Certain Defeat' Production

After unsuccessfully having Kornelija as the model, I managed to find another model who was equally as fantastic if not better. Zarah has lots of modelling experience and was very comfortable with the idea of wearing just underwear. Her skin tone was very different from my original model and I feel it works really well with the brighter colours. Her complexion and facial features also allowed her to carry a more theatrical makeup with ease.

What was particularly challenging about this shoot was that I had one previously that day which took about five hours to complete. The tiredness had to be quickly overcome and Zarah was extremely understanding of my stress. My photographer stayed with me all day and really supported me, which was a vast improvement from the previous shoots.

We had some difficulties with the studio booking and a misunderstanding occurred with another student but was quickly resolved and our set up was moved to a different studio.

In the end I decided to use paint to represent the blood rather than foam. The paint had a really glossy sheen, which added to the glittery aspect of the project’s aesthetic. As expected it got a little messy and we really had to plan each position with shooting then filming. Then once that position was complete the photography lighting was set up to shoot again, and then altered for the filming.

Overall, I am really pleased with the outcome of the shoot and how the concept looks in comparison to the original images. I feel that her vulnerability is captured but in a really glamorous, almost animated way. The only thing that does irritate me with the images and footage is that the purple lips have a blue tint in the images due to the photographer adding a filter on postproduction that I was unable to match with the film editing.

'Blue With Envy' Production

This shoot really, really excited me whilst preparing it. We had all sorts going on and I couldn’t wait to put it all together! The makeup was bold and glittery, including two rows of eyelashes, glitter, sequins and lots of shimmer – my absolute dream! I also had a stylist working with me. We were messaging lots prior to the shoot with ideas we both had and constant updates of our progress.

I asked for two different looks to chose from. One look with denim to produce an effortless, cool character. The other look with lots of sequins and over the top accessories. On the day of the shoot she turned up with so many options that I was spoilt for choice. I instantly fell in love with the tinsel jacket she brought. The whole outfit went together perfectly with the turban and wig and the whole look produced the exact level of sass I was after. The model really managed to embrace the character with all of the styling complete with the hair and makeup and instantly transformed.

Straight away the images looked incredible! But we gradually added different things to the shoot, including a subtle blue gel light, a dobo filter on the spotlight, then eventually shone light onto the glitter ball I brought. I just really wanted the whole look to be so sparkly and eye catching. After getting some amazing shots, we then attempted adjusting the shutter speed whilst the model moved around in the wind machine. The tinsel jacket created so much interesting movement and I could not be more excited over the images!

We then eventually got to the filming which was very successful. I also think this dream felt a little lighter than the rest which creates a nice variation. What I really noticed about this shoot and its success was how we all collaborated so well as a team and performed to our highest abilities. I a so thankful for the hard work and input from everyone and they all seem to be very excited for the final release!

'The Death Dream' Production

I look back on my test shoot and the images are almost laughable! I really had very little preparation for that shoot and not a very understanding team to work with. But for this final shoot the photographer (Sarah) had many ideas she wished to contribute in terms of lighting. I also took on board a stylist. I told her exactly the styling I wanted but she completely exceeded every expectation and brought an entire wardrobe of fragile lace garments and fabrics.

Initially we tried to get Kira to move around in a dance motion to create the idea of the flowing material. This made the images really inconsistent and it just wasn’t working. So I showed the photographer the below images from Dark Beauty Magazine and suggested we lie the model down and place the material over her. With the white background and white fabric it created the illusion that she was jumping or falling, which was exactly the look I was after. Instantly the images had a really surreal and ethereal aesthetic.

The filming was also very straightforward and the wind machine helped to create the wind motion of the dying scene of the dream. This dream is definitely a perfect representation of the motion I went through during this rare and unusual experience. I am extremely pleased with the outcome, and I have to say it is definitely up there with one of my favourite ever concepts.

'Sabotage' Production

After having a successful test shoot a couple of months back, I considered not reshooting this dream. I felt that the images were strong enough to submit at the time of shooting, but after discovering the importance of a highly skilled and creative photographer who understands my concept, I felt that the images could really improve and I also needed to get some footage.

I decided to change photographer yet again, but keep the same model as she perfectly embodied the character for the shoot with her modelling and acting abilities. The model is quite shy, but she knew the photographer and there was an instant change in her confidence and the images were perfect from the first click. I felt like the three of us were all on the same wavelength and understood the concept and appreciated the artistic approach for this shoot knowing that it wasn't going to be 'pretty'.

In terms of the hair and make-up, I decided to keep everything pretty much the same as the test shoot but with slight alterations and improvements. The hairstyle is the same as previously created as I felt it was different and created interesting silhouettes in the coloured lights. The makeup was created with more precision than previously done, with more defined eyebrows, lips and eye shaping. During the test shoot we also discovered the model was allergic to my eyelash glue which meant we couldn't apply false eyelashes and the gems weren't secure. This time we tested five different brands of eyelash glue in swatches on her arm and found a glue that she wasn't allergic to. This secure application meant I was more confident in wetting her skin with water knowing that the gems weren't going to fall off and the eyelashes bringing more drama. I also created a set of false nails in preparation for the shoot with gold nail varnish, glitter nail varnish and individual gems.

To my model's delight we changed up the flavour of the jelly, but more importantly I decided to add gold glitter rather than red and silver which glistened very effectively under the flash.

After having the best selection of images, which we took very quickly, I came to select six final ones. Below shows the unedited images that I believe present the best representation of the dream and show off the makeup and hair detail. Myself and the photographer have discussed editing preferences and I have said exactly how I would also like the images to be cropped.

Chosen Unedited Images:

Final Edited Images:

To complement the images and to generate further understanding and exploration of the dream's concept, I believed that a video for each dreams' series was necessary. I have very little experience with editing video footage, but after watching tutorials with a vague understanding of how to work such software, after much trial and error, I managed to create an outcome that I am very proud of. My intentions for this video was to produce a sickly nightmare of the overdose scene of the dream. I intend for the viewer to be repulsed yet fascinated by the colourful, unusual imagery and the psychedelic visual effects. To create this piece I wanted to present a hallucinogenic display with cross fading imagery and varied focus to generate the idea of character falling in and out of consciousness. It is also suggested that our dreams are desires of the unconscious mind, to which my project has began to show notions of fetish and erotic qualities.

Upon reflecting on this particular shooting experience and recreation of my dream, I feel as though I will shock the viewer as my original intentions of my proposal state. This particular recreation perfectly captures the essence of the project with a literal take on 'sweet dreams' with the use of dripping jelly and creating a visual nightmare in the most intriguing way possible. The infusion of lighting colours represent the party scene and the effects of drug abuse accidentally participated by the character. This has been the first shoot I have come away from feeling fully confident in my team and my ability as not only a makeup artist and hair stylist, but also a creative director.

'Choked' Production

Creating the new concept of Choked was much more effective than the initial idea I had. As this dream was provided by an external, I had much less understanding of the feeling achieved or what happened. My first idea was very much aesthetically based and little thought was put into it. I believe this was because I hadn’t done a test shoot and had the model for a week only in January whilst she was in the country. Also, I didn’t really fully know what sort of filming I wanted to achieve as it was still fairly early in the project and I had a lot more development ahead.

Taking a more metaphorical approach after deeper investigation has really benefited the idea of this dream and I feel as though it produces a clearer image of the dream. Again, the idea was to produce something sinister, but I wasn’t qute sure how creepy I was going to achieve it.

My initial challenge came from the fact I had the model’s makeup to do first, then I had to paint the hands of another model. This was a little time consuming be we got there in the end. We were then in probably the smallest possible studio with so much equipment, but the outcome works really effectively.

During the film, a nail falls off and I didn’t notice this until it had been fully edited, exported and uploaded. But hopefully this is not visible unless informed.

The photographer really understood my concept and how I wanted the images to look. We then arranged a long meet up where I carefully selected my favourite images and selected areas to crop to gain the best representation of the makeup and the detail put into it.

As a result of a very cooperative team, we created a really interesting outcome. What was also brilliant was that the girl who dreamt the dream messaged me asking if it was about hers. She absolutely loved it, which is extremely rewarding to hear.

'Neglect' Production

Neglect was a very big shoot in terms of organising all the team members and the props and styling. It was also one of my first shoots, which presented me with nerves and worries. I lost a lot of sleep over this shoot, before and after. But now I have the final images exactly how I wanted them I am much more relieved.

It was a real struggle to translate my ideas to the team, but I showed lots of reference images and examples of poses and lighting. The photographer at this early stage kept on trying to force his ideas into he shooting, which was extremely frustrating and confused the model. The model has cerebral palsy and therefore quickly got tired from the shoot, which is very visible in the images and film. I kept on asking for exaggerated expression to create a very theatrical outcome, yet she didn’t quite take this on board.

After hours of shooting, I felt as though we hadn’t got what I wanted and I really got worried but failed to discuss this with the team. This was an extremely risky move but I could tell everyone was tired and fed up so I just called it a day. When I got home I was an absolute wreck. The pressure of the entire project had got to me and I felt as though this wasn’t in my control.

After two weeks of no contact with my photographer, the anxiety became too much and I demanded to meet up with him to see the images before I was driven completely crazy! I was very honest with him and told him that I wasn’t happy with it at all, especially as he had already decided to edit and change the images n the completely wrong way. Although I sound like I am being very dramatic here, this project is just extremely important to me and I felt that I couldn’t let someone interfere. So we eventually got one image to the exact style and editing and he went away and did a few more. Eventually, after being extremely persistent, I got all my final images form the shoot and edited the film in the best way possible with what I had. The lighting was so bright and extremely difficult to correct. I even managed to lay an image over the top that I created in Photoshop to create the same board-like effect that is visible in the images.

Overall, the stress of this shoot was all worth it because I am so pleased with the outcome. I love the raw textures and grittiness there is, rather than an obvious perfect porcelain doll image. I have had great feedback from this shoot and I am very grateful.