Claudia initial designs

Consultation notes:
Model - Jade Holmes
Skin type - Fair, combination
Hair - Mid length, dyed, brown with lighter ends, no problem with heat application
No Allergies
No contra-indictations


Design one:

This was my first design idea, as I wanted Claudia to look pretty with a dark edge I decided to go for a light eyeshadow in grey tones around the eyes with loads of mascara and a perfect nude pout. As this design was quite plain I decided to make it more smokey like how it looks below.

 I thought this was a more flattering and more bold look than the first design however realised I have done smokey eyes quite a lot before and realised this didn't show my technical ability enough so wanted to make more of a statement and show off my technical ability more.

Going with the whole idea of a bold eye and nude lip I created this design. Instead of using eyeliner or eyeshadow with the traditional smokey eye I used mascara on the end of a disposable wand to create a rough and very daring look. I also smudged the lipstick around the mouth to make her look slightly less normal and more unhinged but still so my model would look quite sexy in a vamp kind of way. As I want my character to fit in with the show more I realised this was too audacious so I changed the look once more before coming up with a final design I was happy with.

I am going to keep the hair in a casual and simple half-up, half-down do as I don't want it to be completely down but I don't want it in an elaborate up-do as I want to portray Claudia as quite plain in styling and hair. I don't want her to look too done up.

 

Claudia changes

I decided that instead of using Buffy as Claudias main icon I would make it more modern and use Effy in Skins as the main girl in the TV series she is currently watching as the show ran around the same time as when Claudia would be been introduced into true blood as, also because I think she suits the character more. Here is my new moodboard.
I have also decided as I am making Quentin look really supernatural I don't want Claudia to have an physical faery characteristics, her only halfling trait is her telepathy. My model for my shoot has brunette hair and blue eyes and I think she will look very striking and fit well for my Claudia design.

 

Quentin idea development

Above is the moodboard I made for my presentation with the very first ideas that came into my head for my Quentin character. I have decided as Claudia is going to be a relatively normal looking character, I want to make Quentin quite theatrical and dramatic which I can get away with as he doesn't even really exist! 

Quentin is going to be a skinwalker from True Blood. A skinwalker is a shapeshifter that can turn into other humans instead of just animals. I came across this idea as in Quentins character description it states that he changes in appearance to suit Claudia's mood. By being a skinwalker this makes him fit really well into the series. 

" As he is part of her imagination his appearance changes to suit her mood. Sometimes he will be a David Beckham looking guy, whilst in another scene he will appear as a Pete Docherty type, Daniel Craig type or a Hollyoaks Babe. If she is having a bad day he will morph into an uncouth couch potato chav with all that brings with it."

If a skinwalker shifts into another person for too long they experience some unpleasant and painful side affects. These side affects include:

• Fainting
• Extremely high fever
• Pain
• Vomiting blood

When Claudia is in a bad mood and can't make her mind up about who she wants Quentin to be she makes him shift as many times as she likes which makes him really weak and ill. Shifting too often can cause fatal problems for skinwalkers. In my designs I want to show this side of Quentin.

 

 

Claudia's female icons

As Claudia spends most of her time watching movies and TV shows I decided to think about what characters in shows/films I've seen that remind me of Claudia in personality and how I imagine her to look.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/f5/Girl,_Interrupted_Poster.jpg

My first character is Lisa Rowe from Girl, Interrupted. Girl, Interrupted came out in 1999 and directed by James Mangold based on the book by Susanna Kaysen which is her own true story. The story is an account of Kaysen's 18 month stay in a female mental institution and account of what happened. Susanna Kaysen's part was played by Winona Ryder and Angelina Jolie played Lisa Rowe, a sociopath who befriends Susanna. Lisa is very erratic and is smug about her diagnosis, she doesn't take her medicine and doesn't seem to want to get better. She gains pleasure from making other people unhappy and often taunts fellow patients about their condition and brings them down. She likes to act the villain. Angelina Jolie won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, a Golden Globe Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award. Her personality traits remind me of how I believe Claudia could act when she is in a bad mood.

http://www.celebquote.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/tumblr_m321mtDtLF1r65t9po1_400_large.gif

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/21/40/a1/2140a19d8d005c353a53852280f2d7ba.jpg

In terms of appearance I imagine Claudia to be a relatively normal looking girl in the way she dresses but with a grungy edge. I thought about some characters on TV that I relate to this style and came up with Effy Stonem from Skins and Buffy the Vampire slayer.

I decided to concentrate on Effy as I am more familiar with her character and during the last series she starred in in Skins she suffered with mental illnesses that remind me of symptoms that are similar to some of Claudia's personality traits. Skins is a British drama that first aired in 2007, based in Bristol following the lives of a group of teenagers aged 16-18. It explores complex themes that people experience growing up such as family issues, mental illnesses, sex, sexual orientation, drugs & alcohol, bullying and death and each episode focuses on the story of one specific character. Effy Stonem is a mysterious, troubled girl who all the boy characters fancies and all the girls want to be. No one really understands her and Effy doesn't let many people get to know the real her. She takes a lot of drugs for someone her age and is quite promiscuous, she is a real party girl. In the third series she is the main character and when her parents split up she takes a turn for the worst and goes of the rails, becomes very depressed and stops looking after her appearance. When she falls in love with the guy who cares for her deeply (Freddie) she feels vulnerable as she has never felt this way about someone before. As her depression got worse and worse she became fully psychotic and after trying to commit suicide was hospitalised. Her psychiatrist fell in love with her and tried to make her forget her friends, family and most of all Freddie and whilst Effy is completely unaware, he murders Freddie.

http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/img-thing?.out=jpg&size=l&tid=10780416

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9ScPYNtrSzK2iM_0eFAOWp-7JXA9IMrm_d6Ji82P2R8Z4TV8tG9fCwkQPYnSjGNrz0DttVD5Uvb95ouiJCCBSK7GQQ5MNrKIPacZLWv_T38JjxnouQI1hQW9LyZUnYTxz_Au7Jb2y1aD6/s640/blogger-image-1985639468.jpg

http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/enskins/images/a/a4/Tumblr_kyikoarexk1qzr7ibo1_500.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20110309200102

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/17/ee/01/17ee01d8ac919fe297b4add735512093.jpg

In appearance Effy is quite casual and grungy but always looks effortlessly cool. Her hair usually looks a bit messy and unkept and her make-up is usually quite basic with a dark eye. I want to give my Claudia this kind of vibe.

Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Girl,_Interrupted_(film)#Plot
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0172493/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skins_(UK_TV_series)
http://www.imdb.com/character/ch0036824/bio

Agoraphobia

Claudia's character profile described her as an agoraphobic, so I decided to look into what that really means so that I can have a better feel for her character.

• 2/100 people in the UK have a panic disorder and about 1/3 have agoraphobia because of this
• Twice as common in women
• Usually starts between 18-35

The NHS website defines agoraphobia as  "Agoraphobia is a fear of being in situations where escape might be difficult, or help wouldn't be available if things go wrong.".
This made me think that this is why Claudia rarely leaves the house as she feels as if that is the only place she is truly safe.
Agoraphobics can be scared of things such as public transport, shopping, leaving home alone altogether.

"They will avoid situations that cause anxiety and may only leave the house with a friend or partner. They will order groceries online rather than go to the supermarket. This change in behaviour is known as "avoidance". "
This could be why Claudia's neighbour Mrs Laderman brings her everything she needs to her home and is the only contact she really has with other people

When an agoraphobic gets into a stressful situation they can get panic attacks. Panic attack symptoms are:
- Fast heart beat
- Nausea
- Hyperventilating
- Sweating

Agoraphobia can be caused because of fears of other things such as:
- Crime and terrorism
- Getting ill
- Hurting yourself or getting in an accident
and also things like traumatic events, other mental illnesses or even in your genes.

It can be helped cured by:
- Regular exercise
- Healthy eating
- Avoiding drugs, alcohol and caffeine drinks
- Learning about the condition and accepting it
- Guided self-help plans from the doctor
- If the above doesn't help medication can be prescribed
- More severe cases medication can be combined with cognitive behavioural therapy which takes place once a week with a therapist where they break down your problems and give you practises you can put to work in your everyday life

Sources:
http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/Agoraphobia/Pages/Introduction.aspx
http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/cognitive-behavioural-therapy/pages/introduction.aspx

Presentation on my initial ideas

American Horror Story hair

Equipment:

-Tail comb

-Paddle brush

- Curling wand

- Grips and pins

Style 1 - Moira the maid:

http://img1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20131102071333/americanhorrorstory/de/images/3/39/300px-Moiraoldandyoung.png

1) Once the hair has set and cooled remove all pins from the back and sides and let the hair down
2) Brush the hair gently to let the curls drop slightly and then you can begin the styling
3) Working from one side, around the back of the head until you reach the other side and twist the hair upwards, tucking it in to itself and secure with grips making sure they are hidden
4) You can use your tail comb to assist and to help give it more shape
5) You can then take down the curls at the front and brush them gently like you did the first time and sweep them down the sides so they form a nice wave and you can position the ends in pin curl style curls for decoration. Play around and layer the sections until you are happy.
6) You can use the tail comb to add height and shape at the front of the style too.

Style 2: Glamorous, down style:
1) Remove all grips and pins to let down the Moira hair style and gently brush the hair style out going over and under each section of hair for a full bodied and bouncy waved effect.
2) Push the front sections forward then back away from the face with the brush and keep playing with it until you are happy with the outcome

Style 3: messy
For this look I simply shook the head forward and back until I achieved this messy, crazy and untamed style.

I really enjoyed this lesson, especially creating the first and second style as it is more contemporary than the styles we learnt for Miss Havisham and Estella and had a glamorous and more polished finish. I love adding detailing to hair styles such as the pin curls and as a lover of the Moira character (young and old) in American Horror Story I would have loved to put this together with some make-up to see the finished outcome!