Mardi Gras.

For our Wind in the Willows project we are to create costumes to go down the Sewhat catwalk, each person will be given a character ( either Mole, Toad, Badger, Rat or  Weasel) and will be creating a head for this animal. The heads or masks are based upon the carnival celebration known as Mardi Gras ( or Shrove Tuesday in english)

Here are some examples I have found off the internet of some of the heads used in the carnival:

Personally I find the exaggerated facial expressions of the 'human' heads are slightly terrifying. 

However i appreciate the unique art form, i think all together the carnival, with its bright colours, is eye catching and I think  when all our Wind in the Willows heads are finished and we're all in costume it'll look spectacular. 

                         

Mole head.

For wind of the willows i was given the character of Mole.These are based on Mardi Gras.

To make my head I started with a cardboard box and cut two sides out, the entire of the bottom and the middle section of the front , so it is worn like a helmet . I then added the nose which consist of 2 pieces of cardboard, one long part and one small square to make the snout and the nostrils. Once my base was made I then used rolled up newspaper and duck tape to make the sides and top rounded to look more like a head.

Once it had the shape I wanted I then covered the entire head in newspaper covered in PVA glue.

I added a few layers of this before painting it, I used black hill and dabbed paint on top to give it the fur texture that moles have.  For the finishing touches i used wire to create glasses and whiskers.

Overall I am quite happy with my head, i think to say 3D was never my strong point , it is obvious what animal it is which i think is an achievement in itself.
A few problems i had was that it didn't stay straight on my model therefore i added padding to the shoulders so that it rested better which did improve it.


Clothes wise my model wore skinny black jeans, a white shirt and a tweed waistcoat which i found in a charity shop.

Mole research

Moles are small animals adapted to a subterranean lifestyle.They have cylindrical bodies, velvety fur, very small, inconspicuous ears and eyes,reduced hindlimbs and short, powerful forelimbs with large paws adapted for digging
Theu havMoles are industrious diggers and can create 20m of tunnel per day. They leave characteristic mounds of earth on the surface as they excavate their tunnels. Large chambers within the tunnel system are lined with dry grass and used for nesting during periods of rest. Moles feed mainly on earthworms, but they also eat a variety of other invertebrates, as well as snakes and lizards. They inhabit deciduous woodland, grassland and farmland - wherever the soil is deep enough for tunnelling. 

A video of a mole : http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/life/European_Mole#p01f9lwf

Commedia Dell'arte Mask

I have decided to my mask on the stick character Arlecchino.

Also known as Harlequin, he is a servant who is mischievous and light-hearted.He pursues his love interest, Colombina , with wit and resourcefulness. He is often depicted wearing a chequered costume and I particularly like his round features and snub nose.

Firstly I had my face cast using mod rock.

Once that was dry I used clay to build up my mask onto my cast(so that it would fit my face perfectly).

Once my clay mask was finished I then started to add the latex.

I used soft soap all over my mask to stop the latex from sticking , I then added around 4 layers on latex in turn to build my mask.

Next I then added latex thickener to my mixture of latex and added 2 layers of this on top.

It was then time to add paint!

The paint was to be added to the latex formula otherwise it would crack.

Firstly I did a layer a white before deciding on a colour.

I chose to do a gradient , dark pink to light pink for mask.

Once I had done a few layer with this it was time for the glitter!

I added dark and light pink glitter to the corresponding colours to finish of my design :

Over all I am particular proud of my mask , I really like the finishing outcome!

I think I did all the techniques well and I had a lot of fun making my mask!

Commedia Dell'arte

Commedia Dell'arte is a form of theater where actors would improvised performance scenarios and sketches based on characterized masked 'types'.

Originated in Italy in the 16tn century Commedia Dell'arte translate to 'Comedy of craft'.

The stock characters are split into 3 groups 

Vecchi

Master characters.

Pantolone

II Dottore

II Capitano

Inamorati

Young lovers 

Zanni 

The servant characters

Arlecchino:The 'Harlequin', he is Pantalone's servant. Witty and a prankster.He often uses slapstick to hit people when he can't get out of bad situations.The mask is shaped with a low forehead with a wart and small round eyes. His costume is off a diamond pattern of reds, greens, yellows and browns.

Columbina:The only female servent often employed by the Inamorati, she is charming and intelligent. She plays Arlecchinos opposite and they are often romantically  involved.

Brigghella: Scheming and mean-spirited low level merchant.He is often violent towards the other characters through the use of slapstick.

Sewhat evaluation

My Costume 

I made a mole costume for abbey. A few problems I found was that it wasn't supported very well so I decided to add some padding the shoulders which I think helped a little, other then that I think my head worked well, Abbey didn't complain about it so I'm assuming so. For her costume she wore her own black jeans, shoes and white shirt and I provided her with a tweed blazer I found in a charity shop and one of my own tartan scarf to finish off this look.

The costume I wore

I wore a mole head down the catwalk, I really liked mine I thought it was cute and quirky. The head fit like a helmet with the

nose going in front of my face, A multi coloured head scarf and glitterfied glasses adorned the head(which kept falling off and had to be glued on just before I went out). I was able to see perfect and the head fit just right if not a bit snug however it was still perfectly comfortable to wear.

Clothes wise I wore  my own black skinny jeans, ballet flats and  white shirt with a charity shop blazer.

My experience walking down the catwalk

I enjoyed the whole day, as we arrived quite early we got to chill out for the most of it, once we had practiced on the stage we just relaxed for the most part, playing pool and watching the Bowls. However leading up to going on stage I got very nervous about going on. But once on staged and the adrenaline kicked in I ended up really enjoying it. I felt the music worked really well and I thought the whole class did really well and did a fantastic opening to Sewhat.

Year 2 run

The year 2's work was based on metamorphosis:Titian 

First who came on was the stag, followed by the dogs running around the audience, At the end Kim came on dressed at Diana with a bit of randomness in between.

What I would do differently would be the make stag and dog masks instead of cutouts of the animal. I would also suggest creating  the story line on stage with Actaeon and Diana I think as the audience didn't know the context and they probably didn't understand what was happening.

Foundation run

The foundations theme was 'Alternative Miss World'

I think after watching the trailer for the pageant makes a lot more sense then beforehand. I think they did a good job of creating sadly and unusual clatumes fit for the event. 

Character Analysis: Mole

I

Mole is a sensible animal he is mild-mannered and home loving, yet generous and extremely loyal to his friends. He is closest of all to Rat, the animal who teaches him the value of exploration after he leaves his home in the first chapter. Since Mole is an underground animal by nature, his journey into the upper world near the river poses the novel's first main conflict. A 'younger' character than Rat or Badger, Mole serves as our first lens into the story, as he slowly matures from a frightened animal into a self-reliant, brave and clever companion.

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