Evaluation

In this post I will create an in depth evaluation of my final culture; body art peace, created in my five hour assessment.

Face; After completing my research into popular hair and make-up trends in South Africa, I learned a less-is-more approach is extremely popular when creating a base. Therefore, I created a natural base layer, using translucent powder to set and mattify the base, as matte products are dominant in South Africa’s make-up market. The base make-up I created was flawless, and created a smooth appearance, therefore creating the exact effect I had hoped for.

Additionally, I learned many women in South Africa celebrate their love for color by creating bold eye and lip looks, using bright colors. Furthermore, when completing my research into tribal make-up I learned the meaning and significance of many different colors. From this, I know blue is used to symbolize trust and peace, while red is used to symbolize daring energy, and urgency. Therefore, I supported my idea on empowering women by using these colors to create a bold glam effect.

Next, I created a modern tribal paint using the colors red and white. Building upon the idea of empowering women through my design, I repeated my use of the color red, while also using white to signify hope and purity. I believe my application of this paint was good, and am impressed with the symmetry I created within this design.

Chest; On the chest, I had planned to create a tribal scarring effect using a SFX technique, allowing me to add more elements of make-up into my design, rather than just using body paints. From a distance, I believe this was very effective, however when you come closer to the make-up I feel the effect is not as great, and looks messy. I chose to create this effect using sculpt gel, rather than scar wax, as it helped to give a more realistic scar texture. However, if I was to create this look again I think I would still use the sculpt gel, but try mixing the color into the product before application, rather than painting over the gel once it had dried, as this method was hard to seamlessly blend into the skin.

Furthermore, as previously mentioned in my last post, I had intended to cover my models breast area with a piece of black fabric. She could not wear a bandeaux or bra as I needed access to the whole of her back. Therefore, I had planned to use body tape to attach a band of fabric across the front half of her body. However, for some reason the body tape would not stay stuck to my model, or the fabric. Therefore, I decided to just use nipple covers, and leave her breasts uncovered, and unpainted. As I discovered within my research into the tribes of South Africa, it is fairly common for young, unmarried women, to have their breasts uncovered. Therefore, this error partially worked in my favor, as it allowed me to represent another aspect of traditional tribal life. However, for my models’ comfort I have censored this area in my published images.

Torso; In my final design, I chose to create a tribal collage on the torso, bordering the South African Flag. Firstly, I think the addition of the flag worked really well with my design, and helped to clearly express what culture I was representing, therefore preventing any confusion. Furthermore, I also like the effect that was created with the mixture of tribal patterns, and color placements, around the flag.

I also planned to add South Africa’s national flower, the King Protea, in the lower corner of the design. However, although it is visible I do not believe it is necessarily clear. Therefore, If I was to create this look again I would add much more definition to this element of my design. In fact, I may even add it on to the leg, along with the national tree.

Arms; In my design, I had planned to create a band of animal prints on one arm, and tribal patterns on the other. I am happy with the overall effect of this, however it didn’t quite work out as planned. In order to add another 3D element into my design, I had planned to use spirit gum to stick strips of string in between each pattern change. However, even though the model had been patch tested, both liquid latex and spirit gum were causing minor irritation when applied to her skin. Therefore, I tried to tie the ribbon around each band, but it kept falling off so eventually I gave up on the idea, as I didn’t want to keep re-applying the string and ruin my paint work. Although I am disappointed that it did not work the way I had planned, I am really pleased with the overall finish. The clear distinction between each pattern helps to show my strong color application skills, as there are no patchy, or ‘muddy’ blended together areas.

Legs; As previously noted, the totem pole was my favorite design on the leg. Although it was a last minute design choice I am so glad I decided to add this element, as it created a really effective finish. However, as you can see in the images the tribal mask face is painted on the side of the leg, rather than the front. If I was to create this again I would ensure the design was central to the leg, if looking from a straight on position, as I feel the overall effect would be much stronger.

Furthermore, the design I created on the other leg, using branches and leaves to represent the national Yellow wood tree, was not as effective as I had planned it to be.  As I did not use darker colors, or outline the design, it seemed to get lost among the bright blue background, and therefore it is not very clear. If i was to create this again I would ensure to use a combination of darker colors for the design, and lighter colors for the background, in a bid to make the overall finish more visible. As just mentioned, I would also add the King Protea, South Africa’s national flower, on to the same leg, to prevent it from getting lost among the tribal print design on the torso.

Back; On the back, I chose to create one large tribal mask, surrounded by multiple smaller alternatives. In my final design, I decided this was more practical than the tribal mask collage, as it would allow me more time to create additional intricate detailing in other areas of the design. Although the look was effective, I wish I had added further definition to the masks, allowing me to create a more three-dimensional and realistic effect, as I feel they look cartoon like. I also decided to make a minor adjustment to my design while in the assessment, choosing to add some tribal weapons along with the masks. Although I am happy with this choice, as it allowed me to add yet another element into my design, I wish I had used a darker color to outline the objects, therefore making them more defined.

Hair; When attempting to create my avante garde style, crumpled, cow horn up-do, I discovered my model’s hair was slightly too short for the cage I had created. If I had tried this prior, I could have made the cage smaller, or used added hair in my design. However, due to my assessment time limit there was nothing I could do to tackle the problem without wasting valuable time. I did consider just crimping the hair and leaving it down, but felt this was far too simplistic, and would also take the focus away from other aspects in my design. Therefore, I decided to create my alternative hairstyle, the bubble braid. Although this hairstyle is fairly simple, it allowed me to keep the focus on my body art design. Furthermore, it helped to enhance the feather crown I had made, helping to further elevate my look.

Accessories; For this assessment I had challenged myself to hand make all of my accessories. I created multiple pieces of string and beaded jewelry to help enhance the look, and bring my vision to life. I also collected items such as real feathers and cow horns, allowing me to create an authentic feel within my design. I even included a walking stick, made by my father, as a prop in the images. I feel the use of accessories really helps to elevate my design to a whole new level, and effectively bring my visions to life.

Overall, although the the assessment may not have gone as smoothly as I would have intended, I am very happy with the overall result of my design. I feel I created a great piece of artwork, representing many aspects of my chosen culture. Furthermore, I have proved to myself how far I have come over the last few years, by becoming aware of how strong my creative problem solving skills are. I pleasantly surprised myself with my quick thinking to solve multiple problems throughout the exam, while keeping calm and still successfully completing my design in the allocated time.

Additionally, I feel I have met my goal by effectively creating a look that empowers women. When looking at this image, I sense true courage and confidence.