Examples of decoration

For our decoration workshop our tutor bought in some of his own creations alone with another students one.  It was really helpful to see the finished product and the decoration on the costume.  How they are symmetrical which is important in  Ballet costumes.  You can really see the detail put into it and they time it takes.  It also helped me to open my eyes when it comes to buying decorations and beads, even if i don't like the look of the beads i.e. the fake pearls, next to other sequins and plastic beads and glass beads they go really well.  I think that is something i need to take on board not just for this project but for others as well and in the future, as not only will it create more scope for creating decoration, it makes it lighter and cheaper to do.

Here are a few images of the examples given by our Tutor



This one used cord to create patterns and a small motif.




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This is an up close picture of the detail put into it. This has the fake pearls on it but you won't notice as it all blends well to look really beautiful.

Bibliography

i will add to this as i go along.


Author Unknown (2011) Romeo and Juliet [online] Available from: http://balletnews.co.uk/cupcakes-conversation-with-natalia-kremen-artist-english-national-ballet/dsc_5608-copy-2/ [date accessed: 11th June 2012]

Backhouse. M (2009) Royal New Zealand Ballet's La Sylphide [online] Available from: http://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/arts/2592166/Royal-New-Zealand-Ballets-La-Sylphide [date accessed: 11th June 2012]

Bourne. M (1996) Swan Lake [DVD] New York: NVC Arts, Warner Music Vision

Bourne. M (2012) Matthew Bourne's Early Adventures. Directed by Matthew Bourne. The Lighthouse Theatre: Poole [15th May 2012]

Folts. C. R. (2002) The Classical Tutu: Developpé Publishings

Fonteyn. M (1979) The Magic of Dance. London: Fountain Productions Ltd

Large. B (1984) American Ballet Theatre at the Met [DVD] USA: Kulter

Les Ballet Trockadero de Monte Carlo (2009) Les Ballet Trockadero Volume 2 [DVD] USA: BelAir Studios

Linda (2010) The Ballet Bag, Le Fille Mal Gardee [online] Available from:
http://www.theballetbag.com/2010/03/09/la-fille-mal-gardee/ [date accessed: May 2012]

Mcgibbon. R (2001) The Car Man [DVD] Warner Vision International

Melikov. E (2012) Swan Lake. Moscow City Ballet. Pavillion Theatre; Bournemouth [12^th March 2012]

Myeshkova. Y (2011) Tchaikovsky's first Swan Lake Ballet: The Most Beloved Ballet of All Time [online] Available from: http://www.kievglam.com/culture/tchaikovskys-first-swan-lake-ballet-the-most-beloved-ballet-of-all-time [date accessed: 11th June 2012]

Purvis, A. (2009) The Ballet Russes and the Art of Design: Monacelli Press

Scottish Ballet (2012) Tennessee Williams A Streetcar Named Desire. 26th April 2012. Programme. Sadlers Wells; London.

Scottish Ballet (2011) A Streetcar Named Desire Gallery. [online] Available from:   http://www.scottishballet.co.uk/photos-and-films/a-streetcar-named-desire.html [date accessed May 2012]

Sunderland. S (n.d) Les Ballet Trockadero de Monte Carlo [online] Available from: http://www.trockadero.org/swanlake.html [date accessed: April 2012]

Wheeldon. C (2010) Cupcakes and Conversationswith Maria Kochetkova, Principal, San Francisco Ballet [online] Available from: http://balletnews.co.uk/cupcakes-conversation-with-maria-kochetkova-principal-san-francisco-ballet/ [date accessed: 11th June 2012]

Wikipedia (2011) Romantic Ballet, [online]  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romantic_ballet [date accessed; 23rd April 2012]

Williams.  T (2012) A Streetcar Named Desire, Directed by: Nancy Meckler. Scottish Ballet.  Sadlers Wells: London. [ 26th April 2012]

Research

Having done a bit of research for my sketchbook i will put a few of the images i found useful onto here.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Pas-de-Quatre.jpg

This image i found on Wikipedia, it was on a section taking about romantic ballet and its origins,  i found it particularly interesting and helpful to my studies to understand the history of it. 

Romantic ballet was influenced by art and culture in the early 19th century believed to be around 1827.

Marie Taglioni in the Ballet 'La Sylphide' in Paris was thought to have begun it all.

It was to reach its peak with a performance of 'File Pas de Quatre'  Picture far right which i feel is beautiful example of a romantic Ballet Tutu. Even though just a picture you can really see the shape and styles of it.

Its Decline ended with 'Coppelia' around 1870 according to research.

I researched a lot more into it which i have included in my sketch book.

This romantic Ballet  saw the decline of the male role and increased role of the Ballerina.  Point shoes were used and the shorter tutu allowed for more movement of the legs wowing the crowds and inventing the Prima Ballerina.

• Marie Taglioni: First Romantic Ballerina, shortened the Tutu.
• Carlotta Grisi: first Giselle. (earliest Ballet to still be in production) 

http://ukrainianguide.com/classical-concerts-review/

This is a picture of the famous leap in Giselle.  The costumes of this i feel are more impressive than that of the plate tutu's in such ballets as swan lake.  These create this fairy tale feel that transports you to another world.  Just being able to create something like this is amazing and obviously won't be as good but I'm happy to be learning the processes of a Tutu that seems to be second best to the Plate.

http://www.wiliqueen.com/wili.html

Romantic Tutu

For anyone who doesn't know, it made of many layers of white netting, we are using 5 layers on our Tutu made out of many panels and each layer has more than the one underneath.  We will have 5 panels on the bottom layer and 13 on the top this helps to create movement and ease for the dancer.

The dancers wore a bodice and point shoes which were meant to give them the 'look as if they are flaoting'

I really enjoyed researching into the orgins of Ballet and learning the history behind the Romantic Tutu and i think that knowing the history of a garments makes making it far more interesting as you know the reasons behind why something is done in that certain way. 

Construction of bodice

Over the past two weeks we have constructed the bodice together. 
Firstly sewing the bodice panels together, it is important to place lots of pins in securing the bust, waist, and design lines and ease the rest into place when sewing.  i learnt a few really interesting tips on how to stop the bodice from being stretched and warped when sewing as it is all on the bias..  This process was relatively quick and having put a few bodices together before i found it ok.  The difficulty and the difference to previous bodices was the delicacy of the fabric and as it is double layer with the drill it did have a tendency to move about so i had to keep an eye to make sure it is not gathering up underneath the foot of the machine.  It was important to make sure that i pinned just into the inside of the seam allowance as the satin shows pin holes.  This is probably the one thing i will have learnt a lot from at the end of this unit.  Having not worked with brilliant white before it was terrifying.  Anything will show up on it,  i got a blue thread trapped between the drill and satin and had to fish it out with  tweezers luckily i noticed before i sewed the piping on.  I have kept washing my hand so that nothing gets on it and working with it on a piece of calico and wrapping for transport.  This has so far kept it very neat and clean.  i feel with this area i am learning a alot, our tutor has warned us that fabric can bruise by overworking it.  This like unpicking areas pins marks, transporting it around all the time will contribute it into looking tired when finished.  i want it to look pristine so have be extra careful and triple check before i sew so that i don't have to do any of these things.  with previous projects i feel that i have done this and the costumes was either pressed one to many times, creased too much or adapted and all did look a bit tired at the end but i'm determined not to have that happen with this one.
After sewing it all together the bones were put into a few of the seams,  i was surprised that in a dance costume there would be bones but am enjoying learning all these new things about Ballet.  We learnt the correct way to put the bones in to make sure that the fabric looks flat.  I found this quite difficult to master and time consuming as the bones bend and move and i didn't want to put pins in as it will show the other side. 

We then finished off the edge with piping and learnt some really interesting details involving concealed piping, which are used in industry so that the bodice can be altered if needed.  This was really helpful and will be useful to take the principle and use it in other areas of costumes next year at uni and in the future.

I can't say that I'm not please to have finished the bodice, mainly  for the fact that it is still pristine white no marks neatly pressed and put away ready to attached to the skirt.   i have found this a very big learning curve and have learnt so much from this experience. i feel that i have grown a lot in the neatness of my work and attention to detail.  I have improved greatly on my time management in relation to the practical side, this side and the essay side not so much.  This has been very fast paced and we have been given a lot of information to follow which i feel i have understood and done well.  I am pleased with the outcome of my Bodice.

Reflection

I am struggling a lot at the moment with this blog,  i am not using this format for reflecting and find it far easier and more useful to do it in a journal or workbook so i know which bit i'm talking about.  Anyhow i will do it as best i can.

Over the past few weeks i have learnt a whole new side of costume making a new nothing about or what i did know was in fact wrong and more aided to old fashioned techniques and amateur performances. For me the first eye opener was the bodice which i though would be made out of stretch fabric and made out of some type of leotard with patterns built onto it.  However it is made out of a cotton drill and Satin which fits the body so snugly by a few vital processes involving draping and using the grain line to its advantage.  i really enjoyed learning all this area and how to break certain rules in order for something to work so well.

Pattern making
This i feel really challenged me to be accurate and really look at my draping aesthetically, things that i probably wouldn't have done before like making sure the panels are of a similar size and that the gradually get bigger around the the back, making sure each panel line follows the general line of the one before, make a big difference.  I realise its really important to look at these things in order to create a a costume that will look good, especially for Ballet as the costumes are scrutinised so much in industry.  I feel even after this short time that i know a lot more about shaping a garment to the body and really focusing on the shape of the woman's body making sure the design line shapes the bust well and holds it in place so the dancer will feel secure.  I really learnt from this how to emphasis the waist of the dancer through using small things like the grain line going diagonally toward the bottom C/F and C/B.  This small area create such a different to the aesthetics of the bodice.   i found it exciting creating my pattern through draping and not having to follow a pattern book,  it made it interesting as every ones will be slightly different.

Cutting Out.
As many other will have written working with the satin was incredible hard.  Its very slippery and static especially  when being ironed.  It did try my Patience at times and this process of cutting out my pattern pieces and tacking down took longer than i thought as i had to walk away at points as i was getting frustrated. The fabric slipped around the ironing board and the drill curled away from  the satin  changing the grain line so it had to be repositioned. Just this small process i learnt a lot, i have finally learnt to walk away and take a break when im getting annoyed instead of carrying on and not getting the best result.  I am glad i did this as with a bit of patience i managed to do it properly tack the two fabrics together and cut out.   I found that cutting the satin slightly bigger than the drill fabric worked best as it gave so room for the satin to slip.  The C/F panels grain line isn't perfectly straight but with time and practise i'm sure i will get it right.

I really feel that i am growing as a maker i have learnt just in  this short time a lot of new skills that are easily transferable into other areas.. My interest in Ballet is growing each day and i feel this is challenging me as i'm out of my comfort zone.  I feel i am becoming far more accurate in my work and pattern  draping and cutting and am looking forward to learning more throughout the unit.

Decoration workshop

I have been most excited about this element of our timetable and enjoyed going out and finding lace and trimmings.  i went to places i haven't before and found a wonderful shop in Salisbury which sells antique lace and trimmings which were lovely.  I feel that i did go to places other the the usual fabric land, hobby craft and got some really interesting bits and pieces in preparation for this workshop.  i will do this for future projects i think as you find all different things that you have never seen before which can inspire.

  

 

We started the workshop with a brief talk from the tutor with his work (see Context pictures)  and he explained that we really need to look at the items we have and work out how they can be manipulated to create something.

Starting off was quite daunting,  having so much choice was probably a downfall as it was hard to decide what to use and how it would work together.  It is a lot hard that you think and i went into it think that it would be a relaxing day of playing with fabrics and trimmings but it is actually mentally draining.  It is very time consuming and as our tutor suggests that in industry and next year if we plan to do a plate tutu we need to make sure that we have enough time to do the decoration as it takes a lot longer than we think.

 

Cinderella

i started with a bit of lace i had and cut up the flowers and edging off it.  i really liked the effect of it and i think as you start, you begin to get an idea of the character you are basing it on.  With this one i was channelling Cinderella, wedding style with the neutral colours and floral patterns.  To start with i had just the flowers on the calico bodice which at the time i thought looked nice, but after discussing with two tutors they both gave me advice that i hadn't thought of.  The costume will be seen from a distance therefore the decoration needs to be seen from the back,  they suggested that i use another shade to make a contrast.  I stood away from the mannequin and realised that you couldn't see it.   I therefore put a gold layer underneath and it works really well i am really pleased.  Its little things like that which i feel i will take with me now into the future,  i will make sure i always think of that especially if i want to work withing the theatre environment.



Nymphs



Another i decided to use fabrics and create a leaf effect, i was thinking of nymph character for this one and feel that the colour choices and simple pattern help to show this.  I have some beige sequins as well which i will sew into it to again lift it.

  

sugar plum fairy

My last one i wanted to do one with bright colours and symmetry as in ballet symmetry is important.  i got lots of pastel ribbons to create a striped candy cane effect.  I was thinking of the character the Sugar Plum Fairy  from 'Nutcracker' whilst doing this and even though it is a bit sickly it portrays the character well.

 I really enjoyed this workshop and feel that i was so helpful to my application of decoration.  How to adapt and manipulate fabrics and lace to create new things.  i feel that i have quite good aesthetic eye, especially to detail and feel that this workshop has built on that and increased my knowledge and ability in relation to decoration.  Its taught me to really look at things and not take them at face value which i think can be transferable into all areas of costume. It has really improved my visual abilities with colour choices, patterns and design and you learn a lot of what will work well but also what doesn't work.

We learnt the next morning how to stitch all of our trimmings down.  This was the most helpful to me as i really wanted to learn how to sew certain decorations down and how to place lace and deconstruct, reconstruct it.  Sewing ribbons and beads on. It is important to keep a delicate touch with it and not pull tight which i tend to do with beads especially.  i have yet to sew mine together but feel a lot more confident in myself to do it neatly and to a good standard.

This has probably been one of the best workshops i've had as i feel i have learnt a lot and built and progressed from my previous knowledge.

  

Ballet Cutting on the stand

Creating the Bodice.
After finally finished my previous project i can now put my efforts into this new Ballet Project which i have been really excited to learn.  We will be making and female bodice and Romantic Tutu and learn the techniques of sleeve construction and
The bodice of the Tutu cannot be drafted flat as it needs to fit the body so closely and as my lecturer said " be like a second skin"  it needs to look elegant and smooth and be romantic which cannot be done flat so it has to be done on the stand.
This involves using strips of calico and using the straight of grain in ways which I've never done before,  this makes sure that the bodice will fit snugly and allow movement for the dancer.
I am mostly working in a sketchbook with processes and instructions within that so that i have a record myself of it and i seem to work far better in something like that and am able to work from it in the future.  I will post pictures on here of my progress and relative notes and information.
We originally marked out our designs onto a mannequin arranging the lines to create the best shape possible and create elegance with the panels.

This next few is adding the calico to it

Design

This is the design given that i will produce at the end of this project.  It is a Romantic Tutu with bodice in white with ruffles across it to look like leaves blown across it, my allocated colour is olivey green colour (top right) which i will have to dye the chiffon to do that.  The garment needs to be constructed accurately and neatly and the decoration needs to be really delicate to reflect the movements of the ballerina.  I really like the design and colour and am looking forward to learning the techniques of application of decorations which will not only be useful for this but something i will be able to apply to other areas of my study during the next year at uni.

Weekly planner

Weeks	Week 1 12th – 18th March	Week 2 19th – 25th March	Week 3   EASTER BREAK 26th – 1st April	Week 4  EASTER BREAK 2nd – 8th April
Monday	9.30 – 12.30 Briefing for Ballet (cad pad) 7.30 Pavilion Theatre Swan Lake	Cont working on BFTW costume: complete Decoration 8 – 10.30 Dance Class	Work Experience in London for Les Miserables as Dresser.	By the end of the week I will have: ·         Completed evaluation of W/E on blog.
Tuesday	9.30 – 12.30 Briefing for PoP UH001 Hand in BFTW Workbook 5 – 7pm Late night study for BFTW	9.30 – 12.30 Lecture for PoP (UH001) PM Buy calico for Ballet		·         Researched and decided a question for PoP. ·         Updated sketchbook with instructions.
Wednesday	AM  Batik and Dye Fabric for BFTW		Update Blog on W/E and evaluate.	·         Completed any outstanding work for the Ballet project.
Thursday	9.30 – 4.30 Ballet Lecture and screening. (cad pad) Pm Finish BFTW	9.30 – 4.30 Ballet: Draping. Marking, construct and bone. Hand in Learning Agreement. PM BFTW Late night Study.		·         Made sure my BFTWs costume is fully completed ready for Tuesday.
Friday	11.30am  BFTW assessment Presentation ( Study Space) PM Cont BFTW Costume	Complete BFTW Costume Update Blog	End of Work Experience.	·         Bought Decorations, beads braids, ribbons etc for 20th
Saturday	Write learning agreement and work plan.	Update Sketchbook and add to on a weekly basis.	Free	Free
Sunday	Free 6 – 8.30 Dance Class	Free 6 – 8.30 Dance Class	Free 6 – 8.30 Dance Class	Free 6 – 8.30 Dance Class
Weeks	Week 5 9th – 15th April	Week 6 16th – 22nd April	Week 7 23rd – 29th April	Week 8 30th – 6th May
Monday	Blog Reflection 8 – 10.30 Dance Class	Plan Essay for PoP 8 – 10.30 Dance Class	Write Draft essay for PoP	BANK HOLIDAY 8 – 10.30 Dance Class
Tuesday	10.30 – 1.30 PoP Lecture (UH001) 1.30 – 4.30 Tutorials PoP	10.15 – 1.30  PoP Lecture (UH001) 1.30 – 4.30 Tutorials PoP	9.30 – 4.30 Tutorials PoP	Independent Studio Practice Complete outstanding work for ballet. 1.30 – 4.30 Tutorials PoP
Wednesday	BFTWs Costumes to Bristol. 5 – 8pm Screening Ballet  (Cad Pad)	Blog Update 5 – 8pm Screening Ballet (Cad Pad)	Blog Tutorials All day 5 – 8pm Screening Ballet (Cad Pad)	5 – 8pm Screening Ballet (Cad Pad)
Thursday	9.30 – 4.30 Ballet Finish Bodice Construction/ Sleeves. (studio 1) 8 – 10.30 Dance Class	9.30 – 4.30 Ballet Decoration Workshop (studio 1) 8 – 10.30 Dance Class??	Prepare Silk Paint 8 – 10.30 Dance Class	9.30 – 4.30 Ballet (studio 1) Levelling Tutu, paint net. 8 – 10.30 Dance Class
Friday	Independent Studio Practice Complete Any work for Ballet Update Blog	9.30 – 4.30 Ballet (studio 1) Construction, Placing net onto Basque. Update Blog	Independent Studio Practice Update Blog	Independent Studio Practice Update Blog
Saturday	Free	Free	Free	Free
Sunday	Free 6 – 8.30 Dance Class	Free 6 – 8.30 Dance Class	Free 6 – 8.30 Dance Class	Free 6 – 8.30 Dance Class
Week	Week 8 7th – 13th May	Week 9 14th – 20th May	Week 10 21st – 27th May
Monday	Continue with essay for PoP 8 – 10.30 Dance Class	11.30 – 12 HAND IN POP 8 – 10.30 Dance Class	11.30 – 12 HAND IN SDP
Tuesday	Studio Available	Studio Available
Wednesday	5 – 8pm Screening Ballet (Cad Pad)	5 – 8pm Screening Ballet (Cad Pad)
Thursday	9.30 – 4.30 Ballet (studio 1) Finish Bodice, attach to skirt. Apply decoration. 8 – 10.30 Dance Class	9.30 – 4.30 Ballet (studio 1) Male Tunic drafting and 3 piece sleeve.
Friday	Independent Studio Practice Update Blog	Independent Studio Practice Cont with Ballet work Update Blog
Saturday	Free	Complete any outstanding Ballet work.Sketchbook Essay etc
Sunday	Check essay for PoP is completed	Check everything is complete for hand in tomorrow.