Havisham Poem.

I found this poem 'Havisham' by Caroline Duffy whilst researching for this project on Pinterest.

'Beloved sweetheart bastard. Not a day since then

I haven't wished him dead, Prayed for it

so hard I've dark green pebbles for eyes,

ropes on the back of my hands I could strangle with. (Is this line referring to Molly?)

Spinster. I stink and remember. Whole days

in bed cawing Nooooo at the wall; the dress

yellowing, trembling if I open the wardrobe;

the slewed mirror, full-length, her, myself, who did this to me?

 Puce curses that are sounds not words.

Some nights better, the lost body over me,

my fluent tongue in its mouth in its ear

then down till I suddenly bite awake.

Love's hate behind a white veil; a red balloon bursting

in my face. Bang. I stabbed at a wedding-cake.

Give me a male corpse for a long slow honeymoon.

Don't think it's only the heart that b-b-b-breaks.'

After reading this poem i feel you get more of an understanding of Miss Havishams thoughts and emotions. Sometimes throughout it's in a very obvious way, when she says, 'Not a day since i haven't wished him dead.' You know exactly who and what she is talking about. Other lines in the poem I feel are more vague about the meaning. They are very aggressive though, so you really get a sense of the anger and hatred Miss Havsiham had built up in her, as she uses very violent words throughout like, 'bang, stabbed, strangle.' And it certainly portrays Miss Havishams want for revenge with lines like 'Give me a male corpse for a long slow honeymoon.' 

Some of the sections i have put in bold are aspects which would definitely contribute to her appearance. 'I stink and remember.' If she smells, this means she wasn't washing and this would effect her appearance. She would have a dirty sweaty face as I have talked about in other posts whilst researching Victorain health and hygiene. 'The dress yellowing' is another line which reinstates to me how she wouldn't have been keeping up with her hygiene. 

The line 'the lost body over me' I feel could be interpreted as Miss Havisham talking about herself. Which really makes me think about how Miss Havisham has not taken care of her body or health as she could be referring to her own body as 'lost'. Not just about maintaining her appearance, but in other ways such as eating correctly, hygiene and sleeping. Which are things that would add to her appearance, for example, bags under the eyes from lack of sleep and a very  gaunt skeleton like face from bad diet. 

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/481322278897358853/

After finding this poem I decided to look at other poets, this time from the Victorian era for further inspiration and character development. I found this poem by Elizabeth Browning who was a poet from about 1806-1861.

'My Heavy Heart. 

I lift my heavy heart up solemnly,

As once Electra her sepulchral urn,

And, looking in thine eyes, I over-turn

The ashes at thy feet.  Behold and see

What a great heap of grief lay hid in me,

And how the red wild sparkles dimly burn

Through the ashen greyness.  If thy foot in scorn

Could tread them out to darkness utterly,

It might be well perhaps.  But if instead

Thou wait beside me for the wind to blow

The grey dust up, . . . those laurels on thine head,

O my Beloved, will not shield thee so,

That none of all the fires shall scorch and shred

The hair beneath.  Stand further off then! go!'

Although this poem is not directly connected to Miss Havisham like Caroline Duffy's, i feel this poem could be interrupted in many different ways. Some of these interruptions, could have elements and connections with Miss Havisham. The overall impression of the poem really gives a sense of misery and depression, something Miss Havsiham was brimming with. For example, 'could tread them out to darkness utterly' gives a real feel of the gloom and despair which could relate to Miss Havisham or even London itself in that time. This particularly reminds me of the opening scenes in the film renditions of Great expectations, with darkness and moodiness of the scenery, especially as the poem mentions 'greyness & grey' a lot throughout i cant help but think of a foggy smoggy London. 

Although i think this poem could be about someone dying, i think it could also be implying that a part of her has died. Perhaps this is to do with a loss. A death or maybe a love leaving and abandoning her? Like Miss Havsiham. The line, 'What a great heap of grief lay hid in me,' really relates to Miss Havisham as she is experienced intense sorrow although not caused by a death it has left just as big of a scar. 

After looking at both poems they have given me more of an understanding of how Miss Havisham was. Her general emotions and mood, which would play a large factor in her appearance and the Era itself. 

Poem found: 

Richard. (). Elizabeth Barret Browning. Available: http://www.poetseers.org/the-great-poets/female-poets/elizabeth-browning-poetry/my-heavy-heart/. Last accessed 13/02/2014.

After looking at these poems, i began thinking about where else i see Miss Havisham and what other things i think could relate to her. I started to think about music and started listening to songs i listen to on my playlist everyday differently, realising a lot of songs are written about heartbreak and lost love, the same feelings Miss Havisham had. A particular song that stood out for me in regards to relate ability to Miss Havisham was Adele, Rolling in the deep. The song talks about a heartbreak but you also feel the anger and hate and even want for revenge throughout which is exactly how Miss Havisham felt. Lyrics like, 'Theres a fire, starting in my heart' 'See how i leave with every piece of you, dont underestimate the things that i would do' 'The scars of your love, remind me of us (they leave me breathless), the keep me thinking that we almost had it all' 'i'm gonna make you head burn, think of me in depths of your despair' 'you had my heart inside of you hand, but you played it to the beat' 

Illness, fever and sweating.

Products used: 

• Charles fox
• Supra colour
• Glycerine
• Liquid latex or duo
• She drops
• Pipettes
• Stipple sponges

Tired eyes:

• Supracolour- green,yellow and red to make brown. 
• Apply this with small brush under the eyes, make sure to get right up to the lash line. Blend with fingers.
• Don't forget about the top lid and be sure to get up too the lash line there too. 
• And a slight bluey red tones to the corners underneath to get a more lifelike look. 
• Apply red liner to the inside of the eye and blend with cotton bud make it appear more real.

Fever/rash:

*Make sure you do your research into how I'll is the character? The progression of the illness- beginning or end? How I'll are they? How it presents itself? What symptoms? For fever don't forget to think about where people get hot! *

• Do not apply base. 
• Use a red tone and blot on with fingers over the face where people would get hot/rash.
• Cheeks, forehead, chin etc. Don't make it look like make up! 
• Stipple some on too to get different textures. 
• Use a bluey/red tone over the lips.
• Place duo on the lips and wait till dry. Pull up bits to make it appear like the lips are dry and chapped! 
• I added more in corner to create a coldsore.
• Apply liquid latex to face to appear like dry skin! 

Sweat:

• Put Glycerine in a pipette and dot over the face where someone would sweat! 

*tip- water spray bits of hair as hair would be sweaty too! 

Wrinkles on the neck:

• To create wrinkles on the neck, get client to stretch her neck and put her head back as far as possible. The tighter the skin on the neck the better the results will be. 
• Apply liquid latex all over, dry layer before you put on any more. 

Viens: 

Here is an example of Sue creating vines, she used a Kryolan product, supracolour and powder. 

Developing french pleat and Silhouette

I was asked to develop the French pleat we were taught and to add 'Eccentric' details but remembering about the silhouette. This is mind, i was aiming to create a larger structure coming from the top of the french pleat, which would be backcombed and have a lot of height. The front i wanted a low barrelled fringe. I wanted the texture overall to be quite matted, frizzed and loose and aspect Miss Havisham would definitely have had to her hair, after years of not maintaing it.

Here are some images from my practices on a dolls head and then images from using my partner Beth in Seema's lesson of the silhouette.

 This was the first image taken.

 After the first photo was taken i changed the top section from being all whispy and apart, to all together to try and give it more volume.

These images didn't come out how i would have liked. I was especially disappointed with the Silhouette photo's. I wanted a lot more height, volume and structure to the design. I feel like it is lacking in that, and for it to be perceived by someone else as eccentric it needs this, as i don't feel you would look at these images and see that. I will experiment now with adding padding or some form of wire at the top of the french pleat to really get some more height and volume and make it more angled, then pull out bits and make it looser and look decaying. The barrel fringe i also want to be bigger and lower to really show in the silhouette and will also look at more Victorian hairstyles and try and add key elements.

Brusing wounds and cuts practical.

Products used:
Pasteo- moulding wax.
Sealer by kryolan.
Fake blood. Tip- mix coffee granules with the blood.
Bruise wheel. Kryolan and Ben Nye.
Black stipple sponges.

Make sure you test client with all products before using incase of an allergic reaction.

Brusie (black eye):
Make sure you think of factors such as how old is the bruise before creating.

• Start with the lightest colour first. (Best to have a photo of what you want to create to try and copy it. Also make sure the photo is of a real bruise or black eye.)
• Mix with moisturiser as its grease and grease products. 
• Make sure you get right up too the lash line and don't go below the bone. 
• Use fingers as well as brush to blend.

Cuts:

Make sure you think of aspects before creating. E.g. Did the accident happen around glass? Would there be mud in it. 

• Use pallet knife and work wax into had so it becomes more moveable. 
• Put small amount on where you want the cut to be. 
• Smooth over, keep cleaning knife off. Moisturiser helps it get smoother.
• Make a cut where you want the cut to be with the pallete knife. 
• Add the sealer and make sure there are no hard edges. 
• Apply foundation and powder so it looks the same colour as skin tone. 
• Apply wound filler where you want it and fake blood and coffee granules. Make sure you apply fake blood in the direction they would be in when the accident happens so the blood runs in the right direction.  
• You can apply fullers earth to make it look like there is mud in it.

I think the practical went well and was really happy with black eye. I think i could have gone a little bit heavier in the corners with it to make it look more affective on camera. The cuts i didn't have very long to create but i think if they were thinner they would have looked more realistic as they are quite thick. This is something i now know for the future when creating them again. 

Base and liquid latex practical

This week we experimented in class with out Miss Havisham looks. We experimented with different items to create a peeling/rough skin look. We used liquid latex, duo and pva glue.

Make sure to test client with all products before applying incase of an allergic reaction.

I used liquid latex to try and create a cold sore/broken lip area and to age the mouth area. I also aged the skin with techniques i have previously learnt. I feel the wrinkles i created need to be a bit more blended and the dark under eyes need to be empathised more. And after speaking with Lottie i need to bring them down further to make them look more realistic. I think with the mouth area and the liquid latex i need too add more colour and product to really give the look of sore aged lips. Also i need to make sure the outside is a little bit more blended so it looks more realistic.

Developing French Pleat

Developing french pleat.

Today we were asked to create the french pleat on a dolls head but add other detail. I was told to add a structure on the front of the hair copying a picture Seema showed me of a Victorian hairstyle. This was the outcome:

After doing this i want to experiment more with my eccentric look. I want to create a bigger shape on top incorporating the top of the french pleat and back of the fringe from the front, to try a create a point like in my original eccentric photo. With small tighter curls which are stood up. I also need to work on getting the bottom of my french pleat a lot tighter and the top looser with a lot more height and volume if i want to create an eccentric look.

After doing this i started to look more on Pinterest at Victorian hairstyles and silhouettes. It really made me see how much the silhouette of the hair can dramatically change you perception and views of someone. It has given me more ideas about adding my eccentric details from my photograph to the french pleat. Here are some images from my Pinterest board.

These are some images of Victorain hairstyles. You can see a lot of tight curls and neat tight structures. Some higher some quite low down. They are almost all pulled back of the face and the middle parting is quite common. This has given me some inspiration for adding some Victorain details to my look.

The two images above are looking at the shapes that can be created with a silhouette. The difference between these two would be huge. The first images silhouette would give a completely different perception of the person to what the second would. The first is big, bold and eccentric. The second is very safe, neat and conservative. This has given me a better understanding and some inspiration on adding my eccentric details to create a silhouette which would portray that.

Some of these images were found on Pinterest whilst researching. Here is a link to my 'Miss Havisham' Pinterest board.  http://www.pinterest.com/lailahamidi/miss-havisham/

Adding romantic, eccentric and cruel

Here are the images of the French pleat that I added eccentric, romantic and cruel details too.

The first is for my romantic. I added big waves through the front section and would want a lot of volume to make it look more romantic and sexy. I also wouldn't want the pleat itself to be very tight, it would be quite loose and low and could have some curls falling out of it. I would also want it to be on a side parting as it's not as harsh as a middle parting.

This one is my cruel design. I want it very blunt, harsh and geometric looking. I would create a very heavy blunt cut fringe  that would come down to the eyes of even over the eyes. Two straight side burn style pieces down the sides. And the whole general shape would be very structued and very sharp almost like a helmet. The hair would be all the same colour, with no other tones going through it to give it a more cruel feel. 

Finally this is my French pleat with eccentric detail. I firstly create the shape of the pleat a lot bigger and higher using padding. I would then create small tight curls thought the hair adding a different texture all over. They don't have to be neat but to stay in the shape of the structure. I would then add different colour hair, reds, pinks, silvers throughout giving it a more eccentric feel. 

Base practical.

Today we practiced on getting the perfect base for our Miss Havisham. I wanted to concentrate on getting her too look Ill. We were told to add tones so I added blue tones to create a more grey washed out face and some yellow tones around the eyes. I feel it still needs more after looking at the photos I wil experiment with adding more blue and yellow tones and to really try get it as ill and pale looking as i can without it looking false.

My partner also had a bruise on her eye, and the colours of it are how I imagine some of the coloration of Miss Havishams face being with the yellow tones. 

Ageing the skin.

Ageing the skin: 

• Make sure you age everywhere that is going to be seen.
• Start by applying a base. You don't need to conceal, unless there are bad spots, as it's better to create you own than use the clients as when they go you will have to create it too look exactly like that. 
• Use finger underneath the eye, get rift into the hairline with d15 or d16. 
• Make sure you get client to more face so you can see their natural lines. E.g when doing eyes ask to scrunch up eyes and draw in the wrinkles, raise eyebrows and draw in wrinkles on the lines on head. Apply the dark tones in all crease over the face, around the mouth, corners of nose, lips, under cheekbone around eyes and forehead. 
• Apply a highlighter above the lines on face and in areas that you want to pull out more. 
• Apply grey too the eyebrows. We used a kryolon grey spray. Never white. 
• We then used Ben Nye creeping skin to add a more aged texture to the skin.
• Health and safety- always test on clients two weeks before use as they could be allergic. If clients allergic it will go red and itch and remove with warm water. 
• Apply by stretching the along really right and stipling on. Dry with hairdryer (check temp before using on client) make sure it's fully dry and clear before applying another layer. 

Here is an image of Millir that I did. I feel after taking the photo she does look older but it needs to be more exaggerated to show up better on camera as in real life it was much more defined than what it appears in this.

Below is an image of me that my tutor and Millie did. 

French Pleat.

• Brush hair and create two sections at the front either side and grip and leave to one side. 
• Start with top layer of hair and tong hair. (Once you can feel the hair getting hot remove tong) 
• Grip up the curl and leave. 
• Then start either side in the direction you want to go. In this case inwards. Reverse and do same on the other. 
• Remover all the grips and brush through the hair.
• Back comb in the same direction you tonged the hair in starting with the top first. 
• On the left side smooth over hair and cross grip leaving top section out.
• With the rest of the hair, Wrap the hair round hand and create the circular structure and secure with geishas going in toe cross gripped area. 
• Add in all the renaming hair making sure it's tight and there's a smooth sleek finish. Hairspray to refine. 
  
  

Miss Havisham.

Yvonne's lesson this week was about looking at things differently, and too look at the colour, shape and texture of an image or thing. She showed us pictures not nessercarily Victorian, some contemporary, that had aspects and details through colour, shape and texture that related to Miss Havisham. This inspired me too look more closely at the all the little details that make up Miss Havisham, and too also look at the colour shape and texture of them.

Yvonne also showed us this quote by Damien hurst- 'the physical impossibility of death in the mind of someone living' which definetly to me sums up miss Havisham, and how she was living but not really alive. At one point she might have been happy and attractive, but no longer. 

Aspects and research that I feel apply to my Miss Havisham: 

      Health and hygiene wasn't great at all in the Victorian era. Every person who died of old age, eight died of disease such as Cholorea. In poor places streets might run ankle deep in mud for weeks. Some considered a bath a place where you would catch disease and some people would not even take their clothes off to do so. So although Miss Havisham was wealthy she wasn't the sort of person that would wash and maintain her personal hygiene. Most wealthy women would change they're clothes 4-5 times a day, which is also something Miss Havisham would not be partaking in. She would have been very dirty which i feel would come across in her appearance. Maybe the dirt would have been in her wrinkles? Her nails would have been dirty and not manicured and unkept too.

This image above really gives of to me a sense of layering. Which could be something that Miss Havisham would have had, years worth of dirt and grim layered on top of each other on her skin. 

      Deodorant wasn't created until the late 1880s, so I imagine she wasn't smelling her best either. She would have looked quite sweaty, from the oil lamps being on and never getting any air or light. There were no toilets and indoor plumbing so most houses smelt really bad, i feel as Miss Havisham was also indoors sitting in the smell it would have added to her horrible odour.
      Women in the Victorian times also didn't groom their body hair (this started about the 1920's), so her eyebrows would have been extremely messy and un plucked. Did she have any other facial hair? 

      In the Gillian Anderson portrayal of Miss Havisham she had a tick and was itching her skin a lot. I feel like this would have been quite accurate as bed bugs were a normal infestation in the Victorian Era causing lots of skin disorders and diseases. Does Miss Havisham have eczema? I think Miss Havisham skin is very discoloured. Due to illness, lack of sunlight and infestations. I imagine it to be very washed out and grey or yellow like, with red itchy patches and yellower  and brown tones around eyes and cheeks making her appearance very gaunt and ill looking. The image i perceived in my head of her was almost like a skull. as i feel she wouldn't be eating well so would be very thin.

   I really love the colour palette of the image above, the browns arounds the eyes make him look tired and old. The cut lip, and gauntness of the face and neck are brought out by the brown and darker coloration. I love the texture of the face, its very old, unkept and rough looking. The way the eyes are very inset and dark, brings out more of a sense of his ill health. I love how the face is not perfect at all, and you feel like he has had a hard life. Also on this photo there looks like there are scars and cuts and bruising. Which makes me think if Miss Havisham would and why? However, I think it is important to remember that Miss Havisham was seen through Pips eyes so his perception of her would have been a lot more exaggerated than to what she actually looked like. In all aspects for example, age, as she would have only been 40 maximum as life expectancy wasn't very long due to all the disease but Pip is portraying her to seem a lot older and grotesque as he was only a child looking at this seemingly old eccentric woman. 

       Everyone was also infested with body lice and head-lice. People used to use mercury to try and kill the lice (which caused more illness.) I think Miss Havisham would have definitely had head-lice and extremely dirty matted hair, which was once grand and lovely but now an unkept mess, with grey going through it. Maybe cobwebs or other accessories are lost and caught up within it? Her veil would have been extremely off white, yellows, browns and greys. Years worth of dirt caught up in it.

        Dental hygiene wasn't a very common thing in the victorian time either. It would usually be just a bit of rag used to brush teeth. Womens teeth were known to be worse then mens due to pregnancy and the hormones causing teeth to fall out. Although an Italian company Marvis brought out toothpaste in the late 1700's it still wasn't very common. I imagine Miss Havishams teeth to be very yellow and black, maybe some have fallen out.

Another image that really stood out to me whilst doing research on Pinterest for Miss Havsiham was this painting by Gustav Klimt. The gauntness and skeleton like shapes of the body really portray to me how i see Miss Havisham. The unkept brow, and the yellow tones and paleness of the face are also details which i feel she would have. 

Make up in the Victorian Era was an issue for women and society. Anything applied to the skin was not refereed to as Make up but medicinal nature and brought from the pharmacist. Women focused more on skin care and looking after their skin than make up. Women who wore make up were either prositutes or actresses as it was frowned apon for women to have 'painted faces.' If it was worn it would be very subtle and they moved away from heaving thick bases seen in earlier times as Queen Victoria thought painted faces were 'vulgar'. Having pale skin was what women wanted as if you had tanned skin you would be seen as the 'working class' working out in the sun all day. So pale skin meant you were rich enough not to work and you would indoors all day. 

 However make up was still available and pastes, powders and paints were used. These were made out of things such as, rice powder, zinc or ground pearl powder and were used to hide blemishes, some would even add red beet juice to the cheeks for a healthier complexion. All kinds of concoctions were created to make lip balms, eyeshadows, eye liners all applied subtly to the face. Although make up was around in those days i feel like when we read about Miss Havisham in great expectations she would not have been wearing it. If she did it would have seeped deep into her skin adding to the layers of dirt on her skin. Or it could be the other way round and she could be applying it in hopes that her love comes back to her?

Kate Tattersall. (2012). Early Victorian era make up.. Available: http://www.katetattersall.com/?p=3735. Last accessed 04/02/21014.

I really like these images by John Galliano. They really stood out for me. The sweatiness of the face, pale skin and heavy dark eye shadow under the eye, really gives a sense of how Miss Havisham would be looking. Even the veil, grey off white clothes and the accessories in the hair would also be a factor that Miss Havisham would have had. The finger wave in the hair would have started to become more common too. 

All these images i found on Pinterest whilst researching. Here is a link to my 'Miss Havisham' Pinterest board.  http://www.pinterest.com/lailahamidi/miss-havisham/