Redheads And Royalty: September 2015

Today was our first lesson with Helen Keelan which I enjoyed very much because not only that she introduced us to the "Elizabethan era", but she shared with us her experience as a make-up artist in the film and theatre industry. She discussed with us various aspects of the industry, like the hours and hours of research involved in developing a project or the time spent creating just a simple wig out of little hairs etc.
After that, we had to work in pairs and identify the major characteristics of Elizabethans hairstyles, comparing the old, classic ones that people in the portraits had (not just Elizabeth I) with the new designs inspired by that era. For me it was actually the first time when I really spent a couple of minutes analizing the hairstyles of the people portrayed. I usually didn't look at portraits that way and I wasn't paying so much attention to the details, such as hairstyles and the way portrayed people's complexion looked, but now I realised how important these aspects are and how just one picture can tell us a whole story about the person that's in it.
I have learnt today that one major characteristic of Elizabethans hair is that blonde or red was the most desirable hair color, and those who were from the upper class dyed their hair lighter. The majority of the people from portraits had round or heart shaped hair in the front, with jewelry, precious stones, pearls and fancy hats added in the hairstyle (which symbolised their wealth status, because not everybody could afford firstly, to be portrayed, and secondly, to wear so much jewelry and to have someone doing their hair). The fancier the hairstyles and the adornments, the whealthier they were. Queen Elizabeth I symbolised the ideal of beauty for that era and everyone tried to look like her, so they frequently tried to copy her hairstyle and make-up.
I think that this project will have a wonderful outcome because I feel really inspired by the Elizabethan era, and I can't wait to research more! I have many gaps in my knowledge about England's history (and the language aswell), as I am not a native and in highschool I didn't study something else than my country's history, so everything I know is due to my extra-curricular research. However, I feel really excited about this first semester even if it's going to be the toughest and I'll do my best in overcoming any problem I might encounter. I'll just let the inspiration guide me to the best outcome possible!

Today was my first practical hair lesson and I was a little nervous about it because I'm not so familiar with hairstyling, as I used to do make-up before but not hair.
Our tutor told us about health and safety procedures and after that she showed us different types of buns and plaits which we had to recreate.

I totally forgot to take pictures of what I've done in the studio, but at home I practised and photographed the braids I did on myself and on the Kate head.

Here are some pictures of my studio work:

1. Modern bun: