Marina Costume
MIXED MATERIALS
In this module I have been experimenting with different materials that we wouldn't usually use in costume. I have found that exploring these materials can increase possibilities in what I can make and it has helped me think about using materials other than fabric.
Our first mixed materials project explored different ways of making patterns. This technique requires us to cover the object that we're taking the pattern from, which in this case was an apple, with masking tape and to mark the patterns and cut them out as shown on the first photograph. I then cut the patterns out in fabric and hand stitched them together. I found this way of pattern cutting a lot easier than drawing the patterns in 2D, 3D to 3D made more sense to me. When making this, I realised the importance of marking notches as this makes a big difference to the alignment of the product. I also think that I shouldn't have cut into the notches as once the piece was sewn together some gaps still remained. I would like to try use this pattern making techique for clothing as well, perhaps taping the masking tape onto a mannequin.
During this session I learnt how to use the material fosshape. I learnt that it isn't the most durable fabric and doesn't hold it shape as well as some of the other fabrics. However, it's soft texture makes it ideal for making ears for masks. Next time I use this material I will try and steam it for longer to see if it makes a difference to how well the shape holds.
Another material we were taught about was varaform. This material was intriguing to work with because when dipped into hot water it becomes extremely flexible. When it cools down it hardens and the shape will not budge unless dipped into hot water again. I enjoyed working with this material, but found that it can be quite difficult because it can stick to itself when wet.
This was my favourite material to work with. I found it the easiest to manipulate and think that the possibilities with this material are endless. Any mistakes made using this material can easily be fixed by simply reheating the worbla.
For this project we had to adapt a bird shaped mask pattern to one of another animal. I chose to adapt it to one of a dog. It is inspired by my own dog, who is quite fluffy. To mimic this fluff I used shredded wadding and stuck it on top of the painted mask and then painted on top of the wadding. If I were to do it again, I would aim to make the wadding cover more even. There are parts of my mask that have more wadding on than others and this has made the mask look quite messy. I also had trouble figuring out how much paint to put on top of the wadding, so that is also slightly uneven across the mask. Overall, I found making the mask quite challenging, especially when sticking the pieces of plastazote together. The timing when using the glue is essential and when sticking some of the pieces together I. don't think I got the timing quite right which resulted in the mask base not being as slick as it could have been.