Misty walks on cold lonely evenings

What I thought was particularly beautiful was the way the mist created a beautiful blue for the sihouettes to contrast against.

These shots were inspired by some of Lolita's work. Her stunning paintings of harsh rooms depicted in soft light ecouraged me to capture the way the glow from the streetlamp outside my house was battling against the dark shadows of the graveyard. For Lolita's work see, [ http://lolitasartspaceonthemoon.blogspot.com/ ].

A series of unfortunately good costume choices

Jim Carey as Count Olaf in 'A Series of Unfortunate Events'

Here are some costumes that I really appreciate artistically. I'd call them 'gritty' but was told by a collegue that this is not the true Oxford meaning of the word. My gritty is that type of image or object that has depth, that looks like its been lived in detailed dirty, odd but fitting in its space. I believe this type of gritty is important to highly imaginative images as it grounds them in their own reality.

I suppose for a start if you want gritty then you can't really go wrong with the disproportioned top hat. The ribbon band at the base of the hat only enlongates the shape even more. What I like about this outfit is that its silhouette is not outlandish but it still is completely absurd. Don't get me wrong, I like outlandish; but the fact that this manages to achieve that without an obvious deformaty of tradition. What makes this exciting is its ludicrous take on the pinstripe. I'm not sure if they are handrawn or just warped by the thickness of the fabric.

Where it really gets intricate is when the trim on the edges of the straps mimic the vertical lines on the suit. This way the eye is guided round the form by these lines gets more dynamic as we reach the waistcoat where they fan out into a black velvet waistcoat. The outfit only simplifys just before the neckline so that nothing detracts from the period collar and introduction of an underlayer.

closer details like the big medieval style buttons make the costume even more menacing and confusing.

Indecent exposure

Me, on a slippery Trafalgar square lion, dressed in my foundation disaster.

Original Photo by: Richard Twilton

Retaken because I cannot find the digital copy by: Gabrielle

Concept by: Gabrielle

So I'm there. I've beaten 3 in 4 students to get a place at one of the most notorious and fruitful University branches for fashion ever, and I'm pissing about on a lion. Good one Gaby.

Maybe I should explain the events leading up to my brush with a police officer. It's probably the most career shaping moments of my life. The fork that will lead you two very different ways. The foundation course, I'm told was originally designed to weedle out those who didn't really want a career in the arts; and which I found out was a cull of the weak, quite rightly so. I'd draw, oh god I'd drawn. I'd sculpted yes, I'd even fashioned clothes out of tin cans and cardboard but never fashion designed, not properly. 

I respect Central St Martins entirely and believe that they have created a good buisness plan to ensure they get the right people for the job; but from the moment I joined their foundation course to the moment I left was the craziest most soul destroying/ creating time of my life. The unsurety of who was next to be culled from the fashion group can only be described as standing in a herd of buffalo, surrounded by lionesses,all scrabbling to stand up, pushing others out in the hope that letting the lions pick of the weak would be enough to keep us alive. Not very inspiring.

So I did what anyone would do, I tried my best. The thing was, my best was declining at this point. Basic skills such as drawing and photography were improving. But my inspiration was stiffled and those that showed promise were not developing into clothes. Then one morning at 4:00 am I was up doing my work (which was normal for CSM) writing an essay that I had to submit on why I wanted to do fashion: and it hit me, High fashion wasn't the career path that I was intended for, it didn't and had never fitted me as a person. I wasn't cut throat enough for one, whims of fashion did not interest me and I wanted a career in which I could work in a team. Do my part to make something special, not follow trends always being out of date. Always behind.

It was my tutor Sophie Gorton who had mentioned that I'd be better in costume design, and once that idea got into my head, I couldn't shake it. For once, it made sense for me, and not the girl I was trying to be.

As for the indecent exposure. Desparation is a dangerous thing. The lengths I was going to go to, to show off a rather shoddy product will forever be a symbol of how in desparate moments you can find out alot about yourself.

Sketches- Age 15

Photo by: Gabrielle

A little bit of Photography

Photo by: David Bailey

[Fair use: Criticism and Scholarship]

 I found a piece of the Vogue article that inspired this post. It included some of the picture seen above. This particular picture of Francis Bacon by David Bailey is in a folder I like to keep of interesting things I find.

Saying I like David Bailey is a bit like saying I like John Galliano. Completely predictable. But there are reasons for this. The universal recognition of talent is one of them.

Although I'm pretty sure that monochrome is the most overused function in amature photography. I know this because this is me. It's so easy to just push that button and become a genius. I suppose its like dressing in black. If you dont have to worry about colour then your half way there.

I do hate it though. Photography is light and colour is light. I will try not to do it often.

The one exeption is portrait photography. Theres something stunning about these photos as it makes you look at the person a little closer; its not just Johnny Depp its a beautiful Photograph of Johnny Depp.

I'd rather not become a photographer. I just want to to capture some beautiful things.

Not me, just beauty.

Photo by: Gabrielle 

Ask any of my friends and they will probably tell you I have at least once gone on about my only childness. It's mostly that I'm a bit ashamed of how spoilt I am and how others will percieve that.

But put a G12 Canon in anyones hand and I doubt their gonna say 'no I don't want this'.

My beautiful christmas present. <3

what is it?

I dont know what it is about these graphics, but the adverts seriously make me want to go out and buy Assassin's creed and I don't even have a console.

Tate or Tat?

Image belongs to: http://artwednesday.com

I've spent all my time tonight on trying to change the look of this blog. Hopefully its not too offensive to the eyes. A quick peak at my friend's blog http://flamesintofires.blogspot.com/  reminds me that I really should reveal some of my views on art and work instead of the pleasure I seem to be going for.

The image above is of this year’s Christmas tree installation. To my knowledge, every year they get a big Norwegian fir, hulk it into the Tate, and get an Artist in to decorate it. 

Now I must say, when I get some of my work up here from when I was more artist than designer, you will be able to see that I do love conceptual art; and this is the perfect example of that. I get it, its Art 101. Displaying nature as God or whoever intended it (or not intended for the atheists) to make us stop and realise the true beauty of something that we have seen a million of times. 

Now I'm not saying this isn't a good concept, but why not go one step further. The average joe will probably look at this and go... 'duh what is the artist getting paid for' and I'm a believer in shocking them into noticing something.

The same message would have been said if the artist had drowned the poor tree in tinsel or suffocated it somehow. (A dead tree would probably go too environmental issues for me). In turn, I believe this could have been a more striking and imposing sculpture...

...but then again a Christmas tree wrapped in bondage tape would probably belong in Tate Modern instead.

But I guess beauty in simplicity is always a good get out clause.

How the hell?

My friend Chris Larping. Not my photo- not my costume. Liked it thought.

Enough is enough. I'm sick of dreaming- its all I do. I don't want to be one of those washed up people who says that that they could have been this and could have been that. Not that I expected it to be easy, but its hard trying to find a job in costume. I'm here and I'm fresh and I'm willing to work for zilch just for some experience, but I don't know where to start. Who wants me? Who has the power to say they'll have me?

The one thing I know I need is contacts. Which I most definatly don't have. Everyone else seems to have an uncle that works on Harry Potter Props or one that is Stephen Fry. But I suppose I'm not looking hard enough. 

The only thing to do is keep trying I guess.

Most of these are Suicide Girl images. None of these belong to me but are too beauitful not to share.

Here are a few images that I have been saving. I work with images alot and when I come across a picture which I feel encompasses my personality I like to keep a record of it. Here are a few from my archive- with the particular common thread of body art.

This stems back to the origonal reason of why I got into costume. I have always loved working around the body and subsequently most of my art has been centered around this. I believe the naked body is such a pure form that it is a great blank of paper for any artist. My facination with tattoos breaches this pure form but has such a strong identity message that it thrills me.

I have not yet been able to convince myself to get a tattoo. I remember a Vogue article which said that a tattoo is somebody elses permanent mark on you; I find this slightly disturbing. I can understand none artistic people who admire the art having anothers design, but an artist not taking control of his identity is another matter entirely. If I ever breach the gap between here and an inked skin then it will definatly be my unique design.

Finding uniqueness is harder than you think.

what I like

I've messed up this blog already. I keep coming on here to tell the internet world about something that has moved me but then I rambling about myself- and I'd like to keep monitoring my progress in 'getting what I want'- but I would also like to talk about some awsome stuff.


One thing I have to talk is Misfits [No not that band] the E4 programme. I love things that are well thought out. The colour pallet is always exquist, the storylines always unpredictable and the acting is unnecessarily good for, what I reckon, E4 believed would be a time filler. If the channel wanted to axe this after one season, then they definatly shouldn't have hired Iwan Rheon who I must say is my new favourite actor- and why?:


When the audience and I first meet the character of Simon, I see he is edgy, unconfident and as the misfits probably put it, very wierd. 


FAST FORWARD to
 [Alisha slowly approaches the shower. Blur of a man inside the unit. Future simon looks over his shoulder to camera]

How did I miss that. Since when has acting blinded me so much that I hadn't realised how attractive Rheon is? I know I'm subjectable but I'm not blind. I know it sounds small. But it's things like that which make a show successful- great acting, buttoned up shirts, suffocated hair and pale makeup made me completely believe in the character of Simon as unexperienced, unpopular and timid. So much so that the audience (and definatly me) were with Alisha in every character emotion of shock, attraction and eventually mourning - and thats exactly where you want your audience to be- right there with you. It is successes like that which you can gain big numbers. Now me and the rest of the viewers are sucked in; the creative team can take us anywhere on that emotional rollercoaster that is the reason for Art itself.

I don't think anyone can say I do the things I love, half heartedly.

I was once told by my ever so controlling but ever so caring mother that when asked in an interview 'what is your main weakness?' That I was supposed to answer, 'I'm a perfectionist'. But after going for several jobs (and getting them) I realised how awful this answer really is. You may as well answer, 'I'm a clone with no interview personality'. My mother would tell me :'but you ARE  a perfectionist', but the truth is thats not what she was seeing.

From a young age its been all about praise. I would sneak into my mothers bedroom and make her bed for her before she finished her breakfast. Not for the great feeling of helping my mother out, but for that look of pride as she'd seen what I'd done. I lived for that look and when I didn't get it, it destroyed me. I talked in my last blog about criticism. I think what used to be my failing is not the criticism itself, but the lack of praise. And I think it is this that has driven me to wanting perfection. 

There is a feeling some people get when they want something really bad. I think its a mixture of drive, gusto and human instincts. I think I learnt to harness this as a child, I learnt that technique to enable me to get the praise I wanted. Now that im more mature, and alot older, I still get that feeling sometimes. I want to be the hottest slimmest girl in the room for my boyfriend, I want to be the best in my year, I want to be perfect at drawing..... and so it begins- that monster inside of me. The one that gets me out of bed at 6 in the rain to have the perfect body for a boy, the one that spends an entire summer doing nothing but drawing and the summer job to get more money for sketchpads and materials. The one that goes to bed at 5 in the morning from doing work all night and gets up at 9 am so that she can get that first in that module.

Its not a heathly attitude, but it will get me places I'm sure (with a little bit of balance).

Sometimes that monster is a pain. It has come across to others in the past as obsession, or depression. I think people don't understand why I get so passionate about certain things sometimes.  I can't answer that.

But a few awkward glances my way is worth not going through this life being mediocre.

My dad always told me, 'money is like a slippery slope, its so hard to climb up that slope and earn that money but so easy to come crashing down.' I think thats true of most things in life: moving forward is so much easier than backward. I sometimes think that of the future: it is hard to believe you can be somewhere better, even when you've achieved so much in the past.

Film seems to be a good example of this. There are so many directors that will tell you they had no idea their film was going to be a hit. At the end of the day I think you just have to stay true to your art and yourself and know that either way you did the right thing for you.  

I know where I want to be. Designing costume for film. I love the way that its such an integral part of the viewers experience without them even knowing. I watched a documentary on film  in which the interviewee was describing the camerawork. The push pull focus, the close ups the cranework all which he announced that, if you noticed these techniques, then he wasn't doing his job properly. I found that amazing. To think that your part in film can be so perfectly well done, that it is hardly noticed.

I think that true beauty is when you look at something and go wow, while not knowing why. I feel it is like falling in love: many perfect links syncing together.

Helvetica it is.. What is the deal with this font. I see t-shirts with it on, graphic designers raving about it. I suppose it is quite nice.

My first blog, tricky as it sounds I've done this type of thing before- in dear diary type of format. However, instead of writing to dear diary I'm going to write to you> Yes you no one of cyberspace. When I mean no-one I really mean no-one, according to how many followers of Twitter I have.

The problem most people have with these things I guess is that (to pinch a Stephen Fry idea) when something gets written down, especially when it is not completely private locked up with a Whinne the Pooh padlock it suddenly means something. But what I realised today is that I talk so much shit (yes future employer stalking me on the internet I do swear in my own time)  why shouldn't I put it down. Who knows it actually might do me some good.

The second problem is one that I used to be worse at dealing with: Criticism. Yes I am not the spelling B champion but I did get an A in A Level English. I do know how to structure sentences beautifully and if I concentrate then spell correctly, but the thing about me is I'm a 'I want it now type of person'. Not in the awful way you probably think of me now, but in the 'I HAVE SO MANY IDEAS IN MY HEAD I NEED TO GET THEM OUT' sort of way. But for some reason, be it a run in with the hideous youtube haters that trawl around there like grammar Nazis or just plain insecurity, most of my friends fear the blog because of criticism.

Last point, as we both know this is dragging on. Somebody in my Online promotion lecture described Twitter as 'gay'. Now I doubt this girl is a homophobe (more likely is that shes stuck in the 90's when is was barely acceptable to describe something uncool as 'gay'- I know, I did it and regret it.). The thing is, if you don't find yourself or the world interesting enough to talk about in a blog a couple of times a week then I'm not sure your artist material.