Devore - Procne

Screen Printing Devore

After realising the colour techniques onto the velvet, Myself and Rhyannon explored the design of the collar. We suggested to Bethan that Screen Printing Devore onto the velvet as it would give a crisp outline, like that of her design.

Bethan after this drew the pattern/design she wanted the collar to have. We transferred the design onto a screen through photocopying the drawing onto acetate to expose onto the screen.

 Bethan's Design - Procne Collar

Velvet Devore Sample

The results of the Devore were fantastic! We also though that underneath the removed fibres section you could have a different colour lining to highlight the contrast even more.

I am so happy I have learnt how to expose a screen now, Alison taught me how to use the machine. It is such a useful skill to have!

I think this technique will look really effective with this design, and can't wait to see how it will look!

Philomela and Procne... Velvet Experimentation

Bleach and Dye on Velvet

With these two characters Bethan wanted the add on collar sections to be made out of velvet then highlighted with copper/golden hues. We had a few problems due to the pre-dyed velvet that we bought. It was not over dying very easily so today I experimented with bleach and dye. I watered down the bleach into a dilute solution then painted brush lines on top of the velvet. After leaving the bleach solution for a few minutes I deactivated the solution through using a dilute mixture of vinegar and water. This stopped the beach from damaging the fibres of the velvet. Afterwards I was able to over dye them with Dylon Golden Glow and Procion Gold. This proved to be very effective as the effect it produced was a two-tone dip dye, similar to that of the design. 

After today's session I have realised that it is important to bear health and safety in mind as I am really glad I wore my mask all day, since Rhyannon got a headache after working in the dye room without one. Gloves are very important too! 

Tiresias - Using our new found knowledge!

Tiresias

After understanding the dye process I knew that if we did the same dye swatch testing on other character fabrics we would be able to visually see what colours we can produce. We started this with Tiresias - the designer Bethan wanted the colours to be rich, earthy, dark and broken down. Myself and Rhyannon tested each of the fabrics that had been chosen for the character. The colours we experimented with were Havanna Brown, Reindeer Beige, Coffee and Procion Cold water dye Brown. The results were shocking! The range of colour we produced was vast, ranging from orange browns to greens and even pink! The mixed fibres of silk and cotton reacted very differently with each dye. Bethan was stunned at the outcome and pleased with the tones and hues. The pink colour was a big no no though!

I have learnt from today's session that it is so important to pre dye your fabrics to test the colour on the fibres. There is so much chemistry involved n this job role, its very exciting!

Juno - Colour Samples

Juno - Design to Dye Development

The original design Bethan did for Juno had just a plain blue skirt section. After developing the ombre dye work for the rest of the costumes, Bethan felt that Juno needed to have a similar effect on her skirt section. Myself and Rhyannon were asked to test colours on the silk noile fabric that will be used for the dress. We chose to study the colours of Arabian Nights, Madonna Blue and Emerald. The design is influenced from a peacock, therefore the colours should reflect these tones.

We methodically sampled the colours on the fabric. The results were beautiful! 

After developing the dye swatches, Bethan went away and re-designed Juno.She explained on her design what colours should go where when testing the ombre. We trialled the ombre dip dyes in the palette she suggested, however we found there were teething problems. There was a harsh line on the dip dye where the fabric had been shocked from the hot dye. Rhyannon suggested we should soak the fabric in urea as this helps the dye to evenly soak into the fabric. 

The soaking really helped and the dye took a lot better with the fabric. We also found that Bethan's suggestion of 'Elephant Grey' with the order of the ombre didn't work, therefore we decided to cut it out of the sequence which she was happy with. 

I went even further with the sampling by experimenting with dyna flow silk  paints and rock salt to see if I could recreate the dappled effect on the design, similar to that of a peacock feather. My samples looked really effective and Bethan liked the outcome.

We have first fittings coming up soon so it will be great to see how the dress and dye work will go together!

I have learnt that the textiles is so intertwined with the design process. They both go hand in hand to create beautiful work. Bethan is great to work with and I am so excited about this costume design! 

Blood, Sweat and No Tears!

Removing Blood from Fabrics - Base Costumes Cotton and Velvets

Well today I had a challenge! Removing fake blood from our costume fabrics. In the show there will be a few scenes involving blood and the Director has specifically said to Bethan that he wants blood to be in the show. This hasn't given us an easy job as there are many characters that this will affect.

I went and spoke to the Make Up course at AUB to ask about the different types of blood they use for performance. They gave me a list of the three main ones they use:

Pro Blood Dark, Kryolan - Cheap Cost - 1 Litre £30 (Sugar/Water/Alcohol) Base.

Special Film Blood, Kryolan - Medium Cost - 250ml £17 (Water/Glycerine) Base. Good for mouths/noses.

Non Drying Stage Blood, Mouldlife, Kensington Gore. Professional - Expensive Cost - 50g £8 (40  degrees standard washing instructions).

I methodically put each type of blood on the velvet and cotton fabrics we would be using for our costumes. Then using several detergents and stain removers I tested each stain removal technique to see what would work best. Surprisingly they all removed the blood fairly well, some better than others. The most effective blood and stain removal was the Cheap Pro Blood with hot water and Ariel hand wash.

This was such an interesting task! Bethan was very pleased that the cheapest blood had the best stain removal. I have learnt that within costume the knowledge of stain removal is so so important! Especially when you are involved in textiles or supervising, or even running wardrobe. I will take this knowledge with me an apply it to my next work.

Developing Our Colour Palette...

Narrowing Down our Base Costume Colour Palette...

Bethan and I developed the colour mixing further after our first dye session. Once I had researched into colour concentrations and ratios of dye it was decided that we should use this same method in our practice. This proved to work exceptionally well! The samples we produced clearly illustrated different tones and hues, some which dramatically altered through one extra ml of dye!

I have learnt from today's session that Research really helps when dyeing fabrics. I never knew before how much the slightest bit of dye alters the colour.

 

Colour Palette... Base Costumes.

Dye Experimentation!

So where on earth do we start?! Myself and Bethan had a mammoth task of creating the right colour combination to match the base costume designs to give us the right ombre effect.... easy right?

Putting logic together we methodically went through the dye room cupboard seeking out the dyes we felt would work within our colour palette. The colours we chose were Black, Elephant Grey, Coffee, Reindeer Beige, Havana Brown, Desert Dust and Golden Glow.

We tested each of the dyes over a 20 minute time period, with the three types of cotton fabric that the Bethan had chosen for the costumes. The results look like this! A beautiful colour chart of the dyes turning light to dark.

Even though this pain-stakingly long process took forever, the results were well worth it! We could clearly see what dyes worked best and what ones didn't. After this we were able to narrow down the colours and start mixing colours with ratios of dye and our recipes.

Finally we tested the different ratios with the ombre dip dying, as seen bellow.

I have learnt that dying is NOT a quick process! Experimenting this far has taken a lot longer than we anticipated and problem solving textiles is troublesome. My job is not going to be easy!

It's time to go all Roman! Tales From Ovid....

First Meeting

Another day, another project! Today I met the designer, makers, supervisor and team for the latest AUB Production. My role this time round is Textiles Supervisor. I have never done this role before but I am very excited to get my hands dirty in the dye room and experiment with fabrics and techniques!

Here are the basics of the play. It's 10 short stories, 38 characters - 7 women and 5 men. There is no real setting, no time era and is a dreamlike world, not reality... Gods, nymphs and mortals are the characters and the costume and set must be beautiful. All the actors multi-role, therefore there will be base costumes and add-on garments to indicate the character change. It's a physical and emotional piece of theatre. The main idea the designer, Bethan Francis, wanted to show was merging of the set and characters, that the black set floor creeps into the costumes. This is reflected in the designs with the ombre effect. The show is being played at Bournemouth Dance Pavilion for 4 nights at the end of February so we only have 2 months to get the show on! Eeek! Exciting yet scary. 

It's strange as the project feels like it will start slowly but I know from experience it's going to get pretty manic. There is a lot of problem solving due ahead I can tell.....

Design Introduction

Costume Designer: Bethan Francis

First day as a Textiles Supervisor. Briefed and introduced to the designs! Made and action plan and all ready  to start experimenting! Here are just a few of the designs that I am working on.