nipples

These are the nipples that are going to go onto Beverly's fat suit. I think they have been really successful as they similar to Katie's sample. I think they will look great on the fat suit as they will be comical  yet pretty.

Cyril's buttons

These felt button's for Cyril's waistcoat didn't work very well. The top button is way to yellow and the sequins look way to big for the button. The bottom button hasn't really worked well either as the black round the edge looks to harsh. Also it looks too flat. Even though the buttons have to be flat so that it doesn't hurt the performer I still would like to try and create a fake 3D look. Unfortunately the bottom buttons will have to go onto the waistcoat for now but I do plan to change them after hand in.

Second fitting- Beverly's fat version

 Once again the hem lines on both coat and dress need to be shorten so they are identical to the thin versions. But apart from that and the position and length of the sleeve nothing else was changed. I think the big versions of her costume work really well as the belt accentuates her size. On the coat I am also going to make some of the buttons look like they are falling off to give the impression that the coat doesn't now she's bigger.

Second fitting- Beverly thin version

The thin versions of Bev's coat and night dress fitted well all that needs to be altered is the hem length on both of them. I think the buttons on the coat look great and once the pink lining is in it'll look really garish.( which is what we are aiming for)

Fat suit fitting

 The fat suit for Beverly fitted really well and Katie seemed to really pleased with the way it looked. The arms and bottom of the legs need to be padded out more but apart from that all that will be left is finishing. The boobs and fat rolls need to be stitched into so they are more defined. Over all I think it looks really good especially the legs and they look like they have cellulite.

Second fittings - Cyril

 The second fitting for Cyril went really well. The trousers need to be made shorter and to be stuck out at the sides. The waistcoat needs to have a new back so that he has tails. The wig base seemed to fit well so it's just the case of getting on with creating everything in top fabric.

Cyril's new design

This is the new design for the character Cyril. The hoop didn't fit the character anymore and instead of him being a creepy park keeper he is now more the ring leader.

Cyril's fitting

 Acre's fitting for his character Cyril went really well. The polo shirt and waist coat fitted perfectly  the only adjustment was that the buttons might need to be changed on the waist coat, as they hurt if he lands on them whilst doing Chinese pole.

The mask looked great but again the eye holes need to be a bit bigger due to restriction.

These clown trousers are my favourite part of Cyril's costume as I think they look really funny and would have real impact on the audience. Also Arce could hide in them with would be great if he popped out of them during the performance. Sadly the clown trousers aren't being used as Cyril is going to look smarter now and be more like the ring leader.

Fittings

The first fitting for Bev and Cyril went really well there were some alteration to the costumes but over all the actors seemed happy. It was quite a long day traveling to and from London and having to carry the fiber glass hoop was challenging on the underground. Apart from that I felt I gained a lot from visiting Circus space and the performers as they gave me some idea of what the costume will have to go through.

Bev/ Lynn's costume

 This is the lycra base for the fat suit. The suit fitted really well the only adjustments was taking the legs up because they were a little bit to long. The arms were a little short but Lynn said she liked that due to rolling objects up her arm in her act.



















This is the thin version of the night dress Bev will be wearing. It was quite restricting around the legs so godets  are going to put in for extra room.

    The calico toile of the coat fitted well but katie wanted the coat to be baggier to look more frumpy, so the Center front was taken out and also a box pleat is going to be put in the back.

     
        I'm really pleased with the mask for Bev as it has a cartoon and I feel will add to the character once the fat suit is on. The eyes need to made bigger as they restrict vision and nose holes need to made to breath. It is still undecided whether the masks are going to be used due to the practicality of them.  Hopefully they are used because I think they will be really effective.

Fat suit

Creating the fat suit has been quite difficult as it needed to be padded out quite a lot to get it to a large size. The top picture shows the fat suit taking shape. After adding bean bag boobs I feel the suit looks much more realistic. Even though I have found the fat suit challenging I have learnt  a lot and have really enjoyed making it.

pillows

I'm really pleased with the way the pillows for Beverly have turned out. I think the Lycra cover buttons works well to get the fleshy look. The fabric for the cushions also works really well because it slightly skin coloured but not so much that they look too realistic.

mask making

 In this session we started creating the paper mache mask for the characters. The paper mache should be softer than the fiber glass but still being strong. The other advantage with paper mache is that it's easier to create texture ontop of and to paint on.

Dye room

Today I experimented in the dye room trying to get the correct lime green for Beverly's coat. I felt the session was a success and I got a very close colour. To get the florescent quality to the fabric I am going to try painting on it with florescent paint at a later date.

These are all my samples some a bit to dark or too blue.












This big sample was the most effective and it going to be the sample I add the paint to.

Getting started

Back from Easter holidays and time to get on with the circus!
From having a meeting with the designer yesterday a few changes are being made to  some of the characters. Luckily both of my character are pretty much staying the same.

Progress is a little slow at the moment as I'm working on another production but I have drafted Beverly's Lycra body suit pattern. So hopefully when the Lycra is bought and dyed I will have a base for her fat suit.

fiber glassing the masks

After making the clay bases I then went onto fiber glass the masks to see what effect it would give and if would be a technique that could use to create the final masks for the show.

Using the big bits of fiber glass was quite tricky due to it not bending over the areas like the eye brows and nostrils. So I used big bits for the flatter areas and the thinner fiber glass for the more difficult areas.

Masks

Today I experimented with making mask for some of the characters. I used clay to create the shape then are going to fiber glass on top of them at a later date.

This is Cyril's mask made out of clay most of the shapes on the mask were easy to make apart from the nose due to the length. A lot of clay was used to create the nose and it started off quite thin but due to the length I had to make it thicker. Extending out at the sides was a challenge as well  because I was trying to make the mask look flat but still fit the face. Over all I think the mask looks good and the creases and over exaggerated eye brows makes the mask creepy and sinister which was the effect I was going for.

Important Dates

Some Important dates for the diary.


19th of April first fitting- need to have calico toiles- Beverly: Lycra fat suit base, Cyril: hoop and calico shorts

10th of May second fitting- Costumes have to pretty much few adjustments might need to be made

10th June Costumes being sent off for performers to practice in- costumes need to be completely finished

1st July- dress rehearsal

4th-7th- the show

Designs

 These are the two designs I chose to make for this project.  For Cyril I will create his clown shorts and skirt, mask and possibly a Lycra suit to go underneath. For Beverly I will be creating her fat suit, mask, boob pillows and rag wig. The designs haven't be confirmed yet so a few changes maybe made.

First meeting

  
                                                    First meeting for circus



During the first meeting the designer Katie Broome describe the main theme of her designs and explained each character and their part in the performance. The main idea was is of these grotesque characters living in this caravan world and being kept there by the grounds keeper who spies on everyone.

Ideas for characters

·         Shiny side of lycra used to create a glitzy feel but broken down to give a grotesque look.

·         Grotesque look to the characters – grey skin, boils, fat suits, stained clothes

·         Boils and spots created in sequins  to give the glitzy feel

·         Masks worn to emphasise features

·         Rag wigs worn / eye brows/ nose hair

·         Some parts of costume could be painted onto body suite such as belt necklace or created with big sequins