Hair Styling

HAIR!

I have been practicing with hair styles that I would be able to use for my catwalk and editioral shoots. Hair is so important when it comes to fashion shoots and it is often seen that it has been forgotten about. If this is the case, it doesnt create the final image very well and the shoot look unfinished. I have been known to do this something as hair isnt my strong point, but this is something I am going to work extra hard at this time.

Clay Masks

 

The first practice I did was using clay. There are different types of clay based products you can use. Professionally, there is one called fullers earth but to keep on a budget it is fine to use a general clay mud face mask. The process of doing so is so simple, and the effect reminds me of mud so it mixes in really well with my african theme. To produce a hair style with clay, you have to ensure that you style the hair first. If you do it the other way around then you wont be able to style the hair because the clay dries fast and produces a crispy, hard texture. So, once the hair has been styled you simply paint the clay onto the hair. Once its dried you can begin to crack it or give whatever texture you like, and then finally paint over the top if necessary.

Application of the Clay Mask

Up Close View of Clay Mask

Painting on the Clay Mask

After trying the clay mask on the hair, I then went onto working on the skin. I worked on the arm to see if I could experiment with tribal patterns and etchings. What I did for this was very simple. I applied a layer of the clay onto the skin, not too thinly but also not too thickly otherwise it doesnt dry. Whilst the clay was still wet, I used a wooden lolly stick to etch into the wet clay to draw some tribal patterns. I then used a hair dryer, on the cool heat, and dried it off. Once the clay was dry, I could then paint over it with colour and create decorated tattoos. I actually quite liked the idea of these markings on the skin because the clay looked a lot like mud. Even if I didnt want to etch into them, having the muddy look on the skin remined me a lot of africa. They also remined me of Gallianos Catwalk idea!

Painting onto the Clay on the Skin

Close Up of Painted Clay on Skin

The equipment that I used for this was very easy to get hold of. 

Fullers Earth 

Clay Fask Mask (cheap from boots)

Illamasqua Aqua Colours

Lolly Sticks

Paint Brushes

Hairdryer

Heres an image of the clay face mask that I used from boots. They are cheap, easy to get hold of spread quite far. 

Drawings

DRAWINGS INSPIRED BY AFRICA

 Patterns are a big part of the african culture. They are recognised as bold and colourful designs, featured on clothing, textiles, pottery and other typical African hand-made arts. They are also used within jewellery, making patterns with beads. The typical patterns of Africa are diamonds triangles and general zig-zag lines. Here are some of my plain pencil sketches and coloured drawings inspired by African patterns:

Typical African Zulu Pattern

Combination of African Patterns seen on Textiles

African Pattern seen on Circular Wicker Baskets

African Pattern seen on Wicker Basket

Colours of African Patterns

Typical African Pattern seen on Pottery

The above drawings are to emphasise the patterns in tribal art work. I have chosen to focus on doing sketches of the patterns because they remind me of tattoos. I thought this was a really good way to reference the art work from African tribes if I were going to choose to do tattoos.
The colour schemes for the drawings are quite interesting, and I have stuck to them with my drawings. African tribal pottery is mostly decorated with earthy mud and clay colours such as terracotta, brown and blacks. This is because they are the colours of the earthy plains which the pottery is made from. The baskets, cloths and jewellery patterns are much more vibrant and colourful, decorated with the dyes from plants and paints.

Typical African Inspired Tribal Tattoo

The above drawing is of a tribal tattoo. This shows how tribal art work evolved over the years. It was once a huge trend to have tribal tattoos, especially on men. However, eve though they were made mordern they had to come from somewhere. I added some colour onto my drawing to make it more vibrant and interesting. I also went for the typical swirls and spikes pattern which for me says 'African Tribal Pattern'.
(They also make me think of Maori tattoos which is something else I have been researching!)

Drawing Inspired by African Tribal Masks

This drawing is inspired by the tribal masks. I chose to do this because it meant I could incorporate both tribal line work and faces together. Instead of using colour, I stuck to using pencil in order to make the sketch again look 'tattoo-like'. For me this drawing really does represent tribal drawings.

Elephant made up of Tribal Patterns

The above image is a sketch of an elephant. I chose to draw an elephant because these are well known tribal animals - especially in Africa. Elephants are commonly seen on African textiles, so I decided tgo incorporate these ideas together. I have drawn an elephant made up of african patterns seen on textiles. Looking at the drawing I think it really represents Africa, not just as tribaism but generally as a country.

I then added colour to the image, using reds, blues, greens and yellows which I would say are the definition of colour within tribal jewellery. I think this drawing really represents the Zulu community as a tribe.

Adding Colour to the Drawing

Native African

NATIVE AFRICAN

I just had a brainwave! Wouldnt it be amazing to try and combine Native American feather head gear (or just general feathers) with the Zulu tribal beaded jewellery?! YES! The colours would be beautiful, bold and the textures of the feathers and beads would echo each other beautifully. 

This look would be known as Native African (a real tribe) and this is something I now need to look into so I can work on my 'tribal mashup'.

This image shows a combination of the two. Everything screams accessories and colour but at the same time it represents the earthyness of Africa. I think it is truly stunning.

Native African Man

 I am also looking tribes that are of the Native Americans. This shows a different style of a Native Tribe and allows me to also work on my 'mash up'. Here are some images of the Native American Tribes:

Native Amazonian Tribe

Native Tribe from Papa New Guinea

Now, I know this is only a brief description, but I dont want to get too carried away with other tribes. But overall I am basically choosing to combine different African Tribes together. I want to do have a mash up of Zulu, Native African and then the additon of Maori tattoos. From my research, these are the tribes that I am most drawn to and that I love. I really do think that the combination of each will work so well together. 

So, now its time to do some face charts and see if these three too look how I want them to look!

(Lets never forget though, I am always going to design an African Tribal look).

PATTERNS

AFRICAN TRIBAL PATTERNS

In Central Africa, the main distinguishing characteristics of patterns include heart-shaped faces that are curved inward and display patterns of circles and dots. The Africans are know to be very bright and very colourful. Some of the patterns are almost like Aztec patterns, consisting of zig-zags, triangles, squares and other pointed shapes. They usually go along in a line that pile up on each other and eventually are repeated. 

African Zulu Pattern

Aztec Vs Africa

Typical African Pattern for a Basket

African Kuba Cloth Pattern

West African Patterns

Many people look at an outfit of traditional African clothes and may not realize the cultural importance that they have. There is a lot of history that is woven into garments made of traditional African textiles and the styles reflect thousands of years of cultural changes and the influence that other cultures have had on many different African tribes throughout the continent.

Now I have looked at some general African patterns, I am now going to look at the patterns on African clothing. This is so see how the patterns work and look when it comes to styling.

African Woman's Outfit

African Clothing Patterns

African Fashion, Kenya

African Fashion, Nigeria

Best Dressed African Woman Award 2010

African Zulu Fashion

 These images show me the way african fashion is worn. This will be so helpful for me to look at when I think about styling my designs. African patterns are so beautiful. They are bold, colourful and qwirky and I think these would be prefect patterns for a catwalk because they would stand out hugely. The large head wear would be really eye catching on a catwalk, and the jewellery would be amazing for an editoral shoot.

 This website is extremely helpful for research on African clothing:

http://www.allafricanclothes.com/

Jewellery

HOW AFRICAN JEWELLERY IS MADE

You might have never know this, but one of the first origins of jewellery came from Africa. Its a huge form of art for the african people, which I think is obvious when you look at the pieces. I can see this when I look at Zulu women for example, but the jewellery is the main attraction of their styling and it looks truely artistic.

 African jewellery is made from such diverse materials as Tiger's eye stone, Elephant hair, haematite, sisal, coconut shell, snail shells, beads and ebony wood. Some of the materials are so coarse and thick that they are like wire, which makes them easy to mould into shape. 

Jewellery on Samburu Tribe, Kenya

Hand-Made African Beaded Jewellery

African Wooden Jewellery - Hand carved using Stone

African Tigers Eye Beads

African Jewellery made with Elephant Hair

African Stretch Braclets made from Coconut Shell

African Woman with Snail Shell Jewellery

 I think this is amazing. The skill in the tribes to create such beautiful jewellery with such sparse materials in so inspiring. There is so much colour that makes each piece look so outstanding. I love the idea of using accessories to create the focal point of my image and from looking at these tribal images I can see the importance African jewellery has on a tribal look. The beads will always be my favourite purely because they create such gorgeous patterns as a necklace and the pieces are so chunky. I also love the idea of the elephant hair jewellery because it is so versitile, meaning that this would be something to help me create a head piece for my catwalk design. 

AFRICAN ART

AFRICAN TRIBAL WOODEN MASKS

Wooden masks, which might either be human or animal or of mythical creatures, are one of the most commonly found forms of art in western Africa. In their original contexts, ceremonial masks are used for celebrations, initiations, crop harvesting, and war preparation. The masks are worn by a chosen or initiated dancer. During the mask ceremony the dancer goes into deep trance, and during this state of mind he "communicates" with his ancestors. 

AFRICAN MASK

 

 The masks can be worn in three different ways: vertically covering the face: as helmets, encasing the entire head, and as crest, resting upon the head, which was commonly covered by material as part of the disguise. African masks often represent a spirit and it is strongly believed that the spirit of the ancestors possesses the wearer. 

Kanaga Mask Dancer, Dogon, Mali

  Most African masks are made with wood, and can be decorated with: Ivory, animal hair, plant fibers (such as raffia), pigments (like kaolin), stones, and semi-precious gems also are included in the masks. They are also commonly made from materials such as light stones like steatite, metals such as copper or bronze, different types of fabric, pottery, and more. Some masks are painted (for example using ochre or other natural colorants). A wide array of ornamental items can be applied to the mask surface; example include animal hair, horns, or teeth, sea shells, seeds, straws, egg shell, and feathers. For example, animal hair or straws are often used for a mask's hair or beard.

Hand Carved African Mask - Mara People of Kenya

 An unusual African hand carved wooden giraffe mask that originates from Kenya and is hand carved by the maasai (masai) mara tribal people. The African giraffe mask is 30 cm tall and carved with the natural shape of the African giraffe face and then hand painted. This African giraffe mask has become a favorable choice for many African collectors and sits well with the zebra mask that is hand carved in the same realistic animal style. This will be used for decoration.

Fairtrade African Mask

 Most African Masks would be fair trade because they will use objects that havent harmed animals or people or such other things. This particular one is fair trade, made from wood, carved with stone and painted with colouring that comes from plants. This mask is a typical  example of a African Tribal celebration mask.

Traditional Wooden Mask

This is a traditional West African Wooden mask. Made by the people of Senegal, in the village of Dakar, these masks are hand carved made from wood and copper. West African Masks have been made for centuries to wear at times of celebration, to warn-off evil spirits and to connect with ancestors. Its been carved from wood but embellished with copper around the head to make the hair. It then gets polished an worn to ceremonies.

Female African Wooden Mask

This particular African 'Dan Mask' is either from the people of Liberia or the Ivory Coast. The mask is female, due to the long hair, and is worn to ceremonies. It is made again from wood that has been hand carved using a stone, and the hair is made by weaving dried grass into it.

African Wooden Mask - Ivory Coast

Here is another mask from the Ivory Coast, this time for an African male. It has a multi-animal theme, made from many different tusks. The horns come from Antelopes, the tusks come from Elephants and on the top are two stooping birds. Its then been painted vibrantly to show the bright celebration, carnival colours.

Traditional African Wooden Mask

From either the late 19th Century or the early 20th, this mask is by the people of either Angola or the Democratic Republic of Congo. Again, it is a hand carved wooden mask embellished with wooden fibre beads and pigment. This mask is very interesting because usually the hair is made from animal hair but instead it has been substituted for wooden beads instead. It has also been decorated and painted.

Mukenga Decorated Tribal Mask

I love this mask! It comes from the Makenga people of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Its made from CE wood and embellished with glass beads, cowrie shells, feathers, raffia fur, fabric, string and bells. This mask is a lot more elaborate than many other tribal masks which I think is because of the resources avaliable to make it. Most african masks are made from earthy products and animals, so this tells me this is much more contemporary. 

Take a look at this website to see some more examples of African Tribal masks. There are some really interesting examples on here: http://pinterest.com/ronnieshumate/wood-mask/

AFRICAN TRIBAL SHIELDS

In the past, African shields were designed to offer protection during combat. Small, lightweight shields offered greater mobility for close combat, and large, heavier ones provided more protection during ground battles. The patterns and designs on the shield indicated the person’s rank and status on the battlefield, as well as the ethnic group he belonged to.

Shields were also used as accessories in initiation, funeral, and dance ceremonies. A variety of materials were used like animal hides which provided strength and durability; wicker, a lightweight material used for weaving; wood which was sculpted into smooth shapes and carved with designs, and metal. Pity these glorious shields can’t protect us from the relentless sounds of the vuvuzelas.

Maasai Tribe Warrior with Shield

Maasai Men with Tribal Shields

 

Maasai Tribal Shield

The Maasai people are a Nilotic ethnic group of semi-nomadic people located in Kenya and northern Tanzania. They are among the best known of African ethnic groups, due to their residence near the many game parks of East Africa, and their distinctive customs and dress - red. Their shields are used for battle or ceremonies. They are destinctivley made in red, black and white as that is their tribal colouring. They are made from animal fur and hair.

Tribal Shield

This hand made North African tribal shield is made from zebra hair and elephant hyde. Its hand painted and sculpted and decorated with natural ingredients from the African plains. The people of North Africa make the tribe themselves using a base from a tree stump. The patterns and colours define the tribe they are part of or the status of that tribal member.

Zulu Warrior Shield

African hand crafted Warrior shields are made from top quality natural animal hide in various colours and patterns. Generally they have a very earthy coloured theme, which is interesting consdering the Zulu's are well known for their bright beaded jewellery. This particular shield is known as a war shiled and is only used when in battle with other tribes. Zulu shields are very particular, always knowing what tribe they are from when seeing people with this shield. Shields are a very important part of someone who belongs to the Zulu tribe.

Zulu Tribe Shield

Zulu tribe shields of the Zulu peoples of southern Africa have a variety of traditional functions and designs. They are are also commercially available and sought after as collectors' items or for decoration. Projects for Zulu tribe shields are most effective when they inform people of the role, meaning or history of the shields.

Kenyan Wood Dance Shield

This North African tribal shield is from the Kikuyu people of Kenya. It is known as an African Wood Dance Shield and is hand made from animal skin. Some parts of skin still has hairs attached. Its finished off with narrow parts of skin, parchment, paint and wood. It is all handmade. 

Looking at African tribal shields has given me a huge insight on the patterns and textures within the African Tribes. I have learnt that the colour schemes are earthy and natural, in the same way that they are made. I have also learnt that there are specific styles and patterns for particular tribes, so when looking at the Zulu tribe when designing my looks, I know that I would have to use a partciluar design to emphasise the tribe and suggest the status of the tribal person.