Mar 22, 2021 - Explore Debra Krajec's board 'Costume Design', followed by 381 people on Pinterest. See more ideas about costume design, costumes, costume design sketch. Nov 29, 2019 - Explore Brainy Brunette Barbie's board 'Costume sketches' on Pinterest. See more ideas about bob mackie, sketches, costume design. After studying at the Chouinard Art Institute in Los Angeles, Head was hired as a costume sketch artist at Paramount Pictures in 1923. She won acclaim for her design of Dorothy Lamour’s trademark sarong in the 1936 film The Jungle Princess, and became a household name after the Academy Award for Best Costume Design. Sketches help see the show as a whole without them having to spend too much time on them. Final sketches: Once the Costume Designer and the Director agree on the costumes and the ideas are fully flushed out, the designer will create final sketches. To celebrate the return of Eliza Doolittle and Professor Henry Higgins, we’re sharing these exclusive costume sketches from Cecil Beaton, who won two Oscars for the film’s set design as well.

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Costume Design Part 2

Costume Designer's Process
A costume designer's process parallels the set designer's process,but with many important differences.

1. Text analysis: the costume designer looks specificallyat the characters, the characters' actions, how the characters change throughthe play, the times and locations of the play, and the style of the play.

2. Production meetings: the costume designer mustalso work within a director's concept for the play, which may shift thetime, place, or style from that indicated by the playwright, and coordinatewith other designers' ideas.

3. The costume designer may present initial ideas in the formof thumbnail sketches, color palettes, fabric swatches,or pictures drawn from outside sources.

4. Once final designs have been approved, the costume designercreates renderings. Unlike the set designer, who may createonly one rendering if the play takes place on a unit set, the costume designernormally creates a different rendering for each costume. Sometimesone character will be drawn in various costumes in one rendering, or severalchorus members might be combined in one rendering. Costume designers'renderings include swatches , or small samples, of each fabric to be usedin the costume.

5. The costume designer gives the renderings to the costumeshop for use in constructing the costumes. Thus, renderingsmay also contain verbal instructions. The designer may also sketchother views of the costume to aid the shop in building the garments, forexample, an elaborate bustle on the back of a skirt would need a separatedrawing if the rendering showed the skirt from the front. Outergarments or accessories might also be sketched separately. The costumedesigner does not provide the equivalent of the set designer's elevationsor working drawings because costumes must be cut and fitted to the actor'sbody, not simply the designer's specifications.

Anton Schneider Costume Designer Sketches

6. The costume designer does not usually build or buy the costumes;this is the job of the costume shop. A designer will attend fittingswhen actors try on the work of the costume shop. The designer maymake adjustments at that time, depending on how the garments suit the actorand character and the actions that character engages in onstage. For example, dancing or swordplay require very flexible costumes, whichmight be achieved either by enlarging a costume or using fabrics whichmove easily, like stretch knits. A single costume for a single characterusually requires multiple fittings.

7. Designers join the entire group of artists, in the theatrewhere the play will open, during technical and dress rehearsals. Normally, sets, lights, and sound are handled in tech rehearsals,and the costume designer comes in for the first dress rehearsal,which is when costumes and makeup are added. Sometimes, when the costumesare elaborate, the designer, costume shop foreman, and director watch acostumeparade. A costume parade is when actors come out singly or ingroups in their costumes outside the context of the play, simply to examinethe look of each costume, its appropriateness to a scene, and how groupsof actors will look together.

Historical Conventions of Costume Design
Of course actors have always worn costumes, but the job of costumedesigner evolved only in the 19th century with the general theatricaltrend toward historical accuracy.

While in rare cases a set designer might create costumes, like InigoJones' fanciful costumes for the Stuart Court Masques in the early 1600'sor Jean Berain's costumes for the spectacles of Louis XIV's court,in most cases costumes were left up to the actors. In Shakespeare'scompany, the Lord Chamberlain's Men, each actor in the company providedhis own costumes. Except for certain conventional costumes for characterslike Ancient Romans, Shakespeare's company wore contemporary clothing ofas fine a quality as they could afford. The company was given thecast-off clothing of the aristocracy and thus had a small stock of costumesbelonging to the company. Hirelings and apprentices, who were notsharing members of the company, were probably costumed from this stockwardrobe. Audiences did not expect historical accuracy in costuming,but they did want visual splendor.

The practices described for Shakespeare's company lasted for hundredsof years. It often led to strange character inconsistencies; for example, a famous actress who commanded a high salary could appearin the best gown in the whole play, even if she were playing the maid withinthe story of the play.

A few companies in the 18th century experimented with historicallyaccurate costuming of period plays. This was mostly done to drawan audience, as an extra piece of publicity about the play. In thesecases, it was usually the set designer or an actor-manager who selectedthe costumes. Often, only the lead characters were costumed in periodclothing.

In the 19th century, accuracy to the time and place of the play slowlybecame the normal means of production of period plays. Booksof plates depicting costumes of various lands through history were publishedby the middle of the century, making it easier for theatre companies tocopy old or foreign styles of dress.

With the rise of the director toward the end of the 19th century, therole of the costume designer was firmly established, even for contemporaryplays. Directors by the end of the century wanted the costumesto be appropriate to character as well as to time and place, and this requiredthe artistry of the costume designer.

Costume Designer Sketches

In the 20th century, costume design for the stage and cinema has oftenbeen stoutly realistic, even when the style of scenery and lightingis stylized. Some kinds of productions, like musical comedies, musicalreviews, science fiction, and children's theatre allow the costume designermore imaginative freedom. This century has enlarged the range ofresources for the imaginative designer: a variety of synthetic fabrics,furs, and plastics can be used to make costumes for Cats or StarTrek aliens, for example.

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