USING MAKEUP, FASHION, AND PHOTOGRAPHY TO MAKE ART

TARA ALEXANDER

AN INTRODUCTION TO THE WORLD OF MAKEUP

MAKEUP AND CLOTHES are two of many items that could be used to create magnificent art. From well-known magazines like VOGUE and ELLE to simple everyday morning routines, makeup can play a part in creating something beautiful. When quarantine first began, I made an effort to explore makeup and fashion and see if I could learn how to create art in unique styles. For almost a year, I have been trying to grow and work on making art with makeup and clothes, and I decided to make a fun project for myself: to try and see if I could make art using makeup and clothes, and see what amazing... or not-so-amazing art pieces I could create!

THE BEGINNING

THE BEGINNING

To prepare my look, I decided to approach making the looks by drawing them out:

AT FIRST, I had thought of looks that were pretty advanced and needed materials that I either didn't have, or didn't have the money to buy. As I tried to get the materials and makeup I needed, I realized that I needed to take a step back and think.

Even though I have been practising using makeup for almost a year, I came to the conclusion that what I was trying to do was a little too intermediate for me, until I finally came to the decision...

TO COMPLETELY START OVER.

So, with the idea to revisit the first looks I have made in the future, I started again. And tried to do looks more simple, but also, looks that could still make a statement.

FIRST LOOK

REVISIONS

  • My first look was inspired by many things; I wanted a look that conveyed an emotion. The emotion I chose was the oh-so-cliche love. I wanted the makeup to be sweet and a little simple. Nothing too complicated, but nothing that was too effortless. In the end, I thought of a cute look, with the colors being in a monochromatic scale. I decided to use the color red, because red is a color that symbolizes love, but I also wanted to have white, to show a touch of innocence and purity. I wanted the look to be about falling in love for the first time.

    MY INSPIRATION was many things:

    I was inspired to do this look because I wanted some components of one of my old looks (the hair and the clothes), but I also wanted some other components, like the different colors and the emotion behind the makeup and clothes.

  • My second look was a little bit on the fun side. I wanted to do a look that could depict an era of fashion. Since the 1920's, every decade had a unique style that was popular. In the 80's, it was bright clothes with crazy designs and patterns, and colorful makeup. In the 2000's, it was clothes with different fabrics and/or patterns that clashed with each other, and simple makeup, usually just being mascara, eyeshadow and lip gloss. But I wanted to do the 90's, which was streetwear and baggy clothes.

    MY INSPIRATION was my parents:

    Coming from an art standpoint, there isn't a specific reason why I chose my parents as an inspiration. I chose my parents for personal reasons. I think of it as a small tribute. I'm sure many people can relate, but quarantine has had many up's and down's, and for me there were more down's than up's.

    Even though I'm still getting through quarantine, and not always doing the best --my parents help me through it. Very cheesy, I know.

After I had finished and revised the looks, it was time to finally take the photos. Using my iPad, I took the following photos:

THE RAWS

EDITING TIME

EDITING TIME

WITH all the photos taken, it's time to edit them!
Since I am attending school remotely, I didn't have the resources or software that I have access to when at school. So I had to improvise. Instead of using Photoshop, I used Procreate. Usually, when I use Procreate, it's to draw or paint, but for the first time, I was going to use it to try and edit my photos. Using Procreate was definitely different from what I was used to, but it allowed me to take different approaches to editing.

THE RESULTS

FINAL THOUGHTS

FINAL THOUGHTS

Ultimately, I'm honestly really happy with how the pictures turned out, and I think this experience helped me with expanding my creativity and looking outside the box!

Web Page Redesign by KAYLYN ZHONG