Project Evaluation:

This project helped me improve me to visually present my design ideas through a mixture of 1:25 model making, collage and photoshopping skills. I created my model using foamboard, tiles cut from cardboard and mountboard to create more solid and intricate pieces. I the created my visuals by placing my model in the lightbox to get different lighting states for each scene and then taking these photographs and photoshopping in additional lights to create shapes with haze in the images. Once the costumes had been designed and digitized, I placed these in my scenes to give the look of the costumes within their scene and why they fit for that relevant scene.

This project helped me improve costume design skills through trial and error of different mediums such as sketching, watercolours and my final designs were created using collage. One thing I struggled with throughout this process was scale and ensuring that my figures had the right sized limbs and features. To improve on my drawing sills in the future, I will continue to draw the figure as well as trying to procreate on the iPad to be able to trace existing figure and then draw over them to create digital drawings as a way of designing costumes.

Designing the set, helped me understand the practicalities and limitations of theatre and what needs to be taken into consideration, specifically for this project, working in the Waverly Theatre. I needed to thing about sightlines for every audience member as well as exits and entrances for actors. This stretched to me needing to consider things such as how scenery will leave the stage and how quick costume changes can take place. This helped me gain skills in working with the figure within the space. One thing I did get better at throughout the course of the project is 1:25 modelmaking and working with standardised theatre equipment such as steel deck pieces.

If I had more time on the project, or was to re-visit the project in the future, I would like to trace and draw my costumes myself to give better detail and perspectives such as a side or rear view of each costume as well as helping myself to improve my proportions of the figure. Additionally, I would like to draw storyboards in other mediums I haven’t experimented much with yet such as inks, pens and charcoal to see how this could affect the design process and create drama and emotion to portray to the producers, directors and cast to understand the setting of the scene.

One skill I will take from this is SketchUp as I plan to create this set in the software as a practice to get my skillset up to a good standard where I am confident using it for my next set design project, I can then additionally work with the figure in the space to ensure my scale is correct, especially from a sightlines point of view.