The beginning of the end: May 2012

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

What inspired me about this picture is I wanted to recreate the hot pink wall, the checkered floor, and the hairstyle on the canvas. First I did a sketch of the design on the canvas of a picture that like Victoria and Dean inspired this

painting.

Then I painted the top portion of the canvas neon hot pink. I tired to create a color using yellow, lavender and hot pink that would be as close to the wall on the picture as I could get it. Next was the Checkered floor that turned out to be a total pain in my butt when it came to the level of detail and patients it takes to reconstruct the tile without the white and black spilling over onto each other. After the floor I need to release some tension built up caused by the tediousness of the floor so I created the exaggerated brushstrokes inspired by John Dean. Although the figure is in a hair salon I could not imagine including the apron, so I started to play around mixing the whit and black colors and out popped this grayish silver color. For me I thought the mixture of colors would mesh well with the figures soon to be brown skin color.

Now all needed was to paint the body and I can start on the head, well I couldn't wait so I started on the head first that turned out to have both good and bad reproductions. One being the fact that I should have went all the way and finished the head and doubled back on the body, because after I put the net on I could not get to the color all the way on the neck. Two; because I sewed the ball on first I have to figure out a neat and clean way to hide the white spots that I could not reach. At this point the ball is on and I have just finished applying a mixture of red, green, purple, pink, black, and white to create a rich dark brown skin pigment. In the same way I did my model's sew in extensions, I used an over, under, and threw method on the head. After sewing, covering up mistakes, and re-sewing I got the hair on the freak in head (Sigh of relief).

Lastly I teased the hair a bit at the top and slowly began my in braid, which I finished off with a hair thread bow at the bottom.

Although I enjoyed making the painting it was trial and error and in this fact "In Braid", as I titled it is a study for all other Hair Chronicle painting to come in this series. I think of In Braid as a study because I felt like I rushed some of the detail, as well as poor calculation on my part as to the position of the most important part the ball. The top of ball sits right on the wood block on the back of the canvas making it difficult to sew on to the canvas. Also I used watercolor to create this painting because I had to be careful to pick a substance that can be easily removed from any surface since I have a roommate and two little girls that I have no control over.

Keya's Hair

In the environment that I grew up in hairstylist were and still are prevalent. My mother is a hairstylist and has been every since I was 6 years old. I watched her create hairstyles on her clients so many times that naturally I picked up this ability and begin to practice on my sisters. Very quickly I was emulating my mothers designs and slowly finding my own. Nonetheless I have not had the time or the clientele to perfect my styling abilities, so for the purpose of my Professional Practice class, in effort to demonstrate a technique, I asked a member of my church to be my model. I asked her to wash her hair and blow-dry it as well. My models hair is very short because up until about three months she ware a short hair cut for the last ten years. Before weaving the extensions in her head I parted out sections of her hair that will ultimately cover the extensions to create a natural look.

I use synthetic braiding hair in order to securely corn roll her natural hair down. In her hair I used Bobby Boss 1B Silky 16" hair, which matches the color of her hair. I use the beehive style of corn rolling my models hair because it helps make the final product look flat instead of bumpy, and in my opinion is the sturdiest way to attach the extensions.

I sewed the hair onto her corn rolls, with hair thread, using an over, under, and threw method, in which I wrap the needle over and under the corn roll and threw the extensions securely fashioning the end and beginning of the thread with at knot.

After sewing the extension to my models head I flat iron the extension with ceramic straitening irons. After I get the extension flat and silky I proceed to flatiron my models head to blend perfectly with the extensions. Because the hair was too long for my models liking I cut the hair using a blunt cut up to 10" and teased the ends so they look like naturally split uneven hair.