Hi there! Welcome back to my blog. This blog is going to be talking about the design process and why we design.
According to Cambridge Dictionary (2022), to design something means to make or draw plans for something.
This is done so that everyone in the design stages - such as the director or the producer - can see the design and make any adjustments needed and so that any future problems can be identified. The sooner the problems are identified, the sooner solutions can be made.
Designing has been done for thousands and thousands of years from designing figures in caves as seen in Figure 1. (Touropia, 2022), to carving stone tools, all the way up to designing the newest mobile phones (Mishra, 2017).
Choosing A Brief
Three briefs were given for the prosthetics module; Animal/Human Hybrid, Fantasy Alien or Own Proposal. Figure 2. (OConnor, 2021) shows that three mind maps were made to explore each brief and to produce a visual representation of ideas.
Mind maps are a great way of communicating and expressing ideas because they help to organise thinking and can allow the creator to be more creative (Buzan, 2002).
From the mind maps it is clear to see that there were many ideas for the Animal/Human Hybrid, but not so many for the other two briefs. This played a small part in deciding which brief was chosen, because there was so many routes that could've been explored with this brief.
Figures 3, 4 and 5: Face Charts for Each Brief (OConnor, 2021).
Figures 3, 4 and 5. above (OConnor, 2021), show that a face chart has been created for each brief, based off of one of the ideas from each mind map. Face charts are essentially face illustration which makeup gets put onto, with written details of products and colours that are used to create that makeup look (Nickel, 2012). They are often used in industry as a first glimpse into what the makeup for that character will look like. Face charts are also produced for continuity purposes because they show how the makeup was done, what products were used and the placement go things. This is important because some scenes may not get revisited for months, so the face chart allows for the makeup artist to remember what was done.
After having a debrief with the tutor, a mutual decision was made in that the Animal/Human Hybrid design is the one that is going to be done moving forward. This is the most unique idea of all three and it was agreed that whilst it might be challenging, it will also show off current skills in prosthetics following last year's zombie assessment seen in Figure 6 (OConnor, 2021).
The other ideas were okay, however, the alien seemed too basic against the skillset currently being shown, and the 'Botched' makeup look is done quite often in industry, whether that be in prosthetics or just SFX.
So... Why a Rhino?
The reason why a rhino was chosen for the Animal/Human hybrid brief is because the wrinkles and the texture that they have in their skin is fascinating, and thought that it would be a challenge to recreate these folds and textures, without going overboard or making the piece look like a mask.
Contacting Zoos
In order to gain primary images, a number of zoos across the UK were contacted before designing the character (Figure 7). This was done so that correct texture and details would be included in the design.
Woburn Safari and Blair Drummond Safari Park got back to me and showed interest in the project. Both safari parks were happy to get involved and sent over some fabulous images of the rhinos they have. Figures 8 - 13 show the images sent over by Blair Drummond Safari Park, and Figures 14 - 18 show the images sent over by Woburn Safari Park.
Figures 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 & 13: Rhino Images (Blair Drummond Safari Park, 2021).
Figures 14, 15, 16, 17 and 18: Rhino Images (Woburn Safari Park, 2021).
Rhinoceros Anatomy
Research has been done into the anatomy of rhinos and this is what has been found.
After reading BioExpedition's (2015) page, it was found that the rhino's horn is its most prized piece. For many years, it has been highly sought after by poachers because of how it is not attached to the skeleton, but is rooted in the skin of the nose. This horn is made up of keratin, which is what human hair and nails are made of, and they use them in territorial defence or to dig wallows in mud.
FUN FACT: Only one species of rhino can actually grow hair on most parts of its body. This is the Sumatran Rhino. 
The skin is layered with fat which is used as insulation from heat in the day to warmth at night time. It is very thick, which protects them from damage from rough leaves and plants and predator attacks. This skin hangs around the rhino in large folds. Where the skin folds is quite thin and flexible, which allows the rhino to move more freely (Arnold, 2014).
Model Choice and Why?
The model chosen for this assessment is Cathryn.
She has been chosen as the model as a juxtaposition. Cathryn is very slim and petite, with very delicate facial features. A rhino on the other hand, is very large and rough with big facial features. The portrayal of showing someone's inner personality on the outside was also thought about in depth as Cathryn is a petite young lady on the outside, but on the inside, is a very strong individual with a strong mind and great independence. Transforming her into a rhino is my way of celebrating and appreciating her strength.
Thank you for reading this week's blog! Come back again next week where we will be discussing digital face charts vs sketched face charts!
See you then:)
Alysha
Reference List
Arnold, C. (2014) Rhino, New York, Seymour Science.
BioExpedition. (2015) Rhinoceros Anatomy [Internet]. Available at https://www.bioexpedition.com/rhinoceros-anatomy/ (Accessed 30th March 2022).
Blair Drummond Safari Park. (2021) Rhino Images. 27th September 2021. Author's Personal Collection.
Blair Drummond Safari Park. (2021) Rhino. 27th September 2021. Author's Personal Collection.
Buzan, T. (2002) How to Mind Map, London, HarperCollinsPublishers.
Cambridge Dictionary. (2022) design [Internet]. Available at https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/design(Accessed 30th March 2022).
Mishra, C. (2017) Why do we need design? [Internet]. Available at https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/why-do-we-need-design-chandan-mishra (Accessed 30th March 2022).
Nickel, D. (2012) How to Start a Home-based Makeup Artist Business, Guilford, Morris Book Publishing.
O'Connor, A. (2021) Screenshot of Emails to Zoos [Image]. York.
O'Connor, A. (2022) Cathryn [Image]. York.
OConnor, A. (2021) Face Charts for Each Brief [Image]. York.
OConnor, A. (2021) Mind Maps [Image]. York College.
OConnor, A. (2021) Zombie [Image]. York College.
Rhinos.org. (2022) Hairy Sumatran Rhino [Online]. Available at https://rhinos.org/blog/the-sumatran-rhino-is-by-far-the-most-hirsute-of-the-worlds-five-rhino-species/ (Accessed 30th March 2022).
Touropia. (2022) 10 Prehistoric Cave Paintings [Online]. Available at https://www.touropia.com/prehistoric-cave-paintings/ (Accessed 30th March 2022).
Woburn Safari Park. (2021) Rhino Images. 26th September 2021. Author's Personal Collection.
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