Yes, here I am. I finished my first semester of grad school and as you can tell I survived! I've decided I need to blog more for mental health, but in general the best way for you to keep up with my projects is to follow me on Instagram @belbcorinne. It's easier for me to snap a photo on there than compose an entry.
That being said, my semester in a nutshell...
I had a millinery class where I made a pillbox embellished with zippers, an 1830s bonnet made from two 1960s hats, a fosshape based turban, and a straw boater. This class was great bc my instructor is very loosy-goosey seat of your pants when it comes to crafting. He provided resources and advice, but at the end of the day it was sort of hat therapy for me. It's mostly hand work and problem solving which is great for my brain at the end of a long week.
I had a wig class where I styled a few wigs, photos are on Instagram. I hardly ever get to wear wigs so it was fun to go blonde and ginger for a bit! If you know me at all you know I love doing my own hair and truth be told the biggest challenge I face with wigs is being able to see the back! The motion of styling the hair on the back of my head does not translate into styling the back of a wig that's in front of me. That was a surprising challenge...
My studio class included a section on color theory in which we learned to mix any color (including black) from three warm primaries, three cool primaries, a neutral ochre and white. It was frustrating at first since we were in acrylic and I was told to do away with all my watercolor notions. Eventually I learned that that did not mean I couldn't use any water. I also discovered acrylic medium that extends your paints and makes them smoother and it was absolutely lovely! I eventually did pretty great copies of a Degas and Seargent. Pics on Instagram.
Also in studio we work on paper design projects. The first year scenic and costume students did A View From The Bridge which is a fantastic Arthur Miller, You Can't Take It With You, by Kaufmann, and our last project was to pick two plays from Thornton Wilder's The Angel That Troubled The Waters collection of three page, three character, unproducible plays. I made leaps and bounds with each show. I'm working on different mediums and different styles and have been discovering some great designers to take inspiration from. I'll scan my renderings and update my website when I get back.
I was the assistant designer on Guys and Dolls which was designed by a third year. It was a big show and I was in charge of scheduling fittings, taking notes, one build, paperwork, and was the wardrobe supervisor, dresser, and wig master for the show. This basically involved using all the skills I'd acquired as an assistant to my professor at BYU and the office and personal skills I learned at USF. By the time we got to tech it was like I had my 40 hr/wk job at USF plus my school work. Not going to lie, it got a little rough. I was sick most of the time and couldn't design to save my life during these weeks, but it's over! I whipped my dressers into shape (and the actors for that matter) and truth be told, I missed being back stage and in charge :)
Uh...what else? I'm the music director of my branch. Serves me right for volunteering to lead the music my second week. The branch is great, Institute is wonderful, and we're getting a chapel built for us that might be ready by the spring! How exciting is that? Pretty darn.
And now I'm at my sister's for the holidays and my baby niece Addie is helping me type. She's pretty cute.
That being said, my semester in a nutshell...
I had a millinery class where I made a pillbox embellished with zippers, an 1830s bonnet made from two 1960s hats, a fosshape based turban, and a straw boater. This class was great bc my instructor is very loosy-goosey seat of your pants when it comes to crafting. He provided resources and advice, but at the end of the day it was sort of hat therapy for me. It's mostly hand work and problem solving which is great for my brain at the end of a long week.
I had a wig class where I styled a few wigs, photos are on Instagram. I hardly ever get to wear wigs so it was fun to go blonde and ginger for a bit! If you know me at all you know I love doing my own hair and truth be told the biggest challenge I face with wigs is being able to see the back! The motion of styling the hair on the back of my head does not translate into styling the back of a wig that's in front of me. That was a surprising challenge...
My studio class included a section on color theory in which we learned to mix any color (including black) from three warm primaries, three cool primaries, a neutral ochre and white. It was frustrating at first since we were in acrylic and I was told to do away with all my watercolor notions. Eventually I learned that that did not mean I couldn't use any water. I also discovered acrylic medium that extends your paints and makes them smoother and it was absolutely lovely! I eventually did pretty great copies of a Degas and Seargent. Pics on Instagram.
Also in studio we work on paper design projects. The first year scenic and costume students did A View From The Bridge which is a fantastic Arthur Miller, You Can't Take It With You, by Kaufmann, and our last project was to pick two plays from Thornton Wilder's The Angel That Troubled The Waters collection of three page, three character, unproducible plays. I made leaps and bounds with each show. I'm working on different mediums and different styles and have been discovering some great designers to take inspiration from. I'll scan my renderings and update my website when I get back.
I was the assistant designer on Guys and Dolls which was designed by a third year. It was a big show and I was in charge of scheduling fittings, taking notes, one build, paperwork, and was the wardrobe supervisor, dresser, and wig master for the show. This basically involved using all the skills I'd acquired as an assistant to my professor at BYU and the office and personal skills I learned at USF. By the time we got to tech it was like I had my 40 hr/wk job at USF plus my school work. Not going to lie, it got a little rough. I was sick most of the time and couldn't design to save my life during these weeks, but it's over! I whipped my dressers into shape (and the actors for that matter) and truth be told, I missed being back stage and in charge :)
Uh...what else? I'm the music director of my branch. Serves me right for volunteering to lead the music my second week. The branch is great, Institute is wonderful, and we're getting a chapel built for us that might be ready by the spring! How exciting is that? Pretty darn.
And now I'm at my sister's for the holidays and my baby niece Addie is helping me type. She's pretty cute.
LOVED getting an update on Grad School Shelby!! Sounds like it's hard and AMAZING!! You inspire me!
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