Rachel Dozier-Ezell

For the current show I am designing, Trojan Women, I am giving one of my characters a scar. I wanted something that could be recently fresh and had dimension, looked deep, and was most importantly easy for the actor to do himself or with limited help (large cast of 30!) once taught. So after doing some research I found a product i haven’t used before. It’s called Rigid Collodion and available online in various sizes and from different manufacturers. I am able to get it locally from most Halloween and specialty makeup supply stores.  A simple Google search lists local and online suppliers. I found this video on YouTube helpful: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IatpF_jEJKs&feature=player_embedded   i liked how thorough and helpful this guy was.

How to use it:

• Draw out the scar with a red lip liner, lightly etching out the shape. (the color or shade of liner you use will determine the freshness of the scar), add any other bruising or shadowing you want for desired effect.
• Apply on top of the makeup the rigid collodion and let dry (takes about 30sec to 1mn for each layer)
• Keep applying to create a deep scar (about 10 for good gashing)
• Apply translucent powder to take down the shine
• Add and shading (highlights and shadows) or bruising if needed.
• Finish with a final powdering.

After doing this (all of which took like 5 mn application and drying time, doing only 3 layers) This is what it looked like:

this product peels off easily but you can also use spirit gum remover if using applications within a run so you don’t lose fresh skin.

Thank you to my lovely intern Janelle Abbott for volunteering her face for this demo. She was lovely! (lately i’ve been trying different bruising, blood, make-up techniques on her including zip ties on her hands and hooding her, poor gal, i’m sure she’s thinking “this job just got really weird” ha ha) but I so appreciative of her willingness to partake in my demos.

up next will be bruising and blood……stay tuned.

I learned at the beginning of this week that that someone I worked with when I was just beginning in costumes during my first summer stock job had passed away. Paul Favini was a wonderful designer and also a wonderful person. I borrowed this from a friend and decided to post it because I liked what it said: http://russelldeanschultz.com/advice-from-a-master-paul-favini/. I remember that I was working on my first costume design the summer before the fall and Paul helped me to free up my drawing and also helped me with my portfolio as well; helping me to know what people looked for. I feel i’m still doing all of those things, but he was the first besides my mentor John Owen Franklin (who also passed away from cancer the summer of 2008) to show genuine interest and care towards helping me to prepare for academia and beyond. Also Last Week we lost designer Eiko  Ishioka. I did not know her personally (She passed from cancer as well) but I have always admired her work (whether I was aware or not) here is a great tribute to some of her amazing work. http://www.buzzfeed.com/donnad/a-tribute-to-eiko-ishioka.

Recently, I was asked by a past student what are some other jobs he can use his costume degree and skills to do when he doesn’t have design opportunities available. He like myself has a strong technical background as well. So looking through my CV and thinking of odd jobs I compiled this list for him. It began:

Student,

Being a new yorker, and dealing with the large amount of living costs and inflation, and rent, and blah blah blah insert more boring info on the high cost of living in new york city (we have talked in depth on this)….I have started thinking about all the random jobs I have had where I was paid for my services. Let me start by saying often I find when you meet someone new here you go through the usual, what do you do? often you’ll hear ” iI work (insert money job here) but i also do this (insert random or fun job)” or you get a series of “oh i do (7-10 ) different jobs”. As a young designer, I often take other jobs in the field or in the “art realm” jobs so far the jobs have been as follows:

• costume shop management
• assistant design work
• shopper for costume houses or designers (also includes swatching)
• first hand for costume houses
• working art installations or with artists who need sewing
• freelance alterations
• developing costumes for burlesque or circus performers
• draping for commercials
• crafts artisan
• writing about costumes in magazines or encyclopedias
• re purposing old couches, making drapes or cushions and other scenic sewing
• styling for photo-shoots/head shots
• bridal work
• make-up special effects application and design
• hair styling/ wig styling
• wardrobe (my least favorite! and I avoid like the plague!)
• teaching
• alterations/stitching/draping for commercials
• mask and craft work

I know there are so many more categories that I haven’t had the chance to work in. Can anyone add stuff that they have done and how they got them? Much appreciated.

While killing time looking at images on pinterest (my new obsession) I came across this image for baby announcements, it was from someone’s etsy page who made baby crowns. I immediately thought, wow those would make a great theatrical piece, just increase the circumference and what a great intricate crown. So I am writing to remind myself next time I have need for a crown to try this method i’m sure with some tweaking and additions you could come up with something wonderful, add some headliner foam, or some wire, starch, paint, embellish, gesso, etc. so there it is. And I know some great places to find really detailed and amazing lace in NYC.

this is just something quick and funny i saw:

http://xaxor.com/funny-pics/35298-Funny-keeping-a-zipper-up-tip.html

instructions for keeping up a zipper pull on pants, we have all faced this problem. no time to replace the zipper? do this, it works, also a hair tie or small rubber band looped through works just as well.

While rearranging my costume shop and doing some much needed cleaning and sorting, my lovely intern Janelle asked me a good question. We were sorting ties and she looked at me and asked “Why do we wear ties?” I knew some reasons and the evolution of the neckwear but was stumped, so I did what I always do told her I didn’t know but, I wrote it down to look up later. After much searching this seems to be the most common answer:

http://www.croatians.com/tie.htm

If you clicked on the link you would have found, in short, it originated from Croatian soldiers and their uniform worn in battle around the thirty years war, the French saw it, liked it, and popularize it. Go figure…. Some other popular answers include: early roman orators wearing a form of tie/neckwear to keep vocal cords warm, obvious labor work reasons (having it around your neck provided a handy hanky to wipe away debris and sweat, etc.), to wipe blood off one’s sword….basically practical uses…
Other interesting facts:
Beau Brimmel (think regency period) deems neckwear as a form of individualism
Cool book called neckclothitania (ways in which to tie a cravat)
Clinton’s tie made headlines cause it was from a certain white house intern
To touch another man’s cravat is dueling terms
And last the steinkirke came from sloppiness an unprepared soldiers caught with not enough time to dress

On a fun side note, Croatians are also known for knotting the worlds biggest tie. Go figure…

Got anything to add? Fun facts? Cool ties? Sources?

Anyone who does anything related to clothing knows how stressful wedding items can be, especially when they involve someone close to you, well not this one. I was able to work on this veil in between tech and during downtime, it was actually kind of relaxing. I had my mom take some basic measurements for me of Katie’s head circumference and from her crown to her mid back so I knew how long to make it, and vola, veil.
I bought the fabric at a very nice and well priced indian fabric store on 8th ave the name escapes me, I just remember that they were open on a sunday (the only day I had to shop for it that week) and they gave me an awesome price then I found a tiara @ one of those many find anything jewelry stores between 38th and 34th. i took and already embroidered fabric and cut and shaped it into a teardrop shape, finished off all edges, did some new embroidery and beadwork, tied off everything, then gathered it along with some shaped tulle to the tiara. It was nice to do something for my sister in law. I made her veil, and it came out nice if i do say so myself and the hand work that was involved was very relaxing. She had a really simple and elegant dress, so I was able to design something kinda showy and not overpower her whole look. She also was not a “bridezilla” and trusted me to just choose and do it. so I just wanted to share. Here it is on the beautiful bride! Kathryn Rehome my new sister (i’ve been meaning to post this since may…oops)

Ok, so as of late i have been slacking on my goal to “post at least one blog a month”. I’ve been busy, which is amazing for summer in NYC so yay for getting lots of gigs. So while waiting to load in costumes for my latest design (we finished early and are now waiting on the car service) i thought I’d pop on here just talk a bit about sharing.

Being still a newcomer to NYC (3 years this may), i find myself sometimes overwhelmed at the amount of sources out there and often don’t know where to begin or i haven’t quite honed in my favorite and most handy sources (that Rolodex is slowly building along with notes to remind me).

What is super handy is the amount of friends i have made and kept in the costume industry. I feel like i should preface this….we are in a field where it is overcrowded, and jobs seem to be fewer and fewer to meet the need of everyone, so often we are taught to be super competitive. while this is important, yes always remain on your game (never know where your next job will come from), it is also important to make contacts that are in your specific field. I cherish the friends i have made and am grateful on occasion to be able to put out feelers or an email or phone call for something i am desperately trying to find for a show i am doing.  It is a godsend. and i love being able to help another frazzled designer out too! Now, I also want to stress how great the friendships you make are because say you have a stressful situation or job, these ladies (men too) understand and won’t look at you like you have grown another head when you are freaking out about not being able to find the perfect shoe, can’t cope with all the travel and moving, dealing with an unruly performer or diva, your hands looking so ugly do to all you do with them, or a weird situation that would not occur anywhere but costumes.

I’m not sure what I’m trying to say with this post other than, i guess: “don’t shut people out for fear that they are your competition. You never know how they will rock your world, help you with their brilliance, or just be a beacon to bounce ideas off of.”

So in short, THANK YOU costume friends, you know who you are.

promise to finally do all the posts i have not finished just sitting in my Que.

So I was shopping nailpolish for one of my actors this weekend and found this stuff probs not new but new to me and soooo easy to use. You peel and stick after choosing the right size. Comes in variety of patterns and colors. See attached pictures on my nails below.

so recently i did an AIDS lesion for a new play called this is my gun. Below is the picture, it read really well and was easy for our wardrobe head to replicate on the head of the actor. the actor was clean shaven for the pieces (this allows the latex to be easily removed). This particular character had to be wigged the first half of the show and then later appear bald with lesions. so the best way we did this was by applying the liquid latex to the actors head and layered till we achieved the desired shape and texture. let this dry then wigged him. the latex peals around the edges as he sweats and gives a crust scabbing effect. then with the ben nye bruise wheel and also a red color wheel we layered colors so it looked fresh. it was nice and read well on stage and our director was happy.
see photo below as practiced on my arm: