The four seasons brought to life as costume-character designs. Each season draws upon special memories and experiences related to growing up around the forests of the Pacific Northwest. The colors, plants, animals, weather, shapes, emotions, and textures of these experiences serve as foundations for each of the season’s designs and personalities. Final products include four full-color character design turnarounds and one of the seasons constructed as a costume based off the illustration.
The audience is able to see the illustrations as well as the clothing, which is displayed on a mannequin in order to encourage close interaction for the longer periods of time in which they will be on display. This is a portfolio piece in which my aim is to broadly showcase my ability to work with a variety of media at once, in a way that would be relevant to workfields of my interest, which range from costume design to fashion illustration to character and product design. I would love for potential employers to see this work while it is displayed, however other people who see this piece are also important to me personally, and I would like for them to see the wonder and beauty of the Pacific Northwest within these characters. This particular piece is designed for a still display setting, such as a gallery, and is documented for my portfolio. Further pieces in this vein may be crafted for use to wear on a moving body, such as on stage by actors, on movie sets, or by models.
I consider this project a hybrid of character design, costume illustration, and soft sculpture. The illustration are made using both analog with digital techniques in varied amounts. I chose this method because it utilizes my strengths in each area. Materials for the costume include a variety of natural and synthetic materials. The mushrooms and winged are felt, the hair is heated kanekalon fibers, and a variety of fabrics were used, most of which were reclaimed donated supplies.