CDG - The Costume Designer

Fall 2017

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Fall 2017 The Costume Designer 23 Mary Vogt My first job in the film business was as Gloria Gresham's illus- trator. When I was doing costume illustration, it was more like pencil drawing and washes. It was much looser. Now, illus- trations are very professional. They're detailed and they're almost photorealistic. I still use the old style of drawing with loose pencil and washes, but I've incorporated Photoshop into that to bring in the faces, to make them a little more realistic. Also, it looks more like what the director is going to actually get. I like to use an illustrator when I can, but sometimes you can't afford to hire one, or you can't take them with you on location, so you have to do your own illustrations. They may not be as great as what Christian [Cordella] or Philip [Boutté Jr.] would do, but something good enough so the director can understand what you are trying to get across. During our early conversations, I mention I like to do my own sketches and I find that directors, particularly younger directors, are very open to it. I find it's more of a conversa- tion. Sometimes it's not as intimidating as a professional illus- I remember doing an illustration for the very first movie I designed. I used to use acrylic, but now I'll use colored pencils. On occasion, I'll use a wash but not like I used to. On True Grit I had just taken a class at UCLA Extension, and they were much more easy to do. Sometimes I've found that if I do them in pencil and not necessarily attach a color, it is a springboard for conversation. It's part of my prep. One time I worked with the Coen brothers, I showed my sketches to them and said, "OK, these are the colors I was thinking of." But if I've already painted them, then it's very hard, and it can be confusing. Other times, I'll have my initial meeting and the first sketches are in black and white and then I add the colors later. On La La Land, Monday through Wednesday, I went through the whole script with Damien and the art department. Thursday through Sunday, I did my sketches. I already knew the colors they were going to be. I sort of assigned them a color and I just did that with pencils. Sometimes I'll cheat—if I finally nail the pose, I trace the ini- tial shape and the stance. Another little trick I used on Catch Me If You Can, was to put all the figures on one page. Sketching is harder for me now than it used to be because if I'm taking art classes once a week and practicing on the weekends, then it's much easier. Once I got married and had a family, I had less and less free time. Every time I was off from a film, I used to take art class, just to keep my hand in it. That doesn't happen anymore. So, when it's time to sketch, I have to sequester myself and start practicing. My first few sketches are really not very good. I have to sit there and really hunker down and put the do-not-disturb sign on my door. tration because they look so finished. My drawings don't look finished, so the director will say, "Well, why don't we do this? Why don't we do that?" It's more open to interpretation. But I always tell the director, "If you need something more finished for a presentation, then we have to hire an illustrator." Originally in Costume Design, illustrations were con- versations that you'd have with the actors and the director. Then when you'd take them to the workroom and you'd

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