On to the designs

So you have your script and you have the ideas in your head...what next?

I always have a number of ideas floating around and find that the best thing is to make sketches to get some idea of what the plan will look like and generally take my time to figure out if I can make it the way I imagine it.  As I have said before there is a horrendous hiatus in our pantomime from getting the script to actually knowing who will play the role which causes me untold problems as I try to figure out what costume to make.  I also buy the fabric in one go.  There is very little to choose from in Norfolk so when I visit my husband’s family in Bolton it is also a chance to go fabric shopping.

Unfortunately, this year I will be in the northern land a month before the auditions.  This means that I have to think about what I want to do but also have alternatives in my head in case a plan goes completely pear shaped.

A good example of this is the fairies.  I have in my mind the two people I think will be playing them and the costumes I have talked about will work perfectly with them.  But if I am wrong will the costumes I have designed suit the alternate actors?

It is always good to have one or two designs for each character just in case the person playing them really doesn't like them.  And in case you are wondering why you should worry about them when you spend all your time and effort making a costume, take a moment to think what it is like to wear something you don't like, then expand that ten fold with having to stand on stage acting in it night after night.  I don't think it hurts to take an actors opinion into account unless they want something totally unworkable that is not a compromise on what you have designed.

The main roles in our panto are taken with people aged 17-70; there is no way they will want to wear the same style of costume if they are a fairy for example!

Now don't panic if you can’t draw, you don't need to!  You download a variety of croquis.  If you are wondering what a croquis is, it’s a body shape that you just draw your outfit on, if you used to play with paper dolls as a child then you will love this.  There are many available for free here;

http://www.designersnexus.com/fashion-design-portfolio/fashion-design-croquis-template/

Get yourself a variety of body sizes, men and women’s and then you will be able to draw over the top of it with your design.

Here are some designs I have drawn for the fairies with the croquis in the middle.

These aren’t coloured in but I also do a number of similar designs in different colours to see what they look like and pick the one I prefer

They take a few minutes to draw but help tremendously, not only for you but also other people to be able to look at and understand the design you are talking about.

So get downloading and have fun playing around with those designs!