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Activity 2 answers

What knowledge and skills are required to be a successful costume designer?
- good drawing skills using a variety of drawing materials to draw figures that look well proportioned and in character with the play
- good social skills to work with the director, other designers, each of the actors and the people making the costumes
- good practical skills such as sewing, painting, dyeing and other craft skills needed to make the costumes
- patternmaking skills to draft patterns from scratch and be able to teach people working with you
- a good knowledge of costume history, theatre history, art history
- general knowledge about social and political issues
- effective library and Internet research skills basic budgeting skills
What is a distressed costume?
Costumes that are artificially aged and made dirty with wire brushes, sandpaper and paints.
How would you describe the working conditions of a full-time costumer designer?
Long hours, often low pay, variety in work, interesting co-workers and fun working environment.
Identify and list the tasks a costume designer completes to create costumes
- Reads the play and develops a concept about the show and finds individual meaning for each character.
- Researches costume history appropriate to the play.
- Talks with the director and other designers.
- Designs costumes on paper.
- Shops for fabric and old junk clothes.
- Budgets money, makes phone orders, and borrows/rents some items.
- Makes patterns using draping and/or geometry.
- Sews, dyes, paints and embellishes fabrics with beads and embroidery.
- Works with a variety costume craft technqiues: casting plastic, carving foam, stretching and wiring hats, painting/dyeing shoes, air balling, etc.
- Launders, irons, steams and repairs costumes where necessary.
- Photographs costumes for portfolio.
  http://www.costumes.org/advice/1pages/jobdescription.htm

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