Digital Costume Design and Collaboration

Rafael Jaen is a practicing costume designer, professor and author. Jaen’s costume design (and manufacturing) work includes film, TV and theater and he has received multiple accolades and award nominations including the prestigious Elliot Norton Award and the IRNE Award. He has been a member of the United States Institute for Theatre Technology (USITT), the United Scenic Artist (USA) 829, and the National Association of Photoshop Professionals (NAPP). He currently serves at the USITT Board of Directors and on the Publications Committee. Jaen is the National Design, Technology and Management Vice-Chair for the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival (KCACTF), and he serves as the USITT-KCACTF Communications Liaison. Mr. Jaen is an Assistant Professor of Costume Design at UMASS Boston, MA.

"Digital Costume Design and Collaboration will be a valuable addition to the books used for teaching young designers because it takes the processes and functions of practical design into the digital world with easy-to-follow guides and instructions. The book will be particular useful for theatre programs with a limited costume design course offerings. (...) The content will also serve veteran designers who would like to move into a digital world but find themselves a little intimidated or unsure of where to start."- Laura Beene, Utah Valley University, USA

• TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS PREFACE INTRODUCTION PART I: FOUNDATIONS CHAPTER 1 The Design Process, A Digital Approach First Reactions Compiling Information Digitally To Create Web Based Shared Archives A New Look: Updating Research Methods Talking To The Director The Aristotelian Model Historical Context: Using Human Geography as a Framework The "W" Questions or the "Nuts and Bolts" Stage Directions: The Spoken Word And The Playwright’s Notes The Importance Of A Good Dramaturge Talking With The Actors Obtaining Basic Information Establishing The Character’s "Spine": Underlying Motivations, Back-Story, Secrets, etc. Establishing Digital Collaboration With The Actors Prior to Fittings Testimonial Interview: Shawn LaCount, Artistic Director and Director Design Gallery: Edith Can Shoot Things And Hit Them, Company One Theatre, 2015 Sources and Citations CHAPTER 2 Preparing Your Digital Costume Bible And Design Studio Digital Costume Bible The Digital Costume Plot The Digital Costume Piece List The Budget Specs: Including Builds, Bought and Pulled Items Sharing Files With Wardrobe Department: Google Docs, Dropbox, Etc. Digital Costume Design Studio Digital Studio Basics File Sharing Options Drawing Tablets And Digital Rendering Software Wacom Tablets Photoshop Basics Digital Rendering Tools Layers Levels And Curves Flatting Burn And Dodging Dissolve Brushes Patterns Fonts Special Effects: Bevel, Emboss, Inner And Outer Shadows Other Resources: Free Croquis Testimonial Interview: Spiro Veloudos, Artistic Director and Director Design Gallery: Sweeney Todd, Lyric Stage Company of Boston, 2014 Sources and Citations PART II: APPLICATIONS CHAPTER 3 Drawing The Character’s Spine; Black And White Drawing Basics Scanning And/Or Copying Black & White Files Scanning Steps and Tips Tracing With The Wacom Tablet Tracing Over Existing Images: A Sample Process Using Fashion Croquis Using A Pre-Existing Image Creating A "Croquis Banks" Preparing and Saving Black and White Images for Painting With Photoshop Preparing Black and White Drawings Prepping B & W Sketches on Templates Fixing Line "Leakages" How To Make A 300 To 600 Dpi File? Testimonial: Interview: Carrie Ann Quinn, Actor and Director Design Gallery: Polaroid Stories, UMass Boston, 2016 Sources and Citations CHAPTER 4 Contextualizing The Character Photoshop Painting Basics Part 1 Photoshop Color Palettes: The Color Picker Creating A Basic Sketch Template For A Specific Show Choosing Specific Photoshop Color Swatches For Costume Rendering Creating Fabric Yardage and Adding Prints Testimonial Interview: Davis Robinson, Producer, Actor, Director, and Author Design Gallery: The Remarkable Rooming House of Madame LeMonde, Beau Jest Moving Theatre/ Provincetown Tennessee Williams Theatre Festival, 2009 Sources and Citations CHAPTER 5 Costuming The Character: The Preliminary Sketches Creating Multi-Layered Costume Renderings in Photoshop Inserting And Manipulating Costume Pieces Or Elements Inserting A Pre-Existing Or A Previously Saved Pattern Resizing Patterns In Photoshop Adding Layers Such As Facial Details, Skin Tones, And Accesories Painting Assembly Line Sketches Testimonial 1 Interview: Ilyse Robbins, Actor, Choreographer, and Director Design Gallery: Marry Me A Little, New Repertory Theatre, 2013 Testimonial 2 Interview 2: Danny Gidron, Director Design Gallery: Twelfth Night, UMass Boston, 2014 Sources and Citations CHAPTER 6 Costuming The Character: The Finished Sketch More Photoshop Painting Techniques Burn and Dodge Modalities in Photoshop Costume Renderings Painting Eyes Touch Up Work Painting Hair And Adding Real Hair Images Creating a Realistic Hair Layer Adding Patterns With Movement Adding Floor Shadows Using Bevel and Emboss To Add Dimension To The Character’s Silhouette Testimonial 1 Interview: Bridget Kathleen O’Leary, Artistic Director and Director Design Gallery: Doll’s House, New Repertory Theatre, 2011. Testimonial 2 Interview: Carmel O’Reilly, Artistic Director, Director, and Actor Design Gallery: The Seafarer, SpeakEasy Theatre Company, 2008. CHAPTER 7 Archiving the Project As A Digital Portfolio Costume Design And Manufacturing for PBS/WGBH Testimonial 1 Interview: Cathleen O’Connell, Film Producer Design Gallery: God In America, PBS 2010 Testimonial 2 Interview: Michael Fennimore, Film and Theatre Actor, and Theatre Director Design Gallery: You Can’t Take It With You, UMass Boston 2014 Sources and Citations PART III: DIGITAL DESIGN PRACTICE CHAPTER 8 An Unforgettable Affair With Photoshop About Digital Design in Collaboration Testimonials: Designer Interviews and Design Galleries Final Words Sources and Citations INDEX