Tim J. Hays

                          

To get started on the road to being a makeup artist or FX makeup artist requires a lot of patience and creativity. Getting along with people and being able to quickly think on your feet are important tools to an artist. Personal hygiene and working neatly are, too.

There are several ways to jump right in and get yourself into making people beautiful or into monsters. One way is to spend lots and lots of money by going to a makeup school. There are several schools around the world. You can look in your local phonebook or go online and search for makeup schools in your area. But, be warned: some of these schools cost more than $30,000 for an 11 week course. Some cost a lot more!

If spending loads of money isn't for you, there are other options. I usually tell everyone about the "Dick Smith makeup course". Dick Smith is called "The Godfather of Makeup" and for good reason, too. He has been doing makeup for over 60 years and has done work on The Exorcist, The Godfather 1 & 2, Amadeus, The Hunger, Altered States and tons more. He was the one who taught Rick Baker and got him started. Most of the big Hollywood FX artists have taken this course as well. This course is highly respected in the makeup artist field. One of the best things about this course is you don't have to travel. It is all done through the mail. He offers two courses; basic and advanced. The overall best thing: it is very low cost! Check it out at: www.dicksmithmake-up.com. I have a link on my links page of this website as well.

Another way is to buy some makeup books or videos. There are some available from www.fxwarehouseinc.com. You have to look at what you are buying, though. Some of the books are not step-by-step or are not geared toward beginners. There are places online that sell books and videos as well. http://www.theeffectslab.com/ or www.amazon.com may have some as well, or you could use your own web browser and find another resource. There are sites online that show how to do some halloween makeups or other type of injury simulation. www.screamteam.com

Make sure you know what you are doing before you jump right in and start smearing makeup on somebody. Read through all of the material you have and understand the safety instructions. Also be aware that some people are allergic to certain materials. I know a few people that are allergic to latex.

Supplies:

Buying supplies can get quite expensive. Shop around, but be prepared to spend a lot of money. Sometimes suppliers can suggest a cheaper alternative, if needed. You'll need makeup bases in a range of colors. Remember you can usually mix a specific shade if you need to. Always remember to keep your makeup clean and hygenic. Don't work directly out of the makeup container. You will spread bacteria by doing that. Use a makeup spatula or palette knife to scrape a little onto a palette and work off of that. www.fxwarehouseinc.com, www.alconeco.com, www.burmanindustries.com and www.monstermakers.com are a few places to get some starting supplies.

Photographing your work:

Take pictures of your work. If possible, do not use those cheap, disposable cameras. You can get a nice film or digital camera on www.pricegrabber.com or www.e-bay.com or www.half.com or even in your local flea market if funds are tight. A nice camera is very important.

When you are done with your makeup, be sure to put your model in front of a neutral background and take well lit and in-focus pictures. The best lighting is outside, but not in direct sunlight and keep the light in front, not from behind. If you need to take close up pictures be sure to use the macro setting on your camera. You only need one, maybe two photos of each makeup in your portfolio. Take a lot of snapshots and choose which ones are the best. One other thing, do NOT alter your pictures. If the background in your picture is distracting and takes away from your subject, then maybe do a little to change the background only. Keep in mind: hair and costume, too. Keep a theme going to make the whole setting in your photos look good. But don't go too intricate, you may take away from your makeup which should be the main focus. The same goes for any completed sculpture work, too. Except, maybe the whole theme, just a neutral background and good lighting.

Put the pictures you have chosen in a nice portfolio. Your portfolio says a lot about you. How organized your are, how neatly you work, even how much you care about your work. Investing in a neat portfolio is an important thing as well.

It helps to learn about photography and lighting. You don't have to be a pro at it, just learning the basics will greatly improve the quality of your portfolio. Plus, you will know what to look for while checking your makeups if you are working on a set.

Showing your portfolio:

 Be prepared to do free work. When you are getting started, you will more than likely have to do work for someone without getting paid. You could ask for copies of still photos taken of your makeup on set or a letter of recommendation as payment and put that in your portfolio. That is how you begin to network. Either get some business cards printed or do it yourself on a computer. Keep it simple! Your name should be prominent and what you do and then your contact info below that should be legible. No intricate or crazy-looking fonts. Nothing offensive, either.

Go to seminars and workshops or conventions. Be polite and patient and don't be overbearing. No one likes a pushy artist. There are also chatrooms online for makeup artists. Search for some online and join them. If it isn't what you like, leave it and find another. You can find some on Yahoo! or try: http://www.theeffectslab.com/ or www.savini.com. There, you may find some info on upcoming lectures, seminars, workshops or even productions. Also, you can get magazines like Makeup Artist magazine (www.makeupmag.com), Fangoria and others like those to find out info on conventions.

Building a Resume':

As you do more and more work, build up a resume' . Keep all of the pertinent info about your work simple. Just put in what type of work you did, who you worked for and when it was. Keep your resume' short. One, maybe two pages at the most. Also, list any other skills that you have that will help you while working. For example: painting, drawing, sculpting, licensed cosmotologist...etc.

When you are interviewing for some work, usually the person or people will ask you about the info on your resume' and about your pictures. Be prepared to answer any questions and have all of the pertinent info. Networking helps here also. They may know or have worked with some one that you have as well. It helps having references. If you were very professional and did great work on a production, people remember it.

Local costume shops sometimes post business cards for local people who want halloween type makeup done. Playhouses and theatres sometimes need makeup artists who are willing to work for free. Always bring your makeup kit.

 

Here's a link to a list of makeup schools and an interesting article about getting started.

http://www.fxsupply.com/features/muschools.html

Here's something else I thought might be useful. It's a free downloadable fx makeup resource called: "The FX Makeup Bible". I haven't looked at it yet. but it's free.
http://www.softpedia.com/get/Others/E-Book/Makeup-FX-eTreme.shtml

Let me know if you have any other additional questions. Good luck!