Prosthetic Foam

What is the best way to become a special effects makeup artist?

I have a bachelor's degree in Art. I already have some knowledge of painting and sculpting. I know how to carve on foam, wood, cast, construct, weld a little and finalty make plaster molds (I haven't explored rubber). Recently I've been playing with makeup and found that it's a lot like painting, except using the face as my canvas. Does anybody know of a good school that would give me additional skills to become a prosthetic artist for films?

There are some great schools in the LA area, if you do a little googling you should pull some up. You can also experiment with some stage makeup to start learning how to do some basic prosthetic work. Any school that has a theatre make-up program should offer special effect make-up courses and direct you to local stores that sell theatrical make-up. Ben Nye is a leading stage make-up with various products for special effects. www.bennye.com

Contribution of Makeup Artistry Schools to the Makeup Industry

The history of makeup is as old as the human settlement. Humans possibly started cleaning, grooming and decorating their bodies as soon as they began staying in permanent dwellings. They used naturally found substances, birds’ feathers and animal bones. Their primary purpose might have been to attract the opposite sex or to appear different from other tribes or to warn the enemies by outstanding bodily display. Not much has changed. In modern times, people still use natural and manufactured substances (cosmetics) for cleansing, beautifying, grooming, altering and enhancing their bodies in order to feel and look good, for display purpose, for seeking attention, and for professional purpose such as appearance in films, television, theatre and modeling.

The business of beauty has spawned the whole industry around itself. A new breed of professionals such as makeup artists, beauticians, cosmetologists, hairstylists, tattoo artists, masseurs, cosmetic surgeons, marketers and cosmetics product developers has developed to meet up the increasing demands. Along with the beauty salons, hair salons, spas, health resorts, cosmetics companies and wedding studios, many makeup schools have established to prepare students as professional makeup artists. The makeup artists generally work as freelancers or find occupations in beauty salons, film and television studios and theaters.

The Makeup Programs developed and taught by the typical makeup artist school comprises of subjects covering all aspects of beauty and corrective makeup, high fashion photographic makeup, hair styling, airbrushing, the wedding business, the psychology of beauty, theatrical/live performance makeup and television/film makeup. There are special programs for students to want to work in the film industry in its special effects department. This area covers the subjects such as full head life casting, designing and designs, sculpting (mold making), application of prosthetics, foam rubber and silicone casting, drawing and sculpting techniques, head casting, full body casting, multi-piece molding, and seaming foam, among others.

Most makeup schools have well-equipped library, labs and workshops and many schools provide essential student services such as finding suitable careers for them, arranging housing for outstation students and helping international makeup artist students with I-20 and visa formalities. There are indeed many avenues for serious students who wish to build careers in the makeup and beauty industry.

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Men, Makeup & Monsters: Hollywood's Masters of Illusion and FX Sale Price: $99.99 See Reviews For This Product Description Cinema is illusion, and in this book you'll find profiles of twelve masters of screen magic, the best you can find in Hollywood, including:-Dick Smith, a living legend whose work has graced The Godfather, The Hunger, and many other films-Stan Winston, the man behind Terminator 2 and Aliens-Tom Savini, whose work for George A. Romero's "Living Dead" movies made him a leader in the milieu of splatter effects-Rick Baker, whose apes have conquered the screen in Greystoke, Congo, and Gorillas in the MistThese masters and eight other specialists-including today's hottest talents, such as Bob (Hellraiser), Keen, Kevin (Child's Play) Yagher, and Tony (Addams Family Values) Gardner-offer details looks at the art and craft of movie makeup.From foam latex to complicated puppetry, it's all here in this essential handbook. With many rare and illuminating photos-including eight pages in color-this book is invaluable for anyone interested in learning the craft of movie makeup and fascinating reading for anyone who ever wondered, How did they do that? For as long as they've been in existence, horror and sci-fi movies have relied on special effects and makeup to make the unreal seem real. In Men, Makeup, and Monsters: Hollywood's Masters of Illusion and FX, Fangoria editor Anthony Timpone presents profiles a dozen of today's most brilliant practitioners of the art and science of effects. Artists such as Stan Winston, Rick Baker, and Dick Smith have made everything from aliens to dinosaurs to zombies come alive on the screen, employing a staggering variety of techniques. In their conversations with Timpone, Winston and company explain how they accomplished dozens of their most notable effects, which involve the use of makeup, appliances, puppetry, robotics, CGI, animatronics, and more. Abundant photos (including a color section) show both finished products and works in progress. Men, Makeup, and Monsters is aimed not just at curious movie fans, but also at prospective practitioners of the trade. Timpone's introduction includes straightforward explanations of basic industry terminology and procedures, and gives a realistic picture of what it takes to break into this increasingly competitive business. Appendices include a glossary and a directory of makeup schools. Movie fans who routinely leave the theater asking, "How did they do that?" will find this detailed look behind the illusions absorbing, and will come away with as much admiration for the artists as for the effects they create. --Mary V. Burke