All posts by tara@costumes.org

Classes, How-to, Workshops and Presentations

Low Cost Prescription Glasses For Your Costumes (Costume College 2024)

These are some notes and links for a workshop I did with Morgan Gasman at #CostumeCollege2024 on “Tips for finding low-cost high style prescription glasses and ways to modify them for aesthetics and comfort.” Photos from the workshop will appear here when I get some. (Did you take pictures during the lecture? If so, send them to tara@costumes-org ) Meanwhile, here are the useful links for workshop goers and others:

ALERT! Someone at the workshop inadvertently left a pair of their own Zenni animal print glasses amidst my show-and tell glasses that were packed up and taken home to San Rafael! To have me send them to you Text (or phone) me at 415-272-5157 and give me your name and address so I can mail your prescription peepers back to you!

Tara Maginnis in a pair of inexpensive Wherelight progressive glasses she blinged out with rhinestones and glitter glue!

Online Purveyors of good wild and mild prescription fashion glasses at prices too cheap to fathom:

Online Glasses at higher prices than these crazy deals, but still good rates. If you sign up for spam, you can often also get BOGO and other offers in your weekly spam from them.

  • Payne Glasses Very good prices. They also sell a lot of prescription sports goggles which might be useful for cosplay. https://www.payneglasses.com
  • Zenni Very high quality, at good prices with lenses made in Ignacio, California – Really great safety glasses also! Check out the collection created by the late Iris Apfel for some extremely fun styles. https://www.zennioptical.com
  • Vooglam is nearly all big wild “statement” glasses in fun colors and patterns. If you are looking for something you want for a Rita Skeeter cosplay or have have seen an over the top style somewhere that is not already at Wherelight, this is your best shot at finding it. https://www.vooglam.com/
  • Aoolia is where i go to drool over glasses that I’m typically too cheap to buy. They sell ones that look like they escaped from a 1980s futuristic space comedy designed by “New Wave” Italians. They sell for what you would pay at your doctor’s office, https://www.aoolia.com/category-high-end-designer-glasses-520 happily quite a few of their styles filter into Wherelight eventually.

Where to get any type lenses put into glasses you own:

Links on Glasses History & Places to Purchase Reenactor type Glasses :

Actual Vintage and Antique Glasses

  • While you can also hunt on Etsy for Pince-nes and other vintage glasses, the best deals can be found on eBay simply by typing in the search “vintage eyeglasses lot”. If you bid low on several group sets you usually will find one or more lots come your way

Stick On Lenses

Vintag-ish readers, Party Glasses and Blinged-out Fashion Sunglasses

Other Glasses I Just Learned about…..

Classes, Distance Education, Makeup Designs for Theatre & Film, Stage Makeup Class, STAGE MAKEUP CLASS PAGES

Stage Makeup Class Canvas Pages:

[This page is part of a mirror of my Canvas learning system pages I created for my Drama 112 Intro Stage Makeup class at DVC.  If you want to use this content for another Canvas class shell you can find it in Canvas Commons by searching for “Tara Maginnis” and you can download all or part of this directly into your shell with all the extra cool formatting of colored divider lines, right side embedded Giphy animations, etc. already put in, if you are working with a different system, it is ok to copy and paste from these pages, and then customize the pages as you need  for your classes].

Uncategorized

I have Semi-Retired! Want my old job?

My job has now been filled by the estimable Abra Berman!

This was the job

Check it out at https://www.4cdcareers.net/postings/9789

Actor Fitting in Men's Dressing Room
Actor Fitting in Men’s Dressing Room

Stuff we have in the Costume Basement that the new costumer can come and play with:

Pool Noodle Storage DVC Costume Studio

Our main sewing machines are all vintage mechanical tabletop Berninas that work (no industrials), we also have 20 Bernette B05 Academy machines for sending home with costume students in the Spring Intro to Costume Design class, that are usable in Fall if you can lure in free minions to help.

I’m sticking around to teach Drama 112 Stage Makeup in Fall, and I’m still doing Archive volunteer work till the 75th Anniversary (of both DVC and the Drama program) in 2025, which is as well as the 50th anniversary of the PAC which occurs at the same time. (The PAC was opened in 1975 on the 25th anniversary of DVC). So I can help any newbie get up to speed (and find where all the stock items you need are located).

Saoirse

There is a paid 10 hr a week student assistant (if you want to continue this) who knows a bunch, who is already researching and applying for designing the student show (“Radium Girls”) in the Arena (little theatre in the round) in early December. So one less headache in finding one. One can usually also hire another 10 hr PT student minion. Work study minions beyond this 20 hr total Drama Dept. budget limit can be hired just by filing the paperwork if you can find any work-study qualified students, because none of the cost comes from the Dept.

First show of the year is “All Shook Up” (musical comedy with Elvis songs in late October on the PAC Mainstage) which appears to be vaguely based in a fictional small American town in any date(s) between 1950s to now. Musical comedy type colorful clothing 1950-now has been a center of my hoarding strategy for over a decade so 98% of this show is likely to be found in our stock and you only need to create stuff you actually want to. We even own a pair of bright blue suede shoes!

Spring will bring “Rosencrantz & Guildenstern are Dead” to the PAC Mainstage. Our 16th Century stock is limited, but adequate, and we have long had a mutual lending agreement with Pink Depford Costume/Center Rep that can help both parties build only what you actually want to build.

The last show of the year is currently listed as a “surprise” in negotiation with the playwright. One of our directing/acting professors has a good relationship with two popular living American playwrights, and so can sometimes get us a rather new work before other colleges get to do it. This will also be in the little “Arena” theatre in the round which is a fun space to work in.

You can see LOTS of images of DVC shows at the DVC Drama Archive if you want to know the nearly full history of what DVC drama has been doing 1950-now.

Classes, Distance Education, Makeup Designs for Theatre & Film, Stage Makeup Class, STAGE MAKEUP CLASS PAGES

STAGE MAKEUP CLASS PAGES 138: Congratulations on making it to the end of the class!

[This page is part of a mirror of my Canvas learning system pages I created for my Drama 112 Intro Stage Makeup class at DVC.  If you want to use this content for another Canvas class shell you can find it in Canvas Commons by searching for “Tara Maginnis” and you can download all or part of this directly into your shell with all the extra cool formatting of colored divider lines, right side embedded Giphy animations, etc. already put in, if you are working with a different system, it is ok to copy and paste from here, and then customize the pages as you need  for your classes].

You are amazing! Live long and prosper, and never forget, there is NOTHING wrong with your face!

There is nothing wrong with your face looping image of black and white mask faces

via GIPHYLinks to an external site.

Classes, Distance Education, Makeup Designs for Theatre & Film, Portfolio Advice, Stage Makeup Class, STAGE MAKEUP CLASS PAGES

STAGE MAKEUP CLASS PAGES 137: Portfolio Assignment: Finished Makeup Morgue/Portfolio project [Assignment]

[This page is part of a mirror of my Canvas learning system pages I created for my Drama 112 Intro Stage Makeup class at DVC.  If you want to use this content for another Canvas class shell you can find it in Canvas Commons by searching for “Tara Maginnis” and you can download all or part of this directly into your shell with all the extra cool formatting of colored divider lines, right side embedded Giphy animations, etc. already put in, if you are working with a different system, it is ok to copy and paste from here, and then customize the pages as you need  for your classes].

Vampire Tutorial in Tara's Portfolio Photo of Fantasy Makeup Demo in Tara's Makeup PortfolioFairy Makeup Tutorial in Tara's Portfolio (Pages from Tara’s Makeup Morgue)

Back early in the semester you hopefully created your Makeup Morgue/Portfolio Assignment 1 : Create a Place to Collect Your Makeup Morgue/Portfolio  If you followed  the instructions from the beginning, you dutifully have already

  • Put all your completed assignments into your Portfolio, whether you made a website, a Portfolium folio, a Google Doc, or a physical binder, or whatever place you put copies of all your renderings, research images and photos of your makeup projects after you did them.
  • Organized your assignments into project groupings in your Portfolio.
  • Labeled your assignments so they make sense to someone looking at the portfolio.

If you have been doing this all along, you simply need to show me your portfolio and you are done!

If you have not, you need to do all that importing, or printing, dividing into categories, and labeling now.  When you are finished, either show your binder portfolio in person to the instructor, and post some photos of it here, or if you have an online version put the URL to the online location here.

PLEASE REMEMBER THAT HEIC FILES DO NOT SHOW UP IN CANVAS.

Classes, Distance Education, Makeup Designs for Theatre & Film, Stage Makeup Class, STAGE MAKEUP CLASS PAGES

STAGE MAKEUP CLASS PAGES 136: Activities: Makeup Morgue/Portfolio

[This page is part of a mirror of my Canvas learning system pages I created for my Drama 112 Intro Stage Makeup class at DVC.  If you want to use this content for another Canvas class shell you can find it in Canvas Commons by searching for “Tara Maginnis” and you can download all or part of this directly into your shell with all the extra cool formatting of colored divider lines, right side embedded Giphy animations, etc. already put in, if you are working with a different system, it is ok to copy and paste from here, and then customize the pages as you need  for your classes].

Back early in the semester you hopefully created your Makeup Morgue/Portfolio Assignment 1 : Create a Place to Collect Your Makeup Morgue/Portfolio  If you followed  the instructions from the beginning, you dutifully have already

  • Imported all your completed assignments into your Portfolio, whether you made a website, a Portfolium folio, a Google Doc, or a physical binder, or whatever place you put copies of your renderings, research and photos of your makeup after you did them.
  • Organized your assignments into project groupings in your Portfolio.
  • Labeled your assignments so they make sense to someone looking at the portfolio.

If you did not do this as you went along throughout the semester, you need to do so NOW! 

You will then submit this as your  project. Portfolio Assignment: Finished Makeup Morgue/Portfolio project. That is it. 

To be sure all is well with your grades, also check through ALL your assignments. 

Turn in any missing late projects, and double check how your grade points are doing by the end of this week.

If you have any Extra Credit Assignments to turn in, the time to do this is NOW.

This is your last chance to turn in work!  If you have got behind, get your behind in gear!  

Classes, Distance Education, Makeup Designs for Theatre & Film, Stage Makeup Class, STAGE MAKEUP CLASS PAGES

STAGE MAKEUP CLASS PAGES 135: Learning Objectives: Morgue/Portfolio

[This page is part of a mirror of my Canvas learning system pages I created for my Drama 112 Intro Stage Makeup class at DVC.  If you want to use this content for another Canvas class shell you can find it in Canvas Commons by searching for “Tara Maginnis” and you can download all or part of this directly into your shell with all the extra cool formatting of colored divider lines, right side embedded Giphy animations, etc. already put in, if you are working with a different system, it is ok to copy and paste from here, and then customize the pages as you need  for your classes].

Face with features that change like a flip book
Flashing image of a woman painted like a zebra
pictures of normal smiling people of assorted genders and races morphing from one to another
This Week’s Learning Objective:Outcomes we will use to get there:
Be able to demonstrate what you have learned about stage makeup.Import completed assignments into your Portfolium folio.
Organize your assignments into project groupings. 
Label and hashtag your assignments so they can be found by job searches.
Classes, Distance Education, Makeup Designs for Theatre & Film, Stage Makeup Class

STAGE MAKEUP CLASS PAGES 134: Week 16 Schedule 

[This page is part of a mirror of my Canvas learning system pages I created for my Drama 112 Intro Stage Makeup class at DVC.  If you want to use this content for another Canvas class shell you can find it in Canvas Commons by searching for “Tara Maginnis” and you can download all or part of this directly into your shell with all the extra cool formatting of colored divider lines, right side embedded Giphy animations, etc. already put in, if you are working with a different system, it is ok to copy and paste from here, and then customize the pages as you need  for your classes].

Week 16 Finals Week 

•Insert Date Here: Group 1: Watch The Human Face Part 3, and afterwards check out Group 1’s Final Projects. Group 2: Mythical Creature Fantasy Final makeup rendering due at beginning of class, Mythical Creature Fantasy Final makeup completed in class.

•Insert Date Here: Both Groups: Come to the Greenroom upstairs and bring your Makeup Morgue/Makeup Portfolio project (or show it to me on my office computer). Check through your assignments with Tara (parked in her office at PA 121 off of the Green Room) and learn your grade. Turn in any missing work. Also bring any late projects, photos of projects you did at home, and your double checked grade points sheet to make sure I have your correct amount of points.  If you are not sure what you have, please come and we can usually find a way for you to get projects done by the end of the day sufficient to pass the class. I will be staying at DVC after the class period till 5pm to let you finish and turn in any late work done. If you are far behind at the beginning of class time, instead go directly to the makeup room to get help from the TAs at catching up before you come upstairs.

Classes, Distance Education, Makeup Designs for Theatre & Film, Stage Makeup Class

STAGE MAKEUP CLASS PAGES 133: Congratulations on making it to the end of Week 15!

[This page is part of a mirror of my Canvas learning system pages I created for my Drama 112 Intro Stage Makeup class at DVC.  If you want to use this content for another Canvas class shell you can find it in Canvas Commons by searching for “Tara Maginnis” and you can download all or part of this directly into your shell with all the extra cool formatting of colored divider lines, right side embedded Giphy animations, etc. already put in, if you are working with a different system, it is ok to copy and paste from here, and then customize the pages as you need  for your classes].

Face animation UV light
Face animation slideshow