All posts by tara@costumes.org

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

STAGE MAKEUP CLASS PAGES 82: Multiple Research Images of Your Famous Guy with Beard [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].

Research Images of Lenin's Face

Explanation: Famous Guys in Beards

Do research for a makeup design based on a well-known image of a guy in a beard/moustache. The best folks to pick are historical and newsworthy ones where you can get lots of images like Lenin, Darwin, Charles I, Frederick Douglas, Emperor Meiji, Dickens, Che Guevara, King Faisal, Osama Bin Laden, etc. or the Unibomber, members of ZZ Top, The Beatles, Steve Jobs & Steve Wozniak.

Getting your Points

Gather together multiple views of your “Famous Guy in a Beard” and submit through the link below .   Use these sources to base your next assignment, the Beard Makeup Rendering, upon. Remember afterwards to also to import your research/rendering in your Portfolio/Morgue Assignment so you build up your morgue gradually and easily over the course of the semester.

Alternate Adventures With Spirit Gum Version:

Instructor Tara in Fall makeup with floral lashesDo visual inspiration research for a makeup design based on a fantasy creature  with beard, eyebrows, etc of feathers, flowers, paper, plastic, pipe cleaners or other lightweight materials. The best creatures to pick are humanoid amalgamations of human/animal, human/ plant, human/fungus, human/mineral, human/landfill or human/weather where you can get lots of images like snow/ice or tree/lichen etc for your inspiration, as well as possible previous ideas of what a “Green Man” a “Snow Queen” or a “Reptile Woman” might look like.

Getting your Points

Gather together multiple views of your inspirational  images and submit through the link below .   Use these sources to base your next assignment the Makeup Rendering upon. Remember afterwards to also to import your research/rendering in your Morgue/Portfolio Assignment so you build up your Portfolio gradually and easily over the course of the semester.

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

STAGE MAKEUP CLASS PAGES 81: Watch Crepe Hair Beard Video(s)!

[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].

The official class how-to video:

  ….Has me replicating the appearance of Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov, commonly known as Lenin.  It has a crepe hair beard and mustache, as well as a wax nose as part of the design (you are not required to do a wax nose again, I’m just showing off). 

Written Notes on the topic of making crepe hair beards can be found at https://www.mallatts.com/blog/articles/how-to-make-a-fake-beard-with-crepe-wool

I use spirit gum to apply my beard, and you can too (spirit gum comes in your Deluxe kit) providing you are not allergic to tree sap.  Not sure if you are allergic to tree sap/spirit gum?   Do a Patch test to find out

If you are Allergic to Spirit Gum/Tree Sap:

If you are allergic to sap/spirit gum, you can also use either eyelash adhesive or a surgical adhesive like Duo (from most drugstores in the makeup section), or you can special order ProsAid (special effect makeup adhesive) online instead.  It is also possible to apply crepe hair with latex, but this is very slow to dry, and is like pulling band-aids off your arm multiple times to remove so I do not recommend it.  If you want to know more about adhesives, and some fun stuff to stick in them for FX you can listen to this young woman with amazing lipstick natter on for quite a while on a bunch of them in a highly irritating but very informative way:

What About Non-Lenin Beards?

I am not the be all and end all of laying hair, and there are other methods of doing this.  It is worth your time to watch these short videos on Crepe hair application that use some of these other methods if you want one of these sorts of beards:

For a multi-hued beard:

For a very straight beard:

For a super kinky-fizzy beard:

If you want to do sideburns, here is how:

If you happen to have a crafter’s flock gun, there is this type of beard as well:

https://youtube.com/watch?v=gNlqiDOD5qk%3Fstart%3D50

I have found more beard related videos at my “Crepe Hair and More” list at YouTube to browse if you are interested.

What About Alternate Adventures in Spirit Gum Videos?

As an alternate you can use spirit gum to apply a “beard” or “eyebrows” or something similar out of many lightweight materials. 

The techniques of Crepe hair laying can also be applied with human hair, yak hair, wig hair, fur and other light weight substances like feathers, artificial flowers and leaves, plastic, mylar, pipe cleaners, fun foam and paper.

As an example watch this Quick time lapse short on a makeup using peacock feathers to make a beard:

There are shockingly few videos on how to do this, but the overlapping steps are similar to what you do with crepe hair, and the results are often spectacular:

https://youtube.com/watch?v=OV9VDWp5_v8%3Fstart%3D211

This works with eyelash glue as well:

OMG! They both sound exciting, I’m not allergic to wool or anything but I want to do both!

You can.  This second Adventures in Spirit Gum assignment is similar to the Mythical Fantasy project, and you can include this weird technique into that project later in the semester, AND do the crepe hair beard this week to get in the skills the best way which is with the crepe wool!  This is an primarily for if you have a reason not to do the crepe hair this week, like wool allergy, missing crepe hair, etc.

So pick your poison and move to the next step!

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

STAGE MAKEUP CLASS PAGES 80: Activities: Crepe Hair Beard & Makeup

[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].

DVC Student with a Mustache made of crepe hair
DVC Student with a crepe hair beard & Rendering
Instructor Tara as Lenin with reference photos

Explanation:

DVC Student in crepe hair beard

Famous Guys in Beards. Do a makeup design based on a well-known image of a guy in a beard/mustache. The best folks to pick are historical and newsworthy ones where you can get lots of images like Lenin, Darwin, Charles I, Frederick Douglas, Emperor Meiji, Dickens, Che Guevara, King Faisal, Osama Bin Laden, etc. or the Unibomber, members of ZZ Top, Steve Jobs & Steve Wozniak.

Alternate “Adventures in Spirit Gum” Option:

UAF Student Heather Maas in her makeup design with a Feather Beard

If you have a wool allergy, or have had difficulty getting your crepe hair on time  you can instead create a Fantasy Character with facial “Hair” of a substance other than crepe wool. For this to work, the substance must be light weight and thin enough to be capable of laying  down in layers on top of each other like hair does.  For example: feathers, strips of paper or mylar (chip bags), pipe cleaners or plastic. This doesn’t teach the skills as well as crepe hair will, but it will do in a pinch and is a technique you may want to know about for the (late in the semester) Mythical Fantasy Creature  project which is coming up.

Overview:

This week you face the last and most difficult technical challenge of the  “realism” portion of the semester: “laying hair”. It is also the itchiest lesson, as unless you choose the to stick an alternate substance (Latex, Duo, etc.) to your face, you will be gluing wool to your face with tree sap*. Once you are over this hump, and into the “design/fantasy” second half of the semester you can relax and play with your new superpowers (highlight/shadow, nose wax, spirit-gum and crepe hair) in designing and making more types of makeup all of which are easier, and offer more room for you to design and play doing creative stuff. 

  • Commercial Spirit Gum is a modern, refined form of one of the earliest glues known to man.  In it’s primitive form, you can make your own spirit gum simply by dissolving chunks of tree sap in alcohol, and filtering out tree needles and dirt with a cloth or coffee filter.  In the event of the apocalypse, get a jar, fill it with an inch of alcohol and drop in bits of dried tree sap. Add a small pebble or bird shot and shake and sit several times over a few days.  When it is dissolved, filter the cloudy mixture through a cloth into another jar.  Test it for adhesion.   If it is too thin, let some of the alcohol evaporate, if it gets too thick later, add more alcohol.  This is primal glue with many uses.  We tried making this at DVC, and it works fine but smells like a pine tree!

Activities:

  • You will watch one or more Crepe Hair Beard Videos.
  • You will research  and collect images of your famous bearded guy for reference.
  • You will draw a color rendering of the makeup incorporating the beard and the appearance of said famous bearded dude.
  • You will apply Crepe hair and makeup to your face to make your Famous Bearded Guy Makeup.
  • You will do a short photo shoot (either with Tara in the hallway or on your own) to get fabulous photos of your makeup & rendering.
  • You will upload your research, makeup and rendering photos to their respective assignment pages.
Classes, Distance Education, Makeup Designs for Theatre & Film, Stage Makeup Class

STAGE MAKEUP CLASS PAGES 79: Week 9 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].

•Fill in Date:  Group 1: Bring in evidence of research on Gothic, Horror Movie, or Silent film makeup. Do Gothic Horror Makeup and Gothic Horror Rendering. Group 2: Watch Wax nose video.

•HOMEWORK FAMOUS GUYS IN BEARDS: DO A MAKEUP DESIGN BASED ON A WELL-KNOWN IMAGE OF A GUY IN A BEARD/MOUSTACHE. THE BEST FOLKS TO PICK ARE HISTORICAL AND NEWSWORTHY ONES WHERE YOU CAN GATHER LOTS OF IMAGES LIKE LENIN, DARWIN, CHARLES I, FREDERICK DOUGLAS, EMPEROR MEIJI, DICKENS, CHE GUEVARA, KING FAISAL, OSAMA BIN LADEN, ETC. OR THE UNABOMBER, MEMBERS OF ZZ TOP, STEVE JOBS & STEVE WOZNIAK. DO A RENDERING.

•Fill in Date:  Group 1: View Beard Video. Group 2: Wax Nose Makeup rendering. Makeup using wax nose or forehead, completed in class.

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

STAGE MAKEUP CLASS PAGES 78: Learning Objectives: Beard Week

[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].

This Week’s Learning Objective:Outcomes we will use to get there:
Learn to use Spirit Gum to apply lightweight substances to your face within a makeup design. Research, render and complete either:
A makeup of a famous bearded man Or a makeup of a fantasy character with facial “hair” of a substance other than crepe hair.
Man with flowers spirit gummed to face
Woman with feathers stuck to face with spirit gum
Classes, Distance Education, Stage Makeup Class

STAGE MAKEUP CLASS PAGES 77: Congratulations on making it to the end of Week 8!

[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].

Drunk Dreams Man Slideshow

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

STAGE MAKEUP CLASS PAGES 76: Veg Out and Watch The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari!

[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].

Be Calm.  There is no test, no quiz, and you can skip this video if you don’t have time for it.  I just supposed if you have not yet seen it, you might want today to be your first time seeing The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari.  I say, the first time, because if you are a designer, or film buff, this one you will probably watch multiple times in your life…, multiple viewings show you different things in it over time. If you have the time today, watch and enjoy.  If you do not, chill, and always remember, THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH YOUR FACE!

Repeat Your Mantra: "There is NOTHING Wrong With My Face!"
Classes, Distance Education, Makeup Designs for Theatre & Film, Stage Makeup Class

STAGE MAKEUP CLASS PAGES 75: Gothic Horror Makeup [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].

Woman with many eyes
Goth Horror Group of DVC makeup students.
scary clown gif

What to do:

  • Apply Makeup for a Gothic/ Horror /Day of Dead/Character (that is scary for you), to your face or your model’s face.
  • Have Tara costume and photograph you in the hallway with your Gothic Horror rendering.
  • OR (if doing this at home costume yourself from the neck up and take your own photos. Give yourself time to get some perfect clear photos from many angles and post at least the best 3-4 to the link below. . It is OK to have a friend take your photos, but if they do, MAKE THEM WATCH THE VIDEO BELOW!!!
  • This is a reminder of how to get good photos of your work:

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

STAGE MAKEUP CLASS PAGES 74: Gothic Horror Rendering [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 makeup and rendering by DVC Student

Definition: Makeup rendering- drawing of a makeup design one intends to execute

Inspired by your research and your childhood/adult fears, draw a color makeup rendering on one of your personalized face outline sheets, a generic outline sheet , or freehand, or with computer software, of your planned Gothic/Horror Makeup Design and submit through  the link below .  It is OK to alter or even abandon your design if you find there are problems once you try it on your face, but still do a rendering and post it below.

Aesthetic Alienation

You will find that the makeup will work best, if no matter how hideous, you pay attention to style, beauty and balance in the aesthetics of the design.  This helps you to find the makeup less disturbing or scary by a process of alienation through looking at it aesthetically rather than emotionally.  (This is also useful if you have a friend who insists on dragging you to scary movies: The more you allow yourself to study lighting tricks, the choices of camera angle, and get fascinated by how the horror makeup is done, seeing it as stage blood, latex and wax, the less disturbing you will find the film).  This also makes your design look better and be simultaneously attractive and frightening!

Afterwards

When you do your actual face makeup also photograph your rendering  alongside your finished face makeup as shown above to save to your Morgue/Portfolio project.

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

STAGE MAKEUP CLASS PAGES 73: Research on Gothic, Horror film, or Silent film makeup [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].

Boris Carloff as The Creature in Frankenstein
Max Shrek as Count Orloff
Max Schrek as Count Orloff in Nosferatu

         

Search for images to guide your design

Research images for your chosen Gothic/Horror/Silent Film makeup design. You may do any type of makeup that falls under this broad category, so long as it pushes your fear buttons, including Vampires, Monsters, and extreme makeup styles such as those found in films like The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari (Spanish Subtitles), The Cabinet of Dr Caligari (English Subtitles) , The Phantom of The Opera, Nosferatu Frankenstein, Dawn of the Dead, etc…. or Holidays like Day of the Dead, Halloween, Christmas etc that have scary images attached to them.. Gothic Beauty Magazine…. In short anything you find scary, but also kind of cool.  Please note …that both “Gothic” and Horror” are deliberately broad in nature and you may post multiple images here.  This is your chance to do something you find scary, like replications of classic horror film makeup, (like in the class video), vampires, werewolves, scary clowns,  and a multiplicity of other things that fall in to those two catch-all topics.

Upload photo(s) of your research through the link below for credit .   Remember after grading to also to put your research and rendering in your Makeup Morgue/Portfolio Assignment so you build up your morgue gradually and easily over the course of the semester.