All posts by tara@costumes.org

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

STAGE MAKEUP CLASS PAGES 72: Watch Gothic Horror Makeup 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].

Conrad Veidt as Cesare in The Cabinet of Caligari
Kitty Lester in Blacula
Bela Lugosi
Lady Gaga in skull makeup

The Gothic Horror project is one where you get to choose any sort of makeup that might be considered Gothic, or Horror, or Halloween, or Day of the Dead as long as it on some level makes you scared.  It includes, but is not limited to:

  • Classic Movie Horror characters like Frankenstein, Dracula, The Man Who Laughed, Phantom of the Opera, Pinhead, etc. 
  • Scary Clowns, The Joker, Pennywise.
  • Gothic Beauty Magazine/Goth Band Makeup/Gothic Lolitas.
  • Ghosts, Ghouls, Zombies, Vampires, Werewolves, Weeping Angels, etc.
  • Day of the Dead, Chimbu Bugamo Skeleton TribeLinks to an external site., Krampus
  • Pretty much anything that pushes your fear buttons and makes you want to wrestle it into scaring you less.

The Official Required Video:

Below is the (short) official class how-to video.  It is for a creepy makeup of a creepy character in the 1919 film, The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari, seen below on the actor Werner Kraus

Even if you are not a white middle aged female, nor do you wish to do this type of makeup today, you should put the time into viewing this video to learn how to do makeup that works in unnatural colors.  The base is a layer of white applied thinly so the skin color peeks through, the brightest highlights are true white, the medium shadows are violet, and the darkest shadow lines are black, illustrating the very important point:

  • Any Dark color can be a Shadow
  • Any Light color can be a Highlight

This applies regardless of your skin tone!

However, if you are not creeped out by silent film makeup, you may well wish to ALSO watch other videos, in addition to this required official one:

Required Makeup Video for Doctor Caligari:

More Video Options!

Happily, I have found a number of other videos of different sorts of scary theatrical makeup that you also may find helpful! Scroll down to see if you find any you think you’d like to watch!

8 Halloween looks applied in fast-forward

Top 15 Halloween Tutorials

Yet more options at Gothic/Horror Makeup Tutorials!

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

STAGE MAKEUP CLASS PAGES 71: Activities: Gothic Horror 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 made up as zombie
DVC Student with high contrast goth makeup animated with FX eyes
DVC Goth Horror group photo
FX

Why?

This week’s lesson originally started  plainly and simply to give students a project where they can prepare to have fun for the week of Halloween & Día de Muertos the dynamic duo of North American holidays that feature wearing makeup!  But it is so much more!  Horror makeup allows you to face your deepest fears and control them. 

OK. What are the steps?

  • You will Research Inspiration Images for your Gothic Horror Makeup
  • You will watch some Gothic Horror Makeup Videos.
  • You will sketch a  rendering on one of your face outline sheets for your Gothic Horror Makeup Rendering.
  • You will apply makeup to your face to make your Gothic Horror Makeup.
  • Tara will costume you in the hall, or  (if you are home, you will scrounge in your house to “costume” your character a bit.
  • Tara or You will do a short photo shoot to get fabulous photos of your makeup & rendering.
  • You will upload your photos to the makeup and rendering assignment pages.

Animated Poster of a makeup festival

This week’s lesson originally started  plainly and simply to give students a project where they can have fun for the week of Halloween & Día de Muertos the dynamic duo of North American holidays that feature wearing makeup!  But it is so much more!  Horror makeup allows you to face your deepest fears and control them. 

OK. What are the steps?

  • You will Research Inspiration Images for your Gothic Horror Makeup
  • You will watch some Gothic Horror Makeup Videos.
  • You will sketch a  rendering on one of your face outline sheets for your Gothic Horror Makeup Rendering.
  • You will apply makeup to your face to make your Gothic Horror Makeup.
  • Tara will costume you in the hall, or  (if you are home, you will scrounge in your house to “costume” your character a bit.
  • Tara or You will do a short photo shoot to get fabulous photos of your makeup & rendering.
  • You will upload your photos to the makeup and rendering assignment pages.

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

STAGE MAKEUP CLASS PAGES 70: Week 8 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].

Creepy animation of eyes

•Fill in Date:

Group 1: Wax Nose Makeup rendering, Makeup using wax nose or forehead, completed in class. Group 2: Watch Wax Nose Video. 

•Fill in Date: 

Group 1: Watch Gothic Horror 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 69: Learning Objectives: Gothic Horror 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:
Face your fears of death, decay, and danger.Analyze what faces scare/scared you in your life, Design or adapt a face that has that same fear factor for you in a way that is also beautiful, Apply that design to your face to give you control and ownership of your fear!
Classes, Stage Makeup Class

STAGE MAKEUP CLASS PAGES 68: Congratulations on making it to the end of Week 7!

[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].

Animated slideshow of face painting
Woman with many painted eyes
Variations on Mona Lisa
Classes, Distance Education, Makeup Designs for Theatre & Film, Stage Makeup Class

STAGE MAKEUP CLASS PAGES 67: Veg Out and Watch Some Videos on Micro Expressions

[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 thinking right now: “Ok…….we keep getting these.  Is there going to be a test later?  Should I take notes?  Why isn’t there a quiz right after the “Veg Out”?  What are we expected to do with these????!!!!”

Be Calm.  There is no test, no quiz, and you can skip these videos if you don’t have time for them.  These are all just cool food for thought that you may enjoy.  I find the more I learn factually about faces the better I can see them, work with them, and achieve our ideal of enlightenment.  So, I share these with you so you may do the same…. if you have the time, watch and enjoy.  If you do not, chill, and always remember, THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH YOUR FACE!

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

STAGE MAKEUP CLASS PAGES 66: Makeup Using a Wax Nose, Forehead, or Chin in The Design [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].

Makeup on a DVC student with a wax nose resembling a twig on a tree fairy.
DVC Student tree nymph seen from front
DVC student tree nymph right side of nose.

As I said at the beginning, the chief difficulty of working with nose wax it is likes to stick to your fingers more than to your face.

SOME GREAT TIPS I have learned to help fix this since I made my videos back in 2005-2007:

  • Put a layer of spirit gum on your nose (and let it get tacky) before you start with the wax.
  • When the gum gets tacky, stick a cotton ball on your nose, press it in, then pull it away leaving a little fluff to help the wax “grab” your nose. Then promptly stick on your roll or ball of wax.
  • As described in the video, clean your fingers EVERY TIME you touch the wax.  BUT you can improve this instruction by putting face powder on your hands after you clean  just like you put flour on your hands for making biscuits!
DVC Student as a Red Devil with wax horns
DVC Student in a wax nose as a flower Fairy
DVC student with wax nose and wax scar mouth

What to do for points:

  1. Apply a Wax Nose, Forehead, or Chin, and incorporate it into the complete makeup design of your face (or your model’s face) based on your rendering.
  2. If in the classroom, go out to the hallway with your rendering and have your instructor costume you from the neck up and take your photos for you.
  3. If at home, costume yourself from the neck up and photograph your makeup. Take at lot of clear photos from many angles.
  4. As a reminder, the How to video for taking makeup photos points out that you want your nose (or horns or whatever) to get photographed in profile against a contrasting colored surface.  It is OK to have a friend take your photos, but if they do, MAKE THEM WATCH THE VIDEO BELOW!!!
  5. Upload the best 4 as jpgs or pngs below for credit. 
  6. If you don’t remember the video, or you are having a household member take photos, have them watch this:
Classes, Distance Education, Makeup Designs for Theatre & Film, Stage Makeup Class

STAGE MAKEUP CLASS PAGES 65: Color Rendering for Makeup using a Wax Nose or Forehead or Chin as part of the Makeup Design [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
DVC Student as Creepy Clown with wax nose & rendering
DVC Student as a Flower Fairy with wax nose
  • Definition: Makeup rendering- drawing of a makeup design one intends to execute

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 Makeup using a Wax Nose or Forehead or Chin as part of the Makeup Design and bring it to class.  

DVC Student with Wax forehead horns & rendering

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. 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. 

DVC student with a twig nose of wax

Have Tara photograph your rendering (preferably one shot alone, and one shown alongside your finished face makeup as seen above)  or do it yourself if working from home and submit it through the link below . Remember afterwards to also to save any research you did as well as this rendering assignment into your Makeup Morgue/Portfolio project so you build up your morgue gradually and easily over the course of the semester.  

DVC Student as a Snow Queen with wax nose

How to get points:

Post your pictures of your rendering here.

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

STAGE MAKEUP CLASS PAGES 64: Watch Wax Nose/Forehead/etc. Makeup 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].

  • Nose & Scar Wax to create a nose and warts
  • Cobblers Wax to create the look of damaged teeth
  • Unnatural “skin” colors (green, blue, purple makeup and yellow glitter)  to create the look of a fantasy character of a wacky witch.

You feel it isn’t easy being Green?

Happily, I have found a number of other videos of different sorts of theatrical makeup for different types of performance and different types of faces, all of which incorporate nose wax! Scroll down to see if you find any you think you’d like to watch!

No videos in your skin color?  Alas, not all forms of systemic racism have an easy fix, (or exist because of intent).  I spent many hours this semester, searching for some nose wax videos that were more varied, indeed I have been searching for these biannually for many years.  If you ever run into a video you think might be useful for me to add to this video page (or other video pages) for this class, please send the URL of the video so I can add it.  Foreign Language videos are good too.  Lots of our students are ESL learners, so these videos can help them, and, of course 80% of the info in a makeup video transcends language anyhow.

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

STAGE MAKEUP CLASS PAGES 63: Activities: Wax Nose and 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 as a Woodland Fairy
DVC Student made up as a vampire with 3D forehead and teeth
DVC Student as a Woodland Fairy with wax nose

This week is sometimes a difficult one because nose wax likes to stick to your fingers more than to your face!

  • You will watch some videos with makeup designs that include important 3D features of wax .
  • You will sketch a color rendering on one of your face outline sheets for your Character Rendering incorporating at least one major 3d facial feature sculpted with wax. (NOT BRUISE/CUT/BURNS)
  • You will apply Nose & Scar Wax to your face to sculpt your feature(s)
  • You will apply makeup to your face to make your Character Makeup complete.
  • You will have Tara Photograph you in the hall way with your rendering, or if you do your makeup at home…
    • You will scrounge in your house to “costume” your character a bit.
    • You will do a short photo shoot to get fabulous photos of your makeup & rendering.
  • You will upload the photos to the makeup and rendering assignment pages.