Tag Archives: dia de los muertos

STAGE MAKEUP CLASS PAGES 99: Face Painting Techniques/Brushwork Makeup Project Pt 2 “Day of the Dead” Sugar Scull 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].

Dia De Los Muertos animation
Slideshow of people in sugar scull makeup
woman dancing in sugar scull makeup

The Requirements of This Project:


Design & apply a classic Day of the Dead  (Sugar skull) makeup that also uses some of the face painting strokes you learned about in part 1. You may do this for members of the public or yourself at the ACL center.

Have Tara and the TA’s Take lots of photos of your work. (Or if stuck at home, take photos yourself)

Post your favorites to this assignment for credit.  Doing more than one project counts for more points, so if you do more than one, upload those photos for extra credit!


Red Catarina Makeup
woman in Caterina makeup
Woman in makeup

Note on Stencils:


If one of the techniques you were interested in using on this project is a stencil, you may either purchase or make your own stencil or BORROW ONE FROM TARA.  Again, borrow this the week before so you have a chance to play with it ahead of class.  Please return it at the end of class.  If  you want to make your own there are great  Links for Making & Using Face Stencils if you want further information.  


Steps to take:


  • Apply the Makeup for a traditional Day of the Dead Sugar Scull makeup or variant, to your face or your model’s face.
  • Have Tara or the TA’s take lots of photos.  
  • If you are stuck doing this at home, Do a  photo shoot of this project and give yourself time to get some perfect clear photos from many angles .
  • Post at least the best 3-4 pictures to the link below. 
  • IF YOU DO EXTRAS, Take photos and post them here also for extra credit!

I’m Done, Now What?


You may want to (or not) do more makeup on members of the public.  If you do so, make sure to take lots of photos (or have Tara do so)  and submit the extras here for additional extra credit points!

STAGE MAKEUP CLASS PAGES 98: Watch Day of the Dead Makeup Videos Before Wednesday at the ACL Center! 

[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].

Why this Project? This project also flexes your public face painting muscles, and was a beloved annual tradition at DVC pre-pandemic.


Pick Some Videos to Watch:


Yeah, I know many are in Spanish, by this time, after hearing me talk constantly in videos, don’t you want an excuse to turn the sound down?  Empathize with all the ESL learners, and SEE to LEARN with your EYES!   There is nothing better than spending time living alone in a country where you speak very little to none of the language to sharpen your visual observation skills.  It will definitely help one become a better artist.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/VOB-k93bs6M


Day of the Dead logoDon’t See ones you’d like to try?  

Got to Tara’s Even Bigger List of Day of the Dead Makeup Tutorials!  Links to an external site.


Want to make a headpiece to match?

Or go full on nuts with this: