Stage Makeup: A Few Things to Think about.

This has been percolating in my head for a while so I am now going to try to put down what I have been thinking about for quite a while now.

I have been watching cos-play and costumers for over 30 years now. I have seen the good, the bad, and the “what where you thinking?”over the years. I have watched make-up technology improve and now, with the ability to use an airbrush, make-up can be put on faster than before and blended with more ease. Also the new materials we have for appliances now allow for all kinds of textures and edges to make it easier to change the face into something magical.

Now most people don’t have access to airbrush make-up supplies so this is assuming you don’t bring your compressor and make-up kit to a convention.

I have seen some great costumes that if the make-up had been up to the costume’s workmanship it would have been a thing of awe. As it is the make-up makes all the hard work in the costume look, well, less than it is.

I know that the costuming is a labor of love and one tried to keep it as clean as possible. But you have to think about how you are going to deal with the extensive make-up that the character has. There are fixative and things that can keep the make-up off the clothing. I find it rather disconcerting when the make-up stops where the costume starts and there is a distinctive line of human skin exposed. Also when painting oneself, say blue, make sure to get the back of the neck if exposed. All the back of the neck not just most of it. The costume from the back is as important as the costume from the front.

If one paints oneself one color, say green, and only uses one color make-up, the final product is going to look pretty flat. You need some contrast in the make-up to give you those lines and planes that exist on your face with natural light. Look at your face, it doesn’t seem to be all one color and we use make-up products to enhance our cheekbones and the like to create a more pleasing face in the normal world.

Now contrast is great but it has to be blended a bit. I think that is what bugged me the most this weekend. I had to sit on my hands and not blend people’s make-up. They were trying to create effects but it looked choppy. Also they needed to spend sometime evening out the base color they had on.

Zombies, watch your edges on your peeling flesh. It just looks pretty bad (and not in the good zombie way). Also just dousing yourself in stage blood for that gory look doesn’t work. You have to have a make-up base before applying the blood. I saw a lot of edges of appliances this past weekend as well. Yes, it is hard to blend but it can be done with practice.

There are right ways and wrong ways to wear wigs. Wig caps and the like are your friend as are bobby-pins. Yes, wigs can be hot and itchy so put that in the equation. And careful scratching, you can knock your wig askew so easily.

None of this is easy and takes practice. I cringe when I see photos of my early make-ups. Now I feel pretty comfortable applying special effects make-up and the like. But it took practice and time. And honestly a convention is not the place to try out your make-up for the first time.

Anything y'all want to add or anything I missed please feel free to put in the comments.

I am grateful to all the people who have taught me theatrical make-up over the years.