Do what you love!!

This week is finals week. I love finals week!! The main reason is because I love my major. During finals week my finals all include makeup.I get to apply makeup and learn more things. I think this type of final is better than any other final. I get to use and practice my passion! I would rather apply makeup than have to memorize something.  How are your finals going? Are they fun? Well let me tell you about two of my finals. The first one was doing The Grinch from The Grinch Who Stole Christmas. The process took all semester long, but was totally worth the wait. The makeup application took four hours long. Here is what I did. I created a mask. The mask preparation took all semester long. I had to go through several processes from creating a life mask to learning how to make four-part foam. The foam is the mask piece. I made sure the mask was all prepared with paint and eyebrows. 

 I moved to the application to the face. I took my model, John, and prepared his skin. I cleaned his face with astringent. I put lotion on to help moisturize his face, so the products that would be put on his face would not dry out his face. I put on a product called "no sweat", which prepares the skin for any type of makeup. This will help the makeup to stay on and come off well. 

Applying the mask was the next step. I took Pros-Aide a product that glues the mask to the face. Then I took Bond to help me blend the mask into the face and create a nice edge, rather than having a harsh edge. 

 Then I moved to painting the face again. Used a variety of greens from bright green to dark green. I colored his face and then started to add a mix of green hair to his face. I styled the eyebrows and applied fake eyelashes. Once all the make up was completed I applied the wig.

The wig was styled by steaming and using curlers. I then backcombed all the curls out to get the hair to stand up and in the form of a Grinch look. Now that all everything was applied and ready to go, he got in his red suit applied some green gloves and went outside to take pictures.

As I took pictures, we did get quite a few looks. Oh well!! We had fun. We even ran into some kids that wanted pictures with him. They thought he was legit. What do you think? Do you like the Grinch? Would you do this project over any other final? I know I would! It was the best final I have ever done! Plus, I even did it with one of the best people I know.

My last makeup final was to do something creative. Well my creativity took me to candy. I looked up all sorts of candy themed ideas. My favorite idea was lollipops. I took the inspiration of a swirly lollipop and created a design. I started by making an extravagant wig. I made this wig with lots of braids. I weaved ribbon into the hair. I made the wig look like something you would find in munchkin land. I even made the hair accessories (the lollipop bow). I created a lollipop girl for the Lollipop Guild. What do you think? Does she look like she could be apart of the lollipop guild?

I love finals week, because I get to do creative and fun things!! I would rather take a test like this than a test that is in a room full of desks where students sit writing on paper. I love creating and doing what I love. I am so delighted that I have found the path of makeup artistry, as well as the hair industry. I am proud to be a makeup student! I am glad to be learning and doing what I love! Do you do what you love? I hope you do! Do what you love and you will be much happier in life. 

Training Saves Lives!

As part of the makeup industry I have the unique opportunity to help with mock disasters. A mock disaster is a made up situation that is created to help train emergency medical responders. The disaster includes situations from bombings, shootings, accidents (plane, car, bike, etc.), terrorist attacks, mother nature attacks (hurricanes, tsunamis, and tornadoes) and other disaster situations.

Now what the makeup people do is help the situation become real. We give the actors wounds that appear real. They become victims through makeup. We help the actors act the part, because they believe they are wounded. Today I had the privilege of helping create a mock disaster. The scenario was a mass shooting. We did this located in the gym of the old Raintree Apartments. People were playing gym, and a person decided to come and start shooting people. We had a variety of people that were wounded. I believe there was a total of 35 wounded. Some of the wounds were very big, and some not so big. Some lived, and some died, which is the case in all real life situations.

We did the disaster twice. The Emergency Medical Team came in and reacted. The first time all the EMT's came in and stood for a good 30 seconds before they actually did what they were supposed to do. The team was new to the mock disaster. They had not quite experienced one, so they did not know how to react quickly. They needed a few seconds to get going. However, in a real life situation some people do not have a few seconds. Those 30 seconds could have been spent saving a life. Instead they were spent trying to figure out what to do.

The second time the team came in and they were better at responding to the situation. We did end up changing a few characters, giving people more wounds, and telling the actors to be more the part of a wounded person (how they would feel, react in a situation like this, and what they would be doing). The second time we did the disaster even though the actors gave them more of a real performance, the EMT's were ready to handle the situation. They knew exactly what to do and who to treat first. They were able to save most everyone. Two people were dead upon arrival, and then only one person died on them.

The mock disaster training was very effective. People learned their jobs and  how to respond. If there was no training, people would never learn how to react, people would never learn how to get better, and people would die. I think training is mandatory in all situations. Training is and can be very effective, especially if it can save lives!

Actors can be difficult!

I have learned how to work with a variety of actors. There are actors that are really sweet and will do anything to help make your job easier. Then, there are the actors who think that they own the world. They think that everyone should worship them and the ground they walk on. They over exaggerate yell at you if you do something they do not like. 

I have learned how to respect each actor. I know that they can be different, sometimes difficult, but I love working with them. If they are sweet, I become great friends with them. I love and appreciate them. If they are difficult, I am glad that I get a new learning experience. I think there is always something to be learned with each actor, especially the hard ones. 

I have learned that if they are difficult to handle, then it is because they do not like something that has to be done or is being done. I have learned to talk with them and try to figure out what is making them difficult. About 90 percent of the time the reason why an actor is difficult is because they do not understand the concept or how makeup enhances their character or production. Once I explain everything to them they seem to understand and willing to do the makeup process. I start to see them change and learn not to be difficult. 

To help actors not be difficult communication is necessary! If we help them understand everything, then they will be less likely to feel like they own the world. Now, there still maybe some of them that act this way. However, I believe once communication starts they are not difficult to handle and everything runs smoothly.

I am grateful for communication! I am glad that we can all understand one another. What do you think? Do you like communication?

Technology

This past week, I learned that I am not tech savvy, nor do I like technology. I guess I am just not a master at knowing how to run computers or anything. I was working on a group project for my MCOM class. We decided to get together using technology.

We used Google Hangouts. Well, every time I have tried to do a Google hangout my computer decides to blue screen and boot me out. I think my computer may have a personality of its own. I am not entirely sure. I think sometimes that the computer likes to make things difficult for me, just to see me struggle!

I do not know why I thought this time would be different, but I did. I guess I tried to download something and thought it would work. I tried Google hangouts. Well that did not work. My computer worked for like a minute. Then, it died! Went to blue screen and shutdown. I tried for ten minutes to get it back up and going. I have no idea what caused the problem, but I was frustrated. I think technology does not like me.

Well I finally was put on the phone and I was able to communicate through the phone, while everyone else was on their computers. I think we were able to get a lot accomplished, but I do not really like technology. I think that it is not as reliable as a face to face conversation. A lot can be missed if we are not paying attention in a technological event, whereas if we are face to face we learn so much more. We also learn and understand better, in ways that we cannot be miss understood. I am so glad that we can have face to face conversations.

Now, do not get me wrong. I love technology. However, I do think that there is a time and place for it. That time and place is not always great in a business setting. Something is always bound to go wrong, at least in my opinion.

Learning Things Twice

Growing up I always hated learning. I would say, "it's too hard!!" My parents would always try to get out of it by whining and complaining. However, I never seems to get anywhere. I still had to learn. 

Well today learning is very helpful and I see that now. Rather than saying "it's too hard!!" I would gladly say, "I am so glad that I am learning how to do things twice now, so that I know what to do when I make a mistake in the real world (after graduation)." 

I have learned to grow within my mistakes and learn how to correct them. My grinch that I am working on I have had to so the steps at least several times. But I finally got it right and the final product is coming along together quite nicely. I did the four-part foam pice twice this week, because the first time the nose did not tun out at all. The piece looks bad. We then really researched how to make the four-part foam. After much research we attempted another batch. The second piece turned out beautifully. 

We then started to paint the piece. I was going to start with one color. Then I learned that you start with one and add colors to it. So I started with the dark colors first, then I added the lighter colors on top to blend in. 

Crazy right? Well I definitely had fun! 

I was also on set this week learning twice, trying to think on my toes how to solve a problem. Well the bullet wound we made started to melt and stick to everything but the actors face. We tried everything to smooth the edges down once we got it stuck to his face. However, the beard the actor had made this a little difficult. I finally got a crazy idea to lay a beard over the edge that would blend in with his actual beard. It worked. My second learning idea worked. 

I am super glad that I am learning twice while I am still in school. I feel like I am a lot more prepared for the real world and an actual career as a makeup artist. I love learning! What about you? Do you enjoy learning? 

Movie Magic

Have you ever wondered how some of the magic on film happens? How they can create scenes with rain, snow, and wind? I don't know, maybe the it's just me, but I love learning how they create these moments. I have always wanted to learn, especially while the makeup still looks flawless. 

On set this week I learned how to achieve some of this magic. We made a snow blizzard. Instead of your typical snow storm made by Mother Nature, we used the night sky, fog, dry ice, giant fans, and potato flakes. 

I never thought potato flakes would be used to create snow. When we watched the whole effect the scene looked real. I was really surprised! I am also grateful that there was no real snow, because I would have needed to do touch ups a lot more. 

Now, being on a set and watching all this magic happened was really cool. However, when people who were not on set swathe fog they thought it was smoke. They called the fire department. Before the fire department showed up we did actually start a little fire. We had the fire put out immediately. When the fire department showed up they saw no evidence of a fire. Instead of leaving they stayed to watch the magic. They thought it was so unique. 

What do you think? Will you see film the same way? I will for sure see new techniques they make to create such scenes. I have determined that I love film because of the magic that is created. I want to help create that magic. One day I will be a makeup artist for one of the future films that will come out and create the magic that you all love and adore, especially the makeup. 

Black and White Film

I am currently working on a film project called That Old Familiar Spirit.  This is a western horror film. It is a pretty exciting film. The plot is very difficult to describe, but I will try. There is a man and a woman. The woman kills her husband. The sheriff comes out with some grave diggers to bury the husband. They then try to persuade the woman to come back to town. They use all sorts of excuses. The biggest excuse was because winter was coming and she would not make it through the winter on her own. She does not go with them, but stays in her home. Her husband comes back to life. He shows love for her and the land. However he starts a fire in the house. She is worried that he is going to kill her. She ends up dying because of a house fire, and dying in the bitter cold. In the end, they come back to life and work on their home and yard. The sheriff returns and sees that no one lives there, but everything is left in pristine condition. He leaves wondering what has happened, but we see the man and woman tending and taking care of the film. 

This film project is special, because it will be done in black and white. Now, for makeup black and white makeup is very different compared to everyday and color makeup. Placements are a little different. The colors no longer exist, but a gray scale does. Here is what our bullet wound looks like in color and in black and white. In the color picture, we do not have any blood or any hard colors. The color picture does not look as realistic as the one in the black and white photos. However, the black and white photos only use gray scale, so this helped the colors show and appear more real. The director approved and loved how the bullet wound looked in the gray scale. 

I learned that camera tests are necessary. Without this camera test, we might have done too much for the actual film process. Then our job would not have been as successful. The camera test allowed us to see how much we can add and how much we do not have to add. We added tired eyes to the color picture. In the black and white the tired eyes barely appear on top, but on the bottom they appear real. 

I learned that there is quite a big difference in black and white photography and film compared to color. I am excited to see how this film works out. Hopefully through the learning and camera tests we have done our hard work will pay off. 

What do you all think about this film and the plot? Do you think it will be successful? If not, why? What is your favorite movie plot? Let me know, I would love to look them up, as well as see the makeup job.