How Does a Special Effects Makeup Artist Spend a Workday?

Overview

The Job

A special effects makeup artist, also known as a prosthetic artist, is someone who works in the film, television or theater industry. While standard makeup for performers focuses on making their features look attractive, special effects makeup is used to create some type of illusion in order to enhance a story. This might involve making an actor look older than he really is, creating realistic-looking wounds, or creating designs that will make an actor look like a person with different facial features or non-human characteristics.

Techniques and Creation

Being a prosthetics artist requires a solid working knowledge of existing techniques, such as latex casting, making plaster molds, and mastering the traditional techniques used in creating commonly called for effects. A prosthetics artist must possess a variety of artistic skills, such as sculpting, painting and sewing.

Practical considerations are also an important part of the prosthetics artist's job. She may have to consider such factors for the performers as movement, vision, hearing and material-related concerns, such as potential skin allergies. She may also have design pieces that can last a long time and be re-used, especially in the case of theater design.

However, the job also requires the artist to create original designs specific to a certain project. Science fiction or fantasy TV shows or movies, as well as theater productions, will often require unique creatures, and oftentimes, the role of makeup artist will blend with the role of costume designer if full-body creations are required. Some artists working in this field have other specialty skills, such as wig-making.

When making new creations, the artist will have to work closely with the director in order to make sure that her vision for the makeup design will fit with the director's vision for the show. For this reason, a makeup artist needs to be able to convey her design concepts in sketches or small models and have them approved or altered before building the creations themselves.

Employment

A special effects makeup artist may be permanently employed by an effects studio, movie or television studio, or theater. Many artists, however, work as independent contractors to individual projects. They will often work on sets and at theaters at both the task of applying makeup and the maintenance of makeup and prosthetics during shooting, performance or rehearsal. These artists often start their workday at extremely early hours in order to finish time-consuming makeup before a morning's shoot.

Resources

• Prosthetics artist skill set information