Character Makeup - Theatre assessment

This week in Character class we were using the time to catch up on assessments that we had missed, so I decided to do my Straight Theatre assessment. I found the Theatre makeup more difficult to do than the TV makeup because you have to enchance the features to a greater extreme, as people are looking at the actor from a greater distance. But you have to be careful not to take it too far. The first time I tried this the skin was too orange, and my model looked like she'd been Tango'd!
With practise though, I managed to get the hang of it - even the intricate and fiddly eyeliner on the top and bottom lashlines. Here is the finished result, on Melissa:

 I'm happy with how the look turned out, now all I have to do is the Straight TV and Theater looks on a male model. But that will have to wait til another catch up day!

Gill :) x

Character Makeup - Straight Theater 1

A few weeks ago I did a Straight Theater look on Kirsty but I didn't get the chance to take photos because I didn't get it finished, and it didn't turn out too great either! So I did one on Melissa on Monday, which Bella said was good enough for a pre-assessment, which is good news. Before I show you my photos I'll explain a bit about Straight Theater makeup.

Straight Theater is the same idea as Straight TV makeup - a natural face which is meant to represent a more refined version of the person we're looking at. It is not meant to look like any kind of character, it is essentially just a natural face. However, the makeup always has to be a bit more intense for Theater because, unlike TV, the audience is looking at the person from quite far away. Here are some examples of a Straight Theater face:

Theater makeup has to be a more intense version of TV makeup, so we use foundation shades that are slightly darker (just a shade or two) than the person's natural skin tone. We also enhance the blusher and lips, and for the eyes we line them in a specific way - in order to give the illusion of larger eyes, we line the upper lashline with either dark brown or black and extend it out from the eye. The same is done on the lower lashline, and again the line is taken a bit further out from where the natural eye line ends. We then use a light shade of eyeshadow (either white or cream) and colour in between the two separate lines to give the illusion that the white of the eye is extended. It is a good effect as the eyes appear much larger from far away.

Close up, the Straight Theater face looks a bit 'too much', and even a bit Drag Queen-esque, but this is needed because the actor is standing far away from the audience. It is important to enhance their features even more so they don't look washed out or fade into the background.

The following is my attempt at a Theater face:

Melissa's skin tone is very fair so I got off to a slow start trying to find the right foundation colour for her. The one I used was maybe a little too pale, but once I applied it, blended it and finished it with powder it looked good. You can see from the top picture the two lines I mentioned prevously - they would be clearer if Melissa wasn't smiling but you can see how the two lines extend out beyond the eye and make them look bigger.
I was happy with the look and the fact that I managed to complete it in a good time, but Bella suggested that next time I use a slightly darker shade of red on the lips (more of a brick red rather than pinky red) and blend the eyeshadow a bit more, but I was happy to hear that she thought it was good enough for pre-assessment :)

Look out for my assessment, coming soon!

Gill x

Character Makeup - Straight TV 3

This week I did my Straight TV (female) assessment and passed! Just need to do Straight TV and Theater (male) and Straight Theater (female) now. It went really well, on my face sheet Bella commented that it was good work and that I completed it in a commercially viable time, which is great!

Take a look at the finished product:

I used really natural shades on Kirsty, and managed to get the right amount of product on her eyes so it didn't look too overdone. As you can see, I highlighted her eyelids and brow bone with a lighter shade, and blended the brown shade upwards and outwards from the crease to really open her eyes. I lined her upper lashline with a small amount of dark brown (almost black) eyeshadow, which turned out really pretty and subtle, the way I wanted. I also blended the multitonal effect on her lips better this time and managed to mix the right colour to line them with. Her blusher turned out really well also - I went for a more pink shade rather than the peachy ones I had been using, and I feel it really brings out her cheekbones as well as warming her skin. The foundation I used was a bit greasy on her skin initially, but I managed to blend it really well and I toned down the shine with some translucent powder, which gives her a nice glow.

I'm really happy with the outcome, I just need to practise my theater makeup now and hopefully I'll be ready to get assessed in a couple of weeks!

Gill :)

Character Makeup - Straight TV 2

This is my second attempt at Straight TV makeup, again it's the female version!
I worked with Shona this time, and she has a longer face and slightly darker skin compared to Debbie, so despite it being the same look it was great to practise it on a different person as I had to find slightly different products. I decided to do roughly the same shape on the eye, as I feel it really opens the eye with the right amount of blending and colour applicaton. I did a few things slightly differently, as I took note of Bella's tips from last time!

Take a look at the picture, with and without flash:

Unlike last time, I applied a small amount of dark brown (almost black) eyeshadow along Shona's upper lashline to really bring out her eyes - this look is subtle but very effective. I also took Bella's advice from before and lined Shona's lips along the top and bottom. Combined with the slightly darker pink areas at the corners of her mouth, this gave her lips extra fullness and enhanced her natural shape.
I also applied mascara to her top and bottom lashes, which I feel really finishes the look off.

In the photos without flash, Shona looks a bit pale - I applied a pinky peach blusher to add warmth to the skin and bring out her lovely cheekbones, but I think I need to add a little more next time.
Overall though, I am happier this time with how the look turned out, in particular the eye look. I always like to blend outwards and upwards to open the eyes, and the winged effect makes Shona's eyes look much wider. I also managed to keep the eyes more natural this time, particularly in the crease, where Bella said it was too dark last time.

Maybe next time I would add a small amount of foundation under her eyes in a slightly paler shade to remove any dark shadows, but in general I'm really happy with my final result. I'll be ready for assessment next week I think! :)

More to come soon!

Gill

Character Makeup - Straight TV 1

In our Character Makeup class we have been researching and practising Straight TV and Straight Theater makeup. In this post I'll be covering Straight TV, as I haven't had time in class to practice the Theater look yet. That will come in a later post!

Straight makeup for television is the creation of a natural look - it is meant to essentially represent a more enhanced version of the person on screen. This look is used on newsreaders, presenters and hosts in order for them to look healthy and refined. The person's job is to connect with the viewer, so the facial features have to really stand out, while still remaining natural. This is evident from the following research:

As you can see from the pictures, this look is applied to both male and female presenters. For men, the process is more subtle; the skin tone is evened out and the eyes are enhanced by tidying up the eyebrows and applying a small amount of eyeliner underneath the eye. I have yet to practice this look on one of the guys in the class - so far I've done the look on girls, although I would like to try a Straight TV male look!

Also evident in the research is the way women are made to look - their eyes and lips are the main focal points, as they are used to convey a number of emotions and stories. Their colouring is taken into account and the eyes and lips are made up to look very striking but natural at the same time.

I first tried the look on Debbie - she has very pale skin so I chose the lightest foundation shade I could find and applied it all over. I finished by setting with powder and adding a small amount of peach blush to warm the skin. I combed her eyebrows and enhanced their natural shape and colour with a little brown eyeshadow - eyebrows are used to convey emotion so it is important they are enhanced. On her eyes, I applied a base colour which was slightly lighter than her natural skin colour, in order to even out the tone of her eyelids and brighten her eyes. In the crease of her eye I blended in a light brown colour, and swept it outwards towards the edge of her eye and up towards her eyebrow. I then chose a slightly darker brown and smudged it into the crease and down on to the lower lashline in order to give her eyes more definition. I finished the eye by applying the original base colour to her browbone to highlight, and tidied up her eyelid by adding more of the same colour on the lid.
For her lips, I wanted to keep the colour natural but warm, so I mixed my own colour from the palette - it turned out a slightly warmer and pinker version of her natural lip colour, and I applied this all over. To make her lips appear fuller, I mixed a slightly darker version of the same shade and applied it to the corners of her mouth. Observe the final result, with and without flash:

The look turned out as I hoped, however I ran out of time and didn't get the chance to apply mascara - however if I did, I would use black and apply to her top and bottom lashes, to really open her eyes. I asked Bella for her verdict, she said the eyeshadow was a little too dark in the crease, so next time I will make it more natural. She also recommended I use a very dark brown shade and a thin brush to line her top lids, close to the lashes. She showed me an example and it really helped add definition to her eyes, so I will also do that next time. Finally, for the lips, she recommended I blend the darker shade slightly better, and maybe use this shade to line.


For my first attempt at Straight TV makeup I'm really happy with how it turned out. Next blog post will be my second attempt!


Stay tuned :)

Gill