musical theatre make up artists research

Theatre Make-Up Artists

Theatrical makeup refers to makeup that is used to assist in creating the appearance of the characters that actors portray during a theater production. Make-up artists prepare hair and make-up for presenters, performers and models appearing in front of a camera or a live audience. This could be for film and television, theatre, music concerts and photographic shoots. They could create anything from a natural look for a presenter, to complex period make-up and wigs or special effects make-up.

Make-up artists can work alone, as an assistant to a more senior colleague or as part of a make-up design team. Some are freelance, some are employed by bigger theatres and companies. Lighting controls makeup to a high degree. Makeup can lose its effectiveness due to incorrect stage lighting. Conversely, skillful lighting can greatly aid the art of makeup. Close communication between the lighting director and the makeup artist is crucial for the best possible effect.

Understanding light's effect on makeup and various shades and pigments is important when designing a performer’s makeup. The following are among the basic rules of light: nothing has color until light is reflected from it; an object appears black when all of the light is absorbed; an object appears white when all of the light is reflected. If certain rays are absorbed and others are reflected, the reflected rays determine the color.

Light's effect on makeup

• Pink tends to gray the cool colors and intensify the warm ones. Yellow becomes more orange.
• Flesh pink flatters most makeup.
• Fire red ruins makeup. All but the darker flesh tones virtually disappear. Light and medium rouge fade into the foundation, whereas the dark red rouges turn a reddish brown. Yellow becomes orange, and the cool shading colors become shades of gray and black.
• Bastard amber is flattering because it picks up the warm pinks and flesh tones in the makeup.
• Amber and orange intensify and yellow most flesh colors. They turn rouges more orange. Cool colors are grayed.
• Green grays all flesh tones and rouges in proportion to its intensity. Green will be intensified. Yellow and blue will become greener.
• Light blue-green lowers the intensity of the base colors. One should generally use very little rouge under this type of light.
• Green-blue washes out pale flesh tones, and will gray medium and deep flesh tones, as well as all reds.
• Blues gray most flesh tones and cause them to appear more red or purple.
• Violet causes orange, flame, and scarlet to become redder. Rouge appears more intense.
• Purple affects makeup like violet lighting, except reds and oranges will be even more intense, and most blues will look violet