Create Realistic Illusions Using Special Makeup Effects
If you have watched the movies Star Wars, The Thing, The Grinch, and many similar productions, you must be very impressed by the skill that creates those stunning aliens. These characters hook you. They remind you of your childhood stories in which the wizard would turn people into scary creatures. The entertainment industry has taken a sharp turn to new heights with movies that involve weird creatures with strange features. Special effects makeup has been a revolutionary art for the film industry. With the help of this makeup, it has become possible to shoot movies with those stunning aliens. Now, makeup academies include special effects makeup as an essential course in the line of makeup courses. There are several candidates all around the world who are keen to learn this new makeup art.
Special Effects Makeup You Need to Know
Special effects makeup is all about creativity. You can go beyond the normal and out of this world. If you have imagined some creature in your dreams, you can bring it to reality. Often sci-fi stories and fairy tales include strange characters. These features cannot be found in normal human life. An extra eye, two horns on the head, scary long earlobes, out-turned lips, and many other frightening effects are possible with the special effects makeup only.
On the other hand, special effects makeup can make a person look 20-years younger than his actual age. And the same is true to young people who play the role of a wrinkly old-aged person. Makeup creates perfect age effects that no one can imagine the age of that actor to be just in mid-twenties. Changing age is maybe the easiest of all the jobs that a special effect makeup artist can do. The other tasks of creating ultra-human effects and scars are quite difficult and challenging.
Special Effects Makeup Training
For creating gruesome effects and scary features, you need special training. The makeup online academies offer complete courses for this sort of makeup art. Of course, these courses teach you all the skills and techniques you need to know to master this art. Your proficiency depends on two things: the curriculum of your course and the experience and knowledge of your makeup coach. With these two, you ensure the best learning. Any academy completing these two parts of the training course can be your best choice. A program that does not leave your training incomplete or your skills unpolished is the right course for you.
The interested candidates can be either makeup professionals keen to learn special makeup effects or amateur makeup artists who want to enroll in the course to become a professional. Maybe professionals do not need to enroll in an introductory course but unskilled makeup artists need to build a strong base of skills before entering a more advanced category of makeup. Special effects makeup needs you to acquire lots of experience and knowledge. Hence, your creativity can become more reformed unique.
Special Effects Makeup Job Salary
According to the statics collected by the Bureau of Labor Statics, the average salary of a special effect makeup artist can be $69,000 a year. However, this is not a fixed earning. The salary can be different depending on the experience, skill, and the segment of the industry an artist is working in. To make it clear, the estimations reveal that the top ten most earning special effects makeup artists earn $127,000 on average.
However, to find high paying jobs in the makeup industry, you need to put some effort in building your skills and portfolio. Learning makeup skills from professionals and obtaining certificates from renowned academies is the most important step in this regard. Browse for the best online makeup courses and get the job of your dream. You can always put more personal effort to make your skills better than your peers.
What Goes in Your Makeup Kit?
You must be wondering how to compile the special effects makeup kit. As a starter, you can always buy a fully provisioned kit online. This has all the applicators, colors, and materials. However, you will discover after experience what you like the most and what makes the best result with you. Hence, one by one you can buy one or two items and add them to your personal kit. With time, your kit will be the special collection that enables you to implement the best skills.
Here is a quick list of the items you will find them in your special effect makeup kit.
- Instruments including swabs, brushes, sponges, and powder puffs. Some of these things like brushes and sponges need to be in a variety of sizes and types. For creating different level effects, you need a variety of applicators.
- A palette that you use for mixing colors of modeling compounds.
- A large collection of bruises creating colors. Mostly these include all shades of yellow, purple, red, brown, etc.
- Liquid latex is added to create gory effects of cuts, lacerations, and burns.
- Castor seal is also available to use on top of liquid latex. It makes applying makeup easier as it prevents discoloring.
- Adhesive for prosthetic makeup.
- A 3D modeling compound is the most essential addition. This helps in sculpting 3D skin effects. This is just spirit gum or water-soluble glue and remover. These adhesives are there for you to make a fake nose, sticking bald caps or facial hair, etc.
- Fake blood (very necessary).
An Important Note
There is an important point that you need to keep in mind if you are going to pursue the career of the special effects makeup artist. This genre of makeup skill needs a higher level of creativity and perfection. This is because you are seeking to execute some extraordinary effects or features for humans. These new effects need to be perfect and stunning to complete the results. You can make or break the story of a film with the sort of effects that you create through your makeup skills. Hence, be creative and work hard on your expertise and keep adding to your experience more tactics with time.
