How long can a bunch of actors keep away from costumes and make-up when there’s not a production going on? Not very long, which is why we got together and organized a fairy tale- themed photo shoot this summer. Here are a few pictures of the make-up process in case you’re looking for some inspiration for your next costume party.
For animal make-up, have a look online to see what other people have done and collect some ideas. I used this tutorial but chose to change the colours and adapt it for my bear and wolf make-up, so don’t be afraid to put your own twist on something.
Start with making the light and dark areas before you go into details. I used an eyeshadow palette instead of face paint because the weather was so warm that the paint would get runny when people sweat. Eyeshadow works just as well and you can blend different colours to create a cool look. However, if this were for an actual production, I would use something stronger like face paint and coloured bases, so keep in mind what the “occasion” is and how well it will show off your work. The finishing touches and details were made with make-up pencils and face paint.
The looks for the Queen of Hearts from Alice in Wonderland as well as the Evil Queen from Snow White were inspired by the recent movie versions. Helena Bonham Carter as the Red Queen in Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland (2010) (Note! The Red Queen and Queen of Hearts are not the same character!) has blue eyeshadow and pale skin. However, I chose to make a toned down version, keeping the heart shaped lips and using pink eyeshadow instead. The Queen played by Charlize Theron in Snow White and the Huntsman (2012) wears golden eyeshadow which served as the inspiration for our look as well.
There’s also a movie-vibe to the make-up of Tiger Lily from Peter Pan. Without the intention, Tiger Lily ended up reminding me of San from Miyazaki’s Princess Mononoke (1997) – which is never a bad thing.
This was only a small post to pique your interest, so stay tuned to see the finished pictures!
Lotta Heikkinen has a need to express herself artistically and shamelessly uses both the costumes and members of Thespians Anonymous in order to sate her appetite for the theatrical.
Photo credit: Anna Simoroshka Kruglaya