Iam the Makeup Artist who did the wooden makeup on the front of /r/pics. AMA!

Have you tried getting on Face Off?

JUST SENT THEM AN EMAIL TODAY!!!!!!

So when you are done does she just wash away 3 hours of work? Or do you at least go outside and scare a few people first.

How easy does it come off and are there any special things you have to do to get it off?

Since it was done at night she did take it off once she got home, but we did have a chance to show it off a little. But it took 3 hours so apply and 2 hours to take off. and something like this you would want to use conditioner to take off most of it by letting it sit and break down the products. and you would want to keep 99% alcohol on hand as well and that will be a lifesaver.

By break down the products, do you mean you let everything get soft and wipe it away? Or do you save pieces like the chin/cheeks to reuse?

What I mean by break down, is that conditioner removes natural oils from your hair when you use it. So when your using it to remove your makeup it's doing the same thing. You would be able to wipe it off after letting it sit for awhile. Depending on the type of prosthetic you would be able to keep it but not all of them are capable of keeping

could you make a block of wood look like a human?

Im not sure, i should give it a try!

If you don't get an "a" for that you should start a new school.

Which products did you use ?

I used the Scream team prosthetic and made created my paints using prosade and acrillic. and i also used some real creation alcohol airbrush paint to do some contour.

Today it seems special effects and CGI are replacing makeup and other traditional methods. However, there are still many movies which effectively use makeup masks etc. So my question is, which movie or tv show impressed you the most from a makeup standpoint?

I would say the walking dead has some incredible makeup on it, along with hunger games. Hunger games showed beauty and effects which is amazing!

How on earth did you do the chin? Seriously.. this face transformation is melting my brain

It is a full facial prosthetic. so that is what created the chin, and the painting helped with the look

How awesome is your cousin? Like, super awesome? Or just regular awesome?

Ehhh like 1% awesome!!! Not!!! Like 150% awesome!

Do you ever go bowling with him?

We were going to but never got a chance

How much material (e.g. paint, etcs) cost to create such a fantastic look?

Also, if you don't mind me asking, how did you become a makeup artist? I have always been interested in doing henna art and want to expand my horizons by going into different fields.

Anyways, I just wanted to say that you're amazing! I'll be following your Instagram once I make an account :)

The cost to get everything would range from about $75 to $150 and that woud be just for the materials used to create the look.

I was a student at fullerton college studying art history and art, and decided that school wasnt for me, and at the time i knew i had a passion for makeup and looked into makeup schools and toured them as well, and finally landed at the April Love Pro Makeup Academy in San Gabriel. they now are expanding on classes and the school keeps getting better and better. so if your int he LA area you should check them out!

Do you love your brother Tyler way more than your other brother?

ummmmm...... about that!!!!!!

he doesn't read reddit, it's ok to say yes

are you sure about that!!!

How did you first get into doing this type of makeup work?

I was an art student at Fullerton college and decided i wanted to do makeup so i went to aprillovepromakeupacedemy.com

I got into editorial work runnway and tv commercials and found myself wanting to take special effects so i can work on movies and tv shows

Hey, FC! My dad used to teach there, back in the day. Weird to see it mentioned on reddit.

How cool! Go hornets!

Bzzz bzzz! ;-)

(Seriously, when I was little I would visit my dad on campus and there was a hornet statue that scared the bejesus out of me)

Ha. I have never seen that statue!

How do you build up latex around the prosthetic without taking a century?

...And without getting it stuck everywhere?

Also, how long did this take to paint? The whole look is amazing.

You wouldnt want to use latex around a prosthetic like this you would want to use a thickened prosade so seal is and use it to mask any lines.

And it took me 3 hours to complete this look!

That wooden makeup you did, you should've nailed it.

Awesome job, btw.

Than you so much!

What are you doing on October 31st?

I will hopefully be creating some spooky looks! I actually want to work for universal horror nights!

What do you do to get the prostheses to attach? My wife had trouble getting a bald cap and some sort of modeling wax to stick for a Darth Vader Halloween costume. Any tips?

For the graduating project could you pick anything? How did you come up with the creepy wooden doll idea? Did you have a time limit?

To get the prosthetics to attatch you would want to use a cosmetic grade glue. Prosade would be key. you would want to apply it to the surface you are wanting to connect it to and also the prosthetic. once you let both dry you would then connect the two together and they will stick to your skin. most cosmetic glues have to be sticky to work and last.

For the graduation piece we were told to pick anything form a website so when i went on i thought everything was amazing but i wanted to take the doll in a different direction and i am so glad that i did!

We had the duration of the class to do it but for the final we will have from 3pm to 8pm when the professional photoshoot starts!

Good looking, super talented! You OP will have a great life and career ahead of you. Enjoy :)

Thank you so much!

I wanted to thank you all for taking the time to ask questions about my work and how i got into makeup! Im going to be logging out for the night, but please feel free to continue to ask questions and i will reply when i get a chance. Follow me on instagram to see more work @stephhany_marie.

or even feel free to email me @ [email protected]

I hope you all have a great night and Thank you so much for liking my work!

I'm allergic to latex and I know a good percentage of FX makeup I've seen has it in some form. Are there alternatives or am I screwed?

you could actually use gelatin or silicone to create some awesome looks!

Can you give a brief overview of the industry? What's it like for someone trying to get into this like of work?

Alot of the industry has to do with who you know, you can be talented but it helps if you know someone that can get your name out there. I was blessed to have a neighbor that got me a connection into Tv commercial.

if you have a positive attitude and an extremely enthusiastic attitude it will help a lot. Making business cards and handing the out to photographers and networking alot is key. it also doesnt hurt to look up companies you want to work for and sending out emails.

persistance is key because if you continue to call and email they will be forced to connect with you and give you a try!

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I actually used a full facial prosthetic on her to create this look. this look was actually a trial for my final which will take place on March 2nd. This process actually took 3 hours to complete but the final will be longer.

I also got my inspiration for this look by choosing the prosthetic first. it also was a huge help that i am a big fan of trees so I used my love for that to help with Inspiration

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The final is all based on the look and the techniques we used to accomplish it. we do have to be able to do a professional photoshoot tho. and for it lasting we used a pax paint with a paint mixed with glue so it is completely water proof and will last for hours.

Favorite makeup fx in a movie production?

Freddy Kruger!

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I plan on interning somewhere after. My teacher is Eric Fox from Season 4 Face off, so i will be going to his studio alot to work and continue to learn how to better myself in this feild!

Do you have an instagram i can follow that has pics of your work?

http://instagram.com/stephhany_marie

How much would you charge for a project like that?

For this look I would charge $300

Thats actually not bad when you consider getting a trash costume is like ~80 bucks...my halloween might be a bit more expensive....

Go big or go home!

What other forms of art do you/did you practice aside from makeup? Painting, drawing, etc?

I paint , and draw

My daughter is very very interested in SFX makeup, and I'm going to be purchasing her some things and helping her to learn using any tutorials I can find on the internet. I'd love to know if there are any resources or classes you can think of that are open to younger (think middle-high school age) students? Or do most SFX classes and workshops require that the student is 18+?

Most special effects classes require that you have your beauty 101 course. Were you become a special effects makeup artist. My advice is for her to look at Rop courses and get that out of the way and w Once she graduates from high school to go into special effects because it requires a lot of time and dedication

I'm graduating this May with a Bachelor of Fine Arts and want to go to a college in my hometown for SFX makeup next year. For someone wanting to get into the SFX business, what would your suggestions, tips, and must-do's be?

I would say start looking at special effects makeup artists and of course watching faceoff it will give you an idea of everything you have to do. Also find some books that will helpfull to read and use as a reference. It would be hard to stay to start building your kit because you have no idea what your going to need or where to find it all.

Awesome, thanks!

Also, would you say being or going to L.A. would be advantageous?

I would say this, you can be a makeup artist anywhere, and you have to decide where you want to end up living, going to a school on la will get you job in la, if you stay in your state it will be easier to get you jobs there. In the end it all depends on what your goal is. Sure going to school out here would be great because it is a city where you have a lot of television and film going on. But it depends if you want fashion, then New York would be the place to go. I hope this helps! Basically decided where you want to live in the long run and go there!

I am a guy and I wanna be some type of effed up Pinocchio for Halloween. I'm gonna try to copy what you did and fail miserably but thanks for the inspiration!

OF COURSE!!! good luck!

Have you felt any loss of passion to do your own make up on a day to day basis since you do it at work/school all day.

if not, what are your Holy Grail products.

p.s. You should check out /r/makeupaddiction! We would flip out to see your work.

I Actually love doing my makeup! I keep it minimal for day to day looks but when i go out I love to over do it!

I am a huge fan of mac products, but there are some extremely pigmented colors by Sacha cosmetics that i absolutely love. All their blushes and eyeshadows are amazing!

I was wondering what your favourite make up brands are. Do you think brands like mac and make up forever are worth their price or just a good marketing trick? I have about 10 mac lipsticks and a few other products and I seriously love them. But aren't they overpriced? I also have a few drugstore lipsticks that could compete with some of those high end products.

I do really enjoy Mac! A lot of my kit is Mac, along with benefit, urban decay and sacha cosmetics!

As a makeup artist you can apply for the companies artist rate. So you would be able to take a portion off for all the products you buy!

Have you by any chance got pictures of before and during the process? I understand if you don't want to put your friend's picture up on Reddit. I'd also love to see (as I'm sure so would others) some more of your work!

I actually put up the pictures on my Instagram yesterday because a lot of people were asking to see them, feel free to take a look! @stephhany_marie

the before picture shows your model with incredible skin. what would you do for someone who didn't have such easy skin to work with/active acne?

If you are working with a prosthetic it doesn't matter the type of skin your working with. And if you were doing something else your skin doesn't have to be flawless at all, it can be covered or manipulated to work with your look.

Can we see some other pictures of your work considering you didn't make the prosthetic? And what company originally made the prosthetic?

I have all my work on my Instagram, and I know I need to upload some more since I have some I haven't shown. He prosthetic is from screamteam.com it's a great company will amazing quality of foam latex pieces!

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I went to April love pro makeup academy in San Gabriel California. I would say that practice makes perfect. And they say it take 5000 hours to be a master of 1 thing, so any time you get a chance practice! I actually love my school I have actually taken 4 courses at my school and loved every one of them!

What product do you use to get this off? For Halloween I did an unzippered face look and it took forever to get off since I didn't know which product to use. Do you prime with any product beforehand?

Looks great, : ).

You would want to use. Conditioner to break down any of the products you used in your face. And if you still have any residue left over I would try baby oil and a makeup. Wipe to get the rest off.

As a special fx make up artist to you find doing traditional make up (like your every day look) easier, more difficult or just totally different?

I would have to say it's completely different because you are taking a different approach to things! Your not so much worrying about perfectionism like in beauty makeup your going for an over all look. And you kinda do whatever. If you make a mistake you make it a part of your look.

How long did it take to complete?

This look took me 3 hours.

What are some projects you're working on? What goals do you have for the future?

since i am a student right now I am actually just doing what our teacher asks us to do, but when we were in his studio we were actually creating an amazing piece for a music video that will be out.

My main goal is to work on movies and Tavel. I think it would be amazing to work with famous actors and actresses!

Has your work been featured in any noteworthy films? Is there a series or movie you would love to have you work in?

unfortunately not yet, i am just starting out so i haven't had a chance. But my teacher is constantly working on stuff for movies and music videos so if i continue to work under him maybe some day it will happen.

How the fuck did you do the thing?

I applied a prosthetic to the face, and once i did that i sealed it and blended all edges and painted it after I was completed! i have the steps on my instagram.

@stephhanie_marie

Does heavy layers of makeup like that shown cause acne?

I think all makeup has the ability to cause acne. It's really just making sure your really taking care of your skin when you so something like this because I used strong cosmetic grade glue and and paints that are capable of clogging pores so it really isn't the best for your skin.

You're a wizard. Hope you get a job soon - you've certainly got the skills!

Anyway, step by step, how did you achieve the wooden effect?

It was a a process of painting, creating layers of dark and going over with the light colors. And also cutting my brushes to help with the look

Was this inspired by the movie Strings (2004)? if so, cool, if not, watch it!

I actually have never seen that movie! I'll have to look it up!

I want to do this work so bad. What schools do you recommend

It depends on what area your from, are you from the LA area?

Nope. Illinois

I'm actually not aware of any schools out there but i would say really research your schools and meet with the teachers and see what is right for you. Some smaller schools like mine have amazing talented teachers and well known ones, don't just go for the products they use!

How did you learn your skill? How can I go onto do this?

I actually was really into art and painting I college and when I went into makeup it really helped to have an artist background.

And how you get into it is easy. Find a school and take a beauty 101 course to become a certified/ licensed artist and then decided if special effects is for you. But make sure you really research your school, just because something cost more and the products are top of the line it may not be the best school! Look at portfolios of the teachers, and see the outcome of all the students

I'm an aspiring sfx makeup artist and I was wondering what school you were going to? I've been looking into a few schools to attend after graduating college (parents want a backup) and I've pretty much settled on CB*MA in London. I was just curious about where you're sort of located and what the school experience is like for you. And what someone starting one of these programs should expect.

I am actually in located in the Los Angeles area! The school experience is great! You have to be willing to just jump right in and doing things and using your creative side! Some days for school it can get alittle boring, especially for the basic fundamentals but after that it all is a blast, time period , abstract, runway, make makeup. It all is really cool, but I say make sure you know what you want to be known for. Weather it be bridal or run way. Pick something and stick to it, because there are a lot of avenues out there as a makeup artist and it really helps to have an idea of where you want to end up!

How bad are most of the products for your skin? Does it cause break outs and clogged pores and such because there is so many layers of stuff? Honestly just curious.

I would say the stuff we use for special effects makeup is not the best for your skin, we use products that dry it skin like alcohol paints. And cosmetic grade glue. So they all clog pores and cause breakouts. Your would really just have to moisturizers and full clean skin after to get everything off.

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I started by applying the prosthetic. And once I sealed all edges I applied the darkest color in the would as the base all over the face and neck. Once I did about 6 layers of the darkest color I used the lightest and dry brushes it to get the detail. Everything else was hand painted all the detail! All the paints were acrylics from a craft store mixed with prosade! Sponges really work when dry brushing the lightest color on. And you can also cut your brushes to help with the way the paint strokes come out!

Are there any directors or makeup artists in film that you draw inspiration from? I really love a lot of the concepts I see from Guillermo Del Toror films but my all time favorite artists are Greg Nicetero and Tom Savini.

I'm a huge fan of Ve Neil! I love all her work! Also from lord of the rings! I'm not sure who the artist is on that one. I need to do a better job of learning names!

thats amazing. have you worked on any films yet? have you got any more examples we can see?

I haven't worked on any films yet, but once I graduate that is my goal, all my other work is on my Instagram page. @stephhany_marie

How hard was it to get into the spotlight as a makeup artist? I'm interested in becoming one because it is my passion, but don't want to not have a chance at "making it."

Honestly I was super lucky I had a friend of a friend see this work and post it in here. It takes a lot of hard work to make it in the spotlight but it's not unattainable. As long as you have a positive attitude and are willing to work a lot of little to no money it will help a lot to get your name out there!

In that first set of photos, is that the before and after shot? It's kind of throwing me off because the face shape seems similar enough, but the hair looks darker in the photo without the makeup.

Umm I'm not sure what photo your talking about. One was a phone of my model she took of herself awhile ago, but all the Wooden pictures were from he same day

this is the first photo in your original post. I'm just trying to figure out which is you and which is the model.

The one on the left is an old picture of her, like from awhile ago!

How does it feel to be a modern day Peeta Mellark?

Pretty dang awesome!