Other-worldly beings take over students’ bodies
Posted: 19 May 2020
We all feel like we’re living in a different world right now, but students from West Nottinghamshire College recently took this to another level with their specialist artistry.
Using the techniques and skills learnt in the classroom, Level 2 Technical Certificate in Make-up Artistry students put their work into colourful practice at home after receiving a project brief online from their tutor.
Tutor Jasmine Mee gave the class the theme ‘Mythical Creatures’ to base their project on, and some stunning ideas were developed including a blue Avatar, a lightning dragon, a moon queen, Greek mythology’s Medusa and Te Fiti – the island brought to life in Disney’s Moana.
Large areas of the body were covered in colour using grease-based paints, while the more detailed areas were picked-out using eyeshadows and liner colours.
The students used hair-curling and plaiting techniques to add to the overall effect of their chosen characters and costumes were hand-made using items of clothing and decoration found around the house.
Georgie Townsend, 16, from Hucknall, created the Medusa look on her sister Kadi-Rose. She said: “I gathered the inspiration for the Medusa from a number of Instagram accounts and I merged pictures together to make one look. I also added my own ideas to make the look unique.
“Techniques I used from my classroom learning was applying the products with a sponge and creating stencils. I also used the powder application technique to stop the paint smudging.
“Eventually I would like a career in the beauty industry and have other skills such as barbering and hairdressing as well as knowing how to apply lashes and body paint for special events.”
Jasmine Mee said: “I was so impressed by the range of characters the students created and the level of professional detail they applied to their creations. Their use of stencilling to create repetition in design was eye-catching as well as the free-hand painting.
“I could see great use of contouring and stippling to bring out bone structure and enhancing the features.
“These kinds of special effects are seen on stage for theatrical productions such as The Lion King which uses lots of face-painting and 'caking on' of make-up. Students could go on to work on projects such as this or in the film industry when putting characters into disguise or creating cuts and bruises on actors.”