The Art Of Aging Without Prosthetics

Many of the students who come to our Academy often cite that their great passion is “casualty” makeup or “prosthetic” make up. This is all wonderful and when they see some of our prosthetics from Christine’s films it only enhances their view.

Yet it is when they begin our Four month makeup course, they soon discover all the creative things you can do with make up and imagination only. Be it Film make up or TV makeup or Theatre makeup, there is so much scope to achieve amazing things with just a grease paint palette and some other make up such as MAC makeup.
If we look at one of the hardest makeup looks to create, it has to be old age make up. Here at the makeup school we approach this in many of the modules. Old age make up varies between Film make up or TV makeup or Theatre makeup.
For instance, getting an actor to look 30 years his/her senior on the stage will require a completely different approach and look. The audience are, for most part, further away from the actor and secondly, they are there more for the telling of the story rather than having to be convinced of an actor looking a certain age. Remember, in Shakespearian times women were not allowed on stage and so a man dressed up to play the woman. The public knew this.

As you can see by the photograph, Helen, our student, has done a fantastic job in aging Sophie. If you look at the eye makeup it is there that the subtle colouration has made the all the difference and made the model look old.

It has taken me eleven years to fully understand what Christine means when she is “Less is More.” In all these years as director of the makeup school I did not get it, yet seeing this work I do! By understanding colour and depth and the structural shape of a face you can achieve a great aging look.