1. Largs Academy
Department of Drama
Make-Up Designer
Reference Booklet

2. Introduction to Make-up
What Equipment does a Make-up Artist Use?
Stage make-up may come in grease based, water based or in powder
based form.
Basic make-up - liquid or cake foundation; powders; blushers; eye-colours; lip and eye pencils; mascaras; lip colours
Special effects make-up– liquid latex or putty for creating wounds and scars; stage blood (liquid, capsule, powder); noses and prosthetics; bald caps; tooth enamel; glitter and stars; adhesives
Wigs and facial hair -beards; moustaches; sideburns; wigs; wool crepe; adhesives such as spirit gum; toupee tape; gels and waxes; brushes; scissors
Application and removal- brushes; sponges; sponge applicators; tissues; cotton wool; cold cream or make-up remover; spirit gum and adhesive remover
Maintenance and storage – brush cleaning fluids and make-up cases
Every actor should have their own basic make-up kit consisting of:
Headband
Own towel
Soap
Facecloth
Cotton Wool/Tissues
Moisturising Cream.

3. Reasons for Stage Make-up
Make-Up – Worn by actors for their character.
Why have Stage Make-Up?
To allow the actors to be seen clearly by the audience.
2. To create an overall style of production. It has to fit in with the overall style along with the costumes and set designs.
3. You can create special effects with make-up, e.g. ageing the actor or showing cuts and bruises.

4. Make-Up Application Basic Rules
- Before you start lay out all the make-up.
- It is important that all your sponges,
brushes and combs etc are kept clean.
- Always wash your hands and face and
apply moisturising cream before you begin.
How to Apply Stage Make-Up
Moisten sponge with warm water and use
to apply base (pancake) face, neck and ears, to the
hairline:
Make-up sticks can be used as an alternative foundation.
Check your work from time to time and pay particular attention to the
nose, eyes, corners of the mouth etc.
2. When the base is dry, use a slightly moist sponge to gently smooth over streaks and missed areas.
3. Highlight cheekbones.
4. Shade eyes.
5. Define eyes, lashes and brows using liner/kohl, mascara and pencil.
6. Outline lips with pencil and fill in lips.
7. To narrow nose - darken sides with a little brown and highlight bridge of nose.
8. After cleansing the skin, to remove make-up, you must use a moisturiser.

5. Planning and Designing Make-Up
Planning Make-Up
When planning the make-up for a drama, the make-up artist will want to tell the audience as much a possible. In order to do that they will need to think about the following things:
The size of the acting space. The amount of make-up applied on an actor will depend on the size of the theatre space. A small studio space will require a minimum amount applied as the audience sit so close to the stage.
The type of production. Each production will require a particular type of make-up. It has to fit in with the overall style along with the costumes and set designs.

6. Design
There are four basic types of make-up –
Straight - would be used if you want a naturalistic interpretation of the play.
Character - would be used if you wanted a powerful, dramatic interpretation.
Stylized - would be used if you wanted for example a Japanese play produced with traditional Japanese sets and costumes.
Fantastic - would be used for example in a children’s show where it featured actors as animals.

7. Roles & Responsibilities of the Make-Up Designer/Artist
The make-up designer/artist is responsible for designing and applying make-up for all of the actors in the production. This includes –
basic stage make-up to define the features
character make-up that alters the features (an elderly woman, a thin, sickly man or a drunk person)
special effects make-up
period make-up
stylised make-up
The make-up designer/artist must ensure that the make-up design fully supports the director’s interpretation of the play in terms of character, period, location, mood/atmosphere and style.
In a production on a grand scale, the make-up designer/artist may have assistants to help them apply the make-up. Sometimes, especially if a play has a long run, the actors may learn to apply their own make-up.
It is also the role of the make-up designer/artist to maintain and store all of the materials and equipment necessary for applying effective stage make-up.

8. Who does the Props Master Work With?
The props master will liaise with the following people:
the director – to ensure that the make-up supports the director’s interpretation of the play in terms of character, period, location, mood/atmosphere and style.
the lighting designer – to ensure that there is a balance between the make-up and lighting and that neither is too harsh for the other.
the costume designer – to ensure that the make-up matches the costume designer’s interpretation of the play and the characters.
But most importantly, the make-up designer must work with the actors. The actors must feel comfortable with their make-up and that the visual ‘look’ of their character supports their on personal interpretation. The make-up designer could also spend anywhere between fifteen minutes and over an hour before every performance applying make-up to each actor. Combine this with the close physical proximity between the two team members; it is easy to see why it is important that the make-up designer has good relationships with the cast.

9. Make-Up Designer Checklist
Task One: Read the play thoroughly and pick up any references to make-up.
Task Two: Research the period and location of the play as there maybe a particular style of make-up that was prevalent in your time period or location.
Task Three: Design the make-up by doing sketches, making notes and completing a Make-up Record Sheet for each character.

10. You can copy this chart for each of the characters in your script.