Rainy Days in February

February is over, and another month has been checked off the calendar for 2011. This has not been the most glamourous month for me, that's for sure. Now I know I had anticipated posting the video where I turn my mom 21 again by Valentines day, but I encountered some problems. Where to begin? I overlooked the temperature of my oven, accidentally baking my molds out at 450 degrees. They didn't crack (because they were reinforced) but the plaster became brittle and porous and therefore the foam had a rough texture to it. Secondly, my sculpt should have called for a two part mold but I did it in one. I couldn't get it closed as tightly as I wanted, it was terribly difficult to open. And finally, my sculpt itself carried too broad a jawline and the nose looked a little odd. What I got out of the trials was confidence that if I go back to square one and resculpt, it will work.

Since work has been pretty slow so far this year I've actually been spending most of my time looking for a day job - something steady in the makeup/spa world. I'm definitely experiencing the wrath of this troubled economy, hopefully March will see things looking up a bit.


P.S. Comic Con tickets went on sale February 5th. I must have clicked refresh a thousand times and in the end was not able to get 4 day passes. I did manage to get single day passes for Thursday, Friday, and Sunday. The Masquerade - that's where I wanted to unveil my impossible creation - is on Saturday. Looks like we're going to have to return our passes and try again for 2012.

Ciao <3

Lisa

Chronicles of a Makeup Artist

I'm Lisa, an aspiring hollywood makeup artist exploring the film and entertainment industry in and around Vancouver, Canada.

I have this wild imagination and passion for creating complex, beautiful, funny or downright appalling characters. My kitchen doubles as my effects lab where I work with foam latex, gelatin, and other magical materials to bring these elaborate fantasies to life. Right now most of my days are filled with desiging my own projects or searching for work on independant or student film productions while living in downtown Vancouver with my boyfriend.

I'm very excited that I've decided to San Diego's Comic Con International 2011, and I can sense that it is going to be pivotal. It'll be my first Comic Con (one of the worlds largest pop culture events) and I've got very big (and possibly career-boosting) plans for that weekend.

This year my two major goals are to become unionized and to build up my YouTube channel. All large-scale film and TV productions are under a union - and to work on those sets, you need to be a member of said union. There are two unions here in Vancouver. One is A.C.F.C. (The Association of Canadian Film Craftspeople), and the other is I.A.T.S.E. (International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees). In order to apply for union membership, you need to have set experience and pass a written exam. This means collecting lot of independent work to build up your resume plus you have to know the details of your craft as well as the politics of working on set. In an industry where it's all about who you know, it can be hard when you don't really know anybody yet.

On the other hand my YouTube channel is more of a personal endeavor. I just can't get enough of what I do. I keep coming up with ideas that I just have to bring to life. I love filming, documenting, and editing. So far I've only made one video. It was a 'test run' of sorts. I did my friend up in a bodypaint modeled after my Witch Elf character, Lisabeth, from Warhammer Online. I played for a year, kicking butt doing medieval quests in skimpy little outfits and riding my dinosaur around. I didn't enjoy the PVP (player vs. player) that much though. When I became too high of a level it was all about PVP, so I started playing Oblivion instead. Anyways, I finished the bodypaint at 2 am and went downtown with a couple friends to videotape people's reactions. You can watch our little excursion here:

It's an exciting time and my mind is racing with ideas and projects, some more formed than others, and I'm just beginning to work them into reality. My next project I plan to turn my mom into a 21-year-old again using prosthetic makeup. I'm sculpting the prosthetic at this point, and the video should be released by Valentine's day!

Ciao <3

Lisa