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Makeup Artists, Theatrical and Performance

Apply makeup to performers to reflect period, setting, and situation of their role.
  • Summary

  • Details

  • Work Activities

    • Apply makeup to enhance or alter the appearance of people appearing in productions such as movies.
    • Establish budgets, and work within budgetary limits.
    • Demonstrate products to clients, and provide instruction in makeup application.
    • Assess performers' skin type to ensure that makeup will not cause break-outs or skin irritations.
    • Design rubber or plastic prostheses that can be used to change performers' appearances.
    • Examine sketches, photographs, and plaster models to obtain desired character image depiction.
    • Analyze a script, noting events that affect each character's appearance, so that plans can be made for each scene.
    • Select desired makeup shades from stock, or mix oil, grease, and coloring to achieve specific color effects.
    • Advise hairdressers on the hairstyles required for character parts.
    • Confer with stage or motion picture officials and performers to determine desired effects.
    • Requisition or acquire needed materials for special effects, including wigs, beards, and special cosmetics.
    • Cleanse and tone the skin to prepare it for makeup application.
    • Demonstrate products to clients, and provide instruction in makeup application.
    • Duplicate work precisely to replicate characters' appearances on a daily basis.
    • Clean supplies such as makeup brushes.
    • Evaluate environmental characteristics, such as venue size and lighting plans, to determine makeup requirements.
    • Alter or maintain makeup during productions as necessary to compensate for lighting changes or to achieve continuity of effect.
    • Write makeup sheets and take photos to document specific looks and the products used to achieve the looks.
    • Provide performers with makeup removal assistance after performances have been completed.
    • Wash and reset wigs.
    • Study production information, such as character descriptions, period settings, and situations, to determine makeup requirements.
    • Clean supplies such as makeup brushes.
    • Attach prostheses to performers and apply makeup to create special features or effects, such as scars, aging, or illness.
    • Create character drawings or models, based upon independent research, to augment period production files.

    Skills

    • Critical Thinking
      • Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.
    • Persuasion
      • Talking people into changing their minds or their behavior.
    • Operations Analysis
      • Figuring out what a product or service needs to be able to do.
    • Equipment Selection
      • Deciding what kind of tools and equipment are needed to do a job.
    • Judgment and Decision Making
      • Thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one.
    • Management of Personnel Resources
      • Selecting and managing the best workers for a job.
    • Management of Financial Resources
      • Making spending decisions and keeping track of what is spent.
    • Systems Analysis
      • Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it.
    • Quality Control Analysis
      • Testing how well a product or service works.
    • Management of Material Resources
      • Managing equipment and materials.
    • Instructing
      • Teaching people how to do something.
    • Mathematics
      • Using math to solve problems.
    • Technology Design
      • Making equipment and technology useful for customers.
    • Active Learning
      • Figuring out how to use new ideas or things.
    • Monitoring
      • Keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements.
    • Repairing
      • Repairing machines or systems using the right tools.
    • Social Perceptiveness
      • Understanding people's reactions.
    • Equipment Maintenance
      • Planning and doing the basic maintenance on equipment.
    • Programming
      • Writing computer programs.
    • Troubleshooting
      • Figuring out what is causing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs to not work.
    • Systems Evaluation
      • Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.
    • Negotiation
      • Bringing people together to solve differences.
    • Complex Problem Solving
      • Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.
    • Installation
      • Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs.
    • Speaking
      • Talking to others.
    • Service Orientation
      • Looking for ways to help people.
    • Operations Monitoring
      • Watching gauges, dials, or display screens to make sure a machine is working.
    • Operation and Control
      • Using equipment or systems.
    • Coordination
      • Changing what is done based on other people's actions.
    • Reading Comprehension
      • Reading work-related information.
    • Writing
      • Writing things for co-workers or customers.
    • Time Management
      • Managing your time and the time of other people.
    • Science
      • Using scientific rules and strategies to solve problems.
    • Active Listening
      • Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.
    • Learning Strategies
      • Using the best training or teaching strategies for learning new things.

    Abilities

    • Mathematical Reasoning
      • Choosing the right type of math to solve a problem.
    • Wrist-Finger Speed
      • Making fast, simple, repeated movements of your fingers, hands, and wrists.
    • Gross Body Coordination
      • Moving your arms, legs, and mid-section together while your whole body is moving.
    • Depth Perception
      • Deciding which thing is closer or farther away from you, or deciding how far away it is from you.
    • Oral Comprehension
      • Listening and understanding what people say.
    • Trunk Strength
      • Using your lower back and stomach.
    • Category Flexibility
      • Grouping things in different ways.
    • Visualization
      • Imagining how something will look after it is moved around or changed.
    • Static Strength
      • Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying.
    • Spatial Orientation
      • Knowing where things are around you.
    • Speech Recognition
      • Recognizing spoken words.
    • Sound Localization
      • Noticing the direction that a sound came from.
    • Dynamic Flexibility
      • Quickly and repeatedly bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching out with your body, arms, and/or legs.
    • Speech Clarity
      • Speaking clearly.
    • Control Precision
      • Quickly changing the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat.
    • Arm-Hand Steadiness
      • Keeping your arm or hand steady.
    • Written Expression
      • Communicating by writing.
    • Extent Flexibility
      • Bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching with your body, arms, and/or legs.
    • Fluency of Ideas
      • Coming up with lots of ideas.
    • Number Facility
      • Adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing.
    • Rate Control
      • Changing when and how fast you move based on how something else is moving.
    • Deductive Reasoning
      • Using rules to solve problems.
    • Visual Color Discrimination
      • Noticing the difference between colors, including shades and brightness.
    • Far Vision
      • Seeing details that are far away.
    • Auditory Attention
      • Paying attention to one sound while there are other distracting sounds.
    • Response Orientation
      • Quickly deciding if you should move your hand, foot, or other body part.
    • Oral Expression
      • Communicating by speaking.
    • Reaction Time
      • Quickly moving your hand, finger, or foot based on a sound, light, picture or other command.
    • Stamina
      • Exercising for a long time without getting out of breath.
    • Near Vision
      • Seeing details up close.
    • Hearing Sensitivity
      • Telling the difference between sounds.
    • Originality
      • Creating new and original ideas.
    • Memorization
      • Remembering words, numbers, pictures, or steps.
    • Selective Attention
      • Paying attention to something without being distracted.
    • Inductive Reasoning
      • Making general rules or coming up with answers from lots of detailed information.
    • Perceptual Speed
      • Quickly comparing groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.
    • Dynamic Strength
      • Exercising for a long time without your muscles getting tired.
    • Speed of Limb Movement
      • Quickly moving your arms and legs.
    • Problem Sensitivity
      • Noticing when problems happen.
    • Speed of Closure
      • Quickly knowing what you are looking at.
    • Written Comprehension
      • Reading and understanding what is written.
    • Information Ordering
      • Ordering or arranging things.
    • Flexibility of Closure
      • Seeing hidden patterns.
    • Explosive Strength
      • Jumping, sprinting, or throwing something.
    • Time Sharing
      • Doing two or more things at the same time.
    • Night Vision
      • Seeing at night or under low light.
    • Peripheral Vision
      • Seeing something to your side when your are looking ahead.
    • Gross Body Equilibrium
      • Keeping your balance or staying upright.
    • Glare Sensitivity
      • Seeing something even if there is a glare or very bright light.
    • Multilimb Coordination
      • Using your arms and/or legs together while sitting, standing, or lying down.
    • Finger Dexterity
      • Putting together small parts with your fingers.
    • Manual Dexterity
      • Holding or moving items with your hands.

    Knowledge

    • Economics and Accounting
      • Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.
    • Design
      • Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
    • Food Production
      • Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.
    • Mathematics
      • Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
    • Biology
      • Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
    • Engineering and Technology
      • Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
    • Foreign Language
      • Knowledge of the structure and content of a foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.
    • Therapy and Counseling
      • Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.
    • Telecommunications
      • Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
    • Psychology
      • Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
    • Sociology and Anthropology
      • Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.
    • Philosophy and Theology
      • Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.
    • Law and Government
      • Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
    • Fine Arts
      • Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.
    • Administration and Management
      • Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
    • Chemistry
      • Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.
    • Production and Processing
      • Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
    • Computers and Electronics
      • Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
    • History and Archeology
      • Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.
    • English Language
      • Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, and rules of composition and grammar.
    • Public Safety and Security
      • Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
    • Medicine and Dentistry
      • Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
    • Mechanical
      • Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
    • Communications and Media
      • Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
    • Physics
      • Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub-atomic structures and processes.
    • Transportation
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
    • Geography
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.
    • Building and Construction
      • Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.
    • Education and Training
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
    • Administrative
      • Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.
    • Sales and Marketing
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
    • Customer and Personal Service
      • Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
    • Personnel and Human Resources
      • Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.

    Education

    Education
    Postsecondary certificate
    Work Experience
    No work experience
    Training
    No on-the-job training

    Pay

    U.S. Annual Salary
    50280/yr
    U.S. Hourly Wage
    24.17/hr

    Washington Employment Trends

    Currently Employed
    7,600
    Yearly Projected Openings
    1100

    Personality

    Artistic: People interested in this work like activities that include creating, designing, and making your own rules. They do well at jobs that need:
    • Innovation
    • Attention to Detail
    • Dependability
    • Social Orientation
    • Adaptability
    • Cooperation

    Tools

    • Air brushes
    • Contact lenses
    • Costumes or accessories
    • Digital cameras
    • Hair combs or brushes
    • Hand sprayers
    • Makeup kits
    • Manual pencil sharpener
    • Notebook computers
    • Palette knives
    • Palettes for paint or ink mixing
    • Personal computers
    • Tablet computers

    Technology

    • Accounting software
    • Calendar and scheduling software
    • Customer relationship management CRM software
    • Data base user interface and query software
    • Electronic mail software
    • Graphics or photo imaging software
    • Instant messaging software
    • Internet browser software
    • Office suite software
    • Spreadsheet software
    • Web page creation and editing software