Thursday 2nd May saw the talented Make-up Artistry students from West College Scotland showcase their work in an end of year extravaganza at SWG3 in Glasgow. The HND Make-up Artistry Exhibition transported guests including friends, family and industry professionals to a land of fantasy where spectacular visuals were brought to life with mythical creatures, monsters and fairy-tale characters.
Hairdressing, Beauty and Make-up Artistry, Head of Sector, Karen Stevenson, said:
‘This event is a wonderful opportunity for our HND Makeup Artistry students to showcase their skills.
Events like this highlight to our employers and industry partners not only the unique skills and technical abilities of our students, but their approach to their own career management and entrepreneurial pitch of their work. Once again, this event has proved to be a huge success. Each of the students worked extremely hard on the run to event creating and perfecting their own personal looks and display areas. We are exceptionally proud of what each of them have achieved; they’re a credit to themselves and the College and I’m in no doubt that they will go on to successful careers within the Make-up Industry.’
Aliysa Elliot, 28 from Clydebank enjoyed learning about more in depth special effects and the media side of makeup.She decided to base her graded unit on the human body & the 3 basic components of a soul - spirit, mind & body. She said, “I wanted to show the demons & emotions people fight & go through on a daily basis inside their mind & body trying to be themselves in a world full of expectations. Every 90 minutes in the UK a life is lost - to suicide. It doesn’t discriminate touching the lives of people in every corner of society. It’s the biggest killer of people under the age of 35. Yet it’s rarely spoken of, a topic that threatens to continue its deadly rampage unless we all stop and take notice.”
After particularly enjoying Special effects and hairdressing in her course, Sarahann Ferguson, 21 from Glasgow chose to take inspiration for her piece from horror and Chainsaw Massacre film. She said, “I love watching horrors/thrillers/violence movies, this is one of my favourites so being able to recreate it with my own twist is amazing! It’s been stressful but I enjoy working under pressure and having lots to do, it’s something to be proud!” In the future she would love to continue working in runway/fashion and tv/film whilst working with SFX.
Niamh McGhee, 20 from Glasgow took inspiration from colour in her piece saying, “I love the contrast between the all black and the burst of colour. The makeup can almost be read as high fashion in a fantasy way relating to the mythical bird creatures.” She continued, I got to try and experience things I have never before along with gaining new contacts, it made me be really outgoing with the things I was taught, being able to creative and show the crazy thing makeup can achieve.” In the future she would love to work within media or fashion but the more editorial high fashion side.
Taking her inspiration to create a goddess figure. Abbey Hill, 21 from Dumbarton said, “I wanted my character - Celestial Creation - to be mysterious, yet mesmerising and powerful. I took inspiration from Moroccan interior design to create the setting of a dark yet intriguing room for the goddess figure to be in.” She enjoyed learning how to create exciting and different make up looks and being able to collaborate with different creatives in the industry. She hopes to work in the fashion/editorial sector of the industry but would like to gain more experience in media makeup.
Kailey Mcandie, 22 from Drumchapel said, “I really enjoyed learning about the different media makeup products that they use for film and TV, the variety of products is endless and so creative, there’s no limit to your creative mind set. I really took a liking to using and making silicone prosthetics as they are very real looking, and they add that extra gore/creepy factor that makes an impact when you see it. My experience was amazing being able to show off my work to the public is a whole new experience, it was stressful but all so worth it!” Her inspiration is from TV series Game of Thrones, she had this idea since she finished HNC fashion makeup, “I wanted to make Daenerys Targaryen turn into one of her dragons and I wanted it to be powerfully beautiful but also creepy. I am intensely proud of my work I created and so glad I was able to showcase it to the public.”
Charlie McGuire, 19 from Dennistoun enjoyed the fact learning so much and really developed her skills. She said, “my knowledge on Media makeup as grew so much within the last year along with my confidence. I've became so emotionally invested into this project so its super rewarding to finally see your work come to life after working on it for months. I'm so proud of my finished look.” Her inspiration came from the story of Jesus Christ. She said, “I love and respect all religions and I believe all religions promote spirituality, love and peace which is why this one is so important to me. I wanted to do something that I truly felt passionate about and could really put my heart into.”
As she particularly enjoyed the special effects part of the course, Stacey McKillop, 19 from Erskine took inspiration from the television series Charmed. She said, “I grew up watching this so have always really liked the concept of recreating a character for a college project! My character Belthazor is a strong, powerful creature who’s trying to take over the world and eliminate witches, demons and innocent people. I worked along side Alan Taylor a photographer from Glasgow who helped me take my final pictures in the style I imagined in my head.” In the future she would love her own salon and to continue building her portfolio with professional photographs from photoshoots.
Olivia Lopez, 21 from Auchterarder took her main inspiration from extreme experimentation and animal cruelty. She said, “It was literally the most nerve-wracking adrenaline filled experience but it’s something Il never forget I’ve done. I’m excited to see where my diploma in Makeup Artistry takes me!”
Taking inspiration from the Mary Queen Of Scots movie Laura Long, 28 from Glasgow said, “I find historical movies interesting as it shows a completely different style of hair/make up and costume and with this movie it was quite extreme. This was a great event where we can showcase our work to industry and network with potential employers.” She would love work within the tv/film industry and would also like to teach in the future.
Shannon McMaster, 23 from Paisley loved learning all the different techniques of making and applying prosthetics and found doing character makeup to be very entertaining and rewarding. She said, “I knew for months that I wanted to create something scary and researched online for inspirational content to help my come up with different ideas for my piece.”
Louise Bimendi, 27 from Glasgow took inspiration from a character from Marvel movies & comics. She said “I enjoyed getting to see how different prosthetics are made. Being able to apply them and making someone look completely different. I hope to get into the TV and Film industry.”
Taking inspiration when out exploring, Laura McGowan, 32 from Glasgow said, “It just came to me when I was at the devils pulpit, which was where I shot my final image. I enjoy being creative and developing skills and would love to continue working within media make up”
Natalie Cashmore, 20 from Stewarton said, “I loved the creativity of this course , allowing us to be creative In different ways and explore different techniques as we learn along the way. It’s a course where we all appreciate each other’s creativity and learn from one another. It is an exciting but nerve racking experience!” Her inspiration was taken from the pollution of our waters, She said, “Instead of being a boring thing to look at I wanted to portray it through a character. So I decided to do this god of the sea who is angry at the world and is seeking revenge.”
Kirsten Glass, 47 from Clydebank said of the event, “I have enjoyed the whole experience and been a great learning curve . I'm excited for the event and to see everything come together. I took from the TV series, Legacys.”
After enjoying learning more in depth special effects, Ashley Kerr, 24 from Clydebank took inspiration for her piece from one of her favourite video games, Fallout. She said, “I found the event very stressful but so rewarding seeing something you've worked for months on come together.”
Laura McBain, 26 from Royston said, “My inspiration came from the film The Exorcist and real life stories on human possession. I wanted to portray the look and character of a woman who has no control over what she does due to her body being taken over by a demonic possession.” Seeing showcases from previous years she knew what to expect but said when it was her turn it was totally different!
Erin Richford, 19 from Glasgow said, “I enjoyed learning and getting creative with my work, the course really helped me advance on my makeup skills which I will use later in life. The showcase event is a great way of meeting new industry associates, and getting a step ahead by having your work on display. Also seeing the other students works really inspires you creatively.” Her inspiration is from the film ‘Apostle’. She said, “I love the story behind this and I find the character I have chosen to do eerie, which is right up my street.”
Niamh Tait, 21 from Renfrew took her inspiration from her favourite Disney movie “The Hunchback of Notre Dame”. She said, “I wanted to look at the different recreations of Quasimodo and create my own interpretation. The overall experience was amazing to show case my hard work I have been working on for the past few months and feeling proud of the achievement I have gained by letting others see my work and progress.”
Rachel Sweeney, 21 from Rutherglen wanted to do something a bit different and thought ‘The Look See Monster’ was a very interesting character to create. She said, “It’s not that popular and has only recently just came out on YouTube as a short film series. I had always wanted to do something a little bit creepy and scary and thought this would be perfect. I thought this would show off my skills that I have developed throughout this year and showcase them off at the event.” She continued, “This course has developed my skills even more and I have learned so many new techniques that I can take with me into the industry. I loved creating different looks for each class as it shows off all my hard work that I have put into this year. It has definitely opened up my eye to all the different career paths I can go down when I go out into industry.” After college she is looking to get into the TV/film industry.
Angela Carmichael, 33 from Dumbarton love gaining new skills to further my career in makeup artistry and designing and bringing to life her character for her graded unit. She said, “ I got my inspiration from the circus and watching the Greatest Showman. I am hoping to get into industry and gain more skills and hopefully start my own business doing what I love.”
Hoping to work in the film and television industry as a special fx makeup artist after College, Anna Kane, 25 from Anniesland went with a human trapped inside a scarecrow trying to escape as inspiration for her piece! She said, “I love the diversity of the course, there is so many different styles of makeup we learn about. I have really enjoyed doing the showcase although the lead up to it has been stressful!”
Laura Hogg, 26 from Clydebank said, “I enjoyed learning more special effects and learning more about tv/film side of things. I came up with my theme on my own I had seen a photo online of the outfit and knew I wanted to do something along the lines”. She is hoping to get into more tv/film makeup as I’m already a hairdressers I feel I would be a lot of help in sets.
Laurel Bishop, 20 from Lanark really enjoyed learning new skills within media makeup. She said, “I had a ball this year life casting and sculpting as it really allowed me to show off my artistic flair! I have also enjoyed practising my skills within special effects when creating injuries such as broken bones or incisions. I am also grateful of the opportunities studying at WCS has given me, placing top 3 in the UK for body painting (AHT Competitions 2019), being published in SORA Magazine, as well as going out and working in theatres and alongside up and coming directors for short films.” She was inspired by the ancient Norse ritual, The Blood Eagle. She incorporated her fascination with Wiccan and Celtic culture into her character of Seidkona, a viking sorceress. She said, “The showcase has been an crazy experience to say the least, I am incredibly proud of all I have achieved through (fake) blood, sweat and tears over the past 6 months to where I am now.I thoroughly enjoyed having the creative freedom that comes with the graded unit to create my own concept, character, makeup, costume and set - which has allowed me to showcase the skills I have learned and refined over the past three years.”
Aimee Pilkington, 20 from Glasgow said, “I enjoyed learning all the new techniques, being introduced to the new materials and how we can use all these new products to make more in depth and realistic cuts/wounds. The special effects side was definitely the area i enjoyed most this year.” The inspiration for her piece was based off a character called “Batibat” out of the new Netflix show “Chilling Adventures of Sabrina”. She said, 2This character was only on the screen for roughly 20 mins in 1 episode but the whole time she was on the screen she made me feel uncomfortable, and I loved that. She was scary without using any cuts or gashes or any bloods. It was all in the prosthetic making that just made her ugly and creepy which i thought was impressive because that is sometimes hard to pull off.” After College she hopes to focus on her own business because she really enjoys fashion makeup but would love to get into film, making prosthetics, creating characters, still learning all about new techniques too!
Hoping to work on set's in theatre or TV after College, Hayley Cannon, 22 from Greenock said, “I love learning such a wide verity of different make up technique's from period make up to this year's most popular trends. We also learned how to life cast even though this isn't very popular anymore in the make up industry it's all done by computer it's an amazing thing to know and be able to carry out in future.” Having been to see previous years events she wanted to do something that wasn't too common and pick something maybe no one else would do. She said, “I wanted to incorporate glamourous make up along with SFX and a dark twisted background, Black Swan was perfect for this role. I prefer to make my own costumes and props as well so I thought this would be a good challenge.it's an amazing experience! I'm excited and nervous too take part in this but can't wait for everyone too see what I've been working on.”
Louise Dalziel, 38 from Erskine said the showcase event was a great experience, “I took my inspiration for my portfolio piece from Red Riding Hood. I loved getting to see everyone's work!"
Gayle Doran, 38 from Glasgow enjoyed learning all techniques within the course, but found an appreciation of period makeup and wigs. She chose to take her inspiration from the different representations and the many faces of Queen Elizabeth I. She said, “the preparation has been both exiting and nerve racking. This event is not only great entertainment but a good way of encouraging students to believe in themselves and their work in which ever way they choose to present. I hope to continue gaining experience within the industry while perusing a career with theatre, Tv and film.”
Taking her inspiration from the movie 'Mars Attacks” for her piece, Stephanie Macleod, 26 from Dunoon enjoyed gaining product knowledge and having the help and support from staff. She said, “I plan to continue to further my makeup skills and knowledge and hopefully working within the special effects industry”
Fiona Knox, 23 from Greenock said, “I've loved everything about the course, its so fun and interesting to be able to be creative and learn new things that are able to help us work in the makeup industry. I've loved meeting new people in my class who all share the same interests.” She said of her experience of the event, “its quite stressful trying to get everything prepared in time for it because you want everything to be the best it can be as there is going to be professionals from the industry there looking at everyone's work. I've been to a few graded events before and every year there has been some amazing work by the students showcasing their work. We've worked really hard for so long to get to this point so its exciting but also scary to know that this is kind of our last thing to do before we finish.” She took inspiration for her piece from a 'dark mermaid'. She said, “I've always loved mermaid things and I think by choosing this to do for my graded unit I knew it was something I loved and would be happy creating and not get bored. its a bit of a spin on a normal mermaid just to change it up a little.”
Fiona Brown, 22 from Glasgow really liked being pushed to up her skill level and re-visiting techniques in much more detail. She said, “It's not always an easy course, but putting the time and effort into learning new techniques and becoming familiar with new products has really paid off for me and I feel really accomplished this year.” Speaking of her experience of the showcase event she said she found it, “A little scary and nerve wracking to say the least! It's crazy because it's not like anything I've ever planned before, but it's also a really cool way to showcase all the work I've put into my graded piece and hopefully really grab the attention of other people in the creative industry.” Special effects have always been her favourite aspect of make up and she always had the idea of doing something really bold and different. She said ,”I own my own pet snake who I am obsessed with and a lot of the look including the colours and vibrancy is inspired directly by him. I wanted to challenge myself by completely changing the shape of the face to create my look, and I'm really pleased with the finished product.”
Samantha Lang, 25 from Greenock loved Face casting and fashion makeup during her course. She said of the event, “We had a couple of ups and downs some things never went to plan but it was a fun experience! My daughter loves Belle - it’s her favourite Disney character so I wanted to show her I could create her.” Samantha hopes to work on tv and filming and have her own salon in the future.
Cody Buick, 20 from Renfrew took her inspiration from 18th century rococo with her model in a full rococo gown and underskirt, complete with a large wig and wigcage which has been dressed with intricate curls and ornamentation. The makeup is also authentic in it’s flamboyant but also refined and elegant style. She took inspiration from films such as the Duchess and Pride and Prejudice. She said, “I have loved all aspects of my course but I have taken a real shine to wig work. Television and film is something I've always wanted to do. I feel I would fit in well with working on period dramas as my passion.”
Hayley Tamara Aitchison, 20 from Paisley took inspiration for her portfolio piece from a combination of passion and magical beliefs. She said. “Besides makeup artistry, dance has been a huge passion/hobbie of mine since I was little girl. Getting the chance to combine two elements into one was a wonderful opportunity, and was the perfect vision to embody the person I am”. The real life marionette aspect comes from her interest of the supernatural and magical realm. She continued, “The most enjoyable part of my course, was learning about the more advanced jobs within my industry. We are surrounded my films, tv shows, books etc that create the belief of mythical creatures and magical/fairytale creations, therefore i wanted to incorporate an element of this into my piece.”
Leeanne Campbell, 33 from Glasgow attended last year’s showcase and was amazed by all the great looks, She loved learning new skills & making friends on her course and took inspiration for her piece from her love for horror.
After being impressed after attending last years event, Laura Kirkwood, 41 from Paisley decided to take her inspiration from the tensions in the world we live in today. She loved learning all aspects of special effects and the making of prosthetic appliances and would love to work in this area in the future.
Ainure Nasirova, 23 from Glasgow loved learning new skills as part of her course and was inspired by beautiful buildings and steampunk style in general. She said, “I’d love to get experience in many different parts of the industry. Theatrical, Fashion, TV - I am passionate about it all!”
Because of her love of learning about new products and how to make prosthetic pieces, Karen Shackleton, 36 from Renfrewshire took inspiration from The Greatest Showman - "This Is Me!" for her piece saying she wanted “to show how good it can be to finally embrace who you really are and show the world your true self.” A qualified hairdresser as well Karen continued, “I have been to previous shows, for the past five years. Its the reason I'm doing the course. The build up to this year has been challenging, but exciting. I'd like to be able to incorporate hair and make up into the work I do and would love to work in film and theatre.”
Lynsey Thompson, 26 from Johnstone really enjoyed the diversity in the course and found being involved in the event a “very exciting and challenging experience! She said, “I got my inspiration from other Makeup Artists that I follow and look up to on Instagram with their amazing creativity in character makeup! I hope to progress and pursue a career in TV & Film.”
Marley Watters, 21 from Glasgow really enjoyed the freedom to be as creative as possible and explore her own sense of style with her class all having such different styles and outlooks on makeup. She said, “I think it really shows the diversity among the industry and that there is always room for everyone.” She found the event stressful but rewarding! Her main inspiration for her piece came from sci-fi movies and tv shows. She said, “It’s by far my favourite genre just because I think there’s just so much variation in terms of alien species and what they could potentially look like. No ones sure what they look like so nothing is off limits. Since starting College and what got her into make up in the first place was her desire to be working in tv or film.”
Martina Zuffova, 31 from Glasgow enjoyed learning new techniques of applying make up and how to make prosthetic pieces and special effects. She said of the event, “It was amazing. I can’t believe how many talented people was around me and I was honoured. It was a bit stressful in the beginning but once I been set I really enjoyed it.” For inspiration she chose environmental issues. She said, “I like to show how nature and animals suffer because we don't treat our planet well. I did contrast of two faces on my bird creature. Beautiful and toxic.” Martina who is also a hairdresser would love to have her own business one day!
Although it was a very stressful day, Hayley Stewart, 21 from Barrhead enjoyed every minute of it. She said, “It was great to show off the skills I’ve learned over the past 3 years. My inspiration for this piece was the Ancient Egyptians. I’ve always been fascinated by the era and I’m very glad I got to incorporate it into my final look.” Hayley enjoyed learning new skills and techniques on the course but most of all she enjoyed getting to work with the talented people in her class.
Kristina Blyth, 27 from Glasgow thoroughly enjoyed the event. She said “I was nervous leading up to the showcase as I was worried about my look coming together the way I had imagined and the response I received was excellent and put my mind at rest. I enjoyed learning varied skills and techniques of make-up, which will help me to pursue a career further in the industry in many styles, such as TV and film, theatre and special effects among others. Her inspiration was Medusa from Greek mythology. She wanted to use elements of fantasy also to create her own spin on the look. She opted for body painting on the model's arms and chest, creating snake scales to give her look an extra edge.
Sarah Jane Carson, 33 from Linwood said that the best part of her course was learning that make up isn't just about being glamorous. She said, “Make up is not just having a glam face for a night out, there is a lot more to it than that. Not only make up is taught but hair and wigs play a massive part in it too. I have found a new passion in hair too.” She wanted her creation to be something totally different. She wanted to show horror in a totally different way. She said, “I drew inspiration from 1930s horror films, for example Frankenstein bride and Dracula. I wanted to transport the audience into a black and white film. And showcase where horror really began.” In the future Sarah Jane would love to become a lecturer commenting that she would love to pass her knowledge onto others and inspire the next generation.
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Photography credit: Alastair Hendrie; Antonia Dickie; Antonio Fucito; Beth McBride; Christine Docherty; Dominik Saj; Neil MacMillan Photography