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Makeup Artists, Theatrical and Performance

  • Bright Outlook
  • Rapid Growth

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

What you’d do

  • Clean supplies such as makeup brushes.
  • Duplicate work precisely to replicate characters' appearances on a daily basis.
  • Apply makeup to enhance or alter the appearance of people appearing in productions such as movies.
  • Analyze a script, noting events that affect each character's appearance, so that plans can be made for each scene.
  • Alter or maintain makeup during productions as necessary to compensate for lighting changes or to achieve continuity of effect.
  • 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.
  • Study production information, such as character descriptions, period settings, and situations, to determine makeup requirements.

Skills that matter

  • Speaking
  • Reading Comprehension
  • Active Listening
  • Critical Thinking
  • Judgment and Decision Making
  • Active Learning

How to get there

Medium preparation: usually vocational school, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree

Also called

  • Hair and Makeup Designer
  • Makeup Artist (MUA)
  • Special Effects Makeup Artist (Special Effects MUA)
  • TV and Film Makeup Artist (Television and Film Makeup Artist)
  • Commercial Makeup Artist (Commercial MUA)
  • Prosthetic Makeup Designer

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