After my success with Creative Media Skills, I was eager to further my knowledge and skill in pursuit of my career as a professional makeup artist. I began my training at the Bath Academy of Media Makeup in January 2020 on the world-renown Peter Swords King Media Makeup Course.
One of the most challenging and technical skills I learnt at BAMM was the art of knotting, both for facial postiche and wig-making. For the photoshoot, I wanted to create a devilish character and thus made two postiches- the iconic pointed moustache and goatee! Once these were made, I drew on the skills I’d learnt at CMS to additionally sculpt and mould a set of demonic horns, to complete the character.
In collaboration with Bellisa X Clothing, I worked with my fellow course-mates to create a cohesive hair and makeup look to launch their Re-Werk iT line. Working within a ‘pastel-punk’ brief, I echoed the blue and purple elements of the outfit in the eye-makeup while creating three small buns from my model’s hair to reflect the outfit’s asymmetry.
During the Global Beauty module, we worked in collaboration with TWOK London. The brief was to create beautiful skin as well as experiment with TWOK‘s new line of eye shadow pigments. I love using the colour gold in makeup and felt that it was the perfect colour to compliment and accentuate my model’s stunning features.
Throughout the Historical Hair module, I studied different hair and makeup trends from various periods throughout history, from as early as Ancient Egyptian times up to the Edwardian era. Fascinated by the Victorian period, I chose to emulate the romantic gothic style of the late 19th century. To do this, I prepared and applied several different wefts to achieve the large volume of ringlets that was so popular.
From Marcel Waves to Beehives, I studied different looks of the 20th century during the Vintage module. For the photoshoot, I chose to recreate the glamourous look of 1930s Hollywood, taking inspiration from stars such as Katharine Hepburn and Jean Harlow. I particularly enjoyed the challenge of styling my model’s incredibly long hair into the short, soft curls that was so popular at the time.
For the Vintage Editorial module, I studied various styles of the late 20th century, from the glitz of the 70s to the grunge of the 90s. For the photoshoot, I designed a look that was influenced by the 80s glam punk era, taking particular inspiration from David Bowie and Danielle Dax. While incorporating the stylised lines and colours of traditional punk, I fashioned a ‘faux-hawk’ using heated rollers to complete the look.
As a part of the SFX module, I had to analyse a given script and create a 3-stage character breakdown. My script was ‘The Dallas Buyers Club’, a film that depicts the HIV/AIDS pandemic in 1980s America and follows the biographical story of Ron Woodroof. I created 3 stages of the disease, from early diagnosis to late-stage symptoms. With each stage, I increased the severity of emaciation, later using a prosthetic collarbone piece that I sculpted and cast.
Theatrical was my last module at BAMM, where I explored different genres, such as circus and drag, throughout the week. For the photoshoot, I had an open brief and decided to explore the concept of masquerade, wanting to produce the illusion of a Venetian Mask using makeup. As a further challenge, I fashioned a headdress, echoing the colour scheme of the makeup, to bring the look together.
Ruby Bircher 