What Training Do I Need to Become a Make-Up Artist?
Formal academic qualifications are not a precursor to working in this area. More important are creative and interpersonal skills. A keen interest in the art of cosmetics both London make up Artist modern and historical is a good start to a career as a make-up artist; as is an interest in hairdressing and styling since the two things usually go hand in hand.
Voluntary or paid experience is a good route into this profession. Ways of doing this might be helping backstage at amateur dramatic productions, working in a hair salon or if at all possible, ‘shadowing’ someone who works as a make-up artist – observing their techniques and how they interact with their clients will help new entrants to the profession to progress with their own ways of working.
There are courses in the area, including a two year course run by the London School of Fashion, entitled ‘Specialist make-up design’ and they also offer a number of part-time and evening courses in related areas. Other specialist colleges offer courses in the area, but these are private and can be expensive.
The best way to get into this competitive profession is to build up a good portfolio and develop assertive self-marketing skills. NVQs in hairdressing, make-up techniques and beauty therapy are all relevant – it’s important to remember that the job of a make-up artist is multi-skilled. Contacts made during study can provide a useful network when job seeking. Many make-up artists send CVs out speculatively (sourcing the names from media journals) or may call companies who may be interested. There are also professional publications to refer to when searching for work -“The Stage” magazine, for instance.
Working as a make-up artist can be stressful -there will often be a need to work long hours under bright lights – but the levels of pay can compensate. When established, a make-up artist may be able to command a salary of up to £3000 per day, and will usually be commissioned via word of mouth.
For those starting out, the various arts councils of Gr