HNC 1000 word course Evaluation
When I first started at West Thames, I was nervous but excited. I had never done a makeup course before and I had moved over to London from Malta. Even though I had never done a makeup course before, I felt pretty confident with my skills as I did work with an agency in Malta and it was always my passion. However it's only until now that I realise how much there was to learn. From hygiene skills, what to pack in my kit, setting up my station, how to work with the models and everyone else on the team.. just so much that I can now say I am actually confident in. I was so nervous in my first lesson with Branka as I thought this industry is known to be very judgemental and after seeing how good Branka was at makeup, I was feeling even more nervous. However, that didn't take long to change as she was very encouraging and supportive. I realised that everyone can be good in their own way if they want to.
Over the past 10 months I feel like I have learnt the most I have in a long time. From Fashion makeup, editorial makeup, old age, to bald cap making and application, different skin tones, face charts, theatre lighting, theatre makeup, different theatre productions, eyebrow blocking for theatre, scars, wounds, burns, theatre over time, job roles in theatre, health and safety whilst on the job, how to set up correctly, how to deal with my model correctly, pre shoot preparation and so much more. It's been an amazing learning experience with great class friends and a great teachers. I feel like personally I have developed my skills immensely. I can check my client's skin type, including colouring, condition and sensitivity. I never knew the difference before however these factors determine the type and colours of makeup to use. Learning colour principles is an intricate skill that takes into account race, ethnicity, obvious skin colour and undertones of colour. I can now properly prepare my models skin before applying the makeup. Using cleansing, toning and moisturising techniques for different skin types. I can alter makeup application for work, evening and other looks. I feel like I can apply makeup for high fashion runway looks, theatrical productions, bright and low light, and indoor and outdoor events with confidence. I am able to use many tools, from sponges, brushes and high-tech airbrushes to a wide range of makeup types. I know the uses for the many types of brushes and the pros and cons of makeup types. I know that I can create a character using more than makeup to achieve the character's look, bringing in wigs, beards, false eyelashes and prosthetic body parts. In my first lesson of theatre with Pauline we learnt how to apply old age makeup. When I first saw her doing it, I thought that it was too hard and that I would never manage as good. I've done it so many times now with confidence, it goes to show how far I've come in just these 10 months. I now know when and when not to use grease paints which I never knew before. I didn't even know what aqua colour or grease paints were used for whereas now I can teach someone else about them and I can apply them to create a whole look. For my theatre assessment Overall on the day of the assessment I felt pretty nervous as creating a character which incorporated a bald cap was a big step in my head however I set up and got on with it. I found it pretty hard to prep the hair seeing as my model had a weave in and it was pretty raised up. It couldn't be flattened to the head as much as I wanted it to however I worked with what I had as best as I could. I managed to apply the bald cap on however I found it very difficult for it to stick down. It kept on lifting off the sides of the face and the back which started to make it look messy. I managed after a while of trying to stick these down by using prosaide instead of spirit gum. Overall I was very happy with the way it turned out. I managed my time good and I was ready without having to panic. I feel like the costume I chose worked great and pulled the whole look together.
Special effects - Before these months I didn't even know how to create a cut let alone a burn. I can now create all sorts of cuts, grazes, burns and bruises. All these skills prepared me for my final show assessment. They gave me the confidence to create a look I wanted to and to feel as though I was good enough.
Production Management thought me a lot about the 'boring' stuff that need to be done. I now have business cards, all kind of social networks to promote myself on and a website. I also now know how much I need to be paying vat and all about invoices ect.
To conclude, I have really enjoyed my time at West Thames and I am so happy with everything I have done. I have learnt so much and can see a huge improvement in my skills and in my mindset. I am so motivated to do the best I can and keep on improving. I have learnt so much about time management all throughout this course. I also learnt so much from my independent studies which has really widened my background knowledge and has formed a perfect foundation for my future career.