Academy of Make Up Arts

Introduction to Costuming is a foundational course intended to broaden an artist’s skill set to better prepare for jobs that may require light costume and wardrobe work. Versatility is key to employability! By becoming more well rounded artists, students will be in a position to say yes to a broader range of work. A team mentality is valued and goes far toward building professional relationships that thrive for decades. In nonunion work, especially live performance and music video work, being a part of the team often means being able to support a wide variety of needs. 

This course immerses the student in the practice of costume design in a variety of professional settings from live performance to film. Focus will be the design process, collaboration with other members of a production team and how to take a costume from “page to stage.” Fundamentals of budgeting for costume, script analysis, sketching and rendering and supervising fabrication of designed costumes will be included.

This course offers students more in-depth practice in advanced costume skills like pattern making, draping, advanced constructions skills and an introduction to various costume crafts such as distressing and ageing as well as jewelry-making and accessories.

This course will provide professional mentorship in developing a portfolio of work through a series of projects and real world experience. Focus will be on establishing a digital portfolio of work as well as a social media presence for the costume designer as well as exploring other business and marketing materials and strategies.

Intro to Design teaches foundational principles of design and informs students’ perspective as an artist. In this course, students will learn to approach the world and their work from the viewpoint of a designer. By moving from tenets of design in art and functional design of objects, a foundation will be laid for seeing design in the everyday. This groundwork informs an artist’s ability to translate the written word into realized characters whose appearance translates the nuances of their life to the viewer. In teaching the logistical needs of production work and introducing the realities of collaborative design, Character Design I provides students with the tools necessary to begin their work at AMUA from an informed perspective. This course is the first of a series that will build throughout students’ time at AMUA, allowing them to leave the program as educated professionals capable of working as collaborative artists.

In this class, we will be utilizing the formal principles of design to learn how to draw. The first half of the semester, we will use only black, gray and white; and in the second, we will begin to use color. This class will focus on Still Life and lighting, Perspective, and how to work from a grid, in order to produce high quality images with minimal native talent.

This course offers a holistic view on the history of how humans have been adorning themselves for the last 50,000 or so years. We will be exploring how and why people have decorated their bodies, and how that has evolved due to technology and social change. This class offers an in-depth study of each historical period and culture from an interdisciplinary perspective. We will examine how body adornment constructs identity, class, race and gender all over the world and throughout time. We will study how hairstyling, makeup, body modification and hygiene are inextricably linked and essential to expressing “humanness.”

As the final makeup course in the Performance Makeup Artist Program, MUA 202: Makeup Artistry 2 will focus on refining all aspects of a student’s professional makeup artistry. Additional techniques will be introduced as students progress through the character creation projects that will connect each of the courses taught in the other disciplines. The focus of this course will be to distill each student’s makeup application process to its best and most efficient.

Photography for the Make Up Artist teaches foundational knowledge for more successful collaboration with photographers and fosters the skills needed for artists to capture their own work effectively. Students will have access to AMUA’s professional studio equipment to explore and learn a myriad of skills to highlight their work to its fullest. Whether that be making the most of their phone camera or learning the ropes of a shooting with a DSLR, students will learn to see from a photographer’s perspective so that they are better able to complement that as a makeup artist moving forward. Students will learn to better create for photography, to become a better photographer, and to work more effectively with professional photographers!

As a foundational class in the Performance Makeup Artist program, Intro to Sculpting provides students with a vital, strong base knowledge and skill set they can build on in their future SFX courses. This course concentrates on the development of sculptural techniques and a thorough understanding of the tools of the trade, from different clay mediums to individual tool use and manipulation. By the conclusion of this course, students will have the core skills necessary to allow individual creative expression through the three-dimensional form as their time with AMUA progresses.

As a foundational class in the Performance Makeup Artist program, Intro to Sculpting provides students with a vital, strong base knowledge and skill set they can build on in their future SFX courses. This course concentrates on the development of sculptural techniques and a thorough understanding of the tools of the trade, from different clay mediums to individual tool use and manipulation. By the conclusion of this course, students will have the core skills necessary to allow individual creative expression through the three-dimensional form as their time with AMUA progresses.

SFX Lite is a ten week, part time course designed to prepare students for basic SFX work at an HD level. Students will create both two and three dimensional out-of-the-kit SFX makeups as well as learning how to build and prepare custom 3D transfers. These skills are invaluable for work in the entertainment industry, whether that be independent films, theatrical productions, or haunted house attractions.

SFX Lite is a ten week, part time course designed to prepare students for basic SFX work at an HD level. Students will create both two and three dimensional out-of-the-kit SFX makeups as well as learning how to build and prepare custom 3D transfers. These skills are invaluable for work in the entertainment industry, whether that be independent films, theatrical productions, or haunted house attractions.

Special Effects Makeup 2 is a twenty week course designed to prepare students to
effectively design and create otherworldly creatures. Students will learn and develop advanced sculpting techniques and delve into advanced mold making techniques, allowing them to create overlapping prosthetics known as multi-piece prosthetic makeups. Students will have the opportunity to work with a variety of materials standard in the industry as they craft a variety of projects ranging from a foam latex multi-piece prosthetic makeup to a platinum silicone human prop head. These skills can be adapted to careers in the entertainment industry, including theatre, film, or television, or specialized for the medical industry or private business sector.

Special Effects Makeup 2 is a twenty week course designed to prepare students to
effectively design and create otherworldly creatures. Students will learn and develop advanced sculpting techniques and delve into advanced mold making techniques, allowing them to create overlapping prosthetics known as multi-piece prosthetic makeups. Students will have the opportunity to work with a variety of materials standard in the industry as they craft a variety of projects ranging from a foam latex multi-piece prosthetic makeup to a platinum silicone human prop head. These skills can be adapted to careers in the entertainment industry, including theatre, film, or television, or specialized for the medical industry or private business sector.

Wig 101 is for beginner wigmakers and stylists. It teaches the basics of working with wigs. This class introduces students to the basic uses of commercial wigs. It also teaches the necessary skills to work with commercial wigs. This includes wig handling and simple period styling. Students will also learn the core foundational skill of wig making. They will learn to ventilate by building and styling facial hair. This introductory course provides students with the necessary tools to accept work which requires some familiarity with wigs. This work might be in small local theaters or independent films and music videos.

Wig Making & Styling 1 is a twenty week program in which students will be introduced to the foundational skills of wig making as well as a brief introduction into specialty hair work including laying hair and fur. Students will not only learn to style wigs and facial hair but to build them from the ground up. These skills can be adapted to careers in the entertainment industry, including theatre, film, or television, or specialized for the medical industry or private business sector.

Wig Making & Styling 2 is a continuation of WIG 201 with a concentration on learning the finest wig making techniques. Students will learn to build traditional wig foundations as well as how to construct full lace foundations and fully hand tied wigs. The breadth of these approaches enables students to move forward in their careers knowing how to curate and adapt their wig builds for the project at hand. Styling skills will also be furthered from WIG 201 with a strong emphasis on period accurate wig styling throughout the centuries. These skills can be adapted to careers in the entertainment industry, including theatre, film, or television, or specialized for the medical industry or private business sector.