Help daughter wants to be taught skills to work in industry.

Samantha Wiatr

My daughter 18 wants to work in the sculpting area like the tv show face off. I cannot seem to find any schooling options for her in Michigan? She is currently attending a fine arts college but is having a difficult time as she has no interest in art history but thought it would give her a good foundation. (fine tune her drawing and give her basic art skills etc.) I would prefer to put her in a school where she could actually learn the skills needed! Are the only options for this profession in California and Florida. I have never posted in a discussion before so I would greatly appreciate some honest feedback thank you

Chris Ellerby

Some of the skills required for working in makeup effects can be learned locally at places like "The Art Institute" or a community college.   I do know that some Art Institutes offer classes on special effects, which is a good starting point while looking into more industry-specific schools that are less likely to have a local campus.

Having a good foundation in anatomy for sculpting/basic figure drawing is extremely handy,  so taking classic arts classes (including art history) can be a big help.

Here are some of the most common makeup/effects schools.

• Cinema Makeup School: http://www.cinemamakeup.com/  (Los Angeles)
• Make-Up Designery: http://www.mud.edu/  (Los Angeles/New York)
• Savini School: http://www.dec.edu/ts/  (Monessen, PA)

There are many smaller makeup schools that include special effects makeup as part of their curriculum, but I would be careful as many don't cover that area in much depth and may have instructors with limited industry experience.  When looking at any school with a makeup effects program I would first try and find out who their instructors are and research them.  Instructors that are active in the industry would be more likely to help your daughter land her first industry job, and can open a lot of doors.

Best of luck!

/Chris