If you take a little time to look around online, especially on YouTube, you may find that there are a lot of aspiring makeup artists out there. You may also wonder why they are just posting videos online and not pursuing their dream job. That’s because it’s not easy and it doesn’t always pay that great.
What Kind Of Makeup Artist Do you Want To Be?
Your first step in starting your career as a makeup artist needs to be deciding what type of makeup artist you want to be. Do you want to make women look beautiful or do you want to do something more crazy and creative and do FX makeup?
If you pick a good type that has a lot of opportunities in your area you may be able to do well in the field. If you live in Hollywood you may want to be an FX artist and do work on famous people when they are cast in horror films, big and small.
Maybe you want to work with local brides in your area and do their makeup, or maybe you want to do makeup for stars on broadway. There are endless possibilities. It could be fun to simply do face painting for children and adults at an amusement park or at local events.
Going To School Can Help
While you may naturally have a knack for doing makeup, school can help you learn more techniques, learn the basics of having your own makeup business, and it can help you feel more confident in your work. You may also be able to learn about different makeup careers and find that you like one more than another.
You will also learn with school what the laws are in your area, whether you need to be licensed or not for the field of makeup you want to go into. You’ll also learn all of the safety issues that come with being a makeup artist.
Practice, Practice, Practice
Practice is the number one way to become a makeup artist. Practice allows you to make errors and learn from your mistakes before you are working professionally. You can practice on yourself and on friends.
Make sure you take photos of your successful trials so that you can start putting together a portfolio. You can also videotape your sessions, whether you post them online or not, and use them as part of your portfolio.
Once you’ve done school, practiced hard, and gotten your portfolio together you can start looking for work in the makeup field of your choice. Get your name and your work out there and be willing to prove your ability and your worth and in no time you will professionally be a makeup artist!