Workshop Update 3: the Foamed Latex Hand Maker's Studio

May 6, 2015

This week during my Puppets in Prague Stop Motion Animation workshop, we went to a man who's profession is making foamed latex hands for professional stop motion animation puppets' studio. It was so educational and quite funny at the same time. I've helped with molds for my makeup projects, so, I have a general idea of how this process is done, but what was funny, is that they do things COMPLETELY differently here. My mind was blown - different products, different measurements, different regards to times and weights.......just different. My sidekick mold maker would have had a fit at the process - haha. Regardless, I learned a lot and am enjoying every minute of this awesome workshop. Click on the photo to view other images from our outing to the hand maker's studio.

Workshop update: Hafan and Anima Studios! :)

May 6, 2015

This week we went to two different Czech animation studios - Hafan and Anima - and the experiences were incredible. We actually made a short stop motion film at Hafan for two days while working with professional animators, and then at Anima we were able to catch a sneak peak at some of the awesome short stop motion children's films that they are making for Czech TV. Both experiences were really exceptional. It was so totally inspiring and makes me want to go back home and make all things creative. I'm already thinking about small projects that I can work on creating and how to go about making things happen. Here are some images from the lovely Hafan Studios, who are about to release a feature length stop motion film, "Mala z Rybarny" next week, which there is currently an exhibit about in the middle of Prague. Most of their puppets are made from a substance called Araldit and have mainly professional armatures. Click through the images for more great pictures of their fun puppets!

My inspirational journey: Take 1

April 22, 2015

Soooooo, I decided a while ago that I needed a quick rendezvous with inspiration. I've been working so much, and sometimes it gets so busy that I can't think straight. I know I'm blessed, and I am so, so thankful for every single one of my adventures, as always, but it is also really important to stay in love with the crafts that you do. Sometimes, one needs a refresher course, and that is exactly what I'm taking - a course in Czech-style Stop Motion Animation in Prague for a couple of weeks. It's with this great, great company called Puppets in Prague, which is also where I learned the art of carving wooden marionettes a couple of years ago, and the other workshop goers are from all around the world (11 vastly different countries around the world to be exact!). They are wonderful, and I am so excited to be learning a new realm of the creative creature-y arts with such good spirits from around the world. I'm also hoping, as a practical application, to eventually figure out how to animate my puppets and figurines that I've already made. I've been thinking that they need some motion to them for a while now. I think I'm going to try and make a little circus - haven't figured out a name yet, but it's going to, hopefully, be fabulous. In the workshop, we'll be going through the basics in a pretty intense environment, and (!!!) we're heading to a Czech animation festival at the end of it all. We will be working with some of the top Czech animators in their studios, and I really couldn't think of a better place to learn and better people to learn from. Many of you know that I'm an avid traveler (part of keeping up with the inspirational energy that I thrive off), and Prague is one of my favorite places in the world. I'm currently sitting at a Czech café while I write this, and I'm already feeling a bit reinvigorated. The voices (I have no idea what anybody is saying around me! Feels amazingly brilliant and a wee bit scary), the culture (cool, cold Eastern European), the sounds (we do not have proper trams in Texas, so great), the architecture (castles.....CASTLES!), just all of the differences; they are all alive and very real right now, and I'm just so elated that my life allows me to occasionally do these things. :)The moral of this artist's story is: be in love with what you do, live it, breathe it in, let it make you a bit crazy, and then know when you need a refresher - and take it, if you can. I'll keep posting about my inspirational adventures throughout the workshop, so check in soon. And in the mean time, love the life you were given! You only live once! :)Oh, and I also got to see the Bjork exhibit at the MoMa, and it was to die for. Click on the pic to see more images from my journey. Eek! :)

Behind-the-scenes shots of the China Modern Weekly mag shoot with Ellar Coltrane!

April 12, 2015

Since the magazine finally dropped in China, I can finally post some fun behind-the-scenes shots of our super fun shoot that took place during SXSW! I've also posted the entire spread in my Print section. This shoot is a very exciting one for me - I needed more editorial work in my book, and this magazine, being more creatively fresh, fits right in. I hope to start focusing a little more on shoots like this - super fun and artistically fulfilling.

Click on the image to view the ready of the pics!

Hair, makeup, and grooming foreverrr!!! :)

I know you're not supposed to play with the wiggies......

April 9, 2015

.......But sometimes how can you not??!?!? These are a couple more of my wigs from the upcoming production of The Robber Bridegroom at the Mary Moody Northen Theater. And my twin in the pictures is none other than my assistant Souther. She and my other assistant, Alex, lace-fronted both of these wigs in the pics - they did a pretty excellent job, I think.

Fun fact: the wig she is wearing is literally styled with two pins. Come to the show to find out why! The Robber Bridegroom opens up on April 16th.

Click on the image to see other pics from our photo shoot! :)

Hairy Kay Drag Women! :)

April 9, 2015

So, I got the call in February.....somebody wants a group of guys to race to Vegas in a Mary Kay car dressed as Mary Kay women. Not the strangest request I've gotten, but definitely one for the books. In conjunction with the costume designer they hired, I had to research and style the wigs, fingernails, lashes, lipsticks, the whole nine yards to get these guys ready for their rendezvous with the road.

So, on this last lovely Wednesday afternoon, after weeks of preparation, my assistant and I finally got to do the bunch of drag makeups and see my work come to life.

....... And I think it turned out spectacularly. Click on the image to see other pics from the day.

My wiggity wig for The Robber Bridegroom - Before and After

April 3, 2015

I am so excited about Mary Moody Northen Theater's upcoming production of "The Robber Bridegroom" that I could almost scream! Here is a before and after look at my wig for an evil stepmother sort of character named Salome. It's a play off the Beidermier style of the early 1800s. I was so psyched to see my design come to life! I've always wanted to try this period, and I finally found an excuse to do so, and I think it turned out pretty swell. It should have......it took me 3 whole days to set and style (it's also 7 different hair and armature pieces! ).

Salome will also be wearing some gelatin prosthetic pieces, which I showed the casting pics from in an earlier blog, and her costume is over the top. Pics to come! :)

Chiggers and Outrageous Love

April 1, 2015

This past weekend, I was hired to work on a documentary that was being shot at John Mackey's, the CEO of Whole Foods, 720 acre ranch in Johnson City, Texas. It was incredible. I did get a chigger, which was not incredible, but otherwise, it was a dream to be able to hang out amongst the beautiful rural setting while doing makeup and hair. It was also the annual Center of Integral Wisdom's chair committee meeting. I got to listen to interesting speeches about outrageous love and how to make the world a better place through the sharing of this outrageous love, and I also worked with spiritual leaders and best-selling authors, such as Michael Beckwith and Don Gray. My favorite part, however, was the 3 hour break that I got during the day in which I got to ventilate my beard for the upcoming Mary Moody Northen Theater's production of The Robber Bridegroom. I was able to sit on John Mackey's ranch's front porch and build on my wig! Working and getting to enjoy the view - one cannot ask for much more. :)

........And that was my awesome work weekend.

SXSW Mtv and MtvU Woodie Awards Madness!

March 23, 2015

SXSW 2015 has proven to be a great gig-filled year for me! I got the wonderful opportunity to follow around the fantastically talented and lovely Mtv vj Carly Henderson this whole week while she did SXSW spots in the streets. It was a blast, and she was just the nicest! And to top off this week, I was H/MU lead for the MtvU Woodie Awards, and what fun it was! This year they featured Fallout Boy, Years and Years, The James Bay Band, Big Sean, Clean Bandit, Misterwives, Zoe Kravitz, Ellar Coltrane (for the second time this week),and many more. My team did touch ups at the stage, and my assistant and I did some intensely quick full hair and makeups for some of the acts in the H/MU trailer. I'm very proud to say that we slammed out a five-minute 1950s inspired hair wave for one of the musicians.....Sometimes that's just what the times call for. Overall, what a beautiful experience, and I hope to be invited to do it again next year!

Cover shoot for China Modern Weekly featuring Ellar Coltrane from Boyhood

March 21, 2015

What a fun day. During all the SXSW gig madness, I was fortunate enough to book a gig with photographer Sandy Kim of L.A. and NYC stylist Brittany Berger for the fashion mag, China Modern Weekly. I was the groomer for Ellar Coltrane, lead star of the acclaimed movie Boyhood (you should totally see it if you haven't already - it's really great). Though I can't post any behind the scenes shoots of Ellar until the mag comes out, I wanted to share a couple of behind the scenes pics of the bizarre-o locations we went to. One was an awesome outdoor graffiti at museum on Castle Hill in Austin, and another was a supremely crazy abandoned miniature golf park in east Austin. When the magazine drops, I can share some of the other awesome behind-the-scenes shots of some of our other rad locations - the Tillery bridge complete with it's under-bridge swing sets, Campbell's Hole in the Green Belt, and Naus' Diner, a fantastic little place that seems to be stuck in time with its coke floats and chrome and formica booths of yesterday.

SXSW iZombie CW/Buzzfeed Shenanigans

March 15, 2015

How much fun did we have last night doing all this crazy zombie makeup! It was quite the hectic event, attended by over 400 SXSW goers, but what a total blast. These looks were created using prosthetic transfers by Toxic Elephant Studios, some liquid latex, lots and lots of blood (of course), and some handy dandy TP.

Today's production meeting sketch! ;) Uni-girl-a-whirl!

March 13, 2015

Great day today tutoring zombie makeup for an upcoming gig! :) My pupil Alex's mother was also the best volunteer model ever. We had such a fun afternoon filed with blood, prosthetics, and paint!

March 13, 2015

If you're interested in private lessons for yourself or a friend message Tara today! I teach classes on virtually any type of makeup, and I always try to keep them as fun and as information-packed as possible.