Ve Neill designed the makeup for these iconic characters.

Painting the Stars

Ve Neill talks about designing makeup for the movies

September 2018

Scholastic Art: What is your job?

VE NEILL: I am a makeup artist for the film industry. I’ve worked on a lot of awesome films including The Amazing Spiderman, Thor, and the Pirates of the Caribbean movies.

SA: How do you design the makeup for a character in a film?

Courtesy of Ve Neill

VN: When I’m creating a character who has been in a book, I try to stay as close to the book as possible. For example, Effie Trinket [above, played by Elizabeth Banks] from The Hunger Games series is quite flamboyant. But if I designed elaborate makeup, and she had a big dress on, and the hairdresser gave her crazy hair, she would have ended up looking like a clown. We started with the wardrobe, and the hairstylist built a wig to complement it. Then I had to decide how far I could go with her makeup without making her look ridiculous.

SA: Who else is involved in the process?

VN: The director, the costume designer, the production designer, and even the actor all have input. After studying their characters, actors have ideas about how they should look. Cosmetically, the ideas are mine, but I get a lot of inspiration from other departments.

SA: What is surprising about your job?

VN: It always amazes me to see how easily you can transform somebody into someone else just by using paint.

SA: What do you love about your job?

VN: I work with some of the most fantastically creative and fun people in the world. When I started out, I did it for nothing because I just loved doing it.

SA: What are the most important skills that you need to do your job?

VN: You have to know how to paint because that’s literally what you’re doing—painting on someone’s face. If you’re going to make prosthetics, it’s important to be able to sculpt as well.

SA: Do you have advice for someone who is interested in being a makeup artist?

VN: Take classes in film makeup so you can learn a little bit of everything and get some background. And then from there, decide which area you want to pursue.

Career Profile

Makeup Artist

Salary:

Freelance makeup artists earn from $18,000 to $100,000 per year, depending on experience and the number of films they work on.

Education:

Most makeup artists have a certificate or an associate’s degree. Many have a fine art background as well.

Getting started:

Look at makeup magazines and websites to learn new techniques.

Experiment! Practice applying makeup on friends.

Create a portfolio of photographs that show your skills.

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