Blur Pro Panelist Classes

Very important announcement for Aspiring Makeup Artists in Toronto or the GTA!!!  For those of you not in the know...or possibly living under a rock (in which case you really need these classes) I'm very excited to announce I've been chosen along w/ several other AMAZING and INSPIRING artists to be on a pro panel class at Blur Makeup Room for makeup artists looking for advice on how to "make it in the biz"!

Anyone, who has been following this blog for awhile knows that I love to help out other artists and give advice and support to anyone who contacts me...in fact it was a big reason I started the blog in the first place!  I'm a big believer in giving back to other up and coming artists and sharing my knowledge and experiences in order to help others maybe avoid or learn from some of the mistakes I've made while trying to make a career for myself.  

On several occasions I've actually gone back to my old makeup school to give talks about my career and how I've built my strong and ever growing business these past few years!  And it's not to say I'm not a believer in going to makeup school or taking a makeup program (although any artist will tell you that you learn a TON more once you're out of school) but I do know it's super important as an artist to not just stop there and to continue our growth and that means continually investing in ourselves and taking new classes and workshops...which I've actually talked a lot about in the past!

Also, and this is nothing against makeup schools but the one area I find them SERIOUSLY lacking in is the "What Next?" portion...sure they give you the basics and teach you some great techniques about makeup but where I feel they really fail is on the "What to do after graduation?" portion...no one tells you the next steps to take to make it as an artist once you graduate.  I also think this is why there is such a high failure rate after students finish makeup school...I'd say 90-95% of the girls I went to school are not doing makeup now...or didn't even attempt to start a career once school finished b/c in all honesty they just didn't know how to get started!

That's where these classes at Blur Makeup Room come in!  Basically, there are two sessions - one for the "new(er) artist" that wants to learn how to better themselves and their business and turn their "hobby" into a profitable career!  This is the panel I'll be sitting on along w/ two other working freelance artists in the city - Jem Lopez and Nicole Richards.   This pro panel is being held on Monday, March 3 from 9 am - 4 pm!  

We're going to touch upon topics like Branding, Advertising, Social Media, Portfolio Building, Resumes and Rates!  Really great way for any artists to come out and learn and ask questions about anything in the biz they've been too afraid to ask before!  It's a full day w/ a ton of information being given and in my opinion will probably be the most useful and educational class you will take all year!  Plus you can have a choice you can choose the whole day or just the morning or just the afternoon portion...so if you feel you have a grasp on one area but need help somewhere else maybe just take one portion of the class!

Like I've said before you can never stop learning and yes, classes aren't cheap but it's true what they say - You need to spend money to make money!  If the newbies out there only knew how much money I spent in the beginning and how much money I continue to spend every year investing in my career and craft lol! 

Plus a class like this will actually save and make you money in the long run b/c it will teach you where to spend your money, what shoots to accept or turn down, how to build a proper rate and business plan for yourself...I'm not just saying this b/c I'm on the panel (and I know I have a shitload of information and experience on these subjects ;) ) but wow this would have been SO USEFUL to me 7 years ago!!!

The second panel is happening on Mon, March 24 9 am - 4 pm.  It's for a more intermediate artist who already has a grasp on their career but is looking to take it to the next level and overcome challenges and obstacles standing in their way...newer artists would also benefit from this panel too of course.  I'm really thinking of taking this one as people on the panel are amazing and have a broad range of knowledge throughout the industry.

So really what are you waiting for...sign up!  Your career will thank you!

A Long Way From Home - MEGA Man Editorial

So I just got my hands on the final editorial spread for MEGA Man magazine (Philippines) featuring my photographer friend and resident photographer/judge on Asia's Next Top Model Cycle 1 Todd Anthony Tyler. Before he became a photographer he was actually a model for several years which I think has definitely influenced his work and shooting style. It was so fun to get to work w/ Todd on a shoot as it had been such a long time...although this one was slightly different as he was the model and not the photographer lol!

It was a little chaotic to get this whole thing even planned and executed as we had to get it done during Todd's last visit to Canada in Sept. which also happened to coincide w/ TIFF and NYCFW...yeah...not the easiest time to do an editorial or source wardrobe let me tell you!  But it all came together in the end and I think it looks amazing and Todd totally captured that rugged, Canadian outdoors look we were going for...very different from the Philippines obviously...which was also another reason Todd wanted to shoot this in Canada.

Once Todd explained the concept to me and everything he was looking for I knew I had the perfect photographer for him.  I'm so glad Zach Hertzman (who I've worked w/ on a number of occasions) was able to shoot this story b/c his style was exactly what Todd was going for and he's so great on-location and w/ natural light!

The location for the shoot was actually Todd's sisters farm and land (and we also did a mini detour to a horse farm at the end of the shoot)...what's funny is Todd was location scouting and asking his family before the shoot for ideas and no one thought to suggest the farm (which he had never seen prior) b/c they thought it was too run down or "not pretty" enough...it's funny how ppl not in fashion don't always understand how we actually WANT those run down, dirty locations b/c they have character lol!

As far as my part in this whole editorial is concerned...I'm not going to lie...it was pretty easy.  It's male grooming and Todd has great skin so just cleaned it up a bit (covered some of those under eye circles) and styled the hair.  The thing w/ a shoot like this is to not make him too "clean" or "pretty".  I wanted him to look a bit rugged and dirty so I actually went to my friends at Blur Makeup Room  and picked up some Reel Dirt to work on to his hands and face to give him that slightly dirty, rugged look.

So here's the editorial!  I've also slipped in a couple behind the scenes shots from the day!  I actually have a bunch of pics that didn't make it into the editorial...there are so many great pics from this shoot!

His sister has mini horses...how cute are they!  Btw I know you can't tell but it was COLD outside...esp. considering it was the middle of Sept!!!

Zach doing his thing...Todd doing his

Me literally "getting my hands dirty" w/ the Reel Dirt

Never Stop Learning!

As artists I think it's really important that we constantly learn and improve our skills through testing, workshops, research etc.  All too often we can get busy or complacent and comfortable in our skills and forget that trends, products, styles and skills all evolve and it's important to keep up to date on all the latest advancements and improvements.

No one ever said being a makeup artist was going to be easy or cheap...in fact it's a really expensive career to take up b/c as a working artist you are constantly having to not only replenish your kit and products but also improve your skills and offer new services.

That's why when I found out while I was at IMATS last weekend that Blur Makeup Room was having a tattoo coverage workshop by Thomas E. Surprenant I knew although it maybe wasn't the best time financially to take a workshop (I did after all drop a little over $600 at IMATS eeek!..and I'm getting into my slower period for work EEEKKK!) it was well worth the investment.  And in all honesty that how WE as ARTISTS need to start looking at these things...they are investments into our careers and skills!  Investments that will pay off when we can start offering different services and charging more therefore making more money!

All the time I hear artists whine and complain about not getting ahead and not having money for this or that...guess what - suck it up!  If you want something bad enough and you think it's important enough you'll make that extra money for that workshop or save that extra money for that new product.  I know it hurts a bit b/c it feels like it's a lot of money upfront...and it is but it's so important to keep improving our skills as artists!  I can't stress that enough!  Okay enough of my mini rant ;) let's get to the actual workshop!

So I'll be real.  I took SFX in school but it's never really been my thing as my career focus isn't on movies or film and I'm just not called upon to do much guts and gore lol.  But a tattoo coverage workshop now that's the kind of sfx stuff I can use in my business!  Esp. for commercial or fashion work when you might need to cover up an actor or model's tattoo and it's becoming very popular in bridal too (and it's a great upsell opportunity)!

As someone who has been asked by brides in the past if I do tattoo coverage and I've always shrieked away at the possibility as I've never felt really comfortable in my skills I knew this was definitely an area I could use improvement on and also an area I could immediately see marketing and money making opportunities for my business!

So this week I got to take a very intimate and hands on workshop w/ Thomas E. Surprenant who has to be one of the nicest and down to earth artists around...and so talented!  I mean just look at his resume and body of work and you have to be impressed...hello Emmy winner anyone!  First he showed his tips and techniques for covering tattoos using his very own line of sfx prosthetic paints (available at Blur Makeup Room).  He showed how they can be used both by hand and in the airbrush gun and explained some colour theory and how it applies to the skin and it's colouring.

After watching him work away and cover a VERY large arm tattoo to perfection I got to test out my skills with him there to guide and watch while giving me some hands on tips and tricks.  I'll be honest...I usually SUCK at things when I first attempt them...like worst in the class awful suck so I'm always nervous when pros are watching me but Thom is so friendly and nice that I felt a lot more comfortable and at ease and he's a really great teacher!  I did one wrist tattoo first w/ Thom stepping in to help me every now and again. After that there was time for me to even go after a second wrist tattoo on the other arm and I can definitely say I think I did pretty well if I do say so myself!

There is another Tattoo Coverage Workshop happening at Blur this Sunday Nov 17 from 2-6 and I definitely think it's worth the money!  If you can't make it out this time definitely stay in the loop w/ Blur to find out when they're having Thom back in the future for other workshops!

Here's some pics from the workshop!

 Thomas showing us how it's done!

Me working away!  My first attempt on the first tattoo!

Pretty good results I'd say!  Forgot to take a before but on the left arm there is a heart tattoo that's been covered...same tattoo as the right arm in the pic....you can see where I could have kept going w/ the coverage up further on the other tattoos on the left arm in the pic.

Thomas even showed us how to do veins on the arm using airbrush for an even more realistic finish...the skin has so many different tones and variations throughout it's important to not make it too perfect looking!  I def. still need to practice on the veins lol!

 Me working away on the second tattoo all by myself!

Thanks Blur for hosting such an awesome workshop and thanks Kory for having so many great tattoos to work on ;)

Also here's a couple of pics I took at IMATS last Saturday of Thomas at work flexing his SFX muscles and his model friend Josh flexing his real muscles ;)