Pop art skeletons, zombies, and many more wandered the Student Commons on Oct. 20. as part of the second special effects make-up and cosplay workshop put on by the theatre arts program and the Student’s Association.
Five artists took part in the event transforming students as a way to generate interest in cosplay and costume design. The event also showed students in the theatre arts program that the possibilities for make-up and live special effects are endless.
“As theatre students we have to be up on stage and play characters a lot, so it’s helpful to see all the different styles and makeup possibilities,” said Rebecca McDonald, second-year theatre arts student who was hand-picked to be turned into a Borg from Star Trek. “It gives us the opportunity to be like ‘Oh that’s cool, that’s something I can try out in the future.’”
Local make-up artists Vanessa Imeson and Annie Lefebvre as well as Algonquin graduate Zach Counsil took part in the event last year and returned to perform long make-up sessions on students once again.
Imenson transformed students into colourful pop art zombies and skeletons as Lefebvre turned a student into a bloody scalped man and another student into his tormentor. Counsil went in a pop culture direction, turning one student into a zombie from The Walking Dead, and transforming McDonald.
Professional cosplayers, make-up artists, and husband and wife Jody Haucke and Thea Nikolic performed quick make-up jobs on students, demonstrating how they can achieve a completely professional look on a budget and in less than a half hour for a quick costume.
“We wanted to show students quick, fast and easy ways to do really effective make-up effects on a budget,” said Haucke. “Its important that they see that they don’t need to do super complicated things to get a great special effect or to create an illusion.”
By the end of the event students left with a wider scope and better idea of what they can accomplish with make-up in future productions, or just in their spare time.
“It was so much fun,” said McDonald. “All the artists have such different make-up styles it really showed us just how much you can do with make-up and special effects. It was a really awesome event.”
All of the artists succeeded in demonstrating to students the different possibilities of what they can achieve with time and lots of make-up.
“This all helps students become more versatile performers,” said Counsil. “It trains them as performers, and allows them to enter a world where their only limitation is their imagination.”
