Theatre Makeup Design

Learn the fundamentals of makeup design through hands-on projects, from color theory and facial anatomy to character analysis and full-face applications.

This four-week course provides a strong foundation in color theory, learning how to mix and manipulate hues to achieve specific visual effects with makeup design. From building your own color wheel to experimenting with tints, tones, and shades, you’ll gain a painter’s understanding of how color works on the face. You’ll explore the structure of the human face and how its natural planes guide the placement of makeup.

As your skills grow, you’ll begin connecting visual choices to storytelling. You’ll practice using highlights and shadows to create dimensional forms and study how a character’s background, environment, and personality can influence their look. You’ll learn how to research effectively and use that knowledge to design makeup that reflects a character’s history, emotion, and purpose.

The course culminates in the creation of your own original makeup design, where you’ll apply your understanding of foundation matching, undertones, and contouring techniques. You’ll document your design process through a makeup map and then bring your concept to life through a full-face application, developing not just technical skills, but your creative voice as a makeup artist.

What you will learn:

✔ Apply foundational color theory and understand its impact on makeup design
✔ Analyze characters and environments to inform creative makeup choices
✔ Match foundation shades and identify undertones for yourself and others
✔ Design and execute a complete character makeup using professional tools and techniques