Inspiring doesn’t begin to describe the spectacular day we spent with Award-Winning Makeup Artist Siân Richards!
Blanche Macdonald’s Atelier Campus was set aflame with the bold banter of the British-born, world renowned Makeup Artist and Founder of bespoke brush line London Brush Company, who flew in from L.A. just to share her wisdom with us. Students, graduates, instructors, and IATSE Local 891 members gathered to glean insider tips on the TV & Film industry – and they left with far more than they had bargained for.
Flitting about the stage like a spark, Siân had the crowd alternating between roars of laughter and absolute rapture, flinging her words to the space with a fearlessness and authenticity that made quick friends of everyone in the room.
Her poise in balancing confidence with humility became all the more impressive once she explained her incredible journey. Opening with a slideshow of her favourite works Siân narrated her adventures spanning the sets of Apocalypto, Seed of Chucky, television series Prime Suspect, and Cloud Atlas (for which she won the Critics Choice Award for Best Makeup with her jaw-dropping transformative makeups on Halle Berry).
“I’ve been doing this for 26 years now and I still get really, really excited,” she smiled. “I mean, how many jobs are there where you get to see something blown up one day, and meet Marie Antoinette the next?”
Such oddities were standard fare growing up as a second generation Makeup Artist, trailing her Dad Hu Richards on set from the age of four. She phoned in to the BBC Makeup Academy at age ten full of resolution, only to be gently turned away and told to return when she had at least eleven more years under her belt. When the years had passed and the Academy had closed its doors, Siân turned to Art School.
“Art gave me the confidence to let go.
“You have to learn what they teach you at School and then break each and every rule to find you in your artistry. The moment you throw out the formula, you throw out the paint-by-numbers, is the moment you know your self worth as an artist. It’s very, very important to know your value. If you don’t know how valuable you are how can anyone else?”
Siân stressed the importance of being aware of other artists in order to create your own style. She bombarded the crowds with imagery of her favourite photographers, painters, illustrators and graffiti artists (“If you don’t know Banksy, shame on you!”) commanding due awe and attention to the people that have shaped her as an artist, makeup or otherwise.
“Go to an art exhibition, go to a gallery, go see sculpture, know about Rembrandt, know about Rodin, know about all of these great masters! Look at the way they paint and the way they think outside of the box. Because that is exactly what you, as a Makeup Artist, need to be great.
“I mean, come ON guys, we can use this!” Siân exclaimed, sweeping open her arms in grand gesture at the particularly stunning skeletal framework of a cathedral dome.
“You can bring all of this into your work but you have to see it in order to replicate it. You’ve have to LOOK.”
The screen dimmed and Siân pivoted to face the crowd.
“Now, who’s brave enough to take me on,” she challenged, eyes glinting, sprinting about thrusting the microphone at thrilled students. “I’m not here to perform a monologue!”
As the hands flew up and the crowd began engaging with Siân’s myriad of experiences, the spectacular advice rained down like treasures. And we were scooping it up by the fistful.
“I used to write to makeup artists and say to them, ‘Can I come clean your brushes? Can I come sweep the hair off the floor? Is there anything that needs doing?’ You have to have humility and you need to understand that you have to work up. We’ll see the ones who really want it in the ones that really lend themselves out. We love that. When you put yourself out on the line for your art, we will absolutely give you the chance if we can.
“Don’t be rigid. Let the currents of life let you take you where you want to be. It took me a long time to get into movies because the film industry was in recession when I finished makeup school. So I joined a modeling agency as a makeup artist and went from there.”
Even if beauty makeup wasn’t where she ultimately wanted to end up, an open mind and fierce work ethic saw her traveling the globe, taking her through everything from headshots, to commercial work, high fashion editorials and the heat of the runway. It wasn’t quite the feature film work that she was looking for, but she insists that everything that she learned, she still uses to this day.
“People seem to think that if you do beauty you do beauty. If you do film you do film. If you do effects you do effects – NO you don’t! You do MAKEUP! You do Makeup, and you can do anything. Don’t limit yourself.
“Diversity is the key to success.”
To be diverse takes a certain pliability and dauntlessness in the face of the unknown. Siân revealed that in her first film gig as Design Head – a production starring David Bowie no less – she had “totally blagged it,” teaching herself continuity and script breakdown know-how as she went along. It wasn’t always easy, but it’s allowed her to appreciate the power of support and of bringing your positivity on set.
“When times are tough and you’re tired, you bring each other up and there’s a sense of camaraderie in which you can manage those days or those hours. It really is marvelous because everyone has each other’s backs, you feel very safe, it’s not a competition and it’s a really beautiful, creative and heartwarming experience.
As the students packed in tight around the stage for Siân’s demo, the scene turned almost barbaric in special effects bloodlust.
“Shall we give her a nosebleed?” she called out, the crowd replying with roars of approval.
Watching Siân work was a veritable treat. Her slew of witticisms as free-flowing as before, she channeled this same ease and candor to her work, creating and developing as she went along.
“I have an idea and then I just let it be organic,” she said, smudging at a bit of blood with her forearm and standing back to admire the effect. Students and IATSE members alike sat agape with wonder, watching her transform her Kryolan powder blushes and eyeshadows into a special effects palette with a few spritzes of water.
This ability to improvise and think on your feet comes in handy in the industry too. On set of Cloud Atlas, she recalled having to create one of Halle’s most extensive transformations – a six-piece silicone look where she is covered in tattoos – live on the day with no time to practice or prep. Though she soared through on that occasion, she admits that even she doesn’t have a perfect track record.
“Have you ever had a time where your makeup test just went bad? You wait – it’s awesome.
“It’s OK to screw up. You’re going to. You learn from your mistakes. It’s OK to do makeup tests that don’t work because that’s how you know that the makeup test is going to work the next time around. You can only realize how to improve your work if you realize what doesn’t work.”
Adding the last touch strokes of depth to her masterful scarred face look, Siân directed her advice to the current students in the crowd.
“The beauty of Makeup School is that you are in a beautiful cocoon that enables you to mess up and make mistakes and be fallible. In the real world you also make mistakes, only if you do, you might not get hired again.
“Use this time at School to be really daring and adventurous so that you can do it in a nurturing environment. That’s what school is all about. You have some of the best guiding you here at Blanche Macdonald and they’re always going to have your back. And you know what? You won’t be fired for it.”
Having been immersed in the thrust and thrill of the industry for over a quarter century, Siân is still far from slowing down. Her beautiful bespoke brush line London Brush Company has become an internationally lauded phenomenon in its own right. And it comes as no surprise – she has approached the craft of her collection with the same integrity and finesse that has built her career.
“Let’s be excellent. Why would you want to be anything less? Do you think Ve Neill goes, ‘Oh I have a bit of a headache, I’m not really up to putting in the effort.’ No. They turn up, they bring their A-game and they do amazing stuff all of the time. ALL of the time.
“If you only aspire to be good, it’s not enough. You should aspire to be superb, not good. Good is mediocrity. Mediocrity never succeeds. If you want to be excellent, think outside the box, it’s essential. It is absolutely essential.”
Big thanks and big love to Siân for a dynamic and delightful afternoon! We can’t wait until the next visit! For now, check out her spectacular London Brush Company hand-crafted brushes, cleansers and accessories at CurliQue Beauty.