Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB

or negro part. Character make-ups require much more skill and experience. In general, however, the processes are similar.

Like all the other processes of the dramatic art, successful make-up grows out of experience only. There are hundreds of details, and many useful tricks and devices, which can be learned from observation of experienced actors. There are two or three excellent books on the art of make-up, which should be in the library of every dramatic organization.1 Usually there are one or two persons in every group who are especially interested in the art, who might well be appointed supervising experts. Each actor, however, should learn enough of the process to be able to make himself up for his own parts. The general principles and the fundamental operations are not difficult to grasp.

Visualizing the Make-up

The first thing to be done is to visualize the desired result: the actor must see how he wishes to appear. Often he must be governed by the costume plate, which will call for a character of a certain sort (see frontispiece.) Perhaps the general director, or the art director, will suggest the character's appearance in the play. Perhaps some real person will be the model. With a historical character, portraits may be secured

1 Helena Chalmers, The Art of Make-up, (D. Appleton & Co., New York, 1925). James Young, Making-up, (Witmark & Sons, New York, 1905). Cavendish Morton, The Art of Theatrical Make-up, (Adam & Charles Black, London, 1909).

and carefully studied. In any case, in some way, the actor must arrive at a decision. His problem, then, is to make up to match the conception.

Materials

The materials commonly used are as follows:

I. Cold Cream.-Ordinary theatrical cold cream is cheaper and better for make-up purposes than the common toilet article. Some actors use vaseline or olive oil in place of cold cream.

2. Grease Paint.-Many varieties of excellent grease paint are now on the market. Grease paints come in all possible hues of flesh colors, and are used to give the face the proper color tone. If an actor is to play a part many times, he should attempt to secure a stick that is just the color he wishes. For example, a young lady playing a straight part might use the color known as "Juvenile," while a young man playing an aged character would use "Sallow Old Man." Unfortunately, makers of grease paint have no consistent system of marking or of lettering their colors, so that experimentation is sometimes necessary. With a little experience, it is perfectly possible to mix colors to secure the right hue. For instance, "Juvenile" may be mixed with "Carmine" to give a healthy out-of-doors sunburned appearance; or "Sallow Old Man" may be mixed with "Carmine" and "White" to give a good color for middle age. Thus, of all the twenty or so flesh colors available, only three or four are absolutely necessary for practically any make-up. A good selection for a "Make-up Box" is "Juvenile," "Middle

Age," and "Sallow Old Age," or three equivalent

colors.

3. Powders.-Theatrical powders come in many shades, corresponding in color to grease-paint colors. The product of any one manufacturer usually follows in name or number the scheme used to label his grease paints.

4. Liners.-Liners are smaller sticks of grease paints, in colors that are not normally used to give color tone to the face, such as black, white, gray, blue, and brown. They are used to make lines on the face, such as wrinkles, eyebrows, etc. A complete assortment of liners is useful. Ordinary "eyebrow" pencils are merely black or brown liners.

5. Lip Sticks.-Lip sticks are small sticks of grease paint for coloring the lips.

6. Rouge.-Rouge is of two varieties: moist and dry. The moist comes in small jars; the dry is merely red powder. Instead of moist rouge, many actors prefer a red liner. Dry rouge is often very useful, however, and should be available.

7. Crêpe Hair and Spirit Gum.-These are the materials out of which stage mustaches and whiskers are made. Crêpe hair is a preparation of wool, woven into a rope. It is sold by the yard. It comes in a great variety of colors, ranging from snow white through grays, black, browns, and blondes, to the most brilliant red. Spirit gum is a combination of gum arabic and ether, with which the crêpe hair is fastened to the face. It comes in small bottles, and is best when it is fresh.

8. Cloths.-A large supply of clean cloths is an

important tool in making-up. Cloths are needed to cover costumes during the process, and they are necessary for wiping off the make-up. Clean cheesecloth is very satisfactory.

Many other articles such as "nose putty," tooth enamel, mascara, and so forth, will be found on the list of any manufacturer of grease paints, but those listed are enough for most purposes. If the actor is to make himself up, he needs a well lighted mirror. This is best if fixed to the wall, although it is useful to have it movable, so that it can be set at varying angles. A small hand mirror is also of great aid. If the lights in the make-up room are capable of being changed just as the lights on the stage are to be changed, the actor can see just how he will look under the stage lights. This is an exceedingly difficult thing to judge, for lights affect grease paints just as they do other colors. Most grease paints seem much redder under ordinary white light than they do under the colored lights of the stage.

Whatever the make-up is to be, whether it is to be straight or character, male or female, simple or complicated, there is a certain common process, and this definite process should usually be followed. The development of skill depends on the operation being done over and over again, until this common process becomes familiar. The following are the usual steps:

The Make-up Process

1. Preparing the Face for Make-up.-Rub the skin lightly with cold cream, wipe the cream off the surface,

powder the surface, and wipe the powder off. The cream fills the pores of the skin, and also makes it easier to get off the grease paint afterwards. The powder aids in drying the skin. Too much cold cream must not be used: many an amateur make-up is spoiled before it is started because the actor soaks his face in cold cream. The face should be left perfectly smooth and dry. This step is merely to prepare the surface for the real painting: it corresponds to the priming coat in scene painting!

2. Laying on the Ground Tone of Color.-With a grease stick of the desired color, make marks on the face across the forehead, down the nose, on the cheeks and on the neck. Rub this grease paint with the tips of the fingers until it is evenly distributed over all the surface of the face that is to be exposed. If a beard is to be put on, the surface of the face that it is to cover should be left untouched by grease paint or by cold cream and powder. The importance of spreading the grease paint evenly cannot be overestimated, and some practice is needed before this can be done quickly. A good make-up depends upon this step. If the surface is messy, it is impossible to produce a good make-up; the only remedy is to wipe the surface clean, and start over again. Be sure that the entire surface that is to be exposed is painted. For instance, paint should extend well up into the roots of the hair, and over the ears. The under surface of the chin must not be neglected. The neck is another crucial place; it is very disturbing to see a white girlish neck when a bearded old gentleman turns around to sit down!

« AnteriorContinuar »