Ever wonder how mannequins achieve those fashionable faces?  Well, if you’re a creative type, have a knack for painting, and admire the makeup looks of the runway; you may be interested in the career path of Richard, the mannequin make-up artist.

Richard applying a Lauren Bacall inspired look for a Christmas theme.
Richard applying a Lauren Bacall inspired look for a Christmas theme.

Richard got his start in the 70’s while working for Hindsgaul ( a Danish Mannequin Company) as an interior designer. When the company asked him to give it a shot, no one assumed that this would be his career path for more than 30 years. There is no official training to become a mannequin make-up artist. With a background in graphic design,  interior design and his studies at a art college, Richard depends heavily on his own creative eye.
Mannequins start off, like most of us, with fresh faces as a canvas for the artist to use to interpret the necessary look that would best fit the campaign goals of the owner.
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 Richard used his creativity and experience with artistic tools to devise what sort of materials he would use to makeover these mannequins faces which include mediums like oil paints and false lashes that he buys in bulk.
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There isn’t really a formula for a successful mannequin look. Like most fashion and trend  inspired industries, Richard is inspired by runway looks, and print ads in fashion magazines. Image boards like these help to hone the feel a company is going for when designing a look.
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I can imagine that this would be a great career for an introvert. Your subjects don’t talk or move around at all for that matter!
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There are challenges however. One of them is repeatability. You must be able to duplicate the looks on multiple mannequins for symmetry. Also, you may be asked to design a look that is time intensive. On average it can take anywhere from 40-90 minutes to complete a look per mannequin. However, when asked to create something more challenging, a project could take days to complete.
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Curious to discover what looks you could create? Practice makes perfect!