Grad Success
A Winning Weekend: Blanche Macdonald's Makeup Students and Artists create the 'Wow Factor' at Vancouver's International Makeup Tradeshow.
The first ever International Makeup Artist Trade Show (IMATS) to be held in Vancouver was a triumph for Canada’s top makeup school this April. Under the watchful eyes of many of the World’s leading makeup artists, students and graduates from the Blanche Macdonald Centre shone over two days of incredible creativity.
Two of the weekend’s highlights were a pair of competitions, Fashion/Fantasy and Character/Prosthetics, open to makeup students from across the globe. Out of thousands of entries from students and makeup schools around the world, no less than six Blanche Macdonald students were selected to compete in these finals.
“The fact that the IMATS has come to Vancouver speaks volumes about how big this city’s makeup industry has become,” explains Blanche Macdonald’s Makeup Program Director Karen Esprez. “It’s an incredibly exciting time to be a makeup artist in Vancouver. From beauty to fashion to special effects, the IMATS demonstrated that’s there’s an incredible amount of talent in this city.”
One reason for the Blanche Macdonald stand’s popularity was Makeup graduate Jenna Kuchera, who gave live demonstrations of her IMATS competition-winning makeup and body-painting techniques on both days of the show.
Jenna won her title at the 2009 IMATS in Pasadena, in the Beauty/Fashion category, and took three more victories at the 2009 Canadian Makeup Show (CMS) in the Glamour, Fantasy/Runway and Body Painting/Airbrushing categories. She was happy to put those skills to use on the Blanche Macdonald stand, creating a Gareth Pugh-inspired geometric character on the Saturday and a Vivienne Westwood-influenced ‘Marie Antoinette Pirate’ on Sunday.
“It was fun!" she exclaimed. "I had free reign from Blanche Macdonald to do whatever I wanted. Sunday’s design was something I had in a dream, a little different from my usual style. It drew a huge crowd.
“Being with Blanche Macdonald at the IMATS meant I was surrounded by amazing artists and people, giving me great opportunities to show what I can do. The Blanche Macdonald team were so helpful too. I’d turn around and Jen Powell, the Associate Makeup Director, would be cleaning my airbrushes!”
Away from the Blanche Macdonald stand, much of the weekend’s excitement focussed on the competition stages, where students Ellie Lesani, Rita Liu and Andie Aichholz worked their magic in the Fashion/Fantasy competition, and Darah Wyant, Win Liu and Shayne Gemmell did the same in the Character/Prosthetics competition.
Ellie Lesani took a strong third place in the Fashion/Fantasy competition, creating an incredible artistic interpretation on the theme of Alice In Wonderland.
“We had to submit a portfolio of 8-10 photos of our work, not related to the concept of the competition,” she recalls. “I found out I’d been selected for the final six weeks ago, so there’s been a lot of preparation since then.
“I feel very proud to have done well. I feel exhilarated. Having my friends and family here supporting me is a real honour. These are the Olympics of makeup!”
Rita Liu came to Blanche Macdonald from Taiwan, and was delighted to have been selected for the final.
“It was really exciting to have been a finalist,” she enthuses. “Blanche Macdonald and my teachers have been so helpful. They encouraged me to keep going and have fun.
“I started planning three weeks ago and was practicing four nights a week. I’m really proud of myself. Everybody here is amazing.
“When I saw the character of the Mad Hatter I knew I wanted to change a male character into a female one. I wanted her to be half male, half female. I love to do challenging, colourful makeups. The Mad Hatter is a bit like my personality.
“In Taiwan we don’t get this kind of show. This is a great opportunity for us to show our work to the world.”
Recent graduate Darah Wyant didn’t win the Character/Prosthetics competition, but she left the IMATS with something even better – a meeting with one of Vancouver’s most illustrious movie makeup artists, Victoria Down.
“Jen Powell was encouraging everyone to submit entries to the IMATS,” she explains, “but I didn’t expect to be picked for the final in a million years.
“My heart was pounding for the whole month when I was preparing for this. When I started practicing it would take me three hours to put on one piece. In the competition I was able to do four pieces in that time.
“We didn’t know what prosthetics we’d be given, but we knew the theme was Grimm’s Fairy Tales. I had a whole bunch of ideas in my head and costumes ready. We didn’t know what pieces we’d be getting. I was given two ears, a forehead and a nose. I started with the nose, then the forehead, then realised that I had two right ears. Heather Wisner, the Managing Editor from Makeup Artist Magazine, told me to just go with it. I was able to make it work and look great!
“I met Victoria Down, and have a personal meeting with her this week. It’s incredibly exciting have a meeting with an artist of her calibre. And Tami Lane, who has won an Oscar, told me I did amazing. That was better than winning!
“On the day of the competition I felt like a celebrity. I felt like part of the industry. There’s no better feeling. I loved every second of it.”
The 2010 IMATS proved once and for all that Vancouver is a globally recognised makeup metropolis. The Blanche Macdonald Centre is proud to be at its heart.
