Well, I can't get the thumb nail to come up, because art is my thing and computers are not, but here is the article that Rooster Teeth wrote about the "Day 5" look that I created for the show! It's a cute little how-to for cosplayers and Rooster Teeth fans alike. What a cool compliment to my hard work and my design - I am totally excited about this! Any who, here's the link, check it out, and have a great day! :)
.........and here's a little preview of what I've been doing for the past two and a half months.........Welcome to Rooster Teeth's "Day 5".
Long time, no blog. Sorry, folks. I have been crazy busy working as Department Head Makeup on Rooster Teeth's widely anticipated Day 5 digital tv series. Much like the Crunch Time mini-series that I did at the end of 2015, this show will be on Rooster Teeth's digital tv channel and be premiering June 19th (so soon! Eek!).
It's a post-apocalyptic set show about a sort of plague or virus (we haven't found out yet ourselves) that has come down upon the almost the entire population of the world......basically, if you fall asleep you die. This show follows around a group of survivors rushing to find the cause and the cure while time slips away.
I'm pretty excited for this show and extremely proud of the great work that we have all done. The show itself seems pretty epic just judging from what's happening during production, and we have some wonderful actors and crew to work with. My makeup is really stylized, and it's been odd to make our actors look more distressed and tired vs. beautiful and fresh faced. All in all, it's been a great experience.
So, with that said, enjoy the teaser trailer that I've posted along with this blog, and, on a side note, check out some of my artwork that I've done on set via my instagram @taracooperartist .
Sweat Cosmetics is in the house!
Today, I was lucky enough to take part in a wonderful photo shoot for Sweat Cosmetics with the wonderful gold medal Olympian Natasha Hastings for Sweat Cosmetics. It was so much fun! :) Natasha was a true joy to work with, and Sweat Cosmetics was such a great line to use and work with - they'll be available in Sephora stores soon. They're a workout oriented line created by athletes for athletes. Their mineral foundations come in easy to use magnetized travel brushes - making them easy to use without the mess. They're sweat and waterproof for up to 80 minutes, and the coverage is natural and pretty flawless. My friend Steve Moakley shot the images, and I can't wait to see the finished products! :)
Click on the images to check out done behind-the-scenes shots! :)
My carved bird Phoebe is finally almost done!
My bird that I've been gradually carving for over the last year is finally almost done!!! And I'm in love - this has by far been the most difficult piece that I have carved, but the most rewarding. She is carved out of basswood, and her neck is made from mahogany. It finally started coming to life a few weeks ago. The details were really time consuming, and my original design didn't work with the orientation of the wood, hence, why the tail is smaller than my original design, but overall she has a lot of personality in her style. After this, I'm planning on building a stop mouton puppet, so my carving is going to go by the wayside for a few months, but I'll update my site when Phoebe is finished being painted! :)
Thanks for checking her out! I've included a couple of process shots.
The Government Inspector opens tonight at MMNT!
Hi All,
Just a quick note about a wonderful production that I had the great opportunity to do Hair, Wig, and Makeup Design for that is opening tonight at the Mary Moody Northen Theater on the St. Edward's University campus - The Government Inspector, adapted by Jeffrey Hatcher, based on a play by Nikolai Gogol, and directed by Michelle Polgar.
Tickets are available through the MMNT box office at 512-448-8484 or through the SEU website, www.stedwards.edu, and the production runs from February 11th - 21st, 2016.
Thanks for reading, and we hope to see you there!
"Top 10 Theatre Performances of 2015: The Austin stage actors who gave the most impressive performances in 2015" - The Austin Chronicle
This is just a great little shout out from The Chronicle in Austin about my read Mr. Burns' masks! I could not be more flattered or proud! :) These masks were such a huge project for me, and our St. Edwards Costume shop team really killed it! :)
http://www.austinchronicle.com/arts/2016-01-01/top-10-theatre-performances-of-2015/
And here's another Chronicle Top 10 list that I'm on for 2015:
http://www.austinchronicle.com/arts/2016-01-01/top-10-theatre-riches-of-2015/
Merry Grinchy Christmas to All!
A couple of weeks ago, I did my annual Grinch makeup for the Grace Bible Church/Georgetown Christmas Stroll and an event for the Georgetown Boys & Girls Club. It's one of my most difficult makeups of the year, and, by far, one of my favorites to do. It takes us almost 3 hours every year to get the makeup completed and properly blended, and the wig on, touched up, and glued. I designed this makeup 8 years ago, and every year, I think, we get a little better. This year we actually applied the brows backwards, and, funnily enough, they looked so much better! :) There were also some new additions to Whoville this year - the mayor and his wife and a number of new Who's. This is always such a pure joy to do, and I'm so thankful that is become an annual tradition. :)
Some of the awesome images from the Loloi shoots that I've been working on!
I've been quite excited to share these images from this awesome ad campaign that I've been working on with Loloi Rugs for the last couple of months. It has been such a awesome and rich experience - we've been shooting in these amazing designers' actual homes, and the designers that we've been working with have been such an inspiration. Elizabeth Mollen, the creator and designer of Stone Textiles was one of our models, who's pillows and throws are simply fantastic. Erin Williamson also hung out with us, and she wrote the only blog, Design Crisis, that I've ever read in my life (so I totally geeked out - so cool!). Tenaya Hills, the mastermind behind much of the Lambert hotel and business empire was also a total joy to hang out with during the shoot. Others included the supremely talented Camille Styles of the Camille Styles design blog, Sarah Stacey, an interior designer like no other. These women were all such an inspiration - they work so hard to make homes and lives more beautiful, and they were all totally nice to boot. Also, shout out to @paige_morse for her killer styling skills! It takes someone really amazing to beautifully design beautiful interior designers' homes. Amazing.
These ads will be featured in Elle Decor, Architectural Digest, and many others, and, again, what a total joy to work on! Yayyyy! I love my job! :)
Tara is finally on Instagram. She is officially get caught up with the times. Hoorah!
After putting it off and putting it off, I am now officially on instagram as @taracooperartist. I have been posting more pictures of my art, trips, wigs, and makeup, and I would love it if you would follow me! :)
Any who, that's it for now. Thanks!
The Stories We Tell art opening is tonight at Wet Salon and Studio!
So, my art show openings are always my favorite nights of the year, and tonight just so happens to be one of those nights! Please join us from 7-9 pm at Wet Salon and Studio on South Congress for The Stories We Tell, featuring illustrations from Leola Perez, Maria Hansen, and yours truly! Prints and original pieces will be available from all of the artists, and we'll all be present tonight! :) We hope to see you there! :)
My Ecuadorian Master Class was a freaking blast and a half and so much more. :)
I've been meaning to update my blog sooner, but I have an art show opening up this week (details will be posted soon - art party tomorrow!!!), and we were in the Northeast for the holidays. It's been quite nice taking a break....it's been a long, long year.
Any ways, A couple of weeks ago, I got to go to Guayaquil, Ecuador and participate in their La Rueda conference for EDCOM/ESPOL. It was really a life changing experience. I did a master class in front of 200+ people and didn't die of a panic attack, and I did a pretty great prosthetic gash demo at the end that went really well. I talked, armed with a translator and a microphone, for over two and a half hours, a half an hour longer than was originally planned, and many of the students and attendees wanted pictures with me at the end! I felt a wee bit like a celebrity, and I still can't believe how well it went. I discussed what I do in terms of art, puppetry, mask-making, makeup artistry, and wigs, and I showed off my portfolio, renderings, some of the films and commercials I've worked on, and some specialty makeup products that aren't very easy to get in Ecuador.
The next day, I also got the awesome opportunity to teach a couple of basic spfx makeup classes at the university. It was great. I really miss teaching all of the time, and these students were all so excited to be there, as was I. We got to go over some fun basic makeup techniques and do some fun demos.
Then, I had a couple of days to myself in the city. It might not be as touristy as Cuenca or Quito, but Guayaquil was a beautiful place. I went to a cacao farm with one of the professors from the university, where we got to essentially make a chocolate feast from the cacao beans. It was totally amazing. We also got a chance to visit the beautiful La Ciudad Blanca Cemetery in Guayaquil, which is widely known as one of the prettiest, if not the prettiest, cemetery in South America. All monochromatic, the cemetery is a massive show of imported marble sculptures from Italy and all over the world, and mausoleums that are also quite impressive. We also got to go to a magical open air arts market, and AN IGUANA PARK......are you kidding me?!? It was super cool - hundreds and hundreds of tame iguanas freely ran all over this park and were crawling on people like dogs for food. It was an incredible trip. Overall, this trip was totally incredible. I mean, what an opportunity. I will be forever thankful to ESPOL/EDCOM for inviting me to come out.
On another note, I consider this conference a big triumph, not just professionally, but personally. I have suffered from major, major, debilitating panic attacks for most of my adult life, and for the first time since I was 17, I did not let them totally rule my life. I've been working on alleviating these attacks since I started having them, and my normal tactic is to just dive in and deal with them, but this time, I dove in and didn't really freak out at all. It feels pretty good. I finally felt comfortable in my own skin. I consider this a "win"........and now to do it again. :)
Click through the images from my trip! :) Eek! I want to go back!
More Great News! Tara's heading to Ecuador to do some conference workshops!!! :)
I'm quite excited to announce that I will be heading to EDCOM-ESPOL in Guayaquil, Ecuador to teach workshops on wigs, makeup, and basic spfx. I'll also be holding a talk and Q&A while I'm there just to talk a little about what I do, my experiences, the differences in performance mediums, and how I got started.
I cannot even describe how excited I am! :) What an experience! I am just so thankful for the opportunities that I am given. I love teaching people about makeup, wigs, and spfx, and since my departure from SEU there's been a lot less of that in my life.
Click on the above image to look at the pics of Guayaquil, Ecuador, which is where I'll be headed at the end of November.
Mr. Burns, a Post-Electric play has finally arrived! It's a mask made frenzy, and I just love it!
Sooooo, we finally opened up Mr. Burns, a Post-Electric play, and it is just fabulous! :) It was my first official production as a Mask Designer (I've done a number of shows unofficially), and I really couldn't be more proud. I had a crazy wonderful team of mask makers, namely Jennifer Davis, Anna Kimmel, Souther Recio, Colleen McCool, Sydney Floyd, T'Cie Mancuso, and many others, to name a few, helping my visions come to life, and they totally killed it. We all came together as a single mask making machine, and the masks reaped the benefits. They are all made of paper mache, spackling compounds, a ton of sanding, gesso, and topped with some inks and acrylic paints. The show runs for another week, and we would love to see you at Mary Moody Northen Theatre!
Click on the image to look at the other images of the finished masks! :)
Post-apocalyptic Simpsons' Masks for Mr. Burns Post-Electric Play!
Sooooo, I've been quite busy these last couple of months. I'm currently department makeup head on a tv show called Crunch Time, which has been totally cool and super fun, but I'm also the official Mask Designer for Mr. Burns Post-Electric play....... And I am SO PSYCHED! They are turning out so amazing, and I am so excited about this opening. I am just in love with the vision, and I feel like I've been given such a fantastic opportunity. It's been a while since I really did anything aside from makeup, hair, and wigs, and this is just so much fun. I am just so thankful, and again, I AM SO PSYCHED!
Click on the image to see the other images of the mask making process! :)
A Wonderful Wedding!
I just wanted to quickly share some of the beautiful images of the makeup and hair I did for this lovely bride today. I am so, so happy with how she turned out, and she was pretty thrilled as well! I loved being part of her special big day, and I can't wait to see her professional shots! :)
Please click on the image to view the rest of the hair and makeup images. :)
Gender switching makeup day! :)
Hello everyone, it's been a while since my last post. I've been working on things here and there, but all pretty standard affairs. This past weekend, however, a challenging, awesome, fun gig struck. I was asked to change two women into two men then back into women for a spec shoot. This was all to be completed in front of an awesome time lapse camera set up. I am so ecstatic about how it turned out - really couldn't be happier. I wasn't able to work with these ladies before the shoot due to other commitments, but I feel like I freaking rocked it. It had to be strictly timed in order for the time lapse to correctly work, and my skills had to be on point, otherwise, the whole shoot could be moot. I not only applied their makeup, but also styled their hair, and I removed and reapplied lots of pieces of facial hair. I can't wait to post the video once it's done with editing!
Once again, please click through the images to check out their transformations! :)
Mountain Dew and Beards!
Last week, I was lucky enough to get a gig doing hair, makeup, and grooming for Mountain Dew's new product Dewshine with some members from the Austin Facial Hair Club. And honestly, though I find something special with most every gig I book, this was one of the best jobs that I've ever had. So much fun! We rode four-wheelers, swung off rope swings and zip lines, worked with welders, and fixed monster trucks.......all while wielding giant awesome beards! It was simply a laid-back fun shoot. At times, I didn't even feel like I'm working. It was also in Krause Springs, which I've never been to, but was an experience in itself. I am just so grateful for opportunities like this one. Click through the images for more behind-the-scene images, and I'll post the spot as soon as it comes out!
I'm back to work!
Well, I'm back from my trip, which means back to work! I've spent a couple of days on some film and tv sets, which was a great welcome back to home. I also did this great shoot with new model, Char Brigham, and photographer Nimai Malle at the W Residences this last week. Here are some behind the scenes pics of our session, and I'll post more when the final choices are made!
Meet Frances, my stop motion animation puppet. :)
Well, my Puppets in Prague workshop is almost done, and I can't believe it. It has been such an incredible time, and I now have a new animation puppet named Frances! :) It took two days to carve her head and her body (the quickest that I've ever carved anything), and the rest of her armature filled out the rest of the week. We also went to a metal studio and actually made a metal ball joint for a professional armature! It was amazing. I used a metal lathe and welded for the first time, and I felt like a superhero. I still cannot believe that I made that joint by myself. Simply amazing. Any who, enjoy the images of Frances, and click on the pic above to look through the restt of the photos (and see the metal ball joint that I made! I welded, filed, and used a metal lathe!!!)
Workshop Update 3: the Foamed Latex Hand Maker's Studio
This week during my Puppets in Prague Stop Motion Animation workshop, we went to a man who's profession is making foamed latex hands for professional stop motion animation puppets' studio. It was so educational and quite funny at the same time. I've helped with molds for my makeup projects, so, I have a general idea of how this process is done, but what was funny, is that they do things COMPLETELY differently here. My mind was blown - different products, different measurements, different regards to times and weights.......just different. My sidekick mold maker would have had a fit at the process - haha. Regardless, I learned a lot and am enjoying every minute of this awesome workshop. Click on the photo to view other images from our outing to the hand maker's studio.