Hi all! I have had the pleasure of shooting many assignments with lisa keeping, a orange county, ca based makeup artist that travels between san diego to san francisco to make pretty people better! in fact, i think as i write this, lisa is in texas on assignment.
Q: How much to budget for commercial makeup?
A: There really is no set scale for artists and stylists which is why there is so much variance in pricing. It can depend on many things such as the experience of the artist, how many models, how many hours, drive time, whether special costs have been added to the artist for a specific look (lashes, body paint etc.) It may differ region to region, artist to artist but for a non-agency artist rates vary anywhere from around $200 - $600+ depending on whether it's a couple of hours or a full day and the type of project. People will usually work for less for editorials (tear sheets) if they think their portfolio will benefit from it. A celebrity artist was speaking at a trade show about the going rate for the cover of one of the top fashion magazines. When she said $150 every jaw in the room dropped, but once you have that cover you can up your rates and book bigger and better jobs.
Q: How much time do you need to prepare the models?
A: It depends on the style of makeup and the model. This is where communication and images are important. The clearer the photographer or art director can be about what kind of look they're trying to achieve the easier it will be for the makeup artist to create it. You also have to take into consideration the quality of the model, flawless skin will certainly save time. I find it takes me about as much time as I'm given. In other words if I've got 10 minutes I'll make it work in 10 minutes, if I get 45 I'll take 45. I'd say anywhere from about 20 - 40 min. would be pretty standard. You can always ask your artist how much time they are comfortable with. I am speaking for makeup only, if your artist is doing hair as well you may need more time depending on the complexity of the hair style. One more thing to consider is that usually the first look will require the most time because we are prepping the skin and starting from scratch. If you are doing multiple looks those don't usually require as much time because small changes are being made to either the eyes or lips. Also it is easier to start with more natural looks first and build on them rather than try to wipe off a heavy look to get a clean, natural look.
Q: What do you need to know to hire a makeup artist?
A: You need to see their images. I find you can usually get a pretty good idea of what an artist is all about from their portfolio, just like photographers. Many may specialize in the same thing but it's just like buying a painting, there could be 100 paintings of the same thing and they would all look different. Find the style that you think will compliment the image you are trying to create. They should be using quality products and following hygenic standars such as using clean brushes, diposable mascara wands and not double dipping. You may also want to ask what they specialize in if you have a very specific request. Not every artist is skilled in all areas such as body painting, airbrush, period makeup, special effects etc.
Q: What is your speciality?
A: This is a hard question. I've been trained in all areas from fashion and airbrushing to extensive special effects but I would have to say currently I'm specializing in clean beauty and commercial fashion. I feel like my favorite images are the ones where everything comes together perfectly, no one thing stands out too much - unless it's intended to. Sometimes you look at an image and all you can see is overpowering makeup or another aspect that is off. Living in southern California there is obviously a big beach influence as well. I love surf culture and the fashion industry it's created is a huge market now. It's always smart to know your market and your clients. I know that I don't live in Milan or New York so I don't have a portfolio full of high fashion, avant garde images. The west coast is more about that bronzed girl next door look or glowing celebrity, that being said it is important to have variety. It's good to push yourself outside of your safe zone sometimes to stay inspired.
Q: Who are your clients and how do they find you?
A: I have had the pleasure of working with national brands such as Dragon Eye wear & TJ Maxx as well as many local brands like Island World Apparel, Havika Swimwear, Aviator Nation, Kitty Chen Couture, Hudson's Magazine, CYH and many leading cosmetics companies including L'oreal, Lorac, Bobbi Brown and Benefit. It seems that almost everybody finds me either online or through someone I know. I don't know how we did this before the internet?
Q: any other quesitons that you want people to know?
A: I think that's about it.
You can contact lisa at this location:
http://www.lisakeeping.com
Q: How much to budget for commercial makeup?
A: There really is no set scale for artists and stylists which is why there is so much variance in pricing. It can depend on many things such as the experience of the artist, how many models, how many hours, drive time, whether special costs have been added to the artist for a specific look (lashes, body paint etc.) It may differ region to region, artist to artist but for a non-agency artist rates vary anywhere from around $200 - $600+ depending on whether it's a couple of hours or a full day and the type of project. People will usually work for less for editorials (tear sheets) if they think their portfolio will benefit from it. A celebrity artist was speaking at a trade show about the going rate for the cover of one of the top fashion magazines. When she said $150 every jaw in the room dropped, but once you have that cover you can up your rates and book bigger and better jobs.
Q: How much time do you need to prepare the models?
A: It depends on the style of makeup and the model. This is where communication and images are important. The clearer the photographer or art director can be about what kind of look they're trying to achieve the easier it will be for the makeup artist to create it. You also have to take into consideration the quality of the model, flawless skin will certainly save time. I find it takes me about as much time as I'm given. In other words if I've got 10 minutes I'll make it work in 10 minutes, if I get 45 I'll take 45. I'd say anywhere from about 20 - 40 min. would be pretty standard. You can always ask your artist how much time they are comfortable with. I am speaking for makeup only, if your artist is doing hair as well you may need more time depending on the complexity of the hair style. One more thing to consider is that usually the first look will require the most time because we are prepping the skin and starting from scratch. If you are doing multiple looks those don't usually require as much time because small changes are being made to either the eyes or lips. Also it is easier to start with more natural looks first and build on them rather than try to wipe off a heavy look to get a clean, natural look.
Q: What do you need to know to hire a makeup artist?
A: You need to see their images. I find you can usually get a pretty good idea of what an artist is all about from their portfolio, just like photographers. Many may specialize in the same thing but it's just like buying a painting, there could be 100 paintings of the same thing and they would all look different. Find the style that you think will compliment the image you are trying to create. They should be using quality products and following hygenic standars such as using clean brushes, diposable mascara wands and not double dipping. You may also want to ask what they specialize in if you have a very specific request. Not every artist is skilled in all areas such as body painting, airbrush, period makeup, special effects etc.
Q: What is your speciality?
A: This is a hard question. I've been trained in all areas from fashion and airbrushing to extensive special effects but I would have to say currently I'm specializing in clean beauty and commercial fashion. I feel like my favorite images are the ones where everything comes together perfectly, no one thing stands out too much - unless it's intended to. Sometimes you look at an image and all you can see is overpowering makeup or another aspect that is off. Living in southern California there is obviously a big beach influence as well. I love surf culture and the fashion industry it's created is a huge market now. It's always smart to know your market and your clients. I know that I don't live in Milan or New York so I don't have a portfolio full of high fashion, avant garde images. The west coast is more about that bronzed girl next door look or glowing celebrity, that being said it is important to have variety. It's good to push yourself outside of your safe zone sometimes to stay inspired.
Q: Who are your clients and how do they find you?
A: I have had the pleasure of working with national brands such as Dragon Eye wear & TJ Maxx as well as many local brands like Island World Apparel, Havika Swimwear, Aviator Nation, Kitty Chen Couture, Hudson's Magazine, CYH and many leading cosmetics companies including L'oreal, Lorac, Bobbi Brown and Benefit. It seems that almost everybody finds me either online or through someone I know. I don't know how we did this before the internet?
Q: any other quesitons that you want people to know?
A: I think that's about it.
You can contact lisa at this location:
http://www.lisakeeping.com
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Comments
Fred Egan:
Very resourceful interview Jay.
(10.14.08 @ 10:09 AM)
Frederic:
Thank you to share with us this information. Very informative and helpful.
(09.30.08 @ 06:33 AM)
Jay:
Awesome post. Very useful information.
(09.29.08 @ 07:30 PM)