Today we’d like to introduce you to Nuria Torrente.
Hi Nuria, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I started my career in Barcelona, Spain as a makeup artist in 2013 after getting my master’s degree in beauty makeup at Cazcarra School. I started doing makeup for fashion shows, music videos and also tv shows in Barcelona. At the end of the year, I took an introductory class for Special Effects Makeup, where I had the chance to prove my skills and learned how much I truly love all the process to our craft and find that SFX Makeup meets my both passions that I have had since I was a little nugget: horror films and the creation of art. Which made me fall in love with this profession.
Being the kind of person that I am (which loves to learn more and more), I decided that I wanted to formally learn SFX Makeup so that I could gain knowledge of the best techniques. After a long search, I finally found the Cinema Makeup School in Los Angeles that seemed to be a perfect fit for me, and so began my life here in LA.
But I did have one big problem, I not know how to speak English. My vocabulary at the time consisted of just a few words, “Hello” and “Orange Juice”. So I decided that the best thing for me was to do a full language immersion so I could learn faster. Three months later, I finally arrived in LA!
The first year was really difficult due to the language barrier, but little-by-little I started to learn and understand. After a year and-a-half, I was finally able to hold a conversation in English, which believe it or not was hard to achieve! Finally after all that is when I felt I was ready to go and learn my true passion, Special Effects Makeup.
In 2015 I finished The Master Makeup Program, which included Beauty Makeup, Airbrush, Hairstyling, Character Makeup, Prosthetic Makeup and Special Makeup Effects at the Cinema Makeup School in Los Angeles.
After I graduated, the challenge was to start working in the industry. It took what felt like forever, but little-by-little I started to build a network and got referred for jobs in the industry. This gave me the opportunity to work on-set as a makeup artist for movies and tv shows. And I also got jobs working in effects shops and labs, like Ironhead Studios and Lucid Studios, that are renowned for making Hollywood magic come-to-life. It feels now that I am well on my path to achieving my dream, which has always been to do special effects makeup in Hollywood — I especially love the opportunity to bring fantastic creatures, crazy gore effects, and wild monsters to life!
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Totally not a smooth road. Didn’t grow up here I didn’t know the language, and I didn’t know anyone from Los Angeles or even America and that definitely made my path more difficult.
A common thing you hear about the industry is that it is all about who you know – having contacts, so obviously having zero people to vouch for me made it much more difficult.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’m a freelance makeup artist and Special effects Makeup artist. I work mostly in the film industry (on-set and post-production, but mostly on-set) and photoshoots as well.
I specialize in the category of “fantasy” effects. I love working with directors and photographers that work with vibrant colors and do crazy Avant-garde work. This gives me the freedom to let my imagination go wild. I also specialize in Creature creation and Special effects makeup as well where I get to enjoy my passion for horror movies, gore, monsters, and fantastic creatures. I love getting called onto a set because they need scars, wounds, blood spatter or fake tattoos. The mere mention of this kind of work makes my eyes sparkle. I enjoy every step of Creature creation, from sculpting to mold and casting to prosthetic application to makeup. Bringing to life a fantastic creature that was originally born in your mind is a fascinating process. A long process…but it is awesome when you get to see that creature breathing and walking in the real world.
One thing I love about the industry is that I am constantly meeting amazing, talented people that share a common passion in making movies.
I had the opportunity to show of my monster creations at Monsterpalooza. I did a demo showing visitors the fully process to apply prosthetics and makeup for a hybrid Greta the Gremlin from film, Gremlins 2. What are the odds that Rick Baker, the original maker of the Gremlins puppets, was there and he loved my work!
I think that what sets me apart from others is how passionate, professional, and easy to work with I am. My goals are to deliver what the producer or director is asking and at the same time to take good care of the actors, who have to sit through makeup every day!
I’m proud of myself for everything I accomplished, fighting against the odds even when people around you think it is impossible. Never stop believing in yourself. I am so excited for what is for come.
How can people work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
If you want to support: follow my Instagram @welcome.to.nurialad where you will find all my info to contact me for any work inquiries and/or collaborations as well.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.welcometonurialand.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/welcome.to.nurialand/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/welcome.to.nurialand/
Image Credits
Dan TwoTrees & Steve Curley
