September 13, 2016

Meet North Hollywood Makeup Artist: Wren Witting

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to the brilliant Wren Witting.

Wren, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I started out doing makeup for my high school theatre’s productions–when I joined the theatre club, there was a stage crew sign up sheet and I knew I didn’t want to do construction or lighting, so I picked makeup and costumes. I learned basic stage makeup and worked backstage for all the shows. When I went to college, I studied theatre and thought I was going to go into costuming, but my stage makeup professor suggested I consider makeup instead. I worked in costuming and makeup for stage for several years before deciding to move to LA and seriously pursue makeup for film and television. I attended the Makeup Designory in Burbank to hone my skills and started freelancing.

Has it been a smooth road?
The biggest struggle has been trying to establish myself professionally. I moved to LA not knowing anyone and had to start building a network and trying to find work.

How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
I think in the next couple years, the industry will really start to marry makeup and computer effects. Special effects makeup artists are already experimenting with 3D printing and even Sephora can match your foundation by scanning your face. I think it’s going to be ever more important for artists to be tech savvy.

What has been the primary challenge you’ve faced?
The biggest challenge was just getting my business off the ground. No one tells you that when you come to LA, your previous work experience doesn’t mean much. I thought I’d have my theatrical resume to back me up a little, but I actually had to prove myself all over again. I took as much work as I could find to build film credits and put myself out onto the playing field. Every potential employer wanted to see my IMDB page, but I hadn’t worked on anything legitimate enough to have one. Those early days, I felt like if I could just get an IMDB credit, I would be a real makeup artist. It sounds like such a ridiculous benchmark–one of those things that is only important when you don’t have it– but that first year had to be about small victories.

Let’s change gears – is there any advice you’d like to give?
I think if you’re just starting out in this industry, the two best things you can do are practice and take pictures. With freelance work, you can’t always control whether you’re getting hired or not, but you can always be improving your skills to make yourself more employable. Try to practice on other people–doing your own makeup and doing someone else’s are very different and you won’t find much work doing your own face. Take pictures of your makeups in good lighting (daylight is fine) and with no Instagram filters! Those photos can be the beginning of a portfolio to show potential collaborators. Even if you’re not ready to start going out for professional work, pictures will document your improvement over time and help you identify weak points in your makeup game. It’s all about training your eye to recognize a well-executed makeup application.

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