Making a star
> Make-up artists create rockstars
This month, the cover is adorned with three bright pictures of false rockstars.
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Susanna Rizo, before make-up
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Susanna Rizo as China Doll
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RockKansas.com asked three local make-up artists to create the image of a star they would find interesting, and explain their creative processes. The three images on the cover are the result. Go online to find more pictures of the process the artists went through to bring their creations to life.
Here is some explanation from the artists on these false icons.
China Doll
Created by Crystal Lewis, modeled by Susanna Rizo, both of Manhattan.
Crystal Lewis, clothing designer in Manhattan, calls her glam/goth creation China Doll because that's what people have called her when she wears similar make-up herself.
"When I do girls' make-up in my style, they look like china dolls," she said. "I don't know why. I don't intend for them to turn out that way, but I think it's because I'm very meticulous.
"I make sure all the lines are even, and things are symmetrical and defined. It looks painted on, but good painted-on. Not ugly like some people I've seen try do it."
Lewis stuck to a pale porcelain base with bright reds and whites around Susanna Rizo's eyes, and gave her super-glossy red lips. The eyebrows and eyes were both accentuated with black, and yellow and red contact lenses were used to change the eyes. Finally, a straight black and red wig with Bettie Page bangs was added with a tight black and red vinyl jacket.
The process took about an hour, and she had no plans worked out before-hand. Lewis said musicians such as Siouxsie Sioux and Madonna have influenced her her make-up, but she never directly copies from anything she sees. The make-up on a Thierry Mugler model inspired this design, she said.
Lewis said she thinks a musician's image is just as important as the music, and she pays attention when someone looks good.
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Crystal Lewis, China Doll make-up artist
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"People are very visual, and even though the music is important, I think the image is equally important," she said. "It's 50 - 50 because the image adds interest. People want to look at the person, and it adds a certain mystique about them. It creates a fantasy for a lot of people."
Lewis has been playing dress-up since she was very young, and she said it makes her angry that people don't make an effort to dress up anymore.
"I feel like people don't put a whole lot of time into their appearances anymore," she said.
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Andrea Frank, before make-up
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Andrea Frank as Andro-Gine
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Andro-Gine
Created by Mercury 2, modeled by Andrea Frank, both of Lawrence.
Mercury 2, lead singer in the glam band Vibralux, named his work Andro-Gine for her androgynous appearances.
The straight-up glam make-up designed by Mercury with the help of his model, Andrea Frank, consists of bright black-light reactive colors that make Frank pretty hard to miss.
Around one eye, the colors were placed in a pattern based on a peacock feather, and the other eye is marked with slanted lines of bright color, and features over-sized fake eyelashes. The lips are covered in blue and gold glitter, and the mod-cut wig is day-glo orange. The glitter is everywhere else too.
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Mercury 2, Andro-Gine make-up artist
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The image is finished with a big faux fur coat and a bright pink beaded necklace.
Mercury prepared by drawing a rough sketch of the design on paper before practicing it on Frank's face, and considering her input on the design.
Mercury said he enjoys it when a band puts forth an effort to look good.
"First of all, I think it's fun to look at, its entertaining, and it also allows for another branch of creativity in the overall mindset of the show," he said. "Not all people, but a lot of people, want to see something that's not just a friend who plays in a garage. It's an idea that they see some rock image portrayed on stage -- an idealistic interpretation of the musician or rockstar that separates them from everyday people."
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Eric Avery, before make-up
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Eric Avery as Bossu Bwi
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Bossu Bwi
Created by Aaron Dyszelski, modeled by Eric Avery, both of Lawrence.
Aaron Dyszelski named his voodoo rockstar Bossu Bwi, which means Demon of Noise.
The word bossu comes from the voodoo pantheon of Gods, and refers to a demon henchman. Bwi is a Creole word for noise. Dyszelski, graduate student of scenography at the University of Kansas, supervises make-up design for KU theatre performances.
Dyszelski said he had been listening to island and reggae music, and he noticed that even when it was against government and establishment, it was still laid back. Then he started to think about the industrial.
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Aaron Dyszelski, Bossu Bwi make-up artist
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"My brother a ways back got me into industrial music like Front 242 and Skinny Puppy," he said. "And I was like 'well, what if a Haitian guy who was brought up on island music became extreme anti-establishment and he was also versed in the Voodoo arts?' So I started picturing this Voodoo priest who started making music by bastardizing his island sound and turning it into industrial music.
"So it's sort of an evil reggae. I don't know, is there any evil reggae? I'll start a new genre."
The make-up consists of various bases used to accentuate Eric Avery's highlights and lower points to create the illusion of a more chiseled, weathered face. A near-black color was used to line the eyes and create the half-skull design on Avery's right side, as well as the Voodoo vive on his neck. Dyszelski said the vive is a Voodoo symbol for sexual prowess.
Next, fake piercings were added to the nose using spirit gum, and a fake lip ring was added. Finally, a wig of dreadlocks was pulled over Avery's short hair.
Dyszelski said he was influenced at a young age by the work of make-up artists such as Stan Winston, who has worked on movies like "A.I.," and "Edward Scissorhands," and Dick Smith, who worked on "The Exorcist," and "Little Big Man."
For the Bossu Bwi make-up, Dyszelski said he prepared by researching Voodoo before creating the facial design in Corel Draw over a shot of Avery's face.
Dyszelski said he thinks the advent of videos has forced musicians to think more about image, and he doesn't mind.
"It's a hook, it's a gimmick," he said. "It brings you in, then, of course, it always comes down to 'is the music good?'"
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