Senior Sabrina Tobe and sophomore Onyx Yskamp-Long bring art to a new level as student makeup artists.

Tobe said that she has always had an interest in makeup and was introduced to it by a friend.

“I started to just try it out on my own and I did what I thought looked good and that was terrible but I just let my imagination go and I went where it took me,” Tobe said.

Yskamp-Long said that her interest in makeup began in 6th grade, when she wanted to be a zombie for Halloween.

“I looked up a YouTube tutorial for it,” Yskamp-Long said. “I didn’t actually use the tutorial  but I got the idea and then I just kind of went for it.”

Yskamp-Long said that she has been able practice and refine her skills by practicing and volunteering her skills at events, such as the Rec. Department’s Halloween haunted house.

“It’s a lot of putting myself in situations where improvement in necessary,” Yskamp-Long said.

Tobe said that she gets most of her practice at home and is able to showcase her skills in the musical as a makeup artist.

“I don’t really get any opportunity to do a whole bunch of what I really want to do, so I have to experiment at home and take pictures,” Tobe said.

Yskamp-Long said that her work is more messy than other daily makeup routines.

“It’s like bedazzling someone’s face,” Yskamp-Long said. “It’s a lot of sticking things onto someone’s face, and you will also probably be covered in blood afterwards.”

Tobe said she considers herself more of a makeup artist with special effects.

“I’m more of a makeup artist when it comes to imagination and putting it on my face,” Tobe said. “I do more monster makeup than pretty makeup.”

Tobe said that doing makeup allows her to express herself in a different way than if she practiced conventional forms of art.

“Faces show much more than just paint, a paintbrush, charcoal, and paper,” Tobe said. “You get the emotion and you get your own creation and you put those two together and you get something amazing that’s nothing like normal art.”

Tobe said that she believes makeup gives her the opportunity to show who she is,

“It’s like a piece of yourself that you get to put on your face,” Tobe said. “When I get to do other people’s makeup I can bring out little bits and pieces of them that usually aren’t quite noticeable.”

Yskamp-Long said that her favorite thing about doing makeup are the reactions she receives when people see her work.

“Being covered in makeup and having people stare at me actually boosts my confidence,” Yskamp-Long said. “Because at least they don’t do that when I’m not covered in makeup.”

Tobe said that she would like to pursue makeup as a career. Tobe said that a career in makeup would expose her to new techniques in art and makeup, allowing her to explore the depth of makeup in the art world.

Tobe said, “I could pursue my passion and who doesn’t want to do that?”

Yskamp-Long said that her dream job is to work as a makeup artist for the Walking Dead.

“I really want to be on the show,” Yskamp-Long said. “The jobs of those people is to just make zombies every day and that sounds like so much fun.”

Tobe suggests patience and persistence for those interested in pursuing makeup.

“Keep trying, keep working, you’re gonna find your own ideas and when you do it will be really cool,” Tobe said.