Stage Makeup: The Actor's Complete Guide to Today's Techniques and Materials

"Sadly, I appear to be the only naysayer to this book. I purchased it some time ago. I have MANY books in my library about makeup, stage makeup, prosthetics and the like, including being a student of an academy award winning makeup artist's course, and this book ranks about as low as they come. I have an old, old set of books from way back (Herman Buchman or something like that) that are as bad as this one is. Sadly, we have yet again, another "costumer" who THINKS she knows how to do stage makeup because she has had a few courses in it herself and has SADLY taught others for some time. I marvel at how bad this really is. Has no-one ever heard of blending hard edges of makeup? Has no-one ever heard of not using pencils that are as thick as crayons to do lines and creases? Where is this stuff being taught? Where is quality makeup work on the college level? This isn't stylized opera makeup or avante garde makeup work yet it ALL looks like it is. I'll tell you. Good makeup work doesn't exist in this book and so many other poorly done works. EVERYONE SHOULD be made to use Corson's books - the best available still. But sadly many don't. This book while cheap - wasn't worth the $25 bucks I spent on it. Having done theater makeup for nearly 50 years, I find it amateurish at best and another poor repsentation of someone with "credentials" getting by on whatever status they've been able to achieve and banking on it to sell books, that while slick and flashy are poor in content and proper representation of an art that continues to make me laugh when I see how badly makeup work is being done by those who say they know. I wish someone would come out with a good book that doesn't distort people's understanding of how good theatrical makeup work should be done. This one falls short of helping in that regard. Back to Corson I guess. It's the only one so far EXCEPT MAKING FACES, PLAYING GOD
by Thomas Morawetz - one of the BEST, most academic treatises on makeup there is thus far of the newest presentations. GET this book - it too is inexpensive although it covers much more than theater makeup specifically, it's still an intelligent treatise on makeup, the psychology of makeup and displays some excellent examples of quality work. And again while NOT a theater makeup book, FAR better than this one by Thudium. I'd give mine away but I wouldn't wish it on anyone. Even Vincent Kehoe's book on makeup is better than this by far. Sorry, just my 50 year experienced opinion."
~ Written on 2008-05-05

"After looking through this book, I decided to return it. The makeup techniques shown were poorly done and looked very fake. The one good thing about the book is that the pictures are in color."
~ Written on 2008-04-05

"I have never read a page of this book, but I just can't believe there is another Laura Thudium in this world! This is quite exciting. I wish I could contact his author and tell her that I have the exact same name as her! Laura Thudium is not a name you hear every day. "
~ Written on 2008-01-25

"This book is filled with very helpful photos. Unfortunately... I was hoping to see more variety. Example, more drastic changes on the people before and after makeup. Example, children having an "old age" makeup on, making them look like aged folks. More animal face painting maybe?
Perhaps a little more special effects in it?
Nevertheless... I enjoyed this book. "
~ Written on 2007-12-31

"The cover made it look a lot better then it is. It only gives you a few looks not as many as I hoped it would be. I guess it's okat if your playing an old person or a monster. *sruges*"
~ Written on 2007-10-09