Make-Up Students Inspired In Milan

A group of make-up artistry students from James Watt College recently experienced a full taste of fashion on an educational trip to Milan.

The 17 HNC Fashion Make-up and HND Make-up Artistry students immersed themselves in the fashion capital of Europe for 4 days, absorbing the culture, style and trends to inspire them in their studies.
The students experienced a tour of the fashion houses, including Armani’s flagship department store, a cultural walk through the old city and a backstage tour of La Scala, the world renowned opera house.
Sammi-Jo Stott, aged 19 from Port Glasgow commented “The Milan trip was such a great experience and very inspirational. For our graded unit we have to choose someone under the fashion umbrella who inspires us to base our project around, and the visit gave me lots of ideas to take back to college.”
Katie Ford, aged 19 from Greenock, said “I enjoyed the museums and learning about the history of fashion and make-up. I got lots of ideas for looks that I could create myself.” Despite being deaf and not having a signer with her, Katie thoroughly enjoyed the experience and added “the whole trip was amazing”.
Isobel Donald, Make-up Artistry lecturer at the college commented “The trip was great for course enrichment and staff and student morale. Make-up artist students need to be able to create a ‘total look’ for a model and be aware of current up-to-date trends in the fashion industry. Therefore educational tours such is this are important for students to gain an insight into the industry as a whole.”

Posted: Wednesday, 25 May 2011

Makeup Artistry Students Exhibit at Oran Mor

Posted: Friday, 06 May 2011

Final year make-up artist students from James Watt College put on a spectacular exhibit of their work in a live presentation in the stunning surroundings of the Oran Mor in Glasgow recently.

The event, which is a culmination of the students’ work over the last two years, was a chance for the students to flaunt their skills to industry contacts, potential employers and professional photographers.
Real models were used for the students to present their chosen look, selected from character make-up, period or special effects. The final result was a dramatic display ranging from gory horror special effects to the fairytales of the Queen of Diamonds and the Mad Hatter; from over-the-top make-up of drag queens to the subtlety of war-time women – the show had something for everyone.
Make-up Artist lecturer at the college, Maureen Manley, commented “The lecturers were absolutely delighted at the very high standard of work on display. The students had to style every part of the model to perfect their look – hair, clothes and make-up, in addition to creating their own background settings. This is an excellent one-off chance for our students to network with professionals from the industry, show off their portfolios, gain contacts and give out their business cards.
“Many of our previous students have managed to gain employment through the event, and I’m sure after the industry-standard work on display, many of this years students will benefit also.”
Professional photographer, Amanda Hemphill from Amanda Hemphill photography commented “It was a pleasure to capture the wonderful work of the James Watt College make-up artist students in the Oran Mor. I was extremely impressed with the dramatic looks created and the amount of time and effort they had obviously put in to create their individual looks. I spoke with many of the students on the evening and hope to work with some of them in the future on different projects.”
Photographs taken by Amanda Hemphill Photography. Contact Amanda Hamphill Photography via facebook page

James Watt College Graduates Showcase Innovation In Glitz And Glamour

Posted: Monday, 02 May 2011

Two James Watt College graduates are giving back to the institution which helped them achieve success in the hair and beauty world. Backed by the likes of T in the Park, Vivienne Westwood and Michelle McManus of STV’s The Hour, Smujj studio are coming back to the college to share their secrets with its current crop of students.

Heather Gault, 27 from Greenock, and Jane Hamilton, 23 of Paisley, forged a friendship over a shared love of old school glitz and glamour, founding Smujj Studio in March 2010. Proving that hard work begins at home the girls, who studied HNC and HND Make-up artistry, first set up shop in Heather’s bedroom. However, their new business soon took off, propelling the girls into their very own city-based studio, conveniently positioned at the end of Glasgow’s Style Mile in St Enoch’s Square.
In the past year their skill and innovation has rewarded them work at the Electric Frog Festival and Club Noir, and most recently a musical collaboration with Glasgow band Selective Service. Michelle McManus liked the looks Smujj created for her so much she used them for her promotional shots in London, later appearing on the cover of Scottish Woman Magazine.
The girls will be returning to the college to demonstrate to budding hair and make up artists how to create styles that range from simple wedding make up to the extravagant over-the-top looks seen at nights like Club Noir. Offering use of their studio and in-house photographer, the girls will help students build their portfolios by giving them professional photographs of the looks they create.
Jane Hamilton, one half of the talented duo, commented: “Heather and I really wanted to put our skills into practice, and with the great personal relationship we have, decided to go for it in setting up our own business.
“We were initially inspired by Isobel Donald, our lecturer at the college, whose passion for the trade made us realise our dreams of becoming professional hair and make up artists. We learned from Isobel that it is vital to have an understanding of the full creative package, and that is something we want to show to the college’s current students.
“Being only too aware of how important it is to have a good portfolio, we want to give them the opportunity to do that. We will also show the students some secret tricks of the trade that they can use in whilst they study and in their future careers. When we were at college we never had access to anything external like this, and we are eager to give back to the establishment that shaped our careers.”

Bobbie Brown Make up Seminar

Posted: Thursday, 28 April 2011

Students studying Make-up Artistry at James Watt College had the chance to hone their skills recently when they attended a Bobbi Brown make-up seminar at The House of Frasers in Glasgow.

Professional Bobbi Brown make-up artists performed various make-up demonstrations for the students, followed by question and answers sessions. The students were even allowed to try and test the products for themselves.
Isobel Donald, make-up artistry lecturer at the college, said: “James Watt College is the only Scottish college to enjoy close links to Bobbi Brown. Students benefit from seminars and events, both in the college and out in industry surroundings like the House of Frasers. Maintaining industry links with high-profile companies such as Bobbi Brown are important for our learners to gain a valuable insight into real-work experiences. The students benefited greatly from hearing about the background and experiences of make-up artists Sharon and Rhona and finding out how they got to where they are today.”
Sharon Carey, Bobbi Brown make-up artist commented “Seminars such as these are good for the students, they tend to take in lots as it is a something different to what they are used to. The James Watt College students were really interested and eager to learn; they are very passionate about what they do.
“Bobbi Brown only recruits qualified make-up artists or people with proven experience in beauty. We have close links to James Watt College and previous graduates have joined us in permanent roles.”

A Dream Job

A James Watt College graduate has landed her dream job less than one year after graduating, having secured a six-month hair and make-up artistry position at the Sydney Opera House with The Australian Opera Company.

Kayleigh Sutherland (22), from Edinburgh, studied HND Make-up Artistry, graduating in June 2010. During and after her studies, she built an impressive portfolio working with the Edinburgh Festival, T in the Park, the Scottish Opera and BBC Scotland.
Given the opportunity to do make-up and wig work with the Edinburgh Festival through her Make-up Artistry lecturer Isobel Donald, Kayleigh provided assistance to the Australian Opera Company in summer 2010. When a position arose with the Company a few months later, Kayleigh, having kept in contact with the Head Make-up artist, was recommended and offered the post.
Kayleigh will be making the move overseas to pursue a career in theatrical and special effects make-up artistry at the end of April, where she will be working at the iconic Sydney Opera House then on to a stint at the Melbourne Arts Centre.
Kayleigh, who credits this opportunity to the support network provided to her by the College lecturers, commented: “I have always had an interest in arts and crafts but was unsure what to do after leaving school. After my friend recommended the course at James Watt College, I applied.
“A few days into the course at James Watt, I knew this was the career I wanted to pursue. It merges all my interests, and I love how there isn’t a focus on one specific thing – you learn everything from wig-making to understanding how the make-up works with the outfits.
“Initially I wanted to practice in special effects, however later realised theatre work was where my interests lay. The spectacle and drama of it really lends itself to the over the top make-up looks that I tend to create.
“I found the lecturers brilliant and really encouraging. They supplied us with industry contacts which we would get work experience from. If it wasn’t for this, I wouldn’t have been given this once in a lifetime opportunity to work with the Australian Opera Company. My experience at the College really did open me up to a world of opportunity.”