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Department of Fine Arts
Theatre Arts - Costume and Makeup

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Theatrical Makeup: This class starts with the basics, such as corrective makeup, which is designed to help students get acquainted with their makeup kits and supplies. As the semester progresses, projects become more difficult, requiring not only an increases level of skill, but also more creative thinking. The favorite projects include "Injury Day," Animal Day," and "Fantasy Day." A makeup morgue, a collection of different images that might be useful in the future as reference material, is compiled throughout the semester and turned in before the final exam period. The course combines hypothetical exercises from the textbook with lectures and demonstrations. The semester culminates in a written final exam, as well as a final project.		 Makeup Studio
Latex and 3D projects in Makeup Studio

Crafts and Costume Design

Costume Crafts: This class is required of all majors and minors. It consists of 2 components. The first is a bi-weekly class made up of lectures, demonstrations, students presentations, and group workshops. The assigned projects may vary from year to year, but there is usually an assignment that will be used onstage in FMU's current productions. The other component is a laboratory time, scheduled once a week. This lab time is used to introduce students to basic sewing skills that are necessary in the costume shop. A lab project is required of each student, in addition to the regular craft projects. During the weekly lab time, students will also learn the basic operations of the costume shop, and will assist the costume designer with upcoming productions. Favorite past craft projects include jewelry, head-pieces, and baby quilts, which were donated to a local charity.


Costume Design: This course is designed for a small number of students who are interested in looking at costumes in depth. There is a principle of "stepping stones" used in this class: the first project is small, with only 2 characters and no drawing. Each of the projects progresses with more difficulty, until the final project, which not only requires the rendering of many characters and costume changes, but also has several different components. During these "progressive assignments," students also explore different time periods, in order to learn how to effectively research their designs. The class is made up of a variety of drawing labs, as well as lectures and student presentations. The lab exercises and assigned projects encourage drawing at any skill level. Because beginners are often scared to draw, there are also collage- style projects, so that they can focus on design choices instead of worrying about their drawings. One of the collage projects is computerized, to introduce students to a variety of different artistic media. The course culminates in both a written final exam, and a final project.
Matt Adkins Costume Design Award
FMU student costume designer Matt Adkins won Second Place in the Student
Undergraduate Costume Design Competition at the 2014 Southeastern Theatre
Conference for his costume designs for the production of Miss Witherspoon.

Theatre 209: Costume Crafts

The class decided to create creatures for McLeod Children's Hospital as a class project for Fall 2006 and again in 2008 and 2009. Assistant Professor of Theatre-Costume Design Abby Kiker enlisted pattern donations from Simplicity Pattern Company, Inc. and used the project for the students to learn basic hand and machine sewing skills.  The class then  took a field trip to McLeod Children's Hospital to deliver their creations to the children in October.

Costume Crafts 2008
 Costume Crafts project

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B&W Images © Abigail Kiker