SPF/X Makeup program rocks Fan Expo Canada

STORY BY STEPHANIE ALBA

Comics, games, anime, oh my! Sheridan College joined Toronto’s 20th annual Fan Expo Canada at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre with a booth of their own last month.

Fan Expo Canada is a four-day weekend convention that showcases a large range of comic books, science fiction, fantasy, film and television, horror, anime, manga, animation, toys, collectible card games and web entertainment.

Fan Expo was attended by notable guests such as Stan Lee, Bruce Campbell, Ian Somerhalder and David Morissey.

Sheridan’s Advanced Special Effects Makeup, Prosthetics and Props and the Makeup for Media and Creative Arts program had a booth at the convention.

“Most of our faculty team regularly visit Fan Expo on an annual basis and it seemed evident that the target demographic of those that visited fan expo would be attracted to the kinds of work produced by students in the Advanced Special Effects Makeup, Prosthetics and Props and the Makeup for Media and Creative Arts program, and indeed, many of our Faculty of Animation, Arts and Design program,” program advisor, Ann Callaghan said.

The faculty team of Daniel Baker, Aprile Aimers and Jane Edmondson were responsible for getting the booth ready through the summer. They offered three seminar sessions at the expo with artists Colin Penman, Don Lanning and puppet masters Robert Mills and Fred Stinson.

Penman is an Emmy Award-winning makeup artist whose work includes Pacific Rim, Resident Evil and the SAW movie franchise.

Sculptor and character designer Lanning, who has worked on Star Trek: Into the Darkness, Hellboy and the current Batman starring Ben Affleck spent hours sculpting a model at the Sheridan booth as he spoke to fans who attended. 

Mills and Stinson have experience in manipulating monsters and puppets in films such as The Thing, Short Circuit II, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II and Bride of Chucky.

Karlee Morse, 25, an Advanced Special Effects Makeup Program graduate, joined the artists along with her fellow graduates and put their skills into practice.

“I was applying makeup on guests that came into the Sheridan booth. We did face painting for kids as well as zombie makeup and airbrush tattoos,” Morse said.

Aside from being a makeup artist, Morse is also a cosplayer — which is short for costume play. Morse attended Fan Expo as HellGirl.

“My favourite part of the convention was definitely being in costume, but when I was walking around as HellGirl, I had a really positive response from people and that was really exciting! I had kids running up to me who loved Hellboy, which was super cute. I had never had so much makeup on before either so it was quite the experience wearing face prosthetic, contact lenses, being painted then airbrushed,” Morse said.

Photo taken by Justin Serada

“Practical Effects is something I’m really passionate about and I’m so happy to have found work doing something I love so much,” said Morse.

Fan Expo Canada returns to the Metro Toronto Convention Centre next summer Aug. 27 to 30.