Prosthetic Makeup and Design by Kendra Johnson

2013-08-21T23:57:00.001-07:00

Kendra Johnson has been a professional makeup artist for nearly ten years, with a focus in Theatrical and Prosthetic Makeup. She first discovered the craft while earning a BA in Theatre, Film and Dance at Humboldt State University, initially with an emphasis in acting. As a requirement course she (reluctantly) took Basic Stage Makeup only to discover a "true calling." Kendra developed and completed an emphasis in Makeup Design with a focus in Prosthetic Makeup. She then studied Makeup for Film and Television at Vancouver Film School, graduating with honors.

After dabbling in film, Kendra decided to return to her beloved theatre roots, where most of her work can be seen, including San Francisco Shakespeare Company's, Shakespeare on Tour's, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Boxcar Theatre’s production of Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Civic Arts Stage Company’s, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Diablo Theatre Company's, The Wizard of Oz. Other credits include The Dodo’s, Black Night music video, Seussical the Musical, and Into the Woods. Kendra's work can be seen this fall in Diablo Theatre Company's production of Shrek the Musical!

Creating Shrek

2013-08-06T18:24:00.000-07:00

Shrek The Musical (pre production)

2013-08-06T18:07:00.000-07:00

Click on the different titles to view each page

Diablo Theatre Company Presents Shrek the Muscial.
Click here for more information and tix.

Creating Shrek

Home

2013-05-21T23:52:00.001-07:00

Hedwig and the Angry Inch

2013-05-21T23:49:00.004-07:00

and the Angry Inch

Directed by Nick Olivero

Photos by Peter Liu

Boxcar Theatre

A Midsummer Night's Dream

2013-05-16T22:41:00.000-07:00

A Midsummer Night's Dream

Directed by Steve Muterspaugh

The San Francisco Shakespeare Festival, Shakespeare on Tour

Alice's Adventure in Wonderland Masks

2013-05-16T21:49:00.003-07:00

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

Directed by Rebecca Ennals

Civic Arts Stage Company

The Dormouse

The White Rabbit

The March Hare

The Mad Hatter

The Cheshire Cat

The Caterpillar

The Mock Turtle

The Queen of Hearts

The Gryphon

Pat (the Badger)

The Duck

A Hamster

A Eaglet

Bill the Lizard

2013-05-16T21:22:00.003-07:00

Into the Woods
Click on the different titles to view each page

The Mysterious Man Sculpt
The Wolf Sculpt
The Witch Sculpt
Into the Woods Masks
Into the Woods Cast of Masks

2013-05-16T21:06:00.001-07:00

Alice in Wonderland
Click on the different titles to view each page

White Rabbit Sculpt
March Hare Sculpt
Mad Hatter Sculpt
Painting the White Rabbit Prosthetic
Painting the March Hare Prosthetic
On Becoming the White Rabbit
On Becoming the March Hare
On Becoming the Mad Hatter

Even Bad Publicity is Good Publicity

2011-10-27T13:40:00.000-07:00

I'm number 7 on 18 Bizarre Homemade Costumes from Etsy! My favorite number. I don't think my nose stands up to any of those costumes, but everyone has a right to their own opinion. Feel free to comment if you disagree.

Artizen Magazine

2011-10-17T15:56:00.000-07:00

My "Cat in the Hat" prosthetic was included in the Costume Collection of Artizen Magazine. A magazine dedicated to "spreading the love with inside scoops and shopping links for the handmade artisan industry. If you like what you see, please consider subscribing and sharing the link with others who might like Artizen." Check it out, there are some really great ideas.

Check it Out

2011-10-06T08:51:00.000-07:00

My Etsy shop was just featured in a fellow Blogger's Blog. Molly was wonderful to work with, and I was so pleased she discovered me. Check it out here. Enjoy!

Oz Photos

2011-09-10T14:54:00.000-07:00

Here are some of my favorite production shots from Diablo Theatre Company's production of The Wizard of Oz. Click here to see the entire album.

Photos by Ben Krantz

Directed by Daren A.C. Carollo

Dorothy: Olivia Hytha

Scarecrow: Jack Sale (neoprene mask)

Tin Man: Josh Milbourne (neoprene mask)

Cowardly Lion: Danny Cozart (neoprene mask)

Wicked Witch of the West/Ms. Gultch: Suzie Shepard
(foamed latex prosthetic)

Glinda: Michelle Johnson

Mayor Munchkin: Ned Hansen (foamed latex prosthetic)

Nikko: KMDZ (neoprene mask)

Click here to see a fun video lifecasting that actors.

OZ Opens Tonight!

2011-09-09T11:20:00.000-07:00

Diablo Theatre Company Presents The Wizard of Oz!

Production photos to come very soon.

Lifecasting for The Wizard of Oz

2011-08-21T15:46:00.000-07:00

Just a fun little video showing the steps of a lifecast, a stone cast of the face.
Production: The Wizard of Oz
Company: Diablo Theatre Company
by Suzie Shepard
Actors:
Kelly Cooper (Monkey, full head cast)
Ned Hansen (Mayor Munchkin)
Danny Cozart (Cowardly Lion)
Suzie Shepard (Wicked Witch of the West)

Just a Small Thought

2011-06-15T22:24:00.000-07:00

A brief history on makeup design recognition:
The Oscar's first debuted in 1929, 52 years later "Best Makeup" became a category. The Emmy's debuted in 1949 and 21 years later "Outstanding Achievement in Makeup" became a category. The Tony's debuted in 1947 and to this day no category exists for "Best Makeup Design."
And yet I still chose to pursue my career as a theatrical makeup designer.

Happy Anniversary PMandD

2011-06-07T10:18:00.000-07:00

My Etsy shop, PMandD, has officially been open for one year. Since that time I have sold 72 prosthetics online, in 17 states, and 5 countries, including USA, Canada, France, Ireland and Australia, 105 people have "hearted" my shop, 15 of my items have been apart of an Etsy Treasury, 5,590 people have visited my shop, viewing individual items 16,927 times, from all 7 continents. Even Antarctica had 4 visits. And the number one keyword to find my shop was "Armadillo Shoes"...odd.

I want to thank all of my models who made this possible: Sherae Ann Honeycutt, Pamela Rosen, Eric Jepsen, Hali Harlow, Molly Gazay, Lia Metz, Mikey Mann and Kevin Calderon. Thank you all. Looking forward to another successful year.

And in celebration of my shop's one year anniversary orders will receive a 10% discount until June 14, 12:00 am (PST). Use offer code ANNIVERSARY upon checkout.

Critters and Creatures

2011-05-19T15:00:00.000-07:00

"The Little Monsters" completed look

2011-05-02T22:09:00.000-07:00

So as promised here are April's prosthetics...the "Little Monster" extended family. I have two different sets of forehead, cheekbone and shoulder pieces that can be mixed and matched depending on your preference. My first set sold like hot cakes...thanks to Lady Gaga's concert tour...11 sold and over 900 viewings. I was literally in the post office what seemed like every other day. There's a bit of a lull now, but hoping it will pick up again for Halloween. So here are the shots with Molly Gazay and Kevin Calderon. I wanted to show that the prosthetics can be worn by both males and females. I only wish I had the same shoulder pieces on both sides of the model's shoulders. Sa la vie. Enjoy.

The Dodo's-Black Night Video Behind the Scenes

2011-04-25T17:35:00.000-07:00

The Dodos - Black Night
Frenchkiss Records
humble
Directed by Ariel Danziger

This post has been a long time coming...so here it is. February 14th I received a phone call that a makeup artist was needed for a music video shoot on February 15th. My first reaction was to turn the offer down...especially in such short notice. I hadn't done a film shoot in several years. The hours are long and tedious, and as a makeup artist we are generally the first to arrive and the last to leave, there's a lot of "hurry up and wait," the food provided is mediocre at best, and as an fx makeup artist I tended to get stuck on low budget, "more blood", film school shoots...let's just say all fingers pointed to "no." But Ariel convinced me to give their project a second chance, quoting it as a "labor of love." And it was just that.

I was sent the treatment and song...there aren't many songs that from first listening really catch my attention, but "Black Night" did, and was the number one reason I finally said yes to the shoot. And I'll admit...I'm glad I did, it was a great experience and the perfect "come back" to film. Aside from the long hours...which is to be expected...this shoot made up for all the bad experiences I had in the past.

Despite having just met, I really felt that the entire crew worked really well as a cohesive team. It's always nice to be on the same page, both artistically and professionally, especially with folks that are working closely by your side, such as my fellow makeup artist Shylene Roselyn and costume designer Danielle Gold.

And the food was amazing.

The space we were shooting in was a huge, old, multi leveled warehouse on Bryant St. in San Francisco, absolutely amazing. Cold, but amazing. There were so many different environments. Brick walls, wood floors, rust, rot...everything you could want in a single space. Far from glamourous. Though in exploring...a guilty pleasure I have during down time...I had to think what was this space originally used for and how did it look back then.

Applying makeup to Meric Long. Simple, yet striking, especially in black and white.

Shylene Roselye applying makeup to Logan Kroeber. The look we were going for was a 1930's bartender.

Charles Villyard made up as a bum, was by far my favorite makeup of the day, although only seen in a few cuts during the video. There was never much down time since there were so many extras and each one had a very specific character. I definitely respect the amount of detail that was put into every aspect of this shoot...big or small. It shows the level of professionalism.

So as makeup artists we are supposed to have everything on set...from toothpaste, to combs, to pain killers. Between Shylene and myself we had everything covered...but ironically neither of us had any hair gel. And Joy's hair wasn't having it with hairspray...so thinking on my toes I used pros-aide (prosthetic adhesive). Needless to say that curl was not going anywhere.

This picture's just too funny. I was trying to show Forrest how to smear his lipstick...don't ask.

Spencer as the "boxer." Although prosthetic makeup is my focus, my second love is "out of kit" fx makeup. A key factor in saying "yes" to this shoot was that Ariel wanted realistic cuts and bruises...something that I don't often hear in the world of film. I was happy to oblige.

Extras

Makeup by Shylene

Makeup by me

On the set

Want to see more photos of the shoot? Click here.

Featured in a Window Display

2011-04-11T22:13:00.000-07:00

Check out my bunny prosthetic featured in the Easter window display at Costumes on Haight in San Francisco. I have to admit, I love how they utilized this piece, it really shows how versatile my prosthetics can be depending on how they are made up. See, bunnies don't always have to be cute and fluffy...they can be badass.

I Can't Sleep

2011-03-31T03:57:00.000-07:00

So it's a little past 3 AM here in California, we've had our first sign of winter's end, and I can't sleep...maybe it's the heat, or the fact that too many thoughts are rolling around in my head. Either way I figured this would be the perfect opportunity to update my blog. Not only will it settle my mind, but hopefully tire me out a bit.

So if you've been following my blog my focus for the last three months has been my New Year's Resolution...which was to design, sculpt and complete two prosthetics a month...which was then downsized to one prosthetic a month.

January, The Little Piggy...

February, The Panda Bear...

and now March...

I know I announced March to be a Lamb, but all that changed when I received a custom order via Etsy to sculpt horns inspired by Lady Gaga's "Born this Way." So now March's official prosthetic is The Little Monster. Since these little guys were officially open to the Etsy community on March 23, The Little Monster has been viewed 416 times and has been purchased by 7 people...funny thing is I can actually follow Lady Gaga's concert tour based upon where the prosthetics are being purchased. Needless to say I've been a bit busy compiling orders. And yes...if you're wondering the shoulder pieces will be April's prosthetic (with the Lamb on the back burner.)

Aside from that...my parents have been doing some spring cleaning and came across molds that I had done back in college. I only wish I had taken them with me when I was last there...mind you they're only one city down, but I'm a very impulsive person...and well let's just say I wish I had them now. My ideas for what I'm going to do with these is what's keeping me up...you'll see why in a future post.

So the time is now 3:67...I should try to head back to bed.
(Oops the time was 3:57...wow I was tired.

Check out the Newest Items in my Etsy Shop

2011-03-22T22:49:00.000-07:00

So I've added my newest prosthetics to my Etsy shop. "The Little Monster" inspired by Lady Gaga's, "Born this Way," on sale for $20.00. I will be posting the shoulder pieces at a later date...but will keep you posted when that will be.

I have also posted my Panda Bear for $25.00, and will donate 20% of my proceeds from every purchase of my Panda Bear to the American Red Cross to help the efforts of the Japan Disaster Relief.

One more point of interest...I never want to pooh-pooh my theatrical roots, but in order to broaden my clientele base I decided to update many of the photos of my current prosthetic lines. So here's the first of the bunch. It's kind of amazing the difference a picture makes...in looking at my stats, the "Young Girl" nose easily had 3 times as many hits as my "Female" nose and the only reason I could attest to was the photo itself and had nothing to do with my product. So here's the new and improved photo, with actress Lia Metz. Very Joan Crawford wouldn't you say? I think it's the lips. Enjoy.

Sneak Peek

2011-03-18T20:21:00.000-07:00

Hey all you "Little Monsters" out there...here's a sneak peek for what's to come. Stay tuned for sale information and the whole "get up" in the near future.

I wanted to diverge from the actual Lady Gaga makeup, and go in the direction of the "atmosphere" that she created...an inspiration if you would. But I would love to here any of your suggestions that could be use for my next photo session when the shoulder pieces are ready. By the way...I will be using both male and female models so you can see the prosthetic's versatility.

Go out there, play and have fun.

Model: Molly Gazay

Thank You Lady Gaga

2011-03-14T16:15:00.000-07:00

Need I say more...

Stay tuned.