1-year Higher Education Certificate In Professional
Make-Up Design

If you want the most intensive and highly developed practical training in make-up design and hairdressing in the UK for the media industry, this is the course for you.

Equivalent to the first year of a degree course - and validated by Middlesex University - this programme is respected and well-known around the world for its high educational standards and hands-on teaching. Many of the leading make-up artists at work in film, TV, theatre, and the fashion industry across the globe today are graduates of the Delamar Academy 1-Year HE Certificate Course.

No previous experience of make-up or hairdressing is necessary because all the basic skills are taught from the very first day.

All Delamar tutors are top professional make-up artists, hairdressers, or prosthetics experts currently active in the industry. Their years of experience and their passion for the job will give you all the inspiration you'll need to want to follow them into the industry with your new skills.

What you'll learn

The course gives you an intensive grounding in every make-up and hairdressing skill you'll need to work in the media industry. At the end of your year, you will:

Have a high level of proficiency in all areas of make-up and hair for Film, TV, Theatre and Fashion;
Know how to research a subject and use relevant reference material to fulfil a make-up brief;
Understand the key differences between working in TV, Film, Theatre and Fashion;
Have the professional skills and contacts to help you start your career in the media industry;
You will have built up your portfolio to help you with future employment;
Have worked on set and gained valuable experience and confidence in a professional environment.

Best of all, every Delamar tutor is a top professional make-up artist, hairdresser, or prosthetics expert active in the industry. Their years of experience and passion for their work will provide inspiration for you to make your own successful career path.

"Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to work with Trefor Proud! It was a memorable experience and I learnt so much from him."

Kristina Harrison

How you'll learn it

The year-long course is divided into 3 terms, beginning in September and ending the following July. Each term involves an exciting mix of practical hands-on tuition, seminars, and one-to-one tutorials. Class times are always 10 am - 4 pm, Monday to Friday. All students receive a kit box of make-up, a set of brushes, a handbook with full details of the course structure and assessment methods, and the well-known text book "The Complete Make-Up Artist", written by our Principal, Penny Delamar. This is a respected text book on all aspects of make-up and will become a vital reference as you progress through the course.

Term 1

The first term will see you straight in at the deep end as you receive an intensive introduction to the fundamentals of make-up and hair. This will include Fashion and Beauty, Body Painting, Airbrushing, Period Make-up and Wigs, Casualty and Special Effects, Character work, Facial Hair and Basic Prosthetics. There are also two practical assessments during this term. Here's a complete breakdown of the topics you'll learn in Term 1:

Introduction

Your first week introduces you to the fundamentals of make-up.

Basic Beauty Make-Up

In this module, you'll study facial anatomy, health and safety practises, skin care, the correct use of tools and products, the principles of lighting and shading in make-up, as well as colour mixing and blending, the application of bases, and beauty make-up for day and evening. You'll also cover bridal make-up, corrective make-up (contouring and face shaping), and the make-up techniques required for HD TV and Film.

Camouflage and Period Make-Up

You'll learn how to apply camouflage make-up for concealing tattoos, blemishes, and scars etc. Then you'll learn how to research and use reference photos to create period looks and period make-up for Film, TV, and Theatre. Periods covered will include the Eighteenth Century, the 1920s, the 1930s, the 1940s, the 1950s, and the 1960s.

Fashion Make-Up

This module teaches you how to perfect techniques for lips, eyes, cheeks, and eyebrows. You'll look particularly at applying these techniques for fashion photography and the catwalk. You'll also learn how to follow a fashion brief and acquire knowledge of fashion products and how best to use them.

Basic Hair

Now you'll move on to hair techniques for use in both period and fashion hair styling. This will include using electrical equipment such as tongs, heated rollers, straighteners, and bendies. You'll learn techniques such as styling long hair, French pleats, bridal styles, braiding, and plaiting, as well gaining knowledge of a variety of hair products and how best to apply them.

Period Wigs

You'll have fun working on real hair wigs with lace fronts, as used in Theatre, Film, and TV. The module takes you through blocking, dressing, cleaning, and washing wigs, as well as researching period styles, creating ringlets, spirals, pincurls, finger waves, and victory rolls. By the end, you will understand and be able to apply the correct styling for a particular period setting.

Period Make-Up and Hair

Putting some of your earlier learning into practice, you will now research a period look of your own choice and combine period make-up and hair to create an individual project. This will involve setting, dressing out, fitting and applying wigs, as well as choosing and using costume to achieve the final finish for your required look.

Facial Hair

This is less about the problem kind and more about researching facial hair through the ages. You'll learn how to knot a piece of facial hair, how to dress and tong moustaches, beards, and sideburns, as well as all the skills needed for the application, maintenance, styling, and cleaning of facial hair.

Bodypainting and Airbrushing

Here you'll learn to research and develop designs and apply various bodypainting products. You'll be using sponge and brush work, as well as learning airbrush techniques - including the necessary health and safety issues associated with an airbrush. There will be free-hand painting, shading and blending, cutting and using stencils, and you'll complete the module with an individual bodypainting project.

Casualty

This module is not for the squeamish! You'll learn to research various casualty effects - using reference material - so that you can create bruises, scars, open wounds, stitched wounds, grazes, cuts, burns of all types (first to third degree), and different blood effects. In addition, you'll learn how to create dirt, sweat, and tears, as well as how to maintain an effect for continuity over time.

Character

When a character needs to age or even change gender in Film, TV and Theatre, the make-up artist has a range of techniques to hand. You'll learn how to to apply appropriate facial hair and stubble, for instance, in addition to special make-up techniques. The module includes an individual character project of your own.

Prosthetics and Bald Caps

Learn how to make and apply a Bald Cap, as well as designing, making, and applying a range of prosthetic pieces. The module also covers the theory of prosthetics and working procedures, health and safety practises, face casting, sculpting, foam runs, preparing moulds, and the application of pieces with make-up to achieve a finished look.

Term 2

In your second term, you'll concentrate on improving the skills learned in your first term by revisiting each of the topics above but in much greater detail.

Classes in continuity, script breakdown, set etiquette, career development, and behind-the-scenes information about the Film, TV, Fashion and Theatre industry are included in this term. This information, in addition to masterclasses by guest tutors, lighting and camera workshops, and coaching in fundamental professional skills, ensures that you're fully prepared to enter the industry on completion of your course.

As well as advanced classes in Beauty, Casualty, Character, and Bodypainting and Airbrushing, you'll have the choice of specialising in an advanced module of either Fashion or Prosthetics, which will include a practical assessment.

We also set you a written essay in this term - which doesn't have to be submitted until Term 3 - but you'll be allotted research time to work on this. If you're not comfortable with written work, you'll find our essay writing tutorial a great help! The essay is the sole essential requirement for the academic assessment part of the course.

Term 3

Your final term will see you working on more advanced studies, including projects for the End of Year Exhibition, your portfolio work, general revision, and some practical assignments tied to work experience.

Haircutting and Barbering

You will also be doing Haircutting and Barbering module. This module teaches the basic principles and techniques of cutting hair, from long layers to short hair cuts, scissors over comb, clippering, blowdrying, cross checking, texturising, razoring, blending, and fashion blowdrying and styling.

Then, at the end of the course, you have the excitement of the formal Graduation Ceremony at Middlesex University to look forward to before you take your first steps in your new media industry career.

"I knew I wanted to go to Delamar Academy from the age of 16, and it was one of the best decisions I have ever made. Delamar have helped me to find work and make contacts both during and after the course. I assisted one of the tutors, Tracey Lee, on a TV show called 'Episodes' during the last term of the course, and I learnt so much and also made some amazing contacts. After the course, Delamar helped me work with another tutor, Lisa Hilton, on a pilot for a new TV show, in which we had to set and style 8 Marie Antoinette wigs with a modern twist. I have also done many other jobs, such as music videos that have appeared on MTV and am currently working part-time in a studio providing make-up for Pineapple Dance Studios and album covers for singers. I couldn't have done any of this without Delamar's help.The reputation of Delamar is second to none and I have many people telling me how lucky I am to have trained there. Thank you for everything! "

Stacey Holman

Where you'll learn it

The light and airy classrooms of Delamar Academy are located within the world-famous Ealing Studios in West London. (You can learn more about Ealing Studios itself on our Get in touch page or on the Ealing Studios site itself.)

In our spacious classrooms, you'll have your own personal workstation - including professional lighting and equipment. A large prosthetics workshop is based on site at Ealing Studios. Ealing Studios is home to a number of other companies that form a real media community, with visual effects, production, editing, outside broadcast, and record companies all represented. There is also a Film School, which offers a first step in studio experience for our own students when they work on graduate films.

How to apply

Although no experience in make-up or hairdressing is needed, there are two requirements for entry to the course:

You must have 5 GCSE passes and 1 A level (or equivalent - see below). These should be at grades A to C and include English.
All students must be at least 18 years old.

In addition, if English is not your first language you must have a good standard of spoken English (equivalent to IELTS 6).

Equivalent qualifications accepted by Middlesex University in place of an A level include: