Carly Watson

A simple Q&A with a talented makeup artist from Iowa City
by Annalise Castro

Fools: How did you get involved with makeup art?

Carly: I actually just started getting involved with makeup art early this year. I randomly decided to take a makeup design class through the university last spring and fell in love with this form of art. I’ve always been a makeup fan but this just took it to the next level.

F: Where do you find your inspiration? 

C: Usually from other forms of art like paintings, drawings, and prints or other makeup artists.

 F: Describe your process for each look. 

C: I free hand everything usually starting out painting my face white using a water activated body paint. I usually proceed to roughly sketch out the design on my face using an eyeliner pencil and then go in with eye shadows for color. The more 3D looks use cotton balls, liquid latex, and sometimes scar wax to achieve the looks I create. I also tend to use fake blood in a lot of my guises. Each look can take anywhere from two to fifteen hours. It usually depends on if I know what I'm going for.

 F: What do you want to do in Iowa City before you graduate? 

C: It'd be cool to paint one of the benches downtown.

F: You'll be graduating soon, do you have a senior year bucket list?

C: I do not but if I did it would probably entail eating at every restaurant in Iowa City at least once.

F: What do you appreciate most about art in Iowa City? 

C: I like how art is everywhere here. I admire how it decorates the city so beautifully.

F: Imagine you're a famous makeup artist who can work on any movie set, television show, or Broadway production you wish. Which set would you love to be a part of?

C: Any horror movie set, I’d love to make a crazy monster or alien.

F: If one of your makeup looks had to be permanently tattooed on your body, which would you choose? 

C: None. I would look totally ridiculous! But if I had to… probably one of my skull looks, that’d be a pretty crazy tattoo but I think I could rock it.