I had the honour and was allowed to give an interview for a well-known makeup artist in Hungary, named DETTI PETŐ.
You can find the original link » HERE « (in Hungarian).
The translated interview:
I met Adam Seres in my face chart workshop and was already very enthusiastic about his talent and professional humility. Since then, we have followed each other’s professional path and I can honestly write that Adam is one of my students whom I can rightly be proud of with all my heart. After the face chart workshop I received several works of art from him and today amazing charts prove his talent.
“… when the word art is given a real meaning.”
Adam, can you tell us something about the Face Chart workshop?
First – I hope I can speak for everyone – I am very grateful that you were the first to start this workshop in Hungary. Face chart is an art form in which we design with makeup products on a special drawing sheet. During the two days that I spent with you, I not only learned the basics of face chart, but also gained a comprehensive new knowledge of this world that I think every beginner should learn and every makeup teacher should include in his teaching.
What does this particular art form mean, and what does it give you?
It is very difficult to answer this question, but I will try to summarize on the level of my feelings what this art form means to me. I am definitely lost in it and loosened up, regardless of whether it is a face chart or even makeup. I can get lost in this world and I just feel good in it. For me this is the branch of art in which I experience the infinity of art. This activity completely relaxes me. I can sit over a chart for hours to get the most out of my ideas.
It is no question that there is a lot of practice and work behind your work. What is your motivation?
Thank you for the praise, as the saying goes: “Practice makes perfect”. My current motivation is mainly to take advantage of the opportunities offered by the pandemic, such as the amount of free time I have at my disposal. Unfortunately, I can’t work on the faces of some models right now, so I put my ideas on paper and as soon as the situation allows, I’ll be able to draw my charts on real faces.
What advice would you give to people who still want to master the technique of face chart?
In any case, that they should! There is nothing to lose and development is guaranteed! For example, if you can practice symmetry on a piece of paper, it will work smoothly on a model’s face too! I would also like to add that I also started from scratch and found the face charts more and more enjoyable when I saw my development through all the practice. I suggest that you either get inspiration from social media or objects or other face chart artists, and when the inspiration comes, grab a brush and paint because no one can take away the love of creating your work! If you made a mistake, don’t worry, keep going because you learn from it. It’s definitely a game of patience, but believe me, it’s worth getting involved, especially the feeling of satisfaction at the end!
By the way, if already satisfaction, when are you satisfied?
Almost never (he laughs – the editor). I always find something inappropriate in my work, even if someone else is completely satisfied with it. I don’t think this would be a problem, it motivates me more to develop myself and get the best out of my work. Furthermore, I always want to be better than I already am!
As far as I know, you work as a makeup artist, but also studied as an SFX makeup artist. What are the fundamental differences between the two professions? Which of the two is true love for you?
Yes that’s right. I can’t say which one the true love is, I wouldn’t make a big difference because I love both professions equally. It’s more about what motivation I have at the moment of creating, what is moving me. I also studied as an SFX makeup artist, or rather said the basics of the subject, because I wanted to continue in my job and develop the skills that I had learned so far in order to get even more out of myself.
As far as I currently know, as a young career entrant, I would say that the two professions come from the same core. In order to become an SFX makeup artist, one must first learn as a makeup artist, but the principles are very different in the two directions. As a makeup artist, the focus is mainly on beauty, perfection and colour range, i.e. beauty makeup, makeup for fashion shows, photo shoots, etc. In contrast, the SFX makeup artist work is more complex and consists of several elements, just to name a few to mention: hair work such as: hairdressing activities, moustache or beard making; use or manufacture of prosthetics or masks. In addition, basic anatomical knowledge is also very important, since such small things are of great importance in the production of horror or special effects makeup, whether the blood flows or thumps or the direction of flow in the case of a cut or stab wound.
As a male, you work in a female occupation. How do you experience that? What challenges do you face?
This is a very actual question, thank you for asking it. So far, because of my gender, I have not experienced anything negative in this female occupation. Of course, I’ve noticed I’m getting more attention than I’d like: who is this guy, what can he do? How does he apply the makeup, and why like that? Obviously there are differences between the female and the male sex, but I don’t value it. I can say that my views as a male makeup artist are different from those of my female colleagues. This leads to many situations in which they ask me for advice, and I am happy to help or show you a different perspective. Their opinions, feedback and professional advice are just as important to me.
I see it as a challenge to wear makeup – I work in a profession where looks are important, but personally I don’t like to combine this with wearing makeup on myself. There are men who like that – and I’m thinking of extreme makeup –, if they feel good with makeup and feel complete that way, then let them do it – that’s a good thing, but I want to point out that just because someone is not part of this group, that still makes them a good makeup artist. Of course, I pay attention to my daily facial cleansing, because it is important for me to have a well-groomed appearance and also to leave a good impression on my guests.
I consider myself to be gender-neutral, so I don’t give an attention of who, what gender does which profession. It is important to me that the person does it well and loves it! So, if you’re a man and this has been keeping you from getting the right spin on makeup; if it is really important to you, don’t hesitate, start it and get the best out of yourself! I recommend this advice to everyone else, regardless of gender! 😊
© Pető Detti
