Also called: Prosthetic Makeup Artist, SFX Makeup Artist, Creature Designer
Creates realistic prosthetics, creatures, wounds, and aging effects using sculpting and silicone.
A special makeup effects artist casts an actor's head in plaster, sculpts a monster face on top, molds it in silicone, and spends four hours gluing and painting it on for shoot day.
Approximate; top creature shops' leads earn much more.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Certificate, about 2 years after high school. Specialized makeup effects schools (e.g., Cinema Makeup School) and years in an FX shop.
Ways in: Certification, On-the-job training, Self-taught. Training cost: Under $15k.
Majors to look at: Makeup Artistry, Sculpture, Fine Arts.
Growing about average. Practical effects remain in demand for horror and fantasy.
Low risk for 10 years. AI and 3D scans speed sculpting, but building and applying silicone prosthetics on actors stays hands-on.
Classes: Art (sculpture), Chemistry, Biology (anatomy), Theater tech crew.
Official data: O*NET occupation 39-5091.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.