What the work involves, what it pays, and grounded tasks, skills, tools, and experience you can choose from.
Also called body make up artist, character artist, commercial makeup artist and eyelash artist.
$97,150
Median pay a year
2,340
People do this work
6
Resume lines ready for you
Real figures for this work, and lines you can use in your own resume. Where they come from is at the foot of this page.
An example
A Theatrical and Performance Makeup Artist resume, filled in
Common skills that can help you remember what you used on the job.
Applying makeup
Reviewing production information
Designing costumes
Assessing skin and hair conditions
Cleaning tools and equipment
Cleaning equipment and supplies
Grooming wigs and hairpieces
Applying cleansing agents
Preparing operational reports
Demonstrating techniques
Teaching health practices
Managing personal services budgets
Every line comes from the same public record as the rest of this page. The greyed parts are the ones only you can answer.
Theatrical and Performance Makeup Artist
1 certification
Summary
Makeup artist applying makeup to performers to reflect the period, setting, and situation of their roles in productions, while analyzing scripts and collaborating with officials to achieve desired effects
Experience
Theatrical and Performance Makeup Artist
Where you worked
Month Year to Month Year
Applied makeup to enhance or alter the appearance of performers in productions such as movies
Duplicated work precisely to replicate characters' appearances on a daily basis
Analyzed scripts, noting events that affected each character's appearance for scene planning
Conferred with stage or motion picture officials and performers to determine desired effects
Altered or maintained makeup during productions to compensate for lighting changes or achieve continuity
Requisitioned or acquired materials for special effects, including wigs, beards, and special cosmetics
Evaluated environmental characteristics, such as venue size and lighting plans, to determine makeup requirements
Skills
Hands-On Work
Applying makeup, Cleaning tools and equipment, Cleaning equipment and supplies, Grooming wigs and hairpieces
Designing costumes, Assessing skin and hair conditions
Open to
On site, Remote
Education
Certificate Your training program, Year
Certifications & Licenses
State license for this work Your state board, Year
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What to put on a Theatrical and Performance Makeup Artist resume
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What did you do each day?
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Cleaned makeup supplies and brushesDuplicated work to replicate character appearancesApplied makeup for productions and performancesAnalyzed scripts for character appearance detailsAltered makeup for lighting changes and continuityConferred with officials to determine desired effects
becomes
On your resume
Cleaned and maintained makeup supplies and brushes to ensure hygiene and readiness for use
Applied makeup for productions and performances, enhancing character appearances based on script details
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Add how often you cleaned and maintained supplies and brushes
The line
Cleaned and maintained makeup supplies and brushes daily before each performance to ensure hygiene and readiness for use
Add how often you cleaned and maintained supplies and brushes
Pick one that fits
Daily before each performanceSeveral times a weekEvery shift before use
Or add your own.
In your wordsAdd it
Adding it to the line…
Added to your resume
Show what improved in character portrayal because of your makeup application
The line
Applied makeup for productions and performances, enhancing character appearances based on script details
Show what improved in character portrayal because of your makeup application
Pick one that fits
Made characters more believableEnhanced emotional impact on audienceImproved overall visual storytelling
Or add your own.
In your wordsAdd it
Adding it to the line…
Added to your resume
Every ready answer is in plain words, never a figure. Nothing is invented to fill a gap.
The work itself
What a Theatrical and Performance Makeup Artist does
The public record of what this job is, in one paragraph.
Apply makeup to performers to reflect period, setting, and situation of their role.
What it pays
How much does a Theatrical and Performance Makeup Artist make?
Annual pay across the United States. The middle figure is the median: half earn less than that, and half earn more.
25th percentile
$34,530
Median
$97,150
75th percentile
$143,230
About 2,340 people do this work in the United States.
What it pays in each state
State
25th percentile
Median
75th percentile
CA
$124,800
$140,870
$143,450
DC
$68,560
$95,730
$95,730
FL
$32,910
$82,400
$150,280
GA
$100,450
$143,230
$160,190
LA
$116,510
$129,580
$131,930
NY
$96,540
$97,150
$146,200
Other names
Other names for this job
body make up artist, character artist, commercial makeup artist, eyelash artist, hair and makeup artist, lash artist, makeup artist, special effects makeup artist, special makeup effects artist, television and film makeup artist, tv and film makeup artist, makeup artists theatrical and performance.
What you can already claim as a Theatrical and Performance Makeup Artist
Below are the tasks a Theatrical and Performance Makeup Artist job is made of. Choose the ones you have really done. There is no wrong answer here, and you can change any of it later.
Which of these tasks have you actually done?
4 chosen. Rung never adds a task you did not choose.
You can already claim 4 of the 9 tasks this job is made of.
What you have not done yet. Cleaning tools and equipment, Cleaning equipment and supplies, Grooming wigs and hairpieces
Your resume, already started
Theatrical and Performance Makeup Artist
Applying makeup
Reviewing production information
Designing costumes
Assessing skin and hair conditions
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This page is about the occupation Makeup Artists, Theatrical and Performance. What this job involves and what it is made of come from O*NET 30.3, the US Department of Labor's occupation database, refreshed July 2026; Rung writes those records into the plain sentences you see. Pay comes from the Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS release for 2025. How Rung handles accuracy is on the accuracy page, and the full data credits are on the credits page.