This gives a new meaning to face painting! Make-up artist who transforms herself into celebrities, including footballers from the World Cup Squad
- Always artistic, Maria used to paint her children’s faces
- Maria only uses paint and her natural talent to create celebrity faces
- Method is unusual as does not use any prosthetic materials
- Set up a website and her looks went viral
- Been asked to give talks and teach master classes around the world
- Would love to work behind the scenes in Hollywood productions
A London mother-of-two has the ability to transform herself into practically any person or creature using purely make-up.
In support of England’s first match at the world cup, Maria Malone-Guerbaa even turned herself into Wayne Rooney and World Cup goal-scoring footballer Daniel Sturridge.
Maria used only make-up and face paints to create the illusion of Sturridge and Rooney on her face.
In support of England’s debut at the world cup, Maria turned herself into Wayne Rooney (left) and World Cup goal-scoring footballer Daniel Sturridge (right)
Creating the image of Nelson Mandela (top left) on her own face (bottom right) requires painstaking layering and shading, as seen in these pictures
Maria (left) often uses herself as a model, managing to transform her face and even her body (right)
She is also able to give herself a picture-perfect likeness of other famous faces including A-list stars Angeline Jolie, Morgan Freeman and The Queen.
After putting her passion on hold when she had her family, the 40-year-old’s work has become a hit after she put it online.
Maria, who lives with husband Billy and children Sophia, 12, and Adam, 10, has since been invited to teach at a prestigious make-up event in Miami in 2015.
What makes her face painting technique so unusual, is that unlike other special effects make up artists, she does not rely on any prosthetic materials to create her ‘faces’.
Maria only uses paint and her natural talent to create celebrity faces, footballers, zombies, 3D effects and even gory cuts.
Maria as Angelina Jolie’s Maleficent from the cent hit film. She creates all her looks without using any prosthetics
The Monarch is recreated in incredible detail by the mother-of-two using just face paint and make-up
Unsurprisingly once Maria had posted her transformations into famous celebrity like Bob Marley, they soon went viral
As soon as she set up her make up page, her lifelike face painting went viral on Facebook.
Maria’s transformations, which have become known as ‘famous faces’ to her fans, also caught the eye of the International Make Up Artist Trade Show- commonly known as IMATS, who have invited her to be a guest speaker this summer.
The make up artist, who is originally from Limerick, has always had a talent and passion for art, and particularly enjoyed pencil drawing and charcoal sketches as a child.
After finishing school she applied to Limerick Art College, however Maria ended up turning down her place.
What makes Maria’s face painting technique so unusual, is that unlike other special effects make up artists, she does not rely on any prosthetic materials to create her ‘faces’
She explains: ‘I felt at the time that there wasn’t anywhere for me to go with what I wanted to do, I didn’t want to be a standard artist. I loved special effects, particularly body and face art.
‘I went to find out about it but there was literally nowhere in Limerick or Ireland that specialised in that kind up of make up art.’
Feeling frustrated she decided to move to London. Within three weeks she met her husband and together they have opened a line of cafe’s in the city.
Focusing on business and having two young children, Maria wasn’t left with much time to focus on her art. When she turned 33, she decided that it was time she invested in her talents.
She enrolled in Christine Blundell’s make up academy, which is based in Camden.
Maria, who lives with husband Billy and children Sophia, 12, and Adam, 10, has been invited to teach at a prestigious make-up event in Miami in 2015
Each transformation, like this one of Jack Nickleson in The Shining, takes up to four hours to create and requires tiny brushes to do the intricate lines
It wasn’t long before word of Maria’s skills spread and she was working at the Barbican on a play called The City Of Angels.
Soon after, she began working on BBC’s Switch and Channel Four production Horrible Histories.
‘I had to do the make up for one of Henry VIII’s wives, Katherine Howard. It was after she was beheaded so I had to make her look like she was dead, and as though she has been decapitated.’
The budding make up artist had not really explored face painting at this stage, until she was approached by a mother at one of her children’s school. She had heard that Maria was a make up artist and asked her to help out at the school’s summer fete.
‘I was practicing on the children at home but they used to get bored so that’s why I started painting my own face.
‘I would go up to the kitchen and start painting, it developed over the years, going from this level to the next and now people asking how did I learn to paint like this?
‘The famous faces are my favourite because they’ve made me very popular they went viral on Facebook which was a shock. People were messaging me from around the world, it was mad.
‘Then the make up world and face painting world started talking to me, and people in Miami called the World Face and Body Painting Association,’ says Maria.
Maria says that although she would love to work behind the scenes in Hollywood productions, she will wait a few years as she is very dedicated to being close to her children as they grow up
The association got in touch with Maria at the end of last summer, after seeing her famous faces creations on Facebook and invited her to this year’s event. Maria and her husband Billy flew for over a week.
So that really spurred me on thinking I am doing something different, because to me I just thought I was clowning around.
Morgan Freeman and Elvis went viral and then I decided to do more and more famous faces. They take me about four hours to do as they are very detailed, and I literally use the smallest brush – an eyeliner brush,’ says Maria.
The Fabiac Face & Body Art International Event was held in May this year and the organisation asked her to be a special guest and teach some classes at the event in 2015.
Maria, here transforming herself into Freddie Mercury, hopes to arrange to teach classes in the UK and Holland, and prepare for her classes at the Fabiac Face and Body Art International Event in Miami next year
She is currently sponsored by Superstar face paints who are based in Holland and Face Paint UK.
They provide her with the paints she needs and both have asked her to teach classes to their students.
Maria decided to wait until she had visited Miami and watched how others teach, before leading her own classes.
Maria says: ‘It’s a different ballgame and I want to do it the right way. Superstar said just be yourself, and I did see that in Miami. Everybody was very relaxed and doing demos and asking questions.’
‘My aim right now is to teach there next year in 2015. But I might start this year at some workshops in Holland and the UK. I just have to fit it in with the children. It’s doable.’
Maria says that although she would love to work behind the scenes in Hollywood productions, she will wait a few years before applying for those roles as she is very dedicated to being close to her children as they grow up.
Maria’s skill have led to work for the Barbican on a play called The City Of Angels and the BBC’s Switch and Channel Four production Horrible Histories (left: Marylin Monroe skull look, right: Morgan Freeman)
‘I don’t feel comfortable about leaving them for months -which is how long it would be if I was working on a film.
‘I would also love to work in England or London, which is why I tried the West End shows. I thought I could do something while I’m still near home.’
The talented artist is extremely excited to present her work at the International Make Up Artist Trade Show (IMATS) in London this June.
IMATS is renowned for inviting the best make up artists in the world.
‘It’s a huge compliment; they even said they will put my Superstar paints out while they develop theirs. So they asked if I can bring some of my own- that’s in a few weeks time.’
However most of the FX make up artists they work with mainly use prosthetics to create their looks, in contrast to Maria who only relies on face paints.
It is not just faces that Maria is skilled at creating, with creatures, mystical beasts and even animals like this cat being within her artistic range
‘I wanted to see how far I could get being an illusionist without using prosthetics, so I got a kick when I went to do face painting and someone asked if the nose was glued on.
‘And I could say no it’s all paint, and then people asked for tutorial so then I started doing those. That made it even more popular because people could see that I was just drawing it on,” adds the artist.
After IMATS, Maria hopes to arrange to teach classes in the UK and Holland, and prepare for her classes at the Fabiac Face & Body Art International Event in Miami next year.
Maria is currently sponsored by The Face Painting shop and Superstar face paints. She says they have both been extremely supportive of her work and of all their artists.
She explains that The Face Painting shop introduced her to the world of body painting and helped her put her video tutorials on Youtube.
The make up artist explains: ‘What I would like to do at the moment is teach, I think that would make me happy.
‘I thought about one day working as a teacher in a make up academy, but when you are freelance you get to do a lot of different things, which suits me because I bore easily.
‘If I became better known then I would love to give back more to London, but I wouldn’t say no to anything.’
For more information and to view more of Maria’s make up designs and video tutorials:
Maria’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/MakeUpArtistMariaMaloneGuerbaa/
Instagram: http://instagram.com/mariamalone1122
Source: | Dailymail.co.uk
