In the Press

As featured in Warpaint Magazine

"Cheraine Bell herself has been in the industry for twenty years. During this time she has worked with many artists on films, television and numerous commercials. Some of the names include Spike Milligan, John Cleese, John Hurt, James Wilby, Steve Martin, Jim Davidson, Michael Caine and Michael Palin. Cheraine has her teaching qualification and assessors certificate (NVQ) but also employs ex-BBC and Thames Television makeup artists, NVQ assessors and other guest professionals, in order to continue the high success rate that she has had with previous students. Brushstroke ensures that all of its lecturers are active within the industry, advocating the use of lecturers only appropriate to the subject i.e. the fashion course is only taught by a fashion makeup artist, SFX by a special effects artist and so on.

Unusually the school does not offer open days preferring to encourage prospective students to visit the school when a course is running as this allows them to see for themselves the way subjects are taught and they have the opportunity to speak to students on the course and pick their brains. This is followed by an informal interview designed to ensure prospective students understand the role they are training or retraining for.

Students are allowed to be released for short work placements by the Brushstroke Agency and then encouraged to return and cover those subjects missed. The school offers an open door policy to established makeup artists to see for themselves the training and comment on it for the furtherance of quality.

The students have access to a professional photographer who works alongside Brushstroke to ensure that students leave with a high quality portfolio that is acceptable to the fashion, television and film industry.

The four month full time media makeup course is intensive tutoring designed to input as much theoretical information as possible, while offering complete hands on training to instill confidence in any situation. The course covers all areas of makeup for film, television, stage, special effects, studio conduct, basic hair and dressing of period styles. The syllabus will also include a full insight into the art of wig making and dressing. This enables the trainee to decide whether to specialise in a particular subject or to become a competent all rounder.

Other courses include the three month intensive full time high fashion makeup course aimed at perfecting the techniques required to produce high fashion, photographic and catwalk makeups rather than concentrating on any one specific look. This allows students to maximise any artistic flair yet keeping them within the necessary guidelines. The course also sets out to make the students fully aware of the correlation that exists between clothing and set design. Such things as seasonal colours and the latest fashion aspects are explored fully.

The nine month professional makeup and hair course has no academically structured term times (which would otherwise make the course a one year duration) to ensure that the teaching is constant and uninterrupted as students can lose concentration by having summer, autumn, winter and spring terms. Students gain the benefit of extended practicing hours, hands on every day as well as covering additional techniques. Additionally, spending nine months within a television and film studio means that students have the opportunity to build potential contacts, and experience what it is like to be within this working environment. The courses in the main are practically based although there is a small amount of research required for the script breakdown and budgeting elements.

The only national qualifications implemented by Skillset along with the Open University as a way of standardising practices though formal assessment in the industry. Brushstroke is a qualified assessment centre and a number of its lecturers are a qualified assessors. Unlike others, this means that Brushstroke is required by its licensing body to maintain its quality in teaching.

Brushstroke also operates as agency which is there solely for the benefit of the students it trains, with work placements in everything from expenses only (for experience) to contracted positions. The Agency averages three placements per week.

The Brushstroke shop offers most products available and is a great help to those not wanting to travel into London. Theres is a mail order service. Brands include Animated International, Ben Nye, Joe Blasco and Visiora amongst others. As well as the shop there is the Professional Wig Department supplying a very large selection of wigs for both rent or buy, face paints, SFX makeup materials, flight case makeup boxes, professional sable brushes and various styles of on-set bags. The collection of over 300 hair lace and acrylic wigs of various shapes, sizes and colours are available for daily or weekly hire. Students on the courses also have the ability to practice dressing quality lace wigs that they would not normally experience until they are established in the industry."