“To get the blood to look more realistic, you can take a step back and splatter it with your hands, but it’s gonna get messy,” said Denise Garza, a Del Mar College alumna who was was on campus to show off her zombie makeup and artistry skills on Oct. 29.
Garza gave guests a glimpse into the supernatural world of zombie makeup and artistry, and also critiqued assistant professor Shara Haghjoo-Moghadam’s theatrical makeup students’ first attempt at prosthetic makeup application.
“I feel very honored when I get asked to present my work and do demos in front of students. I love every bit of it and being able to show tips and tricks to the students,” said Garza, who graduated from Del Mar College in 2014. “I explain to them that if I can pursue this as a career they can too.”
Garza, who has always wanted to do makeup, thinks back to when she looking at different schools for the opportunity to learn how to do makeup. Haghjoo-Moghadam’s theatrical makeup class at Del Mar College caught her eye.
Photos by Veronica Barrera/Foghorn
DMC student Emilie Alaniz prepares her makeup for the DRAM 1341 application presentation.
“From then on, I made up my mind,” Garza said, recalling that the special effects part is what grabbed her attention the most. That was the only makeup course being offered at that time, and was a perfect fit to strike her interest.
Garza, who is pursuing her BS in biomedical studies specializing in forensics at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, is mostly self-taught.
“It’s a lot of researching and trial and error. To this day I am still teaching myself a lot of things,” she said.
Garza is looking forward to completing her education at A&M-CC and continuing her makeup artistry as she pursues a career with her biomedical studies degree.
She also enjoys getting together with photographers for photo-shoots. She admits that seeing her work published in magazines still feels like a dream, saying, “Sometimes I can’t believe that’s my work … when I actually see it published in magazines in front of me.”
“I am very proud of Denise’s hard work,” Haghjoo-Moghadam said. “I am honored to be her mentor she has continued to grow as an artist beyond her makeup class as a student here at DMC and continues to perfect her skill as an artist.”
Guest professional makeup artist Denise Garza critiques Natalie Carrasco’s makeup application.
Garza has worked with many local photographers and even photographers from out of the area like Raven Red Photography based out of San Antonio and Obscuri from Dallas. Garza’s photos have been published in numerous magazines including Necro Girls, Deadly Dessert, Blood Magazine and Visual Artistry. Her latest work was published in February in BeauNU Magazine. Garza’s professional level skills have gained her a contact with the agency Design Fashion House, expected to begin in 2016.
Garza also won the Makeup Artist of the Year Award in 2012 for RAW: Natural Born Artist in San Antonio. Garza was the lead makeup artist for Fright Night Haunted House in Corpus Christi for three years.
You can find more of Garza’s work at facebook.com/zombiequeenfx or on Instagram at zombie_queen_fx12.
For more information on DRAM 1341 Makeup and DRAM 1342 Introduction to Costume for spring 2016 contact Haghjoo-Moghadam at 698-1617 or shaghjoo@delmar.edu.
Everyone is invited to view the student showcase of a project called The Forgotten Galaxies – EXILE on Tuesday Dec 1 from 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm in the Bartlett Theatre Fine Arts.
