A young Michelle Coppola learned her trade while on the road as a Marilyn Monroe impersonator. While touring the continent singing "Happy Birthday" to JFK at night, she was honing her skills as a makeup artist during the day. Fast-forward 20 years and we find Coppola very much stationary at home in Toronto running Coppola F/X Makeup Studio & Academy, servicing film and television productions and teaching would-be makeup artists the dynamics of making someone better (or worse) looking than they are.

Not to limit Ms. Coppola and her staff to just production makeup work. On the contrary, Coppola works on corporate video, theatre and music video projects, and also does makeup for stills photography shoots, weddings and more.

The special effects component of Coppola’s shop is a popular one among film, TV and commercial producers, she says. With experience doing makeup in L.A., Rome, New York and other exotic locales, she is able to depict truly gross cuts and burns, complete exhaustion or even freezing with just a few dabs of rouge, some blush and strategically placed eyeliner.

Coppola enjoys servicing commercial projects, but says it takes a very strong-willed and disciplined artist to endure a full day on set.

"When you’re working on a set there is no time to talk," she says. "Everyone is getting paid by the hour – the actors, cameramen, everyone – so it is a little bit more stressful. You also have to be very quiet on set, so once the makeup is completed always make sure you bring a book, because you can’t just start chatting. And you always have to be there to make sure you are available for powdering. You can’t leave the room and no one can speak."

The thing that truly separates Coppola’s makeup business from many others in Canada is that it doubles as a training centre for artists looking to get into the trade. Coppola and her staff have developed beginner, intermediate, advanced and special effects makeup classes.

The beginner’s course teaches students the bare essentials of makeup, from skin care and hygiene to proper blending techniques.

The special effects makeup course teaches proper techniques for slit throats, bullet wounds (both entry and exit wounds), fresh and day-old bruises, and aging, among other techniques.

An interesting element of Coppola’s business is a recently launched Web component she says is set up much like an Internet dating service for producers and artists. She says the service is the result of the many calls she receives asking her to recommend an artist for various jobs she cannot fit into her busy schedule.

"On our website we have two contact lines," she says. "One is going to be for [makeup artists] who are looking for work and the other will be for employers. Right now we are overwhelmed with calls, so this way it is more of a service where you can match up the employer with the right person for the job." *

-www.coppolafxmakeupacademy.com