A makeup artist who has gone viral for his impeccable transformations into Disney characters and pieces of art revealed what inspires him for his beauty looks.
California-based freelance makeup artist Richard Schaefer, 25, has garnered more than 245,000 fans online who look forward to his stunning transformations into popular characters and artwork. In an interview, Richard explained how he chooses his makeup looks and what inspires his beauty transformations.' I am very inspired by Rococo art, Baroque art, and the pre-Raphaelites,' the makeup artist explained. His attraction to art in the 17th and 18th century has resulted in makeup looks that mirror painting. 'I am also inspired by the Victorian era as well as the 1920s,' he said. Richard will look to the artwork from those time periods, or even scour the Internet, to see if something sparks his interest for an upcoming design. Besides his attraction to artwork, Richard has also sought inspiration from Disney and fictional characters. Popular characters he has done in the last year include Ariel from The Little Mermaid, Kiernan Shipka as Sabrina Spellman in Netflix's The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, Belle from Beauty and the Beast, and Clara from The Nutcracker. Each makeup look will take Richard about 30 minutes to an hour to complete, depending on the complexity of the transformation. One of his favourite projects as of late was when he transformed into a mermaid for a photoshoot along the water. 'I got to take photos in freezing water but I had a ball doing so,' Richard said.
Richard's commitment to his transformations shows as he will often don wigs and full outfits, and may even cover his entire body in makeup for the look. Certain photoshoots also entail using props and shooting on different sites to fully transform into the character. 'It’s pretty awesome seeing how many people choose to see my art and follow it,' Richard said, whose love for makeup first started at 17 years old when he dabbled with beauty products. Although there are hundreds of thousands of people following his work, this doesn't pressure Richard into changing what he wants to share. 'I share what I like and move along,' the artist said. 'I create for myself and no one else, and if people like what I do and want to support me, that’s an added plus.' Social media has become a prominent medium for makeup artists like Richard to share their work with people around the world. 'I definitely think social media has changed the makeup industry,' he said. 'It’s amazing seeing all the talent on my feed.'
