Auguste the Clown Webinar With Adam Schill

In this webinar, owner of ClownAntics.com, Blake Cabot, sits down with clown extraordinaire, Adam Schill, to talk about Auguste the clown makeup, also known as light clown makeup.

In recent years, exaggerated clown makeup has taken a backseat, and in its stead, a lighter clown makeup, or Auguste the clown makeup, has taken center stage. 

Adam talks about Lee Andrews, (a clown from Georgia), who does a lot of festivals and shows, who does not wear any clown makeup, but rather just a nose, glasses, and hat. That is a nice, light look, that people can relate to more.

Bright, red noses are also taking a back seat, with the emergence of more realistic, flesh-toned clown noses, that give a whimsical look. 

With the emergence of the It movies, where clowns are portrayed negatively, regular clowns have lost their ability to market themselves. People are now "afraid" of clowns, or so they think, due to all the media hype over scary clowns. Because of this, clowns are no longer marketing themselves as clowns, but rather, "children's entertainers". 

Luckily, all is not lost! Adam says that he's only had a very small handful of children who were scared by his appearance, but other than that, business has been going well. Kids and adults love his look, and he hasn't noticed any changes.

Creating an Auguste the Clown Look AKA Light Clown

Adam always starts his look off with a clean face and a smooth application of base makeup (foundation). This helps give skin a smooth, clean look, and also corrects any redness or imperfections you may have on the skin. 

It's also a good idea to apply foundation because the rest of the makeup will glide on easier, and also have more staying power.

The Base:

Adam likes to use a Mehron Cream Blend stick in Warm Honey or Soft Beige. He dabs the foundation directly onto his face, and uses two fingers to gently blend it into the skin, making sure to cover the entire face, including eyelids and neck. 

He suggests choosing a foundation that's one shade darker than your skin color so that the rest of the makeup can pop a little. 

The Cheeks:

The next thing he does is get a little red and dot it onto his hand, and mix it in with the flesh tone to rosy up the cheeks, without making it too red. This is another
reason for putting on the base foundation.

At this point, he has toned down white paint on this eyelids, and red cheeks. He just goes up to his natural eyebrows. You can go higher, but with lighter faces, it's more toned down, and you  just don't want a big impact.

Powder & Lipstick

You should also apply powder to the white paint so that it doesn't leave a crease in the eyelids and so that it stays on for a longer time.

He then draws over his eyebrows with a black Mehron pencil to accentuate them.

Adam likes to use black lipstick instead of red, because it stands out a little bit better. He also does not like to do pips (the little circles around the mouth to give expression), but only does the bottom middle of the lip. 

For powdering, Adam uses a (clean) sock filled with powder that he dabs all over his face, once his look is completely finished. To remove any leftover residue, he'll use a brush over his face.

The Nose:

For the nose, you can go a few different routes. In this video, Adam tries on several different clown noses. A matte finish nose goes great with this light clown look because it's not too shiny or bright. Bright and shiny clown noses don't work too well for a light clown look.

One of his favorite noses is an old Schnattlacher nose, but unfortunately, they do not make them anymore. The reason his loves this nose is because it molds perfectly to his own, making it appear that much more natural and lighter.

In the end, Adam decides to go with a ProKnows nose, which he painted a darker red with a flat finish. 

To complete the look, Adam dons a blue hat, as he prefers hats over wigs. 

Q&A From Our Viewers:

Why use a foundation?

Adam says that using a foundation will make your skin look more smooth, and will even out your skin tone. The white makeup will also go on much easier, and won't appear so bright, which is what you're looking for in an Auguste look. 

"What about the ears? For stage production, I always had to put base on the ears."

Adam usually doesn't apply base (foundation) to the ears. If you have really red ears and they bother you, you can apply base, but it's not necessary. If you're doing a stage  production, it's a good idea because of the lighting. But for a birthday party or hospital visit, ears aren't really noticeable.

Do you ever do a white face clown makeup?

Although Adam has never gone out in white face, he has tried it a few times, but it's just not his persona. White face clowns have a more A-type personality, and his persona, Auguste, is more laid-back and happy-go-lucky. 

"What kind of paint do you use?"

For white, Ben Nye Clown White. For flesh tone, Mehron Cream Blend. For black (eyebrows, eye area, mouth area), Adam likes Mehron pencils, but unfortunately, they do not make them anymore.

"Clown makeup looks so much like acrylic"

You should never use acrylic makeup on your face. It's actually very dangerous, and the same reason why a face painter wouldn't use acrylic paints.

Acrylic is very hard to get off the skin, pulls on hair and it's not easy to remove at all.

"Do you blend red on chin or between the eyes?"

You can do whatever you want, but since he usually has a goatee and sideburns, he does not. For this webinar though, and to show the Auguste look, Adam shaved it all off.

"Do you ever use glue for your nose?"

Adam actually finds that toupee tape works best for a clown nose, and that's what he uses on a regular basis. 

He also uses ProKnows Super Stick Double Sided Tape, which does a fantastic job of keeping the nose on. 

"Do you flesh tone the string of the nose?"

He uses beading elastic,which looks like fishing line, but is very stretchy, and
you can get it at Walmart.

"How do u devise new skits or gags?"

Adam doesn't really do skits or gags, He is more into magic tricks and balloon twisting. 

From all of us here at ClownAntics.com, we'd like to thank Adam Schill for participating in this webinar, and thank you to all who watched on Facebook Live and Zoom. Stay tuned for more webinars!