Shauna, who studied Level 3 Creative Makeup for Fashion, Film and Theatre, returned to Stockton Riverside College to share her expertise with our current students.

The 23-year-old first came to the College to assist her mother, who works in public services, in running a simulated terror attack workshop. It was at this event that 14-year-old Shauna gained an insight into the world of special effects makeup and her experience made a lasting impression.

She said, “When it came to looking at colleges, I knew I wanted to focus on developing my makeup artistry and special effects skills and this was the only course in the area that offered what I was looking for.”

For Shauna, who grew up and lived in Washington, that meant 4am starts every day to make it into college on time for her classes.

She continued, “Studying creative makeup at Stockton Riverside College was great and taught me about the importance of developing a good kit and portfolio as well as professional hygiene standards, which is knowledge I still use in the industry today.

“A personal highlight of my time here was definitely recreating Mystique’s look from XMen. I really enjoy body painting and working on prosthetic burns and injuries so a project like that was perfect for me!”

Since leaving the College, Shauna has gained a degree in special effects makeup design and prosthetics from Grimsby Institute and has gone on to work for Animated Extras, making corpses for the upcoming blockbuster, Gladiator (2024).

Now, she is in the process of opening her own studio, Dark Divinity, and hopes to continue her special effects work across film and television.