5 MINUTES WITH JANE RICHARD
Janet Richard is a graduate of Microbiology from Nnamdi Azikwe University. Her Instagram handle is Jonetmake-over. As an art lover, she loves to do makeup. But instead of making women beautiful, Richard veered into something more challenging with her talent, transforming her face to look like other people. This art, that she has mastered to near perfection of famous celebrities, have left people amazed. Her consistency and repeated practice and trials is gradually turning this form of art into a promising career for Jane. USIADE ISIOMA speaks to her about her journey thus far.
What inspired you to impersonate people’s faces through make-up?
I have been talented and creative right from when I was young and that was why I started doing makeup. Combining makeup and this art is how I came about the imitation make-over.
How have you used this makeover process differently from the regular make-up artistes?
Instead of using a paper or canvas to draw, I use my face and instead of using a pencil or paint brush, I use my makeup items. The only difference is that I am drawing on my face to achieve a look while other make-up artists are drawing for beautification purposes. Mine is art, theirs is beauty.
Did you professionally learn how to do this?
No. It’s just a talent l have.
What inspired you to start imitating faces and how do you choose the faces you imitate?
I actually started this imitation makeup Art about two years ago and like I said earlier, I have always loved to be really creative in anything I do. It mustn’t always be make-up, it could be cloth item, paper, whatever I see. I pick up my makeup and explore skills by trying to find out what I can achieve. I can’t actually imitate everybody. Before I choose people to imitate, I look at the similarities. If l have similarities with that particular person, then I know I can do it but if I don’t, I try to see if it’s something I can use makeup to achieve. But there are some looks I definitely can’t even try out because I will probably need extra skin to achieve my purpose so I just leave it.
Who was the first muse you experimented with?
The first international face I imitated was that of the late Chadwick-Boseman. I did it because he died and as a big fan, l wanted to do something in remembrance of him. I used my face because I know it well enough to touch the necessary parts to achieve my purpose. Although I am still learning to use other people’s faces for this process, I am more conversant with my face as it is easier to predict the end result.
What challenges do you encounter when creating these faces?
One of the big challenges I have is that I can’t imitate all faces. If I could find a way to start using something that is not a make-up item on my face, I believe I will be able to get those harder to achieve looks. So, for now, l can only imitate people that probably have a signature look.
How many hours does it take to create these faces?
It takes me about one to three hours depending on the look. If it is an easy look, in one hour, I am done but if it is something hard, probably someone that has a lot of wrinkles on their faces, it could take me up to three hours.
With your work becoming more popular, what is your vision and where do you feel you will fit in more to showcase your art?
As my works are getting viral every day, I feel it is going to be useful in the Nollywood industry. I would love to work in Nollywood industry where if the need for a particular face arises in a role and they can’t find a befitting character for that look, I can easily use make-up to achieve what they want. Also, I would love to start up my own studio where I can also makeup people that might have interest in this and also share my knowledge to persons that have passion for art.
How has your work inspired people especially the youths who wants to learn make-up?
My work has really inspired a lot of people. Every day I get a lot of texts about how amazing my talent is and how surprising that this kind of talent exists. A lot of art lovers have also reached out to me that they want to learn. I have taught a few though I haven’t taught the imitating makeup process properly. But l I have started a beginner’s class for interested people and I will be starting up another one soon.