Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1546047
34 • THE ARTISAN FALL 2026 ups is when they are all ready—in the costume, make-up, wig/hair ... all of it. Then you just see them off camera hanging out or doing normal things like getting crafty, checking their phones, or having a smoke. Those moments are just so surreal and genuinely funny. The Amazing Race clown make-ups were that moment on this season. Just Jean Smart, Kaitlin Olson, Property Brothers, Trisha Paytas, and Jordan Firstman amongst others … all done up in a clown make-up and costume, walking around and interacting as normal ... hilarious. Working on a comedy series, you really never know what to expect. Some days it was beauty, other days it was character or special effects. We never knew what the next script would ask of us or what the showrunners would throw in for fun. That's part of what made the season so exciting. One thing I loved about leading this department was watching everyone's individual artistry come together. Each one of us brought something different to the table, and it made collaborating and adapting to requests something we could nail every day. The Amazing Race clown make-up Ann Dowd as an Andorian and Jean Smart make-up because they're completely invested in the character, then we have done our job well. Working with Hannah was an absolute joy. She is hilarious, personable, and has this uncanny ability to make everyone around her feel like family. Jean was exactly the same. Both created an incredibly welcoming atmosphere on set. We had quite a few fun make-ups this season with one of them being the Andorian (Ann Dowd) make-up from the convention episode. Veronica blocked out her brows, airbrushed her all shades of blue and brought the character to life. With the help of our incredible hair team, we worked together to figure out how to get the antennae through the wig without flopping all over the place. It was such a fun character and watching Ann Dowd in blue andorian make-up smoke a cig while giving Deborah Vance fan advice was also a real treat to see. Our third, Veronica Rodarte, always did spectacular work, often in ways you'd never even be able to tell. Just one example is when she hand-laid a mustache on the antiques seller for episode five, which had to match from a previous season. No one on the set knew the mustache was fake. The season was full of funny moments like this on and off the camera. The AI episode where Jimmy and Kayla get bed bugs was another favorite. Creating the bites on them was a fun challenge in and of itself but filming the hotel room scene was even better. There were so many of us hiding inside the small bathroom during the take because there wasn't enough room for us anywhere else. Make-up, sound, camera—all crammed together in this small space, trying our best not to laugh while Paul and Meg killed the scene as always. One thing that always gets me on any set with character make-