How Do I Start Clowning? Makeup Essentials, part 3 - the red nose of a clown | clown ministry

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Clowning Tutorial - clown make-up essentials - clown noses for your clown face

Welcome back! So far, we’ve talked a little bit about some of the underlying concepts of clown make-up in Part 1, and the basics of applying clown make-up in Part 2. Now we’re going to address some of the other remaining ‘pieces.’

Probably the first facial feature that people associate with a clown face is the red nose. Bear in mind that you don’t need to be enslaved by that expectation; there are many Whiteface clowns that have just a red ‘dot’ of make-up on their nose, and many more that have no red nose at all. Likewise, Tramp and Hobo clowns don’t necessarily need one (think of Red Skelton‘s Freddy the Freeloader, or Captain Kangaroo‘s Downtown Clown). In fact, there are Auguste clowns who avoid it also (Cooky from WGN-TV‘s Bozo the Clown TV show comes to mind).

Having said all of that, if you want to wear a red nose, if it fits your character, go right ahead! There are plenty of clown noses available—see a list of clown noses from CostumesByBetty.net, run by Betty ‘PeeWee’ Cash. I’ll include a list of other reputable merchants at the end of this article—Betty simply had her catalog of ‘ProKnows’ noses on one page, making it easy to ‘comparison shop.’

Ellen Raymond as Goofy Grape—note that her Jim Howle nose does not cover her nostrils at all—free to breathe! Please note that there are noses in virtually all shapes and sizes. And the noses on this page are all from one manufacturer—ProNose (by Leon “Buttons” McBryde) is one of the foremost, but there are many others. For example, my wife & and had our noses handmade by Jim Howle at Clown Camp 1998, and they have a special feature that I like over the ProNose models; rather than covering the nostrils, Jim’s noses sit on top of your natural nose—they never get in the way of breathing, which I like for when I inflate balloon animals by mouth.

In addition to the nose, you’ll need some type of glue to hold it on (unless it’s held in place by a string). I strongly recommend that you do not use epoxy for your clown nose—it holds well, but can lead to tearing of the skin when removing it—which can lead to scarring. I recommend either Buttons‘ nose glue (I use it & recommend it myself), Jim Howle‘s, or any other reputable supplier.

In the same way, there are many excellent manufacturers of clown make-up, with white, ‘flesh’ red, blue, green, etc. in a variety of shades. These include (but are in no way limited to) Kryolan, Mehron, ProNose, Ben Nye, Jim Howle, etc. I strongly recommend that you establish a relationship with your local dealer (if you’re fortunate enough to have one near; if not, through a mail-order or Internet dealer that will take the time to answer your questions)—let them know you, know your needs, and supply what you need.

Next time, we’ll follow up with some final notes on clown make-up, and get ready to move on to costuming. See you then!

Bibliography

Strutter’s Complete Guide to Clown Makeup
Be A Clown, by Turk Pipkin (or order it from Amazon UK or order it used from Half.com)
Creative Clowning by Bruce Fife, Tony Blanco, Steve Kissell, Bruce Johnson, Ralph Dewey, Hal Diamond, Jack Wiley, Gene Lee (or order it from Amazon UK or order it used from Half.com)
How to be a Compleat Clown, by Toby Sanders (or order it from Amazon UK or used from Half.com)