So  I have  chatted with some of you and posted many messages on here for a couple of years now and told all of you that I build wigs for a career.  I am fully aware that this is not a career that a lot of people run into on a regular basis. So thanx to journeygirl teaching me how to get pics on line I am going to try to post a few pics of my work so you can see what a wigmaster does.

This first one is for a teenage girl who was playing a teenage girl but had to be blonde and of course the actress was brunette, so I made her a wig.

This second wig is from the same play.  This woman was playing an African princess in a dream that one character had about being back home.  I didn't design the hair style it comes straight from some research the costume designer did but I did hand tie the entire wig on wig lace and then braided all the hair into the style.  This one took longer than most wigs did because I had to be able to part it all over the scalp to do the braids and still make it look real.

This 3rd, and final shot I will add, is from a play we did written for this actor to play Buster Keaton.  It was very cool because the whole play was done like a silent movie.  There was no spoken dialogue just supertitles up above the stage.  The actor in this photo is bald as a cue ball without my help.

 Hope this give people a clue as to what I do on a daily basis.  Thanx for looking at the pics.

Dude, I am amazed!  What talent you have.  These are intricate and look like natural growth from the scalp!  One could never tell they are wigs!!!

Thanks for sharing such a unique profession!

Wow, Dude, those are totally awesome! Thank you for posting some pics of what you actually do, it has made me appreciate the skill you must have to create something fake that looks so real! :)

 Great Stuff DD!

 I never douted you...rr

Wow, very nice.  I should have gotten you to make me a wig. :) I played Anne in "Anne of Avonlea" and of course had to die my hair red.  And we had to use some fake hair because mine wasn't long enough.  But it was just a school production so it was all good.

 WOW! DD incredible work! Great pics too! You are talented!

Wow, they all look so real! For example the girl with the blond wig, the color is great with natural light/dark tones. How did you decide to be a wigmaster? Do you have to go to drama school for that?

 Dude - those are wonderful!!  The African princess is so detailed - great job.  Thanks so much for the offer to make a fabulous and gorgeous wig for my alter ego - I am totally looking forward to receiving it soon.  Can't wait!!  You're the best!

Everyone thanx for the compliments.   It's kind of crazy but these are the kind of wigs I like doing.  People always think that the big fantasy wigs would be the most fun but I really like making the ones that go unnoticed because they just look like hair.

Seahorse, before I can build a wig for you alter ego I need to know which one we are talking about.

Fastarab,  I'm sure your hair was great for your school play.  I'm pretty sure your school would not want to foot the bill for one of the hand tied human hair wigs.  They are definitely a luxury item.

Hey Dude, awesome, but I still think the guy who played "Buster Keaton" has creepy eyes and did you ever find out why the girly at the back was heaving at the door

Perhaps you can diversify and make horsey wigs - plaits - tails - long flowing manes - big thick tails - you would make a fortune,

Very clever and yes not your average profession thats for sure!

Catchyus later

 DD, these are incrediable. How long does it take you to make these? They are very good. I thought they were the persons real hair. That is how natural they look.  

It takes approx. 24 hours of work to hand tie an entire wig.  I was going to say 3 work days but I never get to just focus on one project at a time.  The wig with the braids took longer because I had to tie the entire thing more delicately so that the parts looked natural when I did all those corn rows.  I love how it turned out but that wig took FOREVER!!!!!!

Akhal-teke, that's one of the great parts about hand tieing wigs, I can blend the colors however I want.  Making blondes look natural is one of the hardest because so many different colors show up in blond hair naturally.

  I got in to doing wigs because I have always played with hair and I started doing theatre when I was 12.  I did get a BFA in costume design and it was my first costume design instructor who showed me how to tie hair and told me that there are people who just do wigs for theatre.  It was pretty much my goal from then on to be a wig master.  There are schools that offer degrees in wig and makeup design.  The two I know of are Cincinatti College of Music and Theatre and The North Carolina School of The Arts.  I did not attend either of these.  I apprenticed under a wig master and then while I was working at The Alabama Shakespeare Festival doing wigs I went to cosmetology school to learn a few more fundamentals of hair cutting and styling.

Wow, those are incredible!  I guess when I need a new identity, I now know who to call......

dressagedude:

Seahorse, before I can build a wig for you alter ego I need to know which one we are talking about.

Oh just pick whichever one you would most enjoy making a wig for.   What an interesting background you have as you described how you came to be a wigmaster.