Lovecraft's INNSMOUTH KickStarter Project with JOSHUA HOFFINE and DOUG JONES!

Announcing my latest collaboration with world-renown Horror Photographer JOSHUA HOFFINE, INNSMOUTH! 



After several successful projects including the epic zombie photograph LAST STAND, the short film about a boogeyman BLACK LULLABY, and the series of photographs featuring teenage monsters going to prom in MONSTER PROM, we are teaming up again to create our take on H.P. Lovecraft's SHADOW OVER INNSMOUTH.  This is a photography project that will center around the story's main character as he is trapped and cornered by a mob of angry monstrous Deep Ones! 

 
 This INNSMOUTH project will be starring the famous creature performer DOUG JONES best known for his amazing portrayal of characters such as The Gentleman in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Abe Sapien in the Hellboy series, El Fauno and The Pale Man in Pan's Labyrinth, and his recent role in the TNT series Falling Skies, but this time, he will be the HUMAN being attacked by the monsters!

After doing a lot of research, Joshua and I wanted to make our Deep Ones more monstrous and terrifying than what we have seen.  Many of the Deep Ones we have seen were too human or more sympathetic looking cancerous mutants.  We wanted monsters.  A bunch of different characters at different stages of their transformation into the horrible fish monsters described in the story.

I designed all of the "Deep One" fish-frog-human mutant creatures of INNSMOUTH, and the creatures were created by me and my artists at KOSART STUDIOS, including Face Off Season 7 Champion Dina Cimarusti, Stevie Calabrese, Neil Viola, Matt Kapolczynski, Face Off Season 7 contestant Scott Mitchell, and Face Off Season 8 contestant Jamie Leodones.

 

This project was just released on KickStarter HERE and you can get some awesome REWARDS including Photo Prints, and the creature maquette mini-bust, and the ACTUAL wearable Face Masks and Full Head Masks and Display Busts created specifically for this project by me and my artists at Kosart Studios.  Here are some of the full masks and busts being sculpted at Kosart Studios:

From the KickStarter campaign:

"INNSMOUTH is ultimately a photography project, the latest of many by renowned Horror photographer JOSHUA HOFFINE. The subject of INNSMOUTH is taken from H. P. LOVECRAFT’s 1931 tale The Shadow over Innsmouth.  In this story a young man decides to visit a decrepit seaside town named Innsmouth and is unexpectedly trapped overnight, facing a terrifying encounter with the townsfolk who all belong to an aquatic-god-worshipping cult of mutant fish people.

"JOSHUA’s goal is to capture this terror in one stunningly horrifying photograph.

"The photograph will be composed of an Innsmouth street with the human protagonist of the story surrounded by transformed mutant townsfolk and Deep Ones. As a special treat, the amazing actor DOUG JONES has signed on to play the part of the human protagonist in this photograph.

"The townsfolk and Deep Ones surrounding the photograph’s protagonist will be actual performers as well, but they will be wearing elaborate masks and prosthetics designed and sculpted by Face Off Season 4  Champion and Season 8 Coach and award-winning artist J. ANTHONY KOSAR, and brought to life by his artists at KOSART STUDIOS, including Anthony's student and friend, Face Off Season 8 Champion DINA CIMARUSTI.

"From the elaborate set, to the movie-worthy creature effects, to the amazing star DOUG JONES, this will be the most ambitious photograph JOSHUA HOFFINE has created in his career to date. We’d love for you to be a part of it and help bring this image to life!

"A lot of work has already been accomplished, but we need your help to complete this epic project. We’ve crafted some incredible cumulative gifts for your generous donations because we want to make this project just as amazing and fun for you as it is for us! There are copies of the final photograph itself, as well as a slew of LOVECRAFT collectibles that we believe are unique to this campaign. Take a look and let us know just how excited you are to be a part of our project!

"Contribute what you can, and please pass this link on to everyone in your social networks. We know there are fans of JOSHUA, ANTHONY, DOUG, and LOVECRAFT out there that would love the opportunity to help make this project become a reality!"

"We’ve been having a blast concocting our Lovecraft collectible ideas and hope you like them as much as we’ve enjoyed crafting them. You’ll also find very high quality prints of JOSHUA’s final INNSMOUTH photograph offered in increasing sizes, and some unbelievably grand masks and props from the workshop of J. ANTHONY KOSAR and KOSART STUDIOS!"

So please spread the word, and donate to this awesome project!  The sculptures are in the process of being completed, and sets still have to be built, and costumes to be made, so please help us complete this epic art project and get yourself some awesome rewards!  Contribute HERE

Thank you and HAIL CTHULHU!

Concept Art, Innsmouth Sculptures, Teenage Monster Boy Sculptures, and Kosart Photos © Kosart Studios, LLC. 
Monster Prom and Last Stand Photos © Joshua Hoffine.  

Doug Jones Character photos © their respective owners.  All rights reserved.

KOSAR Returns to FACE OFF

J. Anthony Kosar won Face Off Season 4.  His student Dina Cimarusti won Face Off Season 7.  Now watch Kosar's return to Face Off on Season 8 as a Coach / Mentor to a team of new contestants!  On Tuesday's beginning January 13th, 2015 at 9/8c, tune into the Syfy Channel to watch Chicagoland's celebrated FX artist back on television, lending his teaching techniques to helping a new crop of contestants better their work for the judges.  Though Kosar will not be competing on this season, it will be a fun season with outstanding make-ups and 15 extremely talented contestants.  He is joined by Face Off Season 2 Chamption Rayce Bird and Face Off Season 3 Finalist / Season 5 Champion Laura Tyler.  So be sure to continue rooting for #TeamKosart #TeamAnthony and don't miss this new season of Face Off!  Set your DVRs now!

HERE IS THE NEWEST SEASON 8 TRAILER:

Face Off images © courtesy Syfy.
J. Anthony Kosar portrait photo by Bear McGivney.
All rights reserved.

Kosart Student Spotlight: Dina Cimarusti

CONGRATULATIONS DINA!!!  History was made on Tuesday Night, October 28th, 2014, when Dina Cimarusti, student of Face Off Season 4 Champion J. Anthony Kosar at Kosart Atelier: School for Entertainment Arts for 2 years, was crowned Champion of her season, Season 7!  Dina was one of two Kosart Atelier students who ventured to compete on Face Off this season, one being Scott Mitchell, (read about Scott HERE).

It brings me great pride and excitement as her teacher and mentor of over 2 years, to see her from her beginning to what she has accomplished!  Dina is a humble person with an kind personality, extremely gifted talent, and a hunger to learn and make her art the best it can be.  She began as a cake decorator, but upon stumbling upon my classes in 2012, she quickly adapted her cake decorating skills to the art of make-up and FX sculpture through my teachings.  Always one of the top students, she met each class project with enthusiasm, and often went above and beyond what was asked of her in class.  Her execution for each piece was unmatched, and it was inspiring to see her progression over the years.

Here is a look back, a walk down memory lane, like a proud parent looking through a photo album, to see some of her journey of becoming Syfy's latest Face Off Champion ...

Here she is in the class that began Dina's transition into the FX world, the Art of Mask Making at Kosart Atelier! Looking back at where she started in 2012, I am so proud of how far she has come!

 

Dina putting her cake decorating skills to use making her first mold in Art of Mask Making class at Kosart Atelier in 2012! She learned quick and always made it look like "as easy as baking a cake" ... literally ... haha...

Here is Dina watching an airbrushing demo in the Art of Mask Making class at Kosart Atelier in 2012: 

Dina with her mask concept design, her unpainted latex mask, and a cake of her mask that she baked for the entire Art of Mask Making class at Kosart Atelier! We knew she was a special artist with amazing talent from day one, seeing how her cake was sculpted just as well as her sea creature mask.  It tasted awesome too, though I was sad cutting into it!

Dina sculpting her giant lizard full-head mask in Advanced Mask Making class at Kosart Atelier in 2013! There were so many amazing masks in that class sculpted by the students, but Dina's was definitely one of the standouts!

Here Dina introduces her signature technique of "piping" texture on her lizard sculpture in Advanced Mask Making class at Kosart Atelier, a technique that she borrowed from her cake decorating skill set! She was always inventive with her approach, quickly adapting from the culinary baking world to the FX world with style!

After taking both of the mask making classes, Dina ventured into the Art of Makeup FX class at Kosart Atelier! Here she does her first 2D age makeup on herself in 2013:

Dina's imaginative makeups made her a stand out in my Art of Make Up FX classes as well at Kosart Atelier! Here is her 2D character makeup from 2013 that shows her creativity and anatomical understanding: 

Upon mastering the 2D makeup applications, Dina excelled at the 3D out-of-the-kit makeup techniques to create this terrifying zombie makeup in the Art of Make-Up FX class at Kosart Atelier in 2013! 

 

Dina was always a leading student at Kosart Atelier, soaking up every technique and always asking the right questions. Now she won the Face Off Season 7 finale after leading the completion all season!  

Dina took her makeup FX to the next level in our On-Skin Silicone FX workshop at Kosart Atelier:

Dina continued her training by learning the FX approach to airbrushing in the Airbrush FX workshop at Kosart Atelier painting one of the vastly growing army of GRUNT masks! Can you spot our star?

The final class that Dina took is the Advanced Make-Up FX class at Kosart Atelier in 2013, combining everything she learned to date with new techniques in sculpting, molding, casting, and applying foam-latex prosthetics!

 Once again Dina soaked up all the techniques in the Advanced Makeup FX class at Kosart Atelier in 2013 to create a beautifully sculpted and detailed prosthetic, putting her at the top of the class:

 

 

With an eye for detail, Dina learned to apply and paint prosthetics with precision in the Advanced Make-Up FX class at Kosart Atelier in 2013, as she is seen here applying her Dragon Empress prosthetic to herself with the rest of the class:

 

Here is Dina's final makeup application of her first prosthetic that she learned to create in the Advanced Make-Up FX class at Kosart Atelier in 2013, her final training that prepared her for Face Off! When I saw her final makeup, I knew she had what it takes to not only compete on Face Off, but also take the title, so I encouraged her to audition! It has been such an honor for me as her teacher to watch her grow as an artist from the beginning to where she is today! I am so proud of all that she has accomplished!

 

Photo by Bear McGivney.

 After her taking classes at Kosart Atelier, I brought Dina in to be part of my team to work on several Kosart Effects Studios projects to continue teaching her beyond the classroom, and also get her more prepared for Face Off season 7!

One of the first projects Dina assisted on was the sculpting, molding, casting, and application of "Ivan the Cyclops" for a Floor & Decor commercial, that you can see HERE.  Dina blocked out the Cyclops cowl sculpture that I refined and finished.  Though we had several issues with the cooking of the prosthetics, Dina and the team rose to the challenge and in 4 hours of application before set, we fixed the prosthetics and delivered a successful makeup to set that the client loved.  Dina was key in that process, and helped in the painting process as well.

 

She missed a few of the team projects due to filming her season, but did also work on a Mrs. Doubtfire-esque make-up that I can’t give many specifics yet.  However, Dina assisted in molding the life-casts and helping to float-off the make-up I designed and sculpted, and assisting in application of an 8-piece encapsulated silicone prosthetic for one of the set days.  Though she missed much of this project due to filming her season, she jumped right in like a natural, helping to apply a silicone prosthetic for the first time. 

On Face Off, Dina won 5 out of the 13 Spotlight Challenges, and also won 1 Audition / Foundation Challenge.  One of her wins, for the Greek God challenge, she was the ONLY top look with her stunning Aphrodite make-up!  She had an outstanding run on Face Off, and in my opinion, one of the best competitors ever on Face Off!  Plus it was fun watching her do techniques that she learned here at Kosart Atelier, including when she fixed her cowl with cotton and latex, just as we did on our Cyclops project.  And it was fun watching her showing off her own technique of "piping" detail onto her sculptures and make-ups!

 

Face Off Photos by Brett Patrick Jenkins.

I had the pleasure of going to Dina's Finale Party last week, to share in the excitement of her victory.  It was so exciting to see everyone there to cheer on #TeamDina as she brought the title back home to Chicago!  And seeing her win and her reaction, along with her boyfriend's and mother's reaction on screen, and there in person brought a tear to my own eye.  I am honored to have been there, and especially to be part of her incredible journey of becoming her own accomplished artist that she is today.  Watch how her Finale Party reacted when she was announced the winner:

Dina is an outstanding artist and a remarkable person, having became more than a student, she became a colleague, and more importantly, a friend.  Dina's talent goes far beyond what she knows she herself is capable of, and I think her winning Face Off season 7 proves that!  I am so thrilled that the world now sees what I have seen since 2012.  It takes a lot of courage to put oneself and his/her work on display to be vulnerable and open for critique and criticism the way Dina did, but she did, and won on her own, and now returns with the confidence of a champion!  Dina always had the talent and artistic vision, and I am so thankful that she brought that talent through Kosart Atelier so that I could unlock the FX world for her to unleash her talent in.  I am so excited for her and proud of her, and I am looking forward to what her future holds, and I look forward to all the projects to come!

You can come see some of Dina's work in person, along with over 50 award-winning artists from all over the world at the 4th Annual MALEFICIUM Dark Art Exhibition Opening and Artist Reception on Saturday November 15th from 3pm to 10pm at Kosart Gallery in Westmont, IL!

So now that is 2 Face Off wins from Kosart Atelier!  The Kosart Legacy lives on!  You watched me win Face Off Season 4.  You watched my student Dina win Face Off Season 7.  Now watch my return to Face Off for Season 8 as I coach a team of new contestants! Be sure to watch SEASON 8 on Tuesdays beginning January 13th, 2015 9/8c on Syfy!

 

Photos by Kosart Effects Studios LLC, Kosart Atelier, Bear McGivney, Brett Patrick Jenkins, and Syfy,

and copyright their respective artists.  All Rights Reserved.

 

Kosart Atelier Alumni at MASK FEST

If you are at Mask Fest in Indianapolis, IN his weekend, stop by the booth of some Kosart Atelier Alumni and the members of my Kosart Effects Team, including Face Off Season 7's Dina Cimarusti and Scott Mitchell, and artist Neil Viola who will be showing off some of their awesome work, and doing some killer Make-Up FX demos at their booth! Check it out!

Also be sure to stop by the other Kosart Atelier Alumni booth of Brad Zonka as Darb Designz, and stop by Kosart Atelier Sponsor Paasche Airbrush Company for some airbrushing goodies! 

Lots of friends at this show, including my Face Off Season 4 brother HOUSE, Face Off Season 2's Beki Ingram, one of my mentors Jordu Schell, and so many more...  wish I was going this year! Have fun!

 Image via Scott Mitchell Creative Design.

KOSART ATELIER at FLASHBACK WEEKEND

Be sure to stop by the Kosart Atelier booth at Flashback Weekend THIS WEEKEND Aug 8-10, 2014 for enrollment information for Chicagoland's premier School for Entertainment Arts, founded by Face Off Season 4 Champion J. Anthony Kosar!  We are the only Make-Up FX School to have 2 students competing on Face Off, Dina and Scott!

Click HERE for more information on Flashback Weekend!

 

Kosart Atelier Students to Compete on Face Off Season 7

Kosart Atelier is PROUD to Announce:

Kosart Atelier is very proud to announce that 2 students of Face Off Season 4 Champion J. Anthony Kosar from Kosart Atelier will be competing on Face Off Season 7 beginning Tuesday July 22nd at 9/8c on Syfy!

Dina Cimarusti and Scott Mitchell are 2 amazingly talented artists that Kosar is happy to have watched grow over the years into the creative individuals that they are today, and we at Kosart Effects looking forward to rooting for them this season on Face Off as they represent Kosart Atelier!

Both have since been assisting in Kosart Atelier classes and on Kosart Effects Studios projects since summer 2013, and we look forward to the things to come. So be sure to root for #TeamKosart this season on Face Off!

Also be sure to tweet #TeamDina and #TeamScott as your Fan Favorites during each episode for the TWEET OFF FAN FAVORITE Sweepstakes, and help them win $10,000!  You can also win a Kryolan Make-Up Kit!  More info on the sweepstakes HERE

So watch and set your DVRs for

FACE OFF SEASON 7 

beginning THIS Tuesday,
July 22 at 9/8c on Syfy!

Photos by Bear McGivney, Brett-Patrick Jenkins, and Nicole Wilder Shattuck.

 

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So if you want to learn the ART of FX from
J. Anthony Kosar and the Kosart Effects Team just like Face Off's Dina and Scott, be sure to learn the right way from the right people and sign up for the classes and workshops only from Kosart Atelier, Chicagoland's original and only premier School for the Entertainment Arts!  Visit www.KosartAtelier.com for more info!