Happy Holidays!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from J. Anthony Kosar and Kosart Effects Studios! 

Visit www.kosartatelier.com for enrollment info!

Cyclops makeup by Kosart Effects Studios. Photo by Bear McGivney.

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.

Sister Melissa Kosar Directs THE MIDDLE episode "The Sinkhole"

Be sure to watch and set your DVR's for my sister Melissa Kosar's episode "The Sinkhole" of The Middle that airs TONIGHT Wednesday November 12, on ABC at 8/7c that she directed starring Patricia Heaton, Neil Flynn, Eden Sher, Charlie McDermott, and Atticus Shaffer! IT IS A FUNNY EPISODE, YOU WON'T WANT TO MISS!

I have been a fan of this show since it started, before my sister was ever working on it, so I have been watching all the seasons and I have to say, this is one of the funniest episodes.

Check out these pictures of her directing actor Charlie McDermott, and the take sign with her name on it!
 

 I am so proud of her and how far she has come. Kosar's have definitely invaded Hollywood!  Love ya, sis!
 

Here is a sneak peak at tonight's episode:

So set those DVRs for 8/7c TONIGHT Wednesday November 12th a 8/7c on ABC! 

The Middle © ABC Television Network

Sacrifice

Sculpting my first prosthetic at age 16, nearly 13 years ago. Some days I look back and wonder how I got here. One word: Sacrifice. While other kids did what kids do, I stayed in and honed my skills, always learning and experimenting, all day and all night teaching myself. I worked hard then, as I do now. But it’s funny how all the other kids grew up. I worked hard then so that I’ll never have to grow up. I make art and bring my imagination to life every day, going on adventures with characters from other worlds. Thank you 16-year-old me, I am grateful for all the sacrifices you made. And I am thankful to my parents who sacrificed along with me, and who understood and encouraged me to follow my dreams. Success doesn’t come without sacrifice. It’s sad how many people forget that. You have to be willing to sweat and bleed for what you want. One word: Sacrifice.

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.

 

Happy Halloween 2014!

FREE MONSTER MASK GIVE-AWAY

Enter the FREE Kosart Effects 2014 Halloween MONSTER MASK GIVE-AWAY!  4 Masks, 3 Social Networks, 4 Chances to WIN!  One Mask raffled off each week from now until Halloween!  Masks Signed by Mask Designer / Sculptor / Face Off Champion J. Anthony Kosar!  Win LION on Twitter ending 10/10.  Win SATANIC PANIC on Facebook ending 10/17.  Win BITE YOUR TONGUE on Instagram ending 10/24.  Win GARGOYLE on Facebook ending 10/31.  Here is how to enter in 3 simple steps:

RULES:

STEP 1:  Follow / LIKE page @KOSARTeffects on Specified Social Network: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram.

STEP 2:  Like / Favorite this Contest Image Post on Specified Social Network.

STEP 3: Share, ReTweet, or RePost Contest Image to your Friends / Followers and be sure to Mention @KOSARTeffects and Tag post with #KosartMaskGiveAway

Winners selected at random by searching the tag #KosartMaskGiveAway on the specified Social Network.  One winner selected from Twitter on 10/11 for Lion Mask.  One winner selected from Facebook on 10/18 for Satanic Panic Mask. One winner selected from Instagram on 10/25 for Bite Your Tongue Mask.  One final winner selected from Facebook on 11/1 for Gargoyle Mask.  You can enter ALL four contests on all three social networks, or you can just enter one. It’s up to you!

Masks designed and sculpted by J. Anthony Kosar for Zagone Studios.
Masks © J. Anthony Kosar & Zagone Studios, LLC. 

Kosar's work in IMAGINATIVE REALISM Show

I have my mini "Smokey Joe and the Inferno" in the IMAGINATIVE REALISM art show at the Yellow Springs Brewery in Yellow Springs, OH that is opening tomorrow Saturday October 4th from 6-9pm! This awesome show is curated by Travis Lewis and contains the work of a collective of amazing artists including Travis Lewis, Allen Williams, J Anthony Kosar, Fred Fields, Mark Poole, Chris Seaman, Dan Chudzinski, Alessandra Pisano, Tom Taggart, Matt Tisdale, Jacob Walker, Aaron B Miller and others.  If you are in Ohio this weekend, be sure to visit! Show runs through November 2nd, check it out!

Art in Imaginative Realism image © their respective artists.  

Mini Smokey Joe and the Inferno © J. Anthony Kosar.  

Photos of Mini Smokey Joe and the Inferno by Bear McGivney.

Kosar at Son of Monsterpalooza

Visit Face Off Season 4 Champion and award-winning artist J. Anthony Kosar at Son of Monsterpalooza this weekend, September 12 - 14, 2014 at the Marriott Hotel & Convention Center in Burbank, CA!  Come by and see some of Kosar's recent work, and check out his new airbrush, the Kosart PHANTOM Pro, available at the show.  For more info, visit www.monsterpalooza.com

Photos by Bear McGivney, J. Anthony Kosar, & Kosart Effects Studios LLC.

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.