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Caitlin O’Donnell 

BA [Hons] Design for Stage + Screen Character MakeUp Design

I began this journey because I had an interest in makeup and a curiosity surrounding how things were created – particularly in film. Four years later, and that curiosity has been replaced with knowledge. Throughout my college years, with a lot of time and work, I have developed a wide range of skills including technical makeup, sculpting, mould making and prosthetic application. I am grateful to have been a part of various college projects, as well as independent projects, that have allowed me to develop these skills further. I absolutely love what I do and couldn’t imagine anything different!

The story follows a travelling circus that is preparing to move to America – the circus’ main attraction is what they claim to be a captured mermaid but all is revealed to be a fake. however before they embark on their journey they encounter a real life mermaid and they steal her. This creature is revealed to be the Queen to a Lair of Mermaids and exacts her revenge on the people on board the ship as a result of their treatment of her.
For most of the movie we see the creature in her mermaid form. In my designs I drew from the organic forms of the leafy sea dragon as well as skin textures of fish such as trout and salmon. The organic forms and colouring allow her to mask herself within her environment and blend in as part of the flora. Her bioluminescence has formed around the softer and more flowy areas of her body. She has large dark eyes and a small pupil to allow for better vision in her natural environment. Her features mimic that of a human – but her attractive appearance hides something dangerous underneath.
Under the full moon the creature turns human for one night. The Creature in her human form is marked with the remnants of the mermaid anatomy.
Under the strongest of the full moon she begins her transformation to her final form - The Queen of the Lair. Here she is represented mid transformation.
The Queen of the Lair is the creatures final form – here she is at her most powerful. The things that the mermaid possessed as a defence mechanism are a constant part of the queens physicality. As the queen she has stronger features and has more of the seahorse elements – in creating her forms I looked at the reigning monarchy at the time and considered Queen Alexandra’s clothing and embellishments within the design. Her skin is more transparent carrying the bioluminescence throughout her body rather than on specific concentrated areas. She is a strong and powerful creature without being portrayed as a monster or a beast.
She Creature

The story follows a travelling circus on their journey after finding a real mermaid, it follows the tale of events as the mermaid turns out to be more dangerous than they anticipated. I wanted to recontextualise the film to a modern audience and drew parallels between the symbolism of a mermaid and the modern woman. The mermaid represents the sexual expression of the modern woman and how she is demonised for this expression. I explored underwater creatures and in particular focused on creatures with a bioluminescence. I focused on exploring the creature as she evolves through her three states of a mermaid, a human and a queen. For my final piece I wanted to create a trailer that evoked the feeling of a full bodied character without actually creating a head to toe piece. I created physical pieces to show the final characters, these included painted sculpts and gelatine pieces.


Caitlin O’Donnell Portfolio PDF Caitlin O’Donnell Thesis PDF

From the Child-Woman to the Woman-Child: Mourning Etiquette for Girls and Women in 19th Century Britain.

My thesis looks at the pedagogy and gender roles within C19th Britain, through the lens of mourning etiquette to show how young girls were being conditioned to follow societies expectations and become a mother. I focus on the time from mid to late C19th, where during this period, within the typical structure of a family, the journey from girlhood to womanhood was a cyclical process occurring in each generation. This discussion looks at ways in which C19th ideas of domesticity were instilled in young girls, particularly those from a middle-class social standing. I have considered their surroundings of their home environment when in mourning, their outward appearance during a time of mourning and how they were taught to mourn. I have used their ritualistic practices at a time of mourning to focus on one aspect of a young girl’s life in order to identify the steps that were taken to prepare a young girl for womanhood.


Caitlin O’Donnell Portfolio PDF Caitlin O’Donnell Thesis PDF
Character MakeUp Design
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