Institute of Art Design + Technology
Dún Laoghaire

Megan Davis 

BA [Hons] Character MakeUp Design

My name is Megan Davis, I am a make-up artist from Co. Wicklow. I am very creative and passionate about my craft. I love being able to transform actors into their characters. Over the past four years of this course, I have learned a wide range of skills. I especially love 3D work such as casting, sculpting and moulding that relates to prosthetics, the making, the application and finally the colouring of appliances suitable for Film and TV. I have also learned and integrated some digital skills such as photography and editing. I’m very excited to start my career in the industry.

The Pillowman

This project is based on The Pillowman, a play by Martin McDonagh. Growing up in the Irish countryside of Co. Wicklow, I heard many stories of Irish fairies and evil little creatures and how they can terrorize mortals. I have always had a great interest in these mythical beings, so for my final project I really wanted to focus on this Irish mythology to produce a concept of what these might look like. Upon reading the script I could imagine supplementing the characters from the short story “The Little Jesus” with a fairy as a new concept for this play.



Mental Health represented through makeup and film in two particular eras of the Twentieth century.

My thesis investigates the connection between American society’s view on mental health in two particular eras of the twentieth century: the 1930s/1940s and 1970s/1980s. Contextual research on these periods will inform an examination of the werewolf characters in the films The Wolfman (1941) and An American Werewolf in London (1981). In addition to outlining a relevant history of each era, I will examine in particular the care procedures for a patient suffering from mental health in each period. Upon researching various articles, archives, historic newspapers, and many other resources, I have discovered that there is a deeper connection between society and the werewolves represented in the two films that I will be discussing. By closely reading key moments within these two films, I have made connections between the practical outcomes of the characters through special effects makeup, materials, and application and the historical and political health care difficulties that were happening around the time. Overall, I argue that the werewolf character, as exemplified in these two films, reflects and grapples with societal concerns about mental health.