A skilled makeup artist is capable of amazing things, but sometimes they can seem downright magical. That’s certainly the case with one makeup artist who transforms himself into everything from Disney princesses to Westworld‘s Dolores.
This week, Richard Schaefer, who describes himself as a transformation makeup artist, demonstrated his magic by transforming into Ariel for Disney’s Designing Disney channel on Facebook, which celebrates particularly creative fans of the House of Mouse.
Schaefer has a longstanding love of Ariel and The Little Mermaid. In fact, it was the first movie he ever saw, and he used to watch it so many times he wore out the videocassette.
“Ariel is my favorite Disney character because she is strong and confident and she didn’t let anyone or anything stop her from achieving her goals,” Schaefer told Designing Disney.
This isn’t the first time Schaefer has transformed himself into Ariel. He’s done a number of Ariel looks over the years, since he was about 12. In fact, Ariel was his very first transformation, and the positive reaction from his family and friends gave him the confidence to wear makeup out of the house.
Of course, Schaefer has honed the Ariel look since then. “When I first did Ariel, it kinda looked like me in a red wig with red eyebrows and lots of makeup on, and it completely evolved.”
His most recent take on everyone’s favorite mermaid is absolutely breathtaking, as you can see for yourself:
Richard Schaeffer Transforms Into The Little Mermaid
The magic of makeup transforms Richard Schaefer into ✨ Ariel from The Little Mermaid ✨
Posted by Disney Style on Wednesday, May 16, 2018
But Schaefer doesn’t limit himself to Ariel, as a stroll through his Instagram feed will show. In addition to some stellar takes on other Disney princesses, he’s also been inspired by some darker works.
“I have always been inspired by Gothic and Victorian art, as well as Disney, because I love the balance of light and dark and I let that influence my artwork,” he told Designing Disney.
Schaefer’s work is truly amazing, and I for one can’t wait to see more of it.
Is there a character you’d love to see him perform his transformational magic with? Let us know in the comments!
Images: Richard Schaefer and Designing Disney
