Faceoff finalist from final three extends his artistic ability

Evan Hedges was one of the top five finalists in the ninth season of SyFy’s Faceoff. He continues to show off his artistic abilities throughout the show as well as through a side job working for 13th Floor Haunted House in Chicago.

After years of practice and intense training, Evan Hedges, makeup artist, was able to earn his spot in the top five finalists of SyFy’s television show, Face Off, a competition where artists compete and create prostheses that one would find in movies or graphic films.  With downtime between each episode this Halloween season, Hedges is teaming up with different haunted attractions such as Thirteenth Floor to put his makeup skills to the test.  Having various locations, including Chicago, this haunt is about an hour away from the high school and is directed at high schoolers.  

Evan Hedges

Q: When did you start becoming interested in becoming a makeup artist?
A: “In 2005, I went to Tom Savini’s makeup school in Pennsylvania.  Before that school, I really had no previous experience.  I just was really into behind the scenes and learning how to do it. I just basically have always been an artist.  I just really wanted to [pursue this career] and thought it was an awesome art.”

Q: What types of events were you doing before Face Off?
A: “[Before Faceoff I was] just working for The Thirteenth-Floor Haunted House as an art director, so I did that for six years.  This is actually my sixth year so I basically just love haunted houses so that’s what has kind of got me into Face-Off.”

Q: How did you get involved with Thirteenth-Floor Haunted House?
A: “We have a few [locations]. It started in Denver and then they’ve made multiples [of the haunts] so I started in Denver and this is actually my first time in Chicago.  I haven’t seen or walked through the show or anything yet but [I heard] it looks awesome.’

Q: What’s the hardest part about being on Face Off and being a makeup artist in general?
A: “The hardest part is probably just waking up every day and just doing it continuously [all day], but my favorite part was definitely the reward of finishing the makeup.”

Q: What advice would you give to people interested in becoming a makeup artist?
A: “If anyone out there has a passion for it, then there’s definitely a lot of information out there.  You know, just try it because now-a-days there’s every bit of info you need and tutorials, and I think it’s a great field for a lot of people to go into if they want to discover a new kind of art.”