Brushstroke Makeup School Staff

The people behind Brushstroke makeup training are skilled course creators, managers and assessors. 

It’s our attention to detail that makes Brushstroke so successful – from student welfare to tutor recruitment.

Prospectus

Course Creators, Managers and Assessors 

The people behind Brushstroke make-up training are skilled and committed to providing the very best service – to our students and the entertainment industry. We are a privately-owned company run by founder, Cheraine Bell, and her team of people. We channel our understanding of make-up artistry and the world of film, TV, stage and fashion into our diploma courses and short courses so our students have all the preparation, knowledge and support they need to be a success.

We work as course creators, tutors, managers and administrators and take great care in planning and delivering effective training to our students. Keeping up to date with trends and new thinking is important to us. So too is the efficiency of the day-to-day running of Brushstroke and the welfare of our students. We want our students to enjoy themselves during their time at Brushstroke so we also aim to make the whole experience as rewarding as possible.

As you can see from the individual biographies, the expertise at Brushstroke is varied and impressive. We just want to provide the very best in make-up and hair training.

Our Tutors

Our make-up tutors are all professionals working in various parts of the industry. Their valuable skills and knowledge in their specialist subjects are of great benefit to both Brushstroke and our students. They also provide an important link to the world of film, TV, stage and fashion. This helps ensure that Brushstroke delivers the most relevant and up to date training.

Owners & Administrative Staff

Owners &
Administrative Staff

Cheraine Bell Brushstroke Principal

Cheraine Bell

Founder & Principal

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Cheraine Bell has worked for over 35 years as a make-up and hair professional in film, TV and commercials. She has worked with many well-known actors such as Michael Caine, John Cleese and John Hurt, and has used her make-up and hair skills on productions as varied as The Office and Les Miserables.

Cheraine started Brushstroke in 1990, having identified a real need for professional training in makeup and hair for the entertainment industry. Cheraine is also qualified asssesor. 

More about Cheraine
” I realised that professional direction for budding make-up and hair artists was missing. So, I set up Brushstroke and after nearly 30 years we continue to offer the right kind of training and support to people of all ages. Obviously, you can’t beat a certain amount of training on the job, but it’s no substitute for having the basic skills.This is a competitive industry that wants skilled and qualified people able to pick up a brush and get to work straightaway. And that’s what we teach at Brushstroke.” 

Cheraine gained her teaching and assessor qualifications and set about creating a syllabus that met the various needs of the industry. Recruiting appropriately skilled people from within the industry to work as tutors was one of the first principles underpinning the business. This, together with continued input from influential people in film, TV, the stage and fashion ensure that Brushstroke courses remain the most relevant training for those wanting a career as a make-up artist.

Cheraine remains involved in the development of Brushstroke and continues to teach in class. Always keen to talk about the profession, she has been interviewed many times and demonstrated her make-up skills on a variety of TV shows.

the people behind brushstroke make-up training 2

Jeremy Hobbs

Director

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Jeremy has been with Brushstroke for over 25 years.

He oversees the strategic operation and planning of the business and ensures the continued growth and financial strength of Brushstroke.

More about Jeremy
‘I’m delighted to be part of such a vibrant and successful company. My role is to help maintain a solid infrastructure, and keep us moving forward with our processes and technology. I’m committed to helping Brushstroke remain at the forefront of make-up and hair training in the UK and globally.”
Louise - Brushstroke

Louise White

Academy Manager

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Having spent her work experience at Brushstroke in 2004, Louise was invited to join the team permanently in 2005. Her knowledge of the business is considerable and she is now responsible for the day-to-day running of Brushstroke and its makeup training facilities. This includes the marketing and promotion of Brushstroke, conducting student interviews and managing the enrolment process. Louise also works closely with Cheraine in developing the course structure and individual syllabuses.

More about Louise
“I spent my work experience placement at Brushstroke and didn’t want to leave! I love being involved in training people of all ages to become professional make-up and hair artists because it’s such a creative and vital part of the industry. We’re very fortunate at Brushstroke to be so close to the British entertainment industry – for example, through our very talented make-up artist tutors as well as daily life at Longcross Studios and Elstree Film and TV Studios from where we operate.”
Heidi

Heidi Kenny

Academy Manager

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Heidi has many years of experience in Business Administration across the following sectors: marketing, strategy, IT, retail, sales, and finance. She initially joined Brushstroke as a student seeking a change of career, but enjoyed it so much and stayed on to become the Brushstroke Office Manager based at Elstree Film Studios and is also academy manager. In her own time, Heidi is active within the makeup and hair industry utilising her skills as a qualified makeup artist and hairdresser.

the people behind brushstroke make-up training 7

Carla Viljoen

Make-Up & Hair

(Fashion & Celebrity)
ITEC Qualification Manager

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Carla’s specialism is working in fashion make-up, with an emphasis upon skin care – something she writes about regularly. She ensures the beauty element of our ITEC syllabus remains relevant and focused. Carla is much in demand as a make-up artist for ‘red carpet’ functions both in the USA and UK.
More about Carla
Carla’s experience covers many areas within the industry, including editorial fashion, beauty, TV and advertising campaigns. Her beauty knowledge for the fashion industry includes men’s grooming and children, and extends to the care and presentation of hair and nails. Carla has worked at London Fashion Week, British Hair Awards, L’Oreal Hair Colour Trophy show for Charles Worthington and BMW Mini Cooper launch. Some of her clients include Adidas, ASOS.com, The BBC, Crew Clothing, Debenhams, Disney, EMI, Marks & Spencer, Polydor, Saatchi X, The Crew Clothing and Topshop.

Carla is often requested to work with UK & US celebrities as diverse as Emily Blunt, David Walliams, Amy Willerton, Holly Willoughby, Dustin & Lisa Hoffman, Nicky Hambleton-Jones, Sophie Kinsella, Gordon Ramsay, Kay Burley, Ricky Gervais, Lawrence Llewelyn-Bowen, Marian Keyes, Archie Punjabi, Eamonn Holmes, Natalie Dormer and Stephen Fry. Her work can be seen in many magazine publications – French Vogue, Cosmopolitan, Glamour, ELLE, Tank, YOU Magazine, Sunday Telegraph Magazine and Grazia. Carla is fluent in Afrikaans.

the people behind brushstroke make-up training 5

Anita Perrett

Make-Up & Hair 

(TV Drama & Historical Period)

Qualifications Co-Ordinator

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As our make-up qualifications co-ordinator, Anita works closely with the BTEC and ITEC examination boards, ensuring that our courses comply with government guidelines. She is also responsible for student pastoral care at Brushstroke. Anita has a Certificate in Education, BA (Hons) in Post Compulsory Education and various National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) assessor awards. In addition to her role as qualifications coordinator at Brushstroke, Anita is a senior make-up artist at SKY TV, working with news and sports presenters, and their guests.
More about Anita
After training with Thames TV, Anita worked in drama, light entertainment and children’s programmes such as Rumpole of the Bailey, Hannay, The Bill, Des O’Connor, This is your Life, Morecambe & Wise and Benny Hill. She went freelance as a make-up designer in 1990 and credits include: See It Saw It, An Evening with Ira Gershwin, Chicago, Get Real, Uncensored, Oddballs. From 2000 to 2006, Anita became head of make-up for the Channel 5 soap Family Affairs, followed by a design role with Endemol on Totally Frank and The Bill at Talkback Thames. In 2008 Anita joined SKY Creative productions working with actors such as Benedict Cumberbatch, Juliet Stevenson, Lesley Manville, Gemma Jones, Sheridan Smith and Matthew Horne.
the people behind brushstroke make-up training 6

Paula Cahill

Make-Up & Hair

(TV Drama & Historical Period)
BTEC Qualification Manager

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Paula assists Anita in running the BTEC qualification courses including acting as an assessor. She ensures that our syllabuses are up to date and that the students are familiar with the whole process. During breaks from working at Brushstroke, Paula is a regular make-up artist working in film and TV, such as BBC1’s Eastenders.
More about Paula
Paula has been a freelance hair and make-up artist for over 20 years working mainly in TV but also film, theatre and for private clients. She started her make-up career in theatre, working for The Welsh National Opera, English National Opera, Royal Opera House and several West End shows. She then moved to Thames TV and a variety of programmes in drama, light entertainment, comedy and children’s – Eastenders, Call the Midwife, The Bill, Pirates of the Caribbean, 8 out of 10 cats and the Russell Howard Show. Paula has covered all aspects of make-up, hair and wigs as an artist right through to head of department.
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Our Tutors

Professional training from our tutors and BTEC and ITEC assessors will set you on the road to becoming a skilled makeup artist.

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Longcross Studios

Our South London training facilities at Longcross Studios creates exactly the right kind of environment for makeup training.

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Elstree Studios

Our North London training facilities at Elstree Studios is right at the centre of the UK’s film industry – making this a great place to train.

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FAQs

If you have any questions about our makeup courses, we’re happy to help. Click below to see our FAQ section or call our head office.

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