Koschey is the main villain of Russian fairy tales. If only for this reason, we should be wary of this character. The absence of fear for the Immortal may mean that you have long been registered in his Koshcheev kingdom.

The most common version of the origin of the name "Koshchei" - from the word "bone" and meaning a skinny person - is not in vogue among linguists today. Modern researchers of Russian folklore find words of the same root in the Lower Lusatian "ko?tlar" (caster) and in the Old Russian "cast" (abomination, disgust, etc.).

Who is Koschei?

Oddly enough, scientists have not yet come to an unambiguous conclusion on this issue. Some see in Koshchei an interpretation of the Slavic god of death from the cold Karachun, others see the Russian version of the German god Odin, others see a somewhat frostbitten sorcerer with pumped magical abilities. Many modern folklorists generally call for Koshchei to be rehabilitated, stating that he is not a villain, but a certain role model of a participant in the mystery of the initiation of a young girl, which is performed by the father of the initiate.

Koshchei's crimes

In Russian fairy tales, Koschey appears as a powerful sorcerer. And very sophisticated in their magical solutions. So, Ivan Tsarevich in the fairy tale "Elena the Beautiful" he turns into a nut, he "dresses up" the princess from the "Frog Princess" in the skin of an amphibian, and in the fairy tale "Ivan Sosnovich" he easily cracks down on the whole kingdom, turning it into stone. The villain himself prefers to turn into a raven.

Unsuccessful ladies man

As a rule, all Koshchei's activities are built around young girls. Koschey uses the same failed tactics in winning their love: first he effectively kidnaps the girl, then unsuccessfully tries to achieve intimacy, and, failing to achieve it, turns the fabulous beauties into frogs or snakes.

Koschey the Gallant

True, there was the only case when Koshchei's lady reciprocated. In the epic “About Ivan Godinovich”, Immortal with an exotic patronymic, Tripetovich, appears as a gallant, courtly gentleman, wooing the Chernigov princess Marya Dmitrievichna. His rival is the treacherous Ivan Godinovich, who kidnaps Koshchei's bride and takes him to an open field.

Having caught up with the kidnapper, Koschey Tripetovich again asks Beautiful Marya to become his lawful wife. And she agrees. The happy couple ties the perfidious Ivan to an oak tree, and they themselves leave to indulge in love pleasures in a tent.

Then a raven flies in and begins to croak in love that Marya Dmitrievichna should not be Koshcheeva's wife, but the wife of Ivan Godinovich. In a fit of righteous anger, Immortal Romeo shoots a raven, but the arrow changes its trajectory and kills Koshchei himself.

The unfortunate Marya the Beautiful decides to put an end to Ivan, but he dexterously snatches her saber from her and quarters the girl. So tragically ended Koshchei's only love affair.

How to kill Koshchei

In one of the tales, Koschey opened up: “My death is far away: there is an island in the sea on the ocean, there is an oak tree on that island, a chest is buried under an oak tree, a hare is in a chest, a duck is in a hare, an egg is in a duck, and death is in an egg. my". Many scientists saw in this “matryoshka” an interpretation of the model of the universe: water (sea-ocean), earth (island), plants (oak), animals (hare), birds (duck), and oak - “ world tree". In other words, it is possible to end Koshchei by destroying the world order.

Christian interpretation of Koshchei

Some elders of Northern Rus' interpreted Koshchei as a fallen Adam, and Ivan Tsarevich as a "New Testament man." In other interpretations of “folk Orthodoxy”, Koschey symbolized the sinful body, the girl he kidnapped symbolized the human soul, and Ivan Tsarevich symbolized the spirit. The death of Koshchei was interpreted by these ascetics as the cleansing of the soul from sins. True, modern folklorists consider these interpretations unscientific.

Acting is something no one can do without. good film or theatrical performance. More than half of the final reaction of the viewer to the picture depends on the performance of the actors. The ability of an actor to get used to the role is important, but it's hard to imagine, for example, a girl in the role of the Minotaur or a stately man playing Anna Karenina, isn't it? The above cases, of course, are a real hyperbole (exaggeration), however, for example, a young man may well play an old man, and an aged woman - a fifteen-year-old girl. At times of such need, special meaning receives . A skilled, experienced professional can easily handle tasks such as aging her face with make-up or making a fifty-year-old actress look like a teenage girl. There are many ways to artificially age a person, and some of them will be discussed below.

Senile makeup

The main components that the viewer pays attention to are the face, hair and hands of the actor. This is not surprising, because the rest of the actor's body is most often under clothing. And if the issue with hair is solved simply (a wig or, at worst, you can completely repaint your hair), then a special senile makeup will help to present the skin in the right light.
The idea is based on a slight change in skin color and the creation of artificial wrinkles on it - main signs of aging. In Russian film and theater production, often used paper napkins soaked in latex. The principle of application is breathtakingly simple: a moistened napkin is applied to the skin, and after drying it is again moistened with latex, and then smoothed out on the skin with some effort. The chemical effect, reinforced by physical influence, leaves clearly visible wrinkles on the hands or face, which, however, disappear on the next day.
The color that provides for the old man, firstly, does not have a specific expression: the skin is different, and secondly, it is achieved in a huge number of ways: from gouache to special tights of a certain color. However, the devil is in the details. Forgetting to cover the actor's whiskey or mustache with a light gray hair, having not worked through the make-up uniformly enough on the face of the unfortunate make-up artist, risks both destroying the performance and losing his job.

Female senile makeup

If the situation is not so difficult with men, then aging a woman sometimes becomes a serious problem: physiological features women's skin make the task somewhat more difficult. In addition, women change more with age than men, and therefore the make-up artist has an order of magnitude more work. However, you should not be upset: the work is difficult, but not impossible.
To make the story of how to make an old woman's makeup more clear, as an example, let's take a familiar image for all of us from childhood - Baba Yaga.

Grim Baba Yaga do it yourself

The most complex and at the same time recognizable element of the image of Baba Yaga is her nose. Creating a long, hooked, narrow old woman's nose is half the battle. First of all, this nose needs to be blinded. This is done with the help of specialized theatrical makeup. In principle, you can throw on the shape and some details like warts at your discretion, but you should not overdo it here, as in any other matter, because an excessive emphasis on the details of the image can distract the viewer from the main thing - acting. Well, let's assume that your nose turned out well. Now it needs to be glued to where it will be throughout the performance - on the face of the actress.
This is done with the help of special glue for the face, which is based only on natural and harmless substances for humans. Glue is applied with neat strokes to the nose (and in no case to the face of the actress), after which it is attached to the real nose of the future Baba Yaga. The nose is stuck, the next step is to make up the place of gluing. Perhaps for an experienced make-up artist these words will seem like a well-known truth, but we sincerely hope that experienced make-up artists of our country do not need to read introductory articles like this one.
Make-up is applied with smooth movements from the nose to the gluing line and beyond. You kind of "cover up" the junction. The end result should be as natural as possible. After creating the nose, move on to the chin. The chin of Baba Yaga is known to be sharp and looks up - that's all you need to know. Degree of severity and other factors appearance chin are created at your discretion. It should be remembered that one of important elements the appearance of our heroine is a copious amount of warts. They can be stuck in large quantities from a mixture of PVA glue and ordinary food flour. The resulting balls are quite easily molded onto a face covered with makeup using the skin glue already mentioned in the article. It is worth noting that the color of the warts must absolutely match the general colors faces.
A little tip: in order for Baba Yaga to look as intimidating as possible, a good solution would be to use gray-green shadows, and not only when working with eyes. The general marsh complexion of the villainess will perfectly contribute to her by no means noble image. Of course, there will be work for props managers - the stupa is an indispensable attribute of the real Baba Yaga. Another big plus is the presence on the stage of a hut on chicken legs, and a voluminous hut looks much cooler than a log house hastily drawn on the back. Although, if you need the image of Baba Yaga for personal needs, say, as a quality, then, perhaps, you can get by with a stick and a basket.
But, which is beyond doubt, the main factor in the success of a theatrical performance is acting. Still, people go to look at the actors, not at the work. No matter how exquisitely the make-up artists do their job, the final touch always remains with those on stage. Attention is riveted to them, extravaganzas are expected from them. Perhaps it is competent make-up work that will add zest to the already excellent work with the audience. In addition to the article, we have prepared an excellent video tutorial for you, enjoy:

Grotesque, exaggeration of forms, facial details; widespread use of masks, plastics, postizh and other means and techniques of complex make-up. Fairy tales A.S. Pushkin, A.N. Ostrovsky"Snow Maiden », P. Ershova"Humpbacked Horse", Russian folk tales.

VII. 1 "Fairy-tale beauty" - realistic anthropological images (king, queen, princess, Ivanushka the Fool, mothers, nannies, etc.)

The difference between makeup in a fairy tale performance and realistic makeup: exaggeration of forms, brightness, grotesque, combination of conciseness with fantasy, expressiveness of all make-up, stylization, plastic means of make-up.

"Fabulous beauty", realistic images. The make-up scheme of the young is used beautiful face, historical make-up and hairstyle, teenager, age make-up, in which there is an enhanced fixation of facial expressions: cheerful, evil, etc. Brightness, saturation of color and pattern in makeup. When depicting princesses, princesses are used decorative cosmetics, but with emphasis on the eyes, when eyelashes can be glued different colors, silvery (Snow Queen). The modern theater uses the modern "light" tradition in the image beautiful images, but using a wide range of possibilities of decorative means: gold, silver and colored ink for eyelashes, the same hairspray, artificial nails, light plastic products for changing the nose and all facial plastics, and much more.

The king, queen, kings, mothers, nannies make up according to the schemes of the old face with obligatory amplification characteristic features: kindness, spitefulness or cunning.

Ivanushka the Fool, Ivan Tsarevich are solved according to the make-up scheme of a teenager or a handsome male face using a historical hairstyle or a wig with semi-long (potted haircut) often blond hair, because dark hair fairy tales traditionally have a negative connotation. The round plasticity of the face of the image of Ivanushka the Fool is typically Slavic: with “soft” features, an open look blue eyes with a cheerful smile on his lips.

VII. 2Fantastic, frightening, ugly images

Use of all techniques and schemes of make-up, plastics, posture. Exaggeration, brightness of the make-up pattern. Widespread use of fabulous, colored, unusual shapes wigs, masks, half masks. The use of these techniques and special effects in the theater, in horror films. Recognition of images of popular masks. Modern fairy-tale scenography: an increase in the role of costume, scenery, light, pyrotechnics, etc. Make-up Baba Yaga– synthesis of all make-up and plastic techniques ; Koshchei the Immortal, Goblin and etc.

Fantastic, fabulous images. These are images that do not exist in real life: Baba Yaga, Koschei the Immortal, Goblin and others. Great ingenuity in the composition of make-up, its drawing, color. It is required to emphasize a certain character (temperament) of the image, even if its essence is initially negative. Baba Yaga, with its bright, sinister characterization, can be solved in make-up more “charming” or not quite old, etc. In the image Baba Yaga make-up techniques of an old face are used (with diagonal plasticity) with distortion of its plasticity; sharp, hooked nose, pointed chin and small but deep-set eyes (images G. Millyar in director's tales A.Rowe). It is not necessary to use gummosis, you can use picturesque techniques to distort the shape of the nose, the entire plasticity of the face (modeling in the make-up scheme of an asymmetric face).

in make-up Koshchei the Immortal is taken as the basis death scheme”, i.e. drawing depressions and bulges of the face, where the overall tone is similar to the color of the bone or simply highlighted. The mouth is depicted as a gap with "evil" lowered edges. You can apply a technique when eyes are drawn on the upper eyelid of the artist, which gives the image a non-blinking look. In all such characters, either wigs are used, or the artist’s hair is changed with varnish, gel, “gray hair”, or covered with bandages, scarves. Fairy-tale make-up requires great skill, mastery of complex make-up techniques and means, great imagination, ingenuity, when you can create an interesting image from simple improvised means (paper, rope, fabric, wire, etc.).

Baba Yaga is a key character in many Russian fairy tales.

The image of the old witch is constantly used in theatrical productions, at children's parties, and theme parties.

Sometimes it seems that making granny Yaga's makeup is very simple, but when it comes down to it, questions arise. Let's explore all the subtleties of this makeup as much as possible.

5 makeup rules

The purpose of makeup is complete reincarnation.

The more realistic the makeup is, the more reliable Baba Yaga will turn out.

What nuances should be taken into account:

1. The main attraction of Yaga - big hooked nose. It is recommended to make it with the help of papier-mâché, or gummose - plasticine that is safe for the skin. It is possible to contour the nose using theatrical makeup, face painting or make-up products.
2. old face always floating down therefore, all mimic wrinkles should be visually lowered. The face must be given an earthy, unhealthy shade.
3. Adds personality to a character the presence of warts. They can be made with PVA glue and flour.
4. Gray and disheveled hair is created with a wig or talc. It is possible to use white crayons for coloring strands.
5. Makeup is applied to the face, neck, décolleté and exposed areas of the hands.

You can learn how to do Little Red Riding Hood makeup from ours.

Materials for transformation

To create the image of Baba Yaga at home you will need:

Makeup, gummosis and face glue can be bought in specialized stores.

Theatrical makeup is usually dry. Sold in sets of 3-12 colors and is inexpensive.

If you don't have theatrical make-up or gummose do not despair! With your usual cosmetics, Baba Yaga's makeup is quite achievable.

Preparation for application

Before applying the paint, apply oil on the face nutritious cream or vaseline. Otherwise makeup or cosmetical tools clog pores and make-up will be very difficult to remove.

In addition, cheap theatrical makeup uses not the most sparing chemicals. The cream will help protect your skin from irritation.

Gather your hair in a bun or tie a bandage on your forehead. This will help protect your hair from pollution. Now you are ready to go.

Step-by-step instruction

Baba Yaga's makeup New Year- photo:

How to do makeup with your own hands? Using this instruction, you can easily transform into a grandmother Yozhka:

1. Shape the nose. Large, hooked and with a hump. Decide on the size and proportions. Sculpt the nose out of gummosus and glue it with special glue. To do this, apply glue to your nose, previously lubricated with a protective cream, and press the fake one to it. The fit lines can also be lightly smeared with glue for reliability. Make up the joints.
2. Shape the chin. In the old witch, it is sharp and looks slightly upward. We make it similar to the nose.
3. Glue on the warts. They can be easily made by mixing PVA glue with flour to the consistency of a dough. Fashioned warts are simply attached to the makeup. For reliability, you can use glue.
4. Apply foundation. Only after the overhead parts have dried! The cream is applied with a sponge or brush all over the face, masking flaws.
5. Shade a creepy and terrible face. Use gray-green paints or shadows for the entire face. Swampy or earthy shade gives gloom.
6. "Push in" your eyes. Circle the eyes with brown shadows so that they visually fail.
7. draw deep wrinkles . Deepen your mimic wrinkles with a black or other dark pencil. You can build an evil face and draw the resulting wrinkles.

Remember that the old face floats down. Direct the lines towards the neck. Decorate the forehead with longitudinal furrows.

8. Create a nose. If you haven't shaped your nose with special means, then now is the time to draw the nose. Shade the sides of the nose with a dark color, and highlight the bridge of the nose. You can also pre-draw the shape of the nose and blend the paint with a brush.
9. Create cheekbones. Likewise. Cheekbones are brightened and cheeks are shaded.
10. Make eyebrows. There are two options: draw eyebrows with a pencil, or make them gray with a camouflage pencil and light shadows.

As a result, you got a real Baba Yaga. Left make gray hairs.

Secret of gray hair

Talc or white flour without impurities gives gray hair to the hair. They are well washed off with shampoo and do not harm the hair.

Rub the powder into the hair roots with hands or a brush. Usually Baba Yaga has a scarf on her head. Therefore, most likely the processing of the roots is enough. Otherwise, pour the talcum powder into your hands and spread it over the entire length of your hair.

Errors in image creation

If you take into account all our recommendations, then do not make mistakes in Baba Yaga's makeup. Main oversight- applying makeup only on the face. In addition to the face, cover at least foundation ears, neck, décolleté and exposed areas of the arms.

Creating an image - it's a creative process. And here your flight of fancy is unlimited. The main thing is to use sparing, specially created for the face products and be sure to pre-apply or another cream.

Every mother can show her imagination and talents during home holidays and matinees in children's institutions. What could be more interesting and exciting than making fancy dresses with your own hands? We bring to your attention interesting idea for creativity and useful instructions about how to make a costume of Koshchei the Immortal.

Death in the needle, needle in the egg...

Who is Koschey (or Kashchey) the Immortal, every child knows, because we are talking about one of the main villains of Russian folklore. This dark wizard and prince appears in many fairy tales, legends and songs. Very often, Koschei acts as a bride kidnapper from good fellows and princes, or he harms positive characters in another way. What does this villain look like? Most often, he is depicted as a revived skeleton or just a very thin and pale person. Koschey is tall, always appears in the crown. Interestingly, the very name of this character means "thin / stingy person." It is in this sense that the word "koshchei" is found in Old Russian texts. So, what does the main villain of Rus' look like, we found out. How to make a Koshchei costume with your own hands?

How to draw a skeleton?

As basic clothing for the costume of the prince of darkness, you need to take a solid black leotard and a T-shirt / turtleneck. It is very good if you still have a skeleton jumpsuit from Halloween. But unfortunately, such props can not be found in every Russian house. However, do not be discouraged, making a skeleton is not difficult at all. The easiest way is to draw the bones on the fabric. Make a stencil for painting (for example, from paper). Attach it to the fabric, then paint it with white. More effective outfit it will look if you draw the skeleton completely - from the neck to the feet. If Koshchei's costume is reusable, use special textile paints. But there is another option: if you do not want to ruin your clothes and plan to wear them after the holiday, paint the bones with toothpaste. In this case, the drawing can be washed off without effort if necessary. Using the same technique, you can make an adult Koshchei costume if dad or older brother plays the main villain.

Bone applique

You can make the basis for the costume of the main dark sorcerer of Rus' without paints. Prepare basic black things and take a fairly dense white fabric. Next, you have to draw templates of a suitable shape, cut out all the elements and sew them onto the base manually or using sewing machine. If Koshchei's costume will be used only in the episode of the matinee, you can decorate it with thick paper appliqué. For a masquerade adult outfit, it is enough to attach individual elements to the pins. If a child transforms into Koshchei, it is better to use threads - we all know that children are very restless, and it will be difficult to avoid injuries when using sharp elements. If the room where the performance or celebration will take place is not too hot, gloves can also be made using a similar technique.

Crown for the dark prince

In all the tales of Koschey the Immortal appears in a crown. It is not difficult to make such a headdress - just cut it out of cardboard or thick paper. The crown can be covered with foil or painted black. New Year costume Koshcheya can be decorated with silver tinsel. Also, the crown can be made of wire. Bend the frame to a suitable shape, spray paint it or cover it with a translucent fabric. The crown can be additionally decorated with braid and rhinestones depicting gems. You can complement the image with thematic makeup. Draw a continuation of the skeleton body on the face. You can cover the face with a dark tone and highlight the eyes and lips with a light one. An alternative make-up option is, on the contrary, to whiten the face and emphasize the eyes with black. Instead of cosmetics, you can use a mask. It can be made with your own hands and painted under the skull or purchased at the store for the holiday.

Raincoat and other accessories

Your Koshchei costume is almost ready, but do not forget about such an important detail as his mantle. Black cloak can be taken from any other fancy dress such as a vampire or a witch. You can also make it from a suitable cut of black fabric. Finish the edges of a rectangular piece of fabric, and make a drawstring in the upper part and insert a braid. The raincoat is ready, if desired, its hem can be trimmed with faux fur or decorative fringe. As you can see, it is not difficult to make a Koshchei costume with your own hands. But it will look even more impressive if you complement it with the right accessories. The best option shoes for this character are black boots. Since Koschey is a prince, you can hang an elegant sword on his belt. Not an extra detail of the image will be the egg, the very one inside which death. Make a foam blank or use gift wrapping. Cover the egg with silver paint, dry it - and you can go on a holiday! You can complement the costume with any silver jewelry and elements. Try to pick up a beautiful shiny belt, signet rings and other interesting accessories.

Who will suit Koshchei's costume?

The outfit of the main villain, by definition, is male. Very often this character appears on children's matinees. The ideas for creating an outfit described above will make it possible to make any Koshchei costume - for children or adults. In kindergartens and schools, one of the dads or older brothers is often invited to play this role at the matinee. But what if a child should play this character? First of all, talk to your son and find out if he wants to participate in the performance, playing a similar role. In fact, many are ready to treat such games with humor and do not feel discomfort portraying “bad” characters. But for some children, such a matinee will be a real moral shock. Therefore, before you start making an outfit for the holiday, discuss with your child the attitude to the role that has been assigned. And if it is sharply negative, contact the leader of amateur performances and ask them to find another way to display the creative talent of your child.