AN AFTERNOON WITH... YOLANDA PIÑA

The Creative Alliance: You are Alberto Rodríguez's head makeup artist. How has your common language evolved so that makeup is a perfect extension of the atmosphere he seeks in each film?

- Yolanda: Well, the truth is that between Alberto and me, our common language has evolved, it has evolved positively over the years. Yes, it's true that we've been working together for more than 20 years, and eventually you become one. His ideas are mine, and mine are his, and sometimes it reaches the point where he even often trusts my judgment and gives me free rein to create. Yes, it's true that it always goes through him, but we have reached the point where we know what we want; in this case, I know what he wants, so it's wonderful and much easier.

The Sweat of "La Isla Mínima": In this film, the climate is another character. How did you work with the sweat and fatigue on Raúl Arévalo and Javier Gutiérrez's faces so that the viewer felt that sticky, suffocating heat of the marshes?

- Yolanda: It wasn't just sweat itself, as everyone knows, glycerin, but it was about focusing on making the skin transparent, making you see the pores, making you see that heat, that anguish, by working the skin a bit with textures, with different tones, and that oily skin, which reflected the actors' anguish, the suffocating heat, and so on.

The Challenge of "Modelo 77": Winning the Goya for this film was a recognition of impeccable historical recreation. How did you approach designing the physical deterioration of the prisoners to make it feel real without being caricatured?

- Yolanda: The challenge of Modelo 77 was, well, like so many, right? Every project is a new challenge. Here we recreated an era, an era that many know, because it was the 70s, the prison in Barcelona, and well, recreating the actors was the most complicated part because they existed, so we didn't want to fall into caricature, we had to work on something that reminded you a bit of those prisoners without making it false. With Javier it was the most complicated due to the wig issue, but then it was everything itself, the setting, the haircuts, we had a lot of preparation time, cutting hair, preparing beards, mustaches, so it was a very nice job, hard, but very nice.

"La Peste" and the 16th Century: In a series of this magnitude, realism is extreme. How was the documentation process to recreate the marks of the disease and the hygiene of the era in a way that would be credible to the modern eye?

- Yolanda: The Plague, yes, it was a significant challenge because we worked with many actors, a lot of extras, a very complicated era in Seville... a disease about which documentation was a bit difficult, because when you research, it's true that the wealthy part is the most documented; ultimately, we are talking about finding documents that are paintings, and well, those who were painted were really the upper-class people; poor people were never painted, so documenting was a bit difficult, it was all written, a lot of reading, and also documenting with doctors and others who had a little more knowledge on this subject. And well, recreating the "buboes", the whole story of the disease, the setting, there was a lot of poverty, a lot of dirt because there was no hygiene at all. It was a pure and simple staging job.

Alchemy and Textures: To achieve such realistic finishes of mud, grease, or wear, do you prefer specific industry products or do you still rely on your own artisanal mixtures to create unique textures?

- Yolanda: The truth is that I, who have always painted, in oil, charcoal, watercolor..., I love mixtures, I love to improvise, I love to research, I love to invent... It's true that there are some products already invented in the industry that help for something quick, but when there's time, to create textures of mud or anything, I love everything I find at hand and mixing until I achieve what I'm really looking for.

"La Isla Mínima" Julio Vergne ©Atipica Films

Invisibility in 8K: Often your work involves it not being noticed. What is the technical secret to touching up skin in high definition so that it appears to have absolutely no product on it?

- Yolanda: The application of any type of base is very exposed to the eye with 8K. Making things finer, the touches more subtle. Then working the bases and the skin. I like you to see the pores of the skin, the transparencies... All of that has evolved, there are better materials than before. The Skin Illustrator®, alcohol-based makeups, which arrived here much later than in the US. I remember when I was there I brought back palettes that weren't available in Spain and I practically didn't know how to use them. Now with the internet world everything is more accessible and makes it easier, but it's true that many things have changed.

Technological Evolution: You have experienced the transition to digital cinema. How has high-resolution technology affected your understanding of applying prosthetics and makeup foundations?

- Yolanda: For those of us who started with 35mm cameras, it was a bit complicated because the first ones also changed the color of the skin, and we had to mix skin tones to make them look normal. Then also the definition, that is, the wigs, the tulle, the foundations, all of that required much more care than before, even though care had always been taken, but it is true that the texture in the old movies is not what it is now. In digital, absolutely everything is visible, so everything has to be much softer, much more refined, you have to be much more careful with everything so that the trick isn't noticeable.

"Modelo 77" Miguel Herranz © Atipica Films

The Chair's Refuge: It is said that the actor finishes finding their character in front of your mirror. How do you use that preparatory time to help the actor "inhabit" the character's skin before shooting?

- Yolanda: It's true that the actor, as the question says, finds that moment in makeup, because it's where they truly transform into the character they are going to portray. That moment with us is a bit of relaxation; they talk about the character, adding little details that the audience might not see, but they feel even closer to the character they are playing, small details, even if it's the nails, scratches, little things that no one will really see, but they are seeing them, so it helps them, it helps them create their character and feel closer to it.

Leading departments in large-scale productions requires diplomacy. What skill do you think is most necessary today to coordinate a makeup team in top-tier Spanish cinema?

- Yolanda: Well, for me, team management, to be able to lead a large team in large productions or in small productions, it is true that for me the most important thing is knowing how to say things, knowing how to organize, and knowing where each person goes, what each one is most special at, more prosthetics, the other atmosphere, the other whatever... it's knowing how to coordinate all the colleagues and knowing how to say, above all knowing how to be, knowing how to say, having a way with words so that everything flows and there is a good atmosphere, and thus everything is much easier.

The Teacher's Advice: What would you say to makeup artists who dream of dedicating themselves to character design in high-level cinema?

- Yolanda: Don't give up, never throw in the towel. You have to be passionate, you have to love your work above all else, and keep learning always. You can never say "I know everything," that's a lie. I believe you learn even from the intern. You have to be like a sponge and be open to new techniques, to new advice from colleagues, to everything.

 Talking to Yolanda Piña reminds us that cinema is built with details we often don't see, but deeply feel. Her rigor and respect for the craft make her an absolute reference for any professional in the sector.

Thank you, Yolanda, for your generosity and for continuing to elevate the visual quality of our industry with every brushstroke.

We invite you to explore Yolanda's work through her social networks Instagram, IMDb.

See you on the next shoot, Makeup Artist.