Gillian Geist is a Pleasant Valley senior busy creating art in numerous forms including drawing, painting, sculpting, sewing, and makeup.
Throughout her four years of high school, Geist has taken nearly every art class offered: Art 1, Drawing, Advanced Drawing, Painting, CG Design, Photography, and AP Art. And going in a slightly different direction, she is currently enrolled in woodworking.
Geist described how she likes to create art on her own time. “I usually do pencil sketches and doodles at home. When I do canvases and painting I like to use acrylics, but when I do costume and designs I like to use watercolor pencils because they’re easier to blend,” Geist said.
Outside of school, Geist is still incredibly involved in the arts. She uses her wide range of artistic abilities at home where she creates for enjoyment and for various projects such as Pleasant Valley’s drama productions.
Geist was costume head for Pleasant Valley drama department in the last show, “Radium Girls.” She has had experience with costuming before for the musical “Sunset Boulevard” at the Music Guild. However, this show was complicated for the costume department due to its unique nature; the cast consisted of 10 people but approximately 37 characters.
In order to create all of the necessary outfits and accessories, the costume department pulled some of the school’s existing costumes and altered them to fit the actors. Their main goal throughout this process was to remain as historically accurate as possible.
Michaela Whitten, an actress in “Radium Girls,” commented on Geist’s role behind the scenes. “It was really impressive since it was her first time as a crew head. She was very dedicated and worked to overcome any difficulties. She cared about what she did and about the people she worked with. Without her, the show wouldn’t have been the same,” she said.
Geist is taking a quick break from drama at PV before jumping back in for the next play, “She Kills Monsters,” as a makeup artist. Although Geist does not often do typical stage makeup, “She Kills Monsters” is right up her alley due to the fact that it includes special effects makeup to make some of the actors look like monsters.
Geist is quite experienced in special effects makeup, because she has been participating in cosplay for several years. She attends large comic con events and is now a judge at local cosplay events.
The judging is based on two key components: how much of the costume is handmade and how well it is made. “[Judging] is hard because I always feel so bad picking just one!” Geist said. “However, I have high standards that my own cosplay work often doesn’t meet.”
It is clear that Geist has had a busy and successful high school career in art, but it is not over yet – she will continue her artistic endeavors in the future. To keep up with Geist and her artistic endeavors, follow her art account on Instagram, @geistcosplay.
