‘Drag Race’ Makeup Artist David Petruschin on Transforming RuPaul

Among the first people to arrive on set at “RuPaul’s Drag Race” are RuPaul and her makeup artist, David Petruschin, better known as “Raven.”

During the show’s FYC event, which included a set visit to the location where “Drag Race” films, Petruschin explained what it takes to transform RuPaul. He said, “We spend about six hours in there. The biggest part of getting into drag is makeup.”

Fans of the show will recognize Petruschin; he competed on the second season of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” in 2010 and on “All Stars” Season 1. In 2017, he became RuPaul’s personal makeup artist and has been contouring and applying makeup ever since. He won the Emmy for Outstanding Contemporary Makeup For A Variety, Nonfiction Or Reality Program (Non-Prosthetic) in 2020.

Transforming RuPaul requires a “complete reconstruction,” and out of those six hours, 45 minutes are spent on foundation – “blending, creating and reshaping the face.”

During that time, Petruschin revealed that Ru doesn’t scroll or play on her phone, but instead “she closes her eyes.”

Having been RuPaul’s trusted collaborator, Petruschin recalled feeling a little nervous when he first walked in. He said, “What am I stepping into?” As it turns out, Ru doesn’t give attitude. “She is one of the sweetest people, one of the most giving people. We enjoy our time together, because if we didn’t, that would be awful.”

Occasionally, the pair bounces ideas off one another as they continue to keep coming up with fresh and innovative looks. But not everyone hits. Petruschin laughed, “There are times when I’ll go way out in left field and say, ‘Oh, let’s do this.’ He’s like, ‘Bitch, what did you smoke this morning?’”

At the end of the day, it’s about raising the bar, getting creative, and coming up with something beautiful.

As Petruschin focuses on the show’s host, head makeup artist Natasha Marcelina handles the show’s roster of guests. This season included Brooke Shields.

Marcelina said she treats every guest that walks into the werk room as a new experience. “It’s typically my first time working with them, and so I don’t have a prior relationship with them, so I have to immediately adapt to whatever it is they may want, and make sure they have a good time.”

With Shields, who is known for her eyebrows, Marcelina said, “Why would you want to change that?”

Her approach is simple and borrows from RuPaul: “Ru says, you don’t need to reinvent the wheel, and that’s why people love her and come to see her for that. So we want to just maintain that legacy.”

Every so often, one guest will entrust Marcelina with a blank palette, and to get creative. While she didn’t divulge any names, even the most conservative guests trust her. She said, “They will come here and say, ‘Hey, it’s time to have fun. It’s time to do glitter, rhinestones, lashes, etc. Wear the outfit, wear the feathers, do the heels, and this is the perfect place to do it.” She added, “We are so happy to make it happen.”