Starting out

OK Kyle this is specially for you and others that wants to start clowning. First off you must realize that to become a good clown is not easy but it is not impossible.
I was in the exact same position where you are now, more than 22 years ago when I first started. There was absolutely nobody out there (in South Africa) that could or would want to help a new "wanna be" like myself.
That didn't stop me and I kept searching. Just to remind you, at that time there was no cellphones, computers or internet. My continious search led me to the Ringling Brothers, B & B clown college whom finally has put me in touch with Dr. Richard Snowberg the director of Clown Camp at the University of Wisconsin, LaCrosse in America. To cut a long story short, I have been to Clown Camp in La Crosse during 1992, 1994, 1997, 2005 and 2008. The last two times my daughter, Crafty the Clown joined me for her further studies in the fine art of clowning.

Yes this was expensive and you really have to save for about 2 years to be able to afford a visit to Clown Camp or even a clown convention. But all is not lost, however you do need to know, and understand that if you are really serious to become a clown, at some stage you will have to "cough up some bucks".
You can buy good books on clowning, you can buy good DVD's on the subject, you can attend conventions or clown training programs here or overseas and you can do all this within a budget.

The easiest option right now is to pay your "airtime" and log on to the clown forum. Read what we wright here. Ask specific questions, don't be afraid to ask. If you really ask a question that I am not prepared or willing to answer, I will tell you that and also why I won't answer it. Also you must remember that sometimes you might get different answers from different clowns to the same question. That doesn't mean one is right and the other one is wrong.
Hey Zimbo is a whiteface clown (at the top of clown rank order), but Kallie, Spanner, Crafty, Ruffels and I myself are August clowns, (a little "lower" on the rank order) but non the less we all are (I think) pretty good clowns.

If (for example) Zimbo gives one opinion on, let's say clown make-up and Kallie gives a different answer and then I come with yet another answer you might get a little confused, BUT that gives you an excellent oppertunity to ask all of us whom have answered your question why we have answere it the way we did.
This will (hopefully) get your "clown brain" in gear and you will be able to discover that all of our possible different views on a/the same subject most probably would help you to get a better understanding and also a better influance on starting to put together your clown training program.

So first off Kyle, and other "student clowns", decide what type of clown you want to be, Whiteface, August or Character and then start to ask some questions about that. If you are not sure what I am talking about, go and look at some of my previous postings right here on the forum and go and do a Google search on the different clown types.
This will be a good start because once you have decided on that then we can start to look at designing your own clown face and discuss proper clown make-up and make-up techniques. Then we will move on to costume design, noses, wigs, shoes and so on. Then THE SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT skill that you will continiously practise, work on and allways have to do: CLOWN CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT.

I know, I know, we all want to learn a new magic trick, another balloon animal, add one more ball or juggling club to our routine, BUT we will get there.
Allways remember, a good juggler isn't always a good clown, a good balloon artist isn't always a good clown. a good magician.....you get the idea.
So before we can get anywhere, let us know what (for now) type of clown you think you want to be. You can always change that, so don't worry about you have to commit to what you decide now.
And "shoot" those questions. If I don't have the answer, surely one of us on the forum will have it.