Degree Show 2025: Creative student Mollie looks ahead to a graduate future crafting medical prosthetics

After a childhood spent doodling dream designs for a tattoo studio, one creative student’s career direction took a handbrake turn after being blown away by a childhood film classic – and now looks forward to a future fashioning hyper-realistic medical prosthetics.

Third-year student, Mollie Goodger recently showcased her final major project at the University’s Degree Show, welcoming the chance to introduce members of the public to her medical simulation bust, created as the crown of her degree in her third year studying Hair, Makeup and Prosthetics for Stage and Screen.

Meticulously crafted from a combination of resin and acrylic and adorned with monster clay sculpted across twelve intense weeks, Mollie’s final major project shines a spotlight on the vast potential of creating medical simulation masks and prosthetics to create realistic training scenarios – a graduate career goal for Mollie.

Medical prosthetics and simulation masks are increasingly used within training environments for first responders, such as paramedics and nurses, to enhance realism within healthcare environments and better prepare trainees for the people they are likely to treat after graduation.

Mollie’s work follows in the footsteps of a similar project led by Technician Demonstrator Poppy Twigger, who created a life-like silicone mask for teaching environments in light of research conducted at CQUniversity in Australia, which found health students’ engagement with their education was boosted thanks to the enhanced ‘life-like’ experience of role-play simulation exercises.

On creating the bust, Mollie explains: “Creating hyper-realistic prosthetic masks was a completely new process to me, and I loved every minute.

“Using anatomy books as reference material and making good use of our course access to the Stan Winston Academy, it didn’t take me long to conceptualise the final look of the bust – and a shout-out goes to my grandad, who inspired the eyebrows which I hair punched by hand!

“In truth, I have Instagram to thank for my love of creating medical prosthetics, as I hadn’t considered this as a career until a video popped up on my screen of a prosthetic being created. I was blown away to know this is a field I could go into. Having a rewarding career where I can help others and do what I love every day sounds like a real win-win to me.”

Throughout her studies at the University of Northampton, Mollie has been front and centre of numerous opportunities to build her portfolio, creating ghoulish Halloween looks in her first year of study, and most recently taking on the role of Lead Hair and Wig Designer, as well as and applying the make-up and prosthetics for three key characters, in Rutland Musical Theatre’s stage production of Shrek the Musical earlier this year.

As her brushes are packed away and graduation is around the corner, Mollie has been reflecting on her journey to becoming a seasoned Hair, Make-Up and Prosthetics Artist:  “After spending my early years sketching doodles of what my future tattoo shop would look like, it wasn’t until I sat down to watch a film with my family one evening – Pirates of the Caribbean – that my future in hair, makeup and prosthetics really opened-up to me. I was amazed at how the characters all looked and my mind buzzed at how they were created.

“A quick search on Instagram led me to admire the work of the film’s Makeup and Prosthetics Lead, Ve Neill who I actually had the opportunity to meet and work alongside during my studies – which was a real ‘full circle’ moment for me.

“Studying at UON has been a real turning point. If I’d stuck to my doodled plans, I don’t believe I would have come out of my shell like I have since first-year or discovered this creative field which brings me so much joy. I can’t wait to see where the future takes me!”

Mollie’s work was featured alongside other students from a variety of courses from the Faculty of Arts, Science and Technology at this year’s Degree Show. This ran from Thursday 19 to Tuesday 24 June at the University’s Waterside Campus.

Find out more about studying Hair, Make-Up and Prosthetics for Stage and Screen at the University of Northampton.