Wrath Like?

For my final look I decided to go for something quite a bit different than anything I had ever done before, create my own prosthetic. I used a very simple technique from A Complete Guide to Special Effects Makeup by Japanese Makeup Artists where one takes apart cotton balls and combined with liquid latex molded it into the desired shape. While the way of making the prosthetic was from the book the look I created was not. In this look I was going for a bit of a human wrath kind of look where the skin had been sealed shut and then tore back open.

I began by coloring my lips and some of the area around them a combination of the colors red, black, and brown. After setting up where the inside of the prosthetic would be I started putting the cotton on my face by smearing a light layer of liquid latex just above my top lip and then placing the cotton on it, while the cotton was still drying I added more latex directly to the cotton so that I could mold the cotton to look how I wanted it to. Repeating this step all around my mouth and molding the cotton and latex together the whole time I was able to get the look that I wanted. Tip from the book, “While the latex is still wet you can still mold the cotton, make sure you’ve gotten it exactly how you want it to be before it dries, nothing can change it after it had dried completely (21 Japanese Makeup).” Wax was added to the edges to smooth them out and another layer of latex to make the coloring of the prosthetic easier. After coloring the outside of the prosthetic a color only slightly darker than my own and the inside of the prosthetic a dark red I added fake blood to finish off the effect.

What do you think? Does my face look monster like?

Works Sited

Japanese Makeup Artists. A Complete Guide to Special Effects Makeup. London: Titan, 2012. Print.

Deeper, Bloodier, Bigger Gash

After dabbling in a branch or special effect makeup that didn’t involve blood and torn flesh I decided that I wanted to get back to it and just have some fun. I have posted before about bloody gashes but this time I decided to go a bit further and make it more of a missing chunk of flesh from arm.

Again I’ll be working with the tips from A Complete Guide to Special Effects Makeup by Japanese Makeup Artists. “A flat wound is a fake wound (37 Japanese Makeup).” Very few statements have ever been truer, there are very few wounds out there that are clean cut and even the ones that are clean still have depth, otherwise there would be no wound. While I was making this look I tool this saying to heart so when I began by building up the wax to give depth to the wound I found myself trying to find any way I could add depth and damage to the soon to be wound.

In A Complete Guide to Special Effects Makeup towards the beginning of the book it is mentioned that if the makeup is not blended into the skin without any oblivious color changes then the effect will fail and will be easy to spot as a fake. This proved to be quite a difficult hurtle to get over when I was creating this look simply because of the vast color different between my skin and the color of the wax I was using. Wax is not an easy substance to color and is made even more difficult when it is built up in such a way that too much pressure to it could cause it to collapse in on its self. After making my way through the painfully slow paint job of the torn flesh I was able to finish off the look with some fake blood and red tinting.

What do you think, should I stick with blood and gore? Or should I keep dabbling in other special effect makeup styles? 

Works Sited

Japanese Makeup Artists. A Complete Guide to Special Effects Makeup. London: Titan, 2012. Print.

Old Age Makeup

I have once again decided to work on my ability to make an allusion using makeup. In the past I have mostly worked on making a wound out of makeup, however, due to an assignment in my Technical Theater class where we are required to make ourselves look old I decided to dabble in the art of aging myself with the aid of makeup. In the class we are to make our faces look old, but sense I knew that we were going to be doing that in class I decided that I wanted to do something a bit different so I decided to age my left hand.

          

  Again I will be using A Complete Guide to Special Effects Makeup by Japanese Makeup Artists as a guide to creating the desired look. To begin the old hand look I laid down thick strips of wax on my finger tendons in order to make them stand out more, the same way that they would on an older person’s hand. That wax was followed by strips of wax dyed blue to give the effect of veins popping out of the skin. In A Complete Guide to Special Effects Makeup it was suggested that one actually finds an old hand of someone that they know so that you can decide what details you wish to add to your hand. While I was unable to actually look at a live persons hand I was lucky enough to find a picture of my great grandmother’s hand where I saw that it was common for an older persons hands to have larger bone joints and choice to add that to my own hand. I accomplished this by building up my knuckles all the way around with wax. “Old skin has a thin look to it that is best captured by a thin layer of liquid latex (42 Japanese Makeup).” After a thin layer of latex I finished the look up with some shadows, highlights, and a few age spots.

  

What do you think? Do I did my great grandmother’s hand justice? 

Works Cited 

Japanese Makeup Artists. A Complete Guide to Special Effects Makeup. London: Titan, 2012. Print.

Second Attempt, Deep Gash

Last time I was working from the book A Complete Guide to Special Effects Makeup By Japanese Makeup Artists I tried my had in making a deep gash for the first time. This time I have again decided to try and turn make up into a deep gash. I once again choice my forearm as my area of transformation and began to lay down the base of the wound.

This is done using molding wax, I lay down two strips of wax and then blend it into my skin and up to a jagged ridge that is the opening of the wound. After molding the wax color and texture is added to the wound to finish off the look. Darkening the middle of the wound gives depth and giving a red hue to the edges gives it a look of irritation. To give it an even really looking appearance, "Poor blood past into the gashes opening and allow it to flow outside (35 Japanese Makeup)." I was going for a more infected but starting to heal look so had less of the blood past flow out of the wound.

Finished Product 

If you saw this wound on a person would you be worried or know that it is make up?

Works Sited

Japanese Makeup Artists. A Complete Guide to Special Effects Makeup. London: Titan, 2012. Print.

First Attempt at a Deep Gash

           I chose to try and better my skill of stage and injury make up because I have always loved when I was able to make my family or a friend cringe when I was able to get it just right and I love the technical side of theater.
             The book that I chose is called A Complete Guide to Special Effects Makeup By Japanese Makeup Artists. The book has a focus on the slightly more experienced people, giving them ideas and stiles for them to try and customize how they please to fit their style. "Basic Makeup and cuts, gashes, and scars (1 Japanese Makeup)."  The book begins with how your base makeup will effect the more bloody parts. For example, if your base makeup is more of a sweet girl look then when you bloody her people will see a hurt little girl that needs help. however, if your base makeup is more on the 'I really don't give a crap what you think' then your bloody makeup could give her a bit more of a survivor or warrior look.
            Sense I was using myself as a model and it can be quite hard to work with the many shapes of the human face I just used my arm to better my makeup skills.

             For this look I was able to work on my skills using wax, paint, and fake blood and in later posts I'll be working again on this look and a few others that include skills that I would like to improve on.

             If you were to see me or someone else walking down the street with this on their arm or face would you be concerned for them? 

Works Sited

Japanese Makeup Artists. A Complete Guide to Special Effects Makeup. London: Titan, 2012. Print.