Art 3/4 Spr 2012: April 2012

Thursday, April 26, 2012

OEDIPUS REX MAKE UP (EYES GOUGED OUT)

I decided to do this look after studying Oedipus Rex in theatre. I wondered about the stage makeup, and how you would adapt it for film. I tried this look before on my self by just blackening my eyes out, adding some latex flesh and blood around the edges, then closing my eyes to give the illusion of holes. This did not work, however. So I tried it again. This time I made two prosthetics for the eye holes. I applied them with pros-aide, then blended with casting latex. I added a few layers of flesh colors to blend even more, then filled in the holes with a dark black powder. To top off the look, I added fake blood to make it look that much more gory. In this process I learned how to make prosthetics “disappear’ on the skin, which was something I was horrible at. This was also my first time having another person to practice a look on, which was exciting and made thing A LOT easier.

FROZEN MAKEUP

This look I found on a DIY film making site called Indy Mogul. The look consist of white cream makeup, blue eye shadow, purple eyeliner, black cake makeup, liquid latex, salt, and shaving cream. A thin layer of white goes on first to make the face seem pale and drained of blood; then the blue, black, and purple create bruising affects and also to make the flesh appear cold and almost lifeless. The final effect is to use liquid latex to stick salt crystals on the cheeks and forehead to give the illusion of ice crystals, then put streaks of shaving cream in the hair to look like frost. It is a very simple and easy look, but effective. Though most of the fx makeup I have done so far is horror fx, like gashes and scars, a frozen look can be used for a number of scenes. It can be used for a survival movie, horror movie, or even a romantic movie (like The Titanic).

ZOMBIE MAKEUP WITH PROSTHETICS

This look was done with the home made prosthetics, toilet paper, liquid latex, a bruise wheel, some cream make up, and powdered make up. First was applying the prosthetics to the cheeks. Cotton is put underneath them to make them bulge out. The same is done with the forehead piece. These prosthetics make my facial features look more prominent so areas like my eyes and underneath my cheeks look sunken into my face. For a zombie look, this helps the illusion of decomposition. I blacked out around my eyes next, which really should be done first, but it’s still only done to make my eyes look more sunken in. After that I applied toilet paper and latex on the parts of my face that were exposed. This is to give an illusion of rotting flesh. I then shaded, contoured, highlighted, and colored until I was satisfied. Zombies are a hot topic as of right now. The makeup is always interesting and creative, because a zombie can be tailored to the artist’s preferred taste and style. This particular look was inspired by the T.V series The Walking Dead, which has much more amazing make up than I could ever even attempt. Still, it is a must-do look.

MOLDS AND PROSTHETICS

These molds are made from plaster of paris. They start out as positive clay models on a board. From there they are sprayed with one coat of clear acrylic.. The board around the clay is then coated with Vaseline. This keeps the plaster from molding to the board or the clay. After the plaster dries, the molds easily pop off, which leaves you with negative molds. Once this is completed, casting latex is dabbed over the molds with a makeup sponge. Layers are added, making the middles thicker than the edges. Once they have dried, they are powdered as they are taken off to prevent the latex from sticking to its self. These prosthetics are usually added to the face or body as smaller effects. Some work together to make bigger illusions, like cheek bones with a brow bone to change the details of an actor's face.

OLD AGE STIPPLE

Old age stipple is achieved by stretching the skin, applying a thin layer of latex, or a latex aging mix, then powdering it and letting the skin go. Here I used regular liquid latex and loose powder. I started to see results after the second layer, especially around my eye. This effect can be used to make young actors older, and save the director time and money trying to find an elderly person to satisfy the script. It also can help if the character becomes very old with in the movie and the same actor can meet both requirements.

SIMPLE BRUISES AND CUTS

These effects are quick and easy. They look good and can be used for a number of projects. All are done with liquid latex, bathroom tissue, foundation, purple and black eyeliner, black matte eye shadow, and red lipstick. The bathroom tissue is used to build up or shape an area of the skin to make it look torn, punctured, or injured. Latex is applied over that to blend and solidify the effect. Color from the eye shadow, eye liner, or lipstick is used to create the illusion of bruising, burns, or blood. The bite wound on the left has fake blood in the dimples of the puncture wounds.