Zombie Look I

So, with Halloween right around the corner (or a month and a half around the corner) it's time for the ghouls to come out and play. So, for the first look I'm going to walk you through we'll do a zombie. It'll look something like this -

Model: Robin Murray

So to start what you're going to want is some Kleenex, latex, molding wax, aqua color (white) or if you don't want the look to be so white you can use a base several shades lighter than your skin tone, some black powder, green and yellow makeups (I used oil but you can use a powder eyeshadow), fake blood and if you like tooth stain.

To begin you'll want to use a glue stick to cover the eyebrows. This will keep the model or yourself from removing the eyebrows when the prosthetic is removed. After the eyebrows have been thoroughly protected use your brush to add a layer of liquid latex as a base for applying the Kleenex. This is where you'll be building the brow ridge, that'll give the appearance of sunken eyes.

Once you've applied the Kleenex over the latex you'll want to cover it with latex as well and continue to build it up with Kleenex and latex until it's to the desired hight.

After you have your desired shape and hight you'll want to take the molding wax and do a layer over the top of the prosthetic to smooth out some of the lines created by the latex and the transition into the skin. Try to get it as smooth as you can.

Once you've shaped the wax to your liking place a layer of latex over the top of that to seal it as well before you try to apply any makeup to the top of it.

Once the latex is dry take the aqua color (or base) and apply an even coat over the skin and the prosthetic. Keep adding layers evenly until everything is completely covered. Before or after this step you can add any other wounds you'd like. 

There is a light wound here right on the cheek bone that will become more evident later. Use the wax or Kleenex to build up a small wall of 'skin' around the desired wound area.

This one is merely some latex applied with my finger. As it dries it gets sticky, so dabbing the latex with your finger will give it a texture and pulled up effect as if the skin is pealing.

Once all the wounds are in place and you have an even layer of aqua color (or base) take a powder and cover it to keep the makeup from coming off as you add more layers. It will also make sure that it's dry before you add anything else to it.

Now it's time to start in with some shading and detailing with blood. Using the black powder, do a dark basic corrective. So, go in around the eyes, making the point closest to the nose darkest. Add in some shadowing along the edge of the nose, at the temples and under the jaw line (more in depth on basic corrective to come in a later blog). Also add some shadow to the inner part of the lips.

Add blood to where ever you want. I added blood (along with a base of red to the inside of the wound to give it more texture) to the inside of the wounds as well as along the top of the ridge to to start with some detailing. To get the texture along the top of the ridge I used a thicker blood (fresh scratch) and a sponge.

Here I've added in some green and yellow to the ridge so that it looks infected. I've also deepened the shadows around the eyes. Use your own discretion for how much you use and how dark you make things to get the look that you're after.

For final touches add blood! I was going for a more splattered effect than I actually got. I got more of a runny blood droplet effect. This is also where you'll want to add in the tooth stain and any other little details you want. 

Do enjoy and have fun! I hope this helps and if you have any suggestion on how to make it more understandable or something you'd like to know please tell me or ask!

Supplies; what you need, what you want

Supplies are very important to making an look appear real. While supplies can be expensive there are ways to cut costs. I'm going to go over what I have and use while telling you were to get it or to get things that work as well for a cheeper price (as well as easier to come by).

I have a wide selection of liquid bases in varying colors. This is because my skin tone varies on the time of year and amount of sun. It's also to pale me or others out. The powders are used to set liquid bases or water and grease makeups. And at the bottom of the picture are for highlights and shadows for basic corrective (I will be doing a blog on this soon).

As far as finding these, you can get them just about anywhere. The cheaper ones will be at grocery stores and a cheep way to get a highlight and shadow would be to merely get a brown and off white eyeshadow. The color will depend on your sin tone. Normally you go two to three shades lighter or darker than what you skin tone is. Or you can get more expensive bases as well as high light and shadow at specialty makeup stores such as Kryolan (I will provide a link to their website at the end of the blog). 

Here we have liners and glosses along with a few other things. Left hand side there's some teeth stains, these great for zombie or vampire looks as it means you can give the teeth a bloody or decayed look. I've only really seen them at Kryolon, though around Halloween you can find a black tooth wax.

My lip glosses and eyeliners come in many colors. I have sparkles, pink, white, gold and I use them for a ton of different things. White eyeliner is especially useful for giving a highlight under the eye to make them pop.

Mascaras are also various in colors. Black, clear and silver, though there are many others you can find as well. Any of these can be found at most stores for relatively cheap prices if you look around some.

The glues stick and cork are more specialty items. The glue stick is used, with a bit of base and cover up, to take out eyebrows if you should want to move them higher or make them thinner (drag queens use this when they're in drag). The cork is used for creating dirt smears. Burn one end and then smudge it on your face. And the price is very cheep for both of these!

Hair and sparkles. Bobby-pins are useful to have to keep your hair out of your face (or a friend's hair) when your working as well as to create simple or complex hair styles. And sparkles are...well...sparkles. Great for princesses or whatever...

Here's the stuff used for creating 3-D effects, such as wounds, new noses, whatever you might want. The main key to this is liquid latex, easy to find during Halloween, otherwise you can use skool glue (this is also cheaper for the most part). 

With latex you attach and mold tissue and cotton balls to create a three-dementional look. Molding wax is used for a better and smoother look, however it doesn't usually last as long. You should cover the wax with latex as well. 

Spirit gum attached things such as fake hair for mustaches or beards but be sure to have remover as well, other wise you'll definitely feel it later. You can get it cheap around halloween, other wise I've only seen it at Kryolan. However, the stuff at Kryolan is definitely of better quality.

Aqua colors are wonderful for basing (especially red for anything you want to be bloody). White and off white work for highlighting, black and brown for shadows. The sponges give texturing. However, Aqua color isn't cheep and can be found through Krylon. There may be a cheaper alternative out there but I don't know about it.

Eyeshadows...have plenty you can use them for everything! From coloring wounds to making glamor eye effects. Their use is truly limitless!

There are two types of fake blood here, liquid (the one in the tube is from a halloween store and the ones in the bottles are from Kryolan. I prefer the Kryolan one due to thickness and texture. The other one is really thin and watery.)  The fresh scratch can be used to get a road rash effect as it is thicker than liquid blood and doesn't run. These ones are from Kryolan, however you can get some at halloween stores for less.

The lotion is for prepping skin to keep the makeup from getting in your pours. And you don't need to get a special brush cleaner as dish soap works quite well.

The cleaners I have here are Hydro (from Kryolan) which is theatre grade makeup remover, and some special stuff for getting makeup off from around eyes, which is always helpful. You should also have face or baby wipes for after use of the other stuff, I'm jut out at the moment.

A variety of brushes is truly helpful. Blush brushes are good for large spread of powder makeup. Smaller brusher or flat brush work better for details and oil work. While I have mac brushes (on the right hand side) I also have cheap pain brushes for oil makeups and such (on the left hand side).

Oil based makeups in convenient wheels. I have three (shown above) all from Kryolan. I use them quite often when I'm making things. However, there are different things you can get that will work just as well.

There are a few things I didn't list or put picture of up such as fake eyelashes (I have tons of many colors an shapes). These are fun for added effects but not at all necessary. I also have blushes, which are kind of pictured but not talked about. Having on blush that's a good color for you is plenty for most things.

Check out stage and film makeup at: http://www.kryolan.com/index.php

Introduction

So, for a starter entry let's get to know each other. Or at least, let's let you get to know me. I'm a theatre student who happens to love doing costumes and makeup. I design and create both. I've been doing this for a few years now and I feel that sharing will be fun for me and you. I also do some wig and hair styling as well, so might be some stuff with that as well.

With makeup I primarily do zombie and horror, though there are some steam punk looks as well as glamor and others. For most of these looks I do prosthetics and will be describing how to build them as well as apply makeup here.

To give you a brief idea of what I do and what will be created in this blog here's some pictures of my work.

This one is on myself. It's a stitched and infected wound as if my mouth has been cut.

Model: Robin Murray

For a friend's zombie movie, has some flesh hanging down off the side for a nice effect.

Model: Jacob Clark

Another one for the zombie movie. I have taken out the eye, a really easy effect to get.

Model: Zack Scovel

My interpretation of the white witch from Narnia. This was for a final in a makeup class.

Model: Kelsey Miller

Steam punk look for another final for a makeup class.

Done on myself, I was just messing around with some aqua color and fake eyelashes.

Model: Robin Murray

A practice run for another steam punk look.

Model: Victoria Bristow

The final for that steam punk look.

On myself. A shattered sort of effect, kind of a zombie thing, I suppose.

On myself, an infection spreading.

Zombie bite wound.

Cutting of the arm.

A different bite wound.

Model: Robin Murray

A first crack at doing a marionette.

Models: Mikkel Simons and Victoria Bristow

Horror Alice in Wonderland

Models: Mikkel Simons and Conner Watson

For a challenge, the theme was 'a girl's love'. My concept was a woman who loves a man despite abuse.

Model: Robin Murray

Vampire child

An infected burn wound

Models: Mikkel Simons and Conner Watson

Random arm wound

In this blog I will go over basics and materials as well as how to create zombies, various prosthetics and wounds, outrageous looks and whatever else. If there is something you'd like to see, I would like to hear about it.

You can check out more of my work here: http://stageartisan.deviantart.com/