Special Effects Makeup

Broadening my knowledge of special effects makeup can benefit me with my project as I may be able to use some techniques, or at least be knowledgable in different methods that I could use in further projects.

From the book 'Special Makeup Effects for Stage and Screen', I learned a lot of useful tips. Here are some examples of what I derived from the book:

• Don't use sulphur clay when creating a silicone after product. Apparently the sulphur will not enable the silicone to set, and so you should avoid this type of clay when working with silicone. From my classes I also found that there are several things that do not enable silicone to set, such as Aloe Vera and garlic. It is important to know these things otherwise it can affect your work as you will not do it correctly. 
• Chemistry is a fundamental part of special effects makeup. Unlike conventional makeup, in special effects makeup you work will a plethora of materials and substances that are chemical and depend on reactions, concoctions and different types of curing. These can contain toxic chemicals or, if not worked with in a well ventilated room or with a mark on, can give off dangerous fumes. Knowing what all the different materials you can work with are, their danger level and their characteristics is imperative as without this knowledge you may put yourself or the person you are working with in danger, and working safely with these different materials can enable your work to be more detailed and professional. These different materials include cold foam, foam latex, gelatine and foamed gelatine. 
• Sculpting tools can be homemade, not just ones you buy in the shops. 

This is an image of a handmade tool in the book. I have seen a tool like this in one of the videos I posted before about sculpting facial features, and is an interesting concept and not something I would have thought of if I was to take up sculpting. It is also possible to use the corners to create holes in the face above plastic sheeting.

I found this a really interesting example of sculpting and it was helpful to see how the professionals do it. The edges of the sculpt are so smooth and thin, and this is what we should be doing with our sculpts in order to make sure the edges are almost non-existent and blend-able. 

After this, I looked at the 2015 edition of 'Stage Makeup' by Richard Corson. Here are some things that I derived from this book:

• Knowing the anatomy is imperative when moulding and creating. In order to create an anatomically correct, believable old age makeup, you need to know the different areas of the face and the bone structure in order to know how this affects the skin and its movement. When studying the face, both looking and feeling is important. When sculpting, you should know where the depressions of the face are so you can correctly place these, such as the eye sockets and the temples. 
• Choosing a pigment is not just choosing one colour, it is a mix of colours. When choosing the correct pigment, you need to be aware that colour does not consist of just one element but all the elements of it need to be considered. These are its hue, intensity and value.
• Be aware of the character's background to create realism. When creating a character, you should consider its heredity, race, environment, health, age and temperament. This is what we are currently doing for our hybrid character; I need to know what the environment that my snake lives in is like and what this means for my character and what characteristics it adds. 

References/Sources

Debreceni, T., 2009. Special Makeup Effects for Stage and Screen. Focal Press, Burlington.

Corson, R., Glavan, J. and Norcross, B. (2015) Stage Makeup. Tenth edn. CRC Press.