For my first attempt at special effects makeup, I decided to create a realistic burn wound on my arm. I'm very excited to practice and refine my theater makeup skills in time to help out at the Key Club Haunted House.
On Thursday I spent class time watching tutorials, as my makeup that I ordered hadn't arrived yet. I was a little worried that all the products that I ordered were completely new to me and I had no idea how they would work. Through watching tutorials and looking at pictures I decided to use liquid latex as my base, rather then other methods using Elmer's glue, gelatin, etc.
Supplies:
- Forum Novelties Liquid Latex, Clear
- Mehron Red Face and Body Paint
- Mehron 5 Color Bruise Wheel Cream Makeup
- Colormates Beige Pressed Powder
- Max Clear Lip Gloss
- Mehron Coagulated Blood Gel
- Various paint brushes and sponges
1. First I applied a thick layer of liquid latex to my arm and let dry. When it dried, I then ripped holes in the latex to simulate burned and blistered skin. I ran into a small issue with the latex wanting to tear into unnaturally perfect circles, but I decided to leave it as is and see how it turned out.
2. I then coated the skin outside of the circles torn in the latex with the red body paint. To make the red less vivid, I watered down the paint before applying. I also applied the red, maroon, and yellow shades from the bruise pallet to imitate an infected wound.
3. Finally, I added patches of black char with the bruise pallet, drips of fake blood, and a clear gloss over the entire wound. The fake blood had a horribly thick consistency and refused to drip, so I don't think I'll use it again.
Conclusion:
Overall, I got very positive feedback from my board of judges. The most consistent comment was, "Wow, that's gross," which I took as a compliment. A few flaws pointed out was that I could have done a better job blending the paint around the edges of the wound and that some white char would have also been realistic with the degree of burn I was simulating. I also learned during this process that liquid latex will tear in a circle if you start at the center and that the fake blood I bought wasn't a good consistency to imitate fresh blood.
