Spirit gum, cotton ball, nose/scar wax, cold cream, hiar pin or orange wood stick, stipple sponge, bruise palette, liner brush, setting powder, small powder brush, blood gel
1. Apply spirit gum to bridge of nose (the bony bit), wait for it to get tacky. If you are impatient, finger tack it. Apply cotton ball to gum to capture fibers and remove excess. The goal is not a fluffy look, more of a linty look.
2. Apply pea-sized ball of nose/scar wax to gummy cotton (the cotton fibers trap in the wax so it's won't crack off). Use a tiny amount of cold cream on your fingers to shape the wax into a raised bump; thin edges down into your own skin. If your fingers stick to the wax, use a little more cold cream.
3. Using a hair pin or orange wood stick, split the wax on an angle, and paint the interior of this 'cut' with the black liner from the bruise palette. Using the powder brush, powder the entire lump well. Let it set for 1 minute, then brush off excess.
4. Load each fingertip with one color: violet, maroon, black, yellow/green. Tap colors, in order above, around cut. Think of how a bruise appears: Deep purple with deep red throughout, darker in some places, yellow/green at the edges. It is important to tap the colors in to get this uneven appearance. You can also use the stipple sponge to tap in color.
6. Powder again to set the colors, again waiting a moment before brushing off excess.
7. Apply blood gel to interior of cut, allowing a gooey drop to trail out of the lower end. Stipple a little of the blood gel around the edges.
To make it look scabby, mix dirt into some blood gel. Cover split with dirty blood gel, add a little extra dirt on top. If you don't want real dirt on your face, use a product like Mehron's Texas Dust or Ash.
***I use these products because I like them. Make-up is a very personal thing, not all brands work for all people. Do your homework.***
Mehron - Most of my basics (colors, powder, brushes) come from them.
Alcone - Powder and other basics.
Ben Nye - Some of thier colors are truer in hue than others. Also make Hyrdacleanse, an oil-free make-up remover.
Pearl Paint - Where I get brushes.
Cinema Secrets - Makers of the Injury Stack, an excellent bruise palette, and FX Blood Gel. Also makers of inexpensive, easy-to-use prosthetics.
Make-up how-to:
*Corson's Stage Makeup- best overall how-to theatrical/film book out there.
*Making Faces and Face Forward by Kevyn Aucoin - best overall basic make-up tips
*Special Effects Make-up by Janus Vinther - easy to understand language. Scars to severed limbs, all with GREAT photos.
Back to Main
See the Ghoul