Old Age Makeup 2

In the previous old age post, I did blocking and blending according to Stage Makeup to begin the old age makeup effect. The next step is adding details that really make the makeup realistic. The first details I added were stippling and age spots to make the skin look older, "Apply finishing touches of age spots and stipple" (Thudium 63). Next I drew white lines on the lips to make the look chapped and added more wrinkles around the mouth. "Shadow under your lower lip following the natural curve. Pull a shadow down and outward from the corners of your mouth (Thudium 58). Lastly to bring the whole look together I colored her eyebrows, "The graying of eyelashes, and eyebrows contributes to aging a young face convincingly" (Thudium 58). 

Here is a final before and after of my model turning old!

Before picture of my model

Final result

This makeup was by far my favorite because its like a look into the future. Even though it was very time consuming and difficult, the final result looked awesome and was worth it!

Would you want to see what you would look like in the future, using makeup, or not?

Work Cited

Thudium, Laura. Stage Makeup: The Actor's Complete Step-by-step Guide to Today's Techniques and Materials. Vol. 1. New York: Back Stage, 1999. Print.

Old Age Makeup 1

A fun makeup I wanted to try was Old Age Makeup, this is where you use shading and highlighting to make yourself look old. This is interesting because you use your natural wrinkles to  make yourself look old, so it's like you are looking at your future self! The more realistic you want this to be the more materials you will need, because there are multiple techniques being used. For my makeup I used:

• A base color 2 shades darker than my skin tone 
• A shadow color (this should be significantly darker than the base color)
• A high lite color or white
• Latex sponge
• Stippling sponge
• Thin flat detail brush
• Red/pink powder
• White hair color (not for your hair instead will be used on eyebrows)
• Eyebrow/eyelash comb
• Eye shadow brush
• Makeup remover

(Thadium)

A markup image from Stage Makeup, (Thadium)

Old age makeup begins with blocking out the face and adding shadows and highlights as the image shows (Thadium), blocking will be blended and should look more like tribal paint.

This is my model after blocking out the wrinkles

To know where to high-lite and shade, shade where there are natural creases, and high-lite parts that hit the light (Thadium). For example; "High-lite above cheekbone and shadow below" (Thadium 52). This is because the top of your cheekbone sticks out and catches the light while underneath sinks in. After you block out all wrinkles and highlights, simply blend them with a sponge.

This makeup takes a long time and has many steps, the final old age look will be in a second post. In the second post I will show how I added details after blocking and blending.

What would you do if you could look old for a day?

Work Cited

Thudium, Laura. Stage Makeup: The Actor's Complete Step-by-step Guide to Today's Techniques and Materials. Vol. 1. New York: Back Stage, 1999. Print.

Special FX Makeup bruise

Another simple FX makeup I wanted to try was a bruise. For this all I needed was a stipple sponge, which is a sponge with holes in it to create texture; cream in green, blue, yellow, red, and purple: and a normal latex sponge. 

In my book, Stage Makeup, they applied a fake bruise to the nose, I found it easiest to start on my hand. "Begin painting the wound with maroon and purple cream liners to stimulate a fresh bruise" (Thudium 76). The text also included the option to add yellow and green for an aged look, which I decided to include. I then began to use my stippling sponge to add the effect of burst capillaries, "continue patting on purple and maroon liners with a sponge. Extending colors past the bumpy bruise" (Thudium 77). I could have stopped there but, I used my regular sponge to add a bit of blue. 

 

Final result of bruise using stippling

How would you use special FX makeup? What would you look like?

Work Cited

Thudium, Laura. Stage Makeup: The Actor's Complete Step-by-step Guide to Today's Techniques and Materials. Vol. 1. New York: Back Stage, 1999. Print.

Special FX Makeup using wax

There's a variety of techniques to do special FX makeup my book, Stage Makeup, featured some realistic burns and scars using wax I decided to try next. Wax in makeup is similar to play dough or clay, you can mold it and make different shapes then apply it using a skin safe glue called spirit gum. Wax can be difficult to work with, unfortunately I learned this the hard way, make sure you use Vaseline or something else to keep if from sticking to your fingers while you mold it.

To create a fake wound you first use spirit gum on the area so the wax will stick, then "scoop out the desired amount of derma wax and roll it in your hands until soft and ball shaped... once the wax is secured to the body spot, smooth out the ball into what-ever shape wound you wish to create" (Thudium 76). I continued to follow directions from Stage Makeup, by creating my shape, creating a slit in the wax, and coloring it to match my skin tone. To finish it off I added blood, this is how, "After lightly dusting the wound area with powder to set the makeup and dry the wax so that blood will stick to it, apply 'thick' stage blood to the slit you opened in the previous step" (Thudium 77).

Finished product on my arm

Where do you see special FX makeup being used?

Work Cited

Thudium, Laura. Stage Makeup: The Actor's Complete Step-by-step Guide to Today's Techniques and Materials. Vol. 1. New York: Back Stage, 1999. Print.

Special FX Makeup scratches

Through theater I gained an interest in special FX makeup from using it in class. This differs from makeup that enhances features, instead it is used to create realistic fake effects on a person. Stage Makeup is in interesting book that features many different makeups and techniques to doing special FX makeup. I decided to start with something simple, like scratches. I was able to achieve this using basic cream based makeup in various shades of red and brown, fake blood, and a thin flat head-brush. Using the instruction from my book, Stage Makeup.

I began by using a pale red to draw lines on my arm where I wanted them making the middle line longer than the rest. I then used a deep red over the lines, keeping them thinner than the initial red. I made the lines darker where the line begins and made it fade as it went down my arm to create a realistic effect (Thadium). Finally I added small details of dark brown around the edges, and a tad of fake blood complete the effect, "for an even more realistic gory look, add stage blood" (Thadium 79).

Scratch done on my models face Scratches on my own arm

Have you ever tried using makeup in ways besides to look pretty?

Work Cited

Thudium, Laura. Stage Makeup: The Actor's Complete Step-by-step Guide to Today's Techniques and Materials. Vol. 1. New York: Back Stage, 1999. Print.