This is definitely the realm of the well-rounded makeup effects artist but not the focus of this book. So this will be merely a glancing blow. Much of what you’ll create to simulate trauma and various wounds is approached from the same direction as much of the work in this book: Know the type of makeup you need to create, research it and gather photos, sculpt it on a cast of the "victim," mold it, cast it, paint it, and apply it. Then add blood. Or pus. Or both. For really excellent "how-to" information on this stuff, it’s hard to beat Tom Savini’s Grand Illusions and Grand Illusions Book II. Tom’s work is as much about special effects as it is makeup effects.
Bruises are the result of internal bleeding, when capillaries near the skin’s surface break:
■ First is redness as blood spills from the broken vessels.
■ Next comes maroon as the blood begins to coagulate, then turns bluish purple over time, maybe even black.
■ As the bruise begins to heal, it will change to a brownish green and then to yellow as everything is gradually reabsorbed back into the body.