GM Foam/Monster Makers Foam/Burman Foam A typical batch of foam latex consists of: ■ 150 grams of high grade latex base ■ 30 grams of foaming agent ■ 15 grams of curing agent ■ 14 grams of gelling agent There are other ingredients and quantities that can be added for different foam characteristics, but this […]

The best preparation for simulating skin diseases some sort of alien crud that nobody’s ever seen and look at the section on surface anatomy and skin, and you might come up with some ideas. SKIN-SAFE SILICONE AND GELATIN These two materials are absolute essentials for an artist’s kit. Skin-safe silicones are two-part (A-B) components that […]

I’ll share one trick I use because it is really effec­tive and quite low tech, as many great effects can be. This gag requires a piece of porous rubber sponge, a piece of latex makeup sponge, a pair of tweezers, and some stage blood. And a performer with clear nasal passages. 1. With small, sharp […]

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 […]

This is an easy way to age someone either sub­tly or dramatically. There are a variety of meth­ods for creating age-simulating wrinkles, too. However, trying to age someone in their late teens to late 20s might be ineffective with this tech­nique because for it to work well there needs to be some stretch and pliability […]

This stuff is cool! I mentioned this process earlier in the book, but it bears repeating here. Outside of Los Angeles, these devices are not very easy to find for makeup use. You might want to consider purchasing one (they’re somewhat pricey—over $1,000) and making it available for rental when you are not using it; […]

The following is not exactly Christien Tinsley’s recipe; Christien’s a great guy, but he’s not going to give away the proprietary for­mula and process for an inno­vation that won him a 2007 Scientific and Technical Academy Award. But it is one that works; Oscar nominee Vittorio Sodano used it for the 2006 Mel Gibson epic […]

You can use an airbrush to create a spatter or stipple effect if the pressure is suffi­ciently low and you remove both the needle cap and nozzle cap of the airbrush. If you’re painting directly on someone (or even if you’re not), be careful, because the needle point is exposed, and airbrush needles are very […]

An airbrush is a wonderful tool and can create amazing makeup effects in the hands of a skilled user. Airbrushing is not something you can simply become instantly good at; it requires lots of practice, and it requires the right equipment: a dual-action airbrush that allows you to control both airflow and the amount of […]