Halloween aficionado Kevin Kirkpatrick has been fascinated with special makeup effects for about as long as he can remember. He received his first “professional” makeup kit as a youngster. High school found Kevin doing makeup for all his school’s theatrical performances, receiving encouragement and accolades from his art and drama teachers.
In 2004 Kevin enrolled in Tom Savini’s Special Makeup Effects program at the Douglas Education Center near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It turned out to be a good decision. Upon graduation in 2006, Kevin got a call from Savini asking if he’d be interested in working on a project for director Joe Zito for four months in Cairo, Egypt. Kevin readily said yes and was soon on a plane bound for North Africa. Four months turned into nine, and Kevin returned to the States a seasoned veteran of makeup effects.
Shortly after returning to the U. S., Kevin moved to Los Angeles and has been working nonstop ever since. “My advice is to get your hands on any and every book that there is on the subject [of makeup effects] and try your hand at it. There’s no better way to learn how to do something than to just do it. I remember when I was 9 years old and was given Richard Corson’s book (Stage Makeup); it was like a workbook for me. I tried as many things as I could, money permitting, and I messed up horribly! But it didn’t stop me. If anything, it pushed me to try it over and over until my results were successful.”
Kevin’s credits include Lahzat Harega (Critical Moments), The Screening, Staunton Hill, Red Velvet, and Black Mountain.
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FIGURE 5.2
Quentin Tarantino likeness makeup applied to Dustin Heald. Images reproduced by permission of Kevin Kirkpatrick.
Ultracal
1- and 2-inch chip brushes Sculpting tools Hemp fiber
Drill and У2- or %-inch (12 mm or 19 mm) router bit
Sharpie® or other marker
Solvent (whatever you used in Chapter 4)
Alginate
3/8-inch (1 cm) foam core Misc. containers
Formica® board or Masonite® (x 2)
Clay cutter
Coarse sandpaper
Petroleum jelly
Plaster bandages
Soft brushes
Scissors
Misc. mold keys Safety glasses
Van Aken® nonsulfur plastalina (or something similar)
Hot glue gun
Misc. wood pieces of 2 x 4 and 1 x 2 (about 6-10 inches)
Plastic wrap
Paint stir sticks
Rasp or sandpaper
2 large flathead screwdrivers
Superglue activator/accelerator
NIOSH respirator
Latex, nitrile, and vinyl gloves
Utility knife
Green Soap Tincture
Polyethylene sheet (drop cloth)
I strongly suggest you read this chapter all the way through at least once before attempting what follows. That way there shouldn’t be any surprises. As I’ve said before, the Boy Scout motto is a good one for makeup effects artists, too: Be prepared!
