Saturday 19 July 2014

Fish lady; latex-tures


Having failed to master a successful latex application, I decided it was time to experiment using a variety of materials in order to find what works best for me.


In truth I didn't have a set plan except trying out materials so what was initially going to just be a "tired baggy eye" look, turned into some sort of sea monster. But I just went with it anyway.


Materials from top to bottom:


  • newsprint paper - hard to add bulk without ridges showing
  • embroidery thread - could be useful for veins/ detail
  • cotton wool - hard to work with, impossible to get smooth or to apply makeup to after
  • more embroidery thread 


  • upholstery sponge - very promising, I just need to figure out how to seal off holes properly (spirit gum?)



  • crepe paper - texture ok, hard to stick down properly, and very fragile/tears easily
  • thick acrylic wool - not a bad material, although texture is quite specific
  • bubble wrap - hard to disguise edges but a fun texture to work with





I always underestimate the pain of peeling latex off after it's stuck to your hair. I saw a tutorial online which suggested to coat the underlying hairs with spirit gum, and then scar wax once dry. Will try that next time.




Now for the sea lady look. The textures reminded me of some sort of sea creature so I just went along with it, even though it's usually better for me to have a plan first.




                               

Brought to my mind a very fishy episode in the series Mighty Boosh called "old gregg" .


Note to self: sponge is great to work with, especially as you can mould it when the latex becomes tacky. The idea came to me after watching a Rick Baker tutorial where he used sheets of poly foam, which I imagined to have spongy qualities.






Sunday 6 July 2014

Half Glasgow Smile

I particularly enjoyed creating this effect, and learnt a lot in the process.


First I drew a very rough outline in eye liner, to help guide where the scarwax should go.





You can scrape up the scarwax with a tiny little spade if you want!





I tried to get as clean a line as possible. Scarwax is tricky as it melts on your fingers almost instantly and whatever you apply will try and attach itself back on to your fingers.





Next I applied a couple of layers of latex. Again, not an easy substance to use as it doesn't sit smoothly on the skin and sometimes peels at the edges. I had quite a bit of difficulty with this and ended up having to patch it up with more scarwax and latex. Perhaps scarwax is better in smaller quantities.




After some loose powder, I started on the makeup. The makeup was really the fun part, although I was mainly trying to disguise the latex as much as possible






Next time I think I will actually use black more sparingly, to have more emphasis on where the cut meets the mouth, to create more of an "open" look. 

As always, a little fake blood helps.





Only costs £1.99 


Was worth it just to peel off the latex at the end. Very satisfying as long as it's not caught in your hairs.