Terror4funs: Zombie Make Up Guide Number 2.

The following Zombie Make Up Tips were created by Stuart Conran for Terror4funs Zombie Fest. Please feel free to use them to create better Zombies than the Zombies that have come before.

Stuart has years of experience in the field of gore, prosthetics, make up and SFX from working on such films as ‘Shaun of the Dead,' Hellraiser, Peter Jacksons ‘Brain Dead,' ‘Saving Private Ryan' and ‘The Descent' and is clearly one of the worlds leading horror SFX people. Enjoy, Good luck, Good Zomming and GET GORY !!!

 

Stage 1-prep:

Gelatine, glycerine, breadcrumbs, oats, branflakes, latex or eyelash glue- (duo adhesive), cotton wool, tissue, talc, soap, cling film, stockings, powder puffs, Mixing cups/pots/measures, peel off face masks, barrier cream, hairdryer, (prosaide-optional) (silk, fishskin/goldbeaters skins-optional)

Stage 2-paint:

Face paints, watercolour paints, brushes, bath sponge, sea sponge, body shop bronze gel.

Stage 3-finishing:

Body shop bronze gel, hair gel, hairspray colours (dirty down spray), “blackjacks” sweets or similar, black food colour & mouthwash, friar's balsam.

Blood :

Maple syrup, food colours- red/blue/yellow, gravy browning, bananas/various fruit (for edible dressing)

Cleaning up :

Wet wipes, soap, make-up remover, moisturiser.

Zombie Make Up - Head Wound:

Close up shots from initial sculpting to the bloody final stage.

 

Gelatine, glycerine, breadcrumbs, oats, branflakes, latex or eyelash glue-(duo adhesive), cotton wool, tissue, talc, soap, cling film, stockings,

powder puffs. Mixing cups/pots/measures, barrier cream, peel off facemasks, (prosaide-optional) (silk, fishskin/goldbeaters skins-optional)

Before starting, think about the look that you want. Use reference as a starting point if needed. Do you want your zombie plain, wet, dry, decayed, rotten, wounded….?

The devil is in the detail. The designs that work best are ones that seem to have a story- an ear chewed off, wrinkles dragged down by gravity etc.

It would be advisable before beginning to apply a barrier cream, and the user to be aware of any allergies or intolerances before using any products being applied to the skin. The user assumes all responsibility.

Tips & ideas;

-Stipple latex or eyelash glue onto the skin. You can stretch it & powder when dry for a wrinkled effect, or just tear holes in it for blisters or lesions.

-Build up wounds using gelatine- 1tablespoon hot water, 1/4teaspoon glycerine. Add to 1 tablespoon of gelatine. Spread the liquid gelatine onto the skin; repeat as necessary to build up the desired amount. Once you have built up & it is set, stipple latex over to seal & help prevent the gelatine from drying out. Allow to dry. Now you can tear into this to make wounds. You can try adding breadcrumbs, oats or crushed branflakes to the mixture, or by pressing it on with a powder puff to add texture before covering with latex.

-For loose looking or sloughing skin, spread gelatine onto the skin and apply a section of clingfilm over it while it's still wet. Push it around to wrinkle it up, cover with latex when it has set to seal & prevent from drying out. Again, this can be torn into & loosened to create wounds.

-Use a peel off facemask as a base. Once dried you can rub all over & peel sections away. Seal with latex. This could be emphasised & combined with the breadcrumbs/oats/crushed bran flakes & latex combo, by pressing them into the facemask as it is drying & then sealing with latex.

-Soap out an area of hair for a head wound. Wet a bar of soap, rub into the hair to lay it flat.

- You can pre-make simple latex pieces. Make them on a flat surface like a mirror or glass, using latex & building up with oats, breadcrumbs, or crushed bran flakes. Powder & peel off when dry. Stipple latex on the skin and on the back of the piece, allow both to dry and apply the piece to the skin.

- For a hollow eyed look, pull down the lower eyelids using silk or fishskin/goldbeaters skins- glue with prosaide. Apply adhesive to the skin below the eye and a small piece of material- allow both to dry. Apply one end of the material to the adhesive below the eye, pull down & attach.

Variations of materials & textures:

Latex & breadcrumbs: (or oats, crushed branflakes etc)- stipple latex onto the skin & press on with a powder puff while it's still wet. Cover with more latex when dry. Dry & repeat as desired. This gives a rough, decayed texture.

Latex & tissue : stipple latex onto the skin & press on tissue paper, apply latex on top. Dry & repeat as desired. This gives a wrinkled texture.

The same applies for latex & cotton wool and latex & stocking. Latex & cotton wool give a built up softer texture & stocking gives a smoother,

wrinkled texture.

With the above, holes can be torn into it to create wounds after it has dried. All of the above can be use in combination with each other to create varied effects. There is no set way, so experiment for the best results that work for you

Zombie Make Up - The Neck Wound:

Being shown in development from latex on the skin, to wound being added and finally the home made blood being applied.

 

Face paints, watercolour paints, brushes, bath sponge, sea sponge, body shop bronze gel, make-up pencils (various colours)

The next stage after the prep work with either latex or gelatine is the paint job. For this demo I have gone with face paints.

Think beforehand how you want your colour scheme to look. Start with your base colour, applying the make-up evenly with a sponge. You can get a textured look by stippling with a sea sponge. Layer colours on like this using thin, watered down washes. Work into areas with a brush to shade or bring out detail in wounds, stipple over with a sponge to even out. Another painting technique is to flick the paint from a short bristled brush, like a toothbrush. This works well for broken skin, bruised and mottled areas, and also helps from disturbing previous layers. You can use veins for added detail. Body shop bronzing gel works well for general dirt or grime if it is stippled over quite heavily & padded off with a tissue. It works well for dirtying ears & necks. Thin it with water or use thinned face paint to make runs of liquid from wounds, ears etc. Try to not make your zombie look too clean- more lived in!

Zombie Make Up - Chunks O' Flesh:

Shown being made, as described below. Latex is applied to a mirror, then dragged and powdered before application.

 

Use hair gel or similar hair product to mess up the hair. You can use coloured hair sprays to colour the hair, but also works well to dirty down ears & necks. For mouth colours you can use blackjack sweets, food colours (black mixed with a bit of mouthwash) or paint on ‘Friars Balsam' from chemists, which gives a good, yellowed stain. Dress any wounds with blood or the banana & blood dressing mentioned below, especially if you have created a soaped out head wound. A great finishing touch is latex “nernies” or “chunks o flesh” as named by Tom Savini. On a mirror, sheet of glass or flat surface paint a layer of latex or copydex. When it's dry, rub over the surface breaking holes in it until it looks like cobweb. Powder & peel off. This makes a great dressing for wounds, or for flesh pulled from a victim.

Blood :

Mix maple syrup with red, blue & yellow food colour until you get the right colour. It can be darkened to look like aged blood with liquid gravy browning. You can also use golden syrup instead of maple syrup but will have to thin it down. Add some blood to hair gel to make a thickened blood gel. Fruit can be used if you need edible flesh. Watermelon works well cut into slices & covered with syrup blood, banana mixed with “blood” looks great dressed into wounds or for brains- quite nasty!

If you wish to reproduce or distribute these Zombie Make Up Tips then please contact Terror4fun first, so that we can inform Stuart where they will be appearing. You can contact Zombie Ed on ed@terror4fun.com

Zombie Make Up - Final Bits & Pieces:

Showing the details within the messy teeth, the table used during the demo, covered with household bits and finally the Zombie created !