Well, IMATs is nearly here again, and I do love a deadline!
Anyone who got in touch recently got a hasty ‘Can’t talk, I’m editing‘ response as I have been knee deep in fixing up the Spectacular Sculpt Gel DVD which I will go more into in another post.
However, I bounced straight out of that deadline into another self-inflicted one. I decided to crank out a quick makeup for the show (I’ll apply Saturday, all being well) and figured the best way to keep myself committed was to tell everyone about it so they could follow and remind me to focus if they see me on Facebook!
Anyhow, I will be sticking on a big bug-eye thing onto Paul Ewen who, patient as ever (he wore the Coraline makeup too) will be lurching around looking menacing.
I sketched out a rough idea and then did a quick Photoshop render just to see how it looks (left).
It is constantly changing as these things do, largely because I am just doing it for a bit of fun and also, there is no brief other than the first idea that popped into my head.
Pushed for time, I cranked out a core mould and made a quick core this weekend. I had just enough lifecasting silicone, some plaster bandage and some urethane resin to make the core. In the pics below, you can see the plaster head which has been modified to take out the undercuts around the ears and the other side of the nose.
I then made a quick silicone mould and made a plaster bandage jacket to support it. Then I made a clay wall around the edge of that so I could swill the urethane resin without it running over the sides, and support the clay with bandage too. This just makes it a stronger wall which I know will not break off or leak while I concentrate of filling the mould.
It took about an hour and a half to make the core mould, and then about an hour to swill the silicone with about seven mixes of urethane. I also used a filler to bulk out the last few layers so it became like a paste and I could model the back into a strong shape. The core is about 25mm/1″ thick with chunky edges. If I drop this, it will break the floor.
You can see on the pic below right that the clay came off and stayed with the resin core, but peels off easy and I rinse this baby in water to get the fella clean and baptised, ready for sculpting!
And so onto sculpting. Today I roughed out the shapes and started refining but I noticed it is a good deal leaner than the Photoshop design, and I kind of like the bulginess of it. I may have to change it tomorrow…and tomorrow is all I got as it needs to be moulded on Wednesday and cast out on Thursday!!!
I am not sure what to think, but comments are welcome. Let’s just recap – time spent so far…idea Friday night, core mould and core made over weekend – probably about three hours time total so far – and today (Monday, January 30th) I spent probably three hours sculpting.
I will post again tomorrow with updates and you will hopefully see a finished sculpt! And very hopefully, you can come and see me at IMATs sticking the thing on. Hopefully everything between now and then will work perfectly!
-Stuart
All material, images and text © Stuart Bray 2012
Looks like a Middlesex car salesman.
Hey Stuart, very nicely done sir. If you don’t end up going for the “bug” look, the mutant is always a fan favorite, reminiscent of the Toxic Avenger from the old Troma Team productions. I definitely agree with the oozing suggestions that everyone has been posting, but maybe tint the piece with a deep purple or nice jaundiced yellow color. I wish I were able to hop a plane and make it over your way for the weekend, however it’s just not in the cards at the moment so I’ll have to settle for pictures. Keep up the great work!! Take care.
I am going to try some ‘back painting’ with layers of Platsil in various colours to minimise the painting on the day! Purpe/yellow sounds good.
-Stuart
Hi Stuart :o)
Looks good and I can’t wait to see the finished product!!! But I’ve got a question…(and to anyone else reading, though I have an english name, my spelling and grammer sucks, but I can’t be bothered to correct everything…that’s not the important bit :o)
If I get you right, you “threw” this together for IMATS. But as you were doing your sketching I just wanted to know if you were thinking of just a look to illustrate the use of materials and how to work them at imats, or was your mind and design also thinking about character?
The reason for asking this is that as soon I saw the sculpting it dawned on me that the character would define the use and choise of colors, the level, amount and type of “ghoulishness” when you get to the painting and makeup.
He’s a scary guy, and I like the idea of pus and “pink eye” and all the different stuff that’s been suggested. My immediate sence of “him” was that he could be a mean and evil SOB, but he could also be a loner, misunderstood and unhappy, a “human” after all and would eventually awaken sympathy if given the chance.
I get that as this will be exibited at imats, gross and goore really is more fun and exhilarating :oD, but I just wanted to know if you always think character when you design/sketch or sometimes just start working and see where it takes you?
Hope my question wasn’t too tedious :oD
and I wish you a Happy IMATS :o)
Hi Wendy
I had no real time to consider any ‘character’ as such. I doodled for about ten minutes and just went with whatever popped into my head. I wanted to do an eye thing as I had been following a thread on a forum abot the Mason Verger makeup in Hannibal, which has a big, open eye that Greg Cannom did.
I like that and had the Waking Dead comic in the office and just sketched some creepy looking thing which was bold enough to be seen from a distance and had some detail for when you see close up. Any emotional responses which you draw from it are actuallly all in the beholders mind, and not my hands! I just made a quick wierd monster thing.
Depending on the job usually, the character is defined by bigger influences than the makeup dept – usually the script, plot, production and the actor hired will have input and an angle which they want to use and you are the hired hand used to interpret that.
Kind of like a wonderful, comfy house which you may walk into and love…the builder that made the house was concerened purely with making sure the foundations are strong, the walls are straight and the roof is waterproof because if they aren’t then it won’t be fit for purpose. They don’t really worry about the colour coordination, the drapes, carpets or making it a ‘cosy home’.
I did a quick sketch and then ploughed into the build and will make up the colour scheme as I go along. I didn’t have time to sit and consider what would be better and do some different paint tests etc. Nor did I have to work to anyones specifications which, actually, makes life easier as it gives you a clear, defined goal which is outside of your choosing.
Testing and making different designs etc is fun to do, and incidentally it is why so much work, time and expense goes into what looks like a single makeup on screen – it’s all the tests, approvals and tweaks that went into excluding other options that can eat up time & money.
This is just literally thrown together in the few hours a day that I can spare…it may end up lookig like a bag of poop yet!
-Stuart
Thanks for taking the time for such a thorough answer 🙂
I was hoping for one, but not expecting it as I know your really pressed for time to get everthing ready for IMATS. I really appreciate it and I now have a big smile all over my face, wich got ever bigger as I read og looked at the pics for part 4! And hey….not a poop in sight! 😀
Ok….I’ll back off for a while and let you get on with things and maybe I can pick your brains another time 😀
Tnx again 🙂
muito bom!!!!!
Applying red (sewing) thread slightly frayed onto the eyeball going from pupil backwards helps give the bloodshot look. Use a skiff of silicone to stick. Nice work Stuart!
Cheers Stephanie. Will raid the sewing box.
-Stuart
Hey Stuart
It’s been a while hope your doing well mate and had a Fab start to the New Year.
As always you always manage to pull one out the bag of tricks or should i say Prosthetricks,Ha bad joke i know.
Awesome work again but then again couldn’t expect anything less from you.
Oh i have a few suggestions may not be what you’d have in mind or way ott or completely off the track.
Errrm i don’t know but how about some sort of a foot long or longer Insect Antenna on the head /forehead on the bug eyed side of the face.
A few thick hair quills in random places and some kind of bug/insect type make up or pattern on the bug eyed side of the face using AA make up.
With a couple of finger lenght of some kind of Arachnid type legs coming out the mouth where the mouths lop sided well thats what comes to my mind ha?
Anyway i hope to make it up on the first day depending on how things go as id like a quick chat with you about something.
Well i hope i get to go up and if i do i’ll pop by to say hello and have a quick chat …Take Care..Keep up the astounding work……Ra
Hey Ra…hadn’t considered a bug-look but will think about a few tentacle/antennae thinggs now. Hmmm…
-Stuart
Great as ever, wish I jump across the pound to see you and maybe a Sculpt Gel victim.
“weight” obviously…not sure what waight is?
Love it as always Stuart. Love the ‘leaner’ look. Bit more waight to under the chin/jaw and just below the eye? Some boils/pussy growths if you have time would be ‘nice’ as well, to look like it’s pushing out from Paul’s face.
Can’t make IMATS again this year, (sure it’ll be sold out anyway), so more photos please. Of the appliance and the sculpt gel pieces! I demand it!Heehee.
All the best.
Nik
P.S. You bald capping it?
Hey Nik!!!
I think making it grosser will be a crowd pleaser and make Paul happier. I won’t cap it as Paul has very short hair but as you suggested that I am thinking that I will gaf quat out a couple of areas so I can go into the hairline.
Ha…cheers guys.
=Stuart
Nice looking chap, looks good the way it is I think, maybe just a few bits of bust skin, not like sores but as if the skin dried out like leather in some places and cracked? Anyway, still looks great! Wish I could make it down. Have a good one!
Dude that rocks, makes me remember basket case 2.. Or the traveling circus freaks
It would be sweet to have a oozing tear duct, and on command just on a poor walkers by just erupt all over them…. With nasty white blood spotted goo.
Pus…yes. Maybe if he is bluer then the yellow pus wil pop out more!
-Stuart
looks great though, wish i had the skills. love wearing them at Halloween, but would love to make one.
some redness inside and maybe around the eye socket would add to the effect of the device. eyes tend to get red very easy. i’m sure you’r e not done painting it though.
Paint? I am still sculpting the poor thing. I will paint it once applied on Saturday, but there will be redness, lol.
-Stuart
Great stuff, Stuart! Can’t wait to see it finished! Ofcourse I can’t resist asking tech questions… Sooooo… What kinda urethanes did you use? Again amazing stuff for such swift work!
Goody – a nerdy question! Huntsman FC-52 cos it’s pretty cheap! Lots of Ali Tri Hydrate filler to back it up.
-Stuart
Looking gross! Which is another way to say awesome! Some kind of goo oozing out of the eye might make for a good effect! Keep up the good work!
I do believe that Pus will be making an appearance. And some blood.
-Stuart
It looks amazing, cant wait to see it on saturday!! I am learning lifecasting and sculpting at the moment! It is so interesting the way its done and
how effective it is!!!
Hey Stuart, great work as always, hope to see you on saturday!