How to Slit Your Friends Throat

I have done many post on make-up so far, but now I am finally going to tell you how to do a special effect.  Today I am going to tell you how to rig a blood effect. This effect will cost you less then $15 in total.

The supplies you will need are:

1. a turkey baster $3, syringe $3, or ketchup bottle $1 (all from Walmart)
2. clear plastic tubing $3, or bendy straws $1
3. duct tape 4$
4. blood $5

Once you have all the supplies it's time to build your rig.

If you use plastic tubing:

1. Fit the plastic tubing over the spout of what your baster, syringe, or ketchup bottle
2. wrap the duct tape around the gape as tight as possible to prevent any leaks

If you use bendy straws:

1. fit the bendy straw over the spout of what your baster, syringe, or ketchup bottle
2. wrap the duct tape around the gape as tight as possible to prevent any leaks 
3. Fit the second bendy straw into the first
4. wrap the duct tape around the gape as tight as possible to prevent any leaks  
5. repeat as needed

Once you have built your rig it's time to use it. The example I am going to use is if you are going to slit some ones throat.

To do this  and achieve a believable effect you need a fake knife and your rig.

Here are the steps to achieve this effect:

1. Pour the blood into your ketchup bottle or suck it into your baster or syringe
2. Tape your tube or straw to the side of your knife
3. Place your baster, syringe, or ketchup bottle behind your actors head
4. Stand next to your actor and  angle the knife so that the camera cant see your starw or tube
5. squeeze the baster, syringe, or ketchup bottle
6. once the blood near the tip of the straw or tube begin to pull the knife across your actors throat.
7. You have now slit your friends throat.

Here is a video of my friend and I learning to achieve this effect. 

Remember if at first you don't succeed try, try again. 

If you are looking for more of a way to make your blood to shot everywhere check out this website.

How to Give Someone a Black Eye

Black eyes, they happen to clumsy people, people who get in fights, and some people who can't catch. So as a make up artist it is a good idea to know how to give some one a black eye. 

Here are the items you will need...

1. Nose and scar wax
2. Lotions (lots of lotions)
3. Bruises makeup wheel 
1. with green and purple
2. with red and yellow
4. Skin tone make up
5.  Sponges
6. paint brush
7. Translucent Powder
8. Some form of a wedge

Now here's the steps you should take.

1.  Apply lotion to your hands, or else the putty will stick to you
2. apply putty around your actors eye area making sure to smooth down the edges
3.  once finished applying the putty and blending the edges it is time to start the make up application. This is very tricky. The putty will want to stick to your sponge or brush unless you first apply lotion to the putty.
4. Apply light amounts of lotion to the putty and then shade your eye and make sure to shade onto the skin and not just the putty
1. first red
2. then green
3. purple
4. skin tone
5. Then lightly apply your powder being careful to only dust the eye area 
6. Now go show off your handy work cause you have just given your friend a black eye.

 The whole process looks something like this.

For more info on black eyes or to buy makeup products check out these sites.

How to Gouge an Arm

Have you ever seen one of those movies when some on have a chunk of skin cut off their arm. Well that's what I'm going to teach you how to do today.

For this activity you will need

1. Gelatine
2. Food coloring
3. Modeling putty
4. Skin tone make up
5. Bruise and FX makeup wheels
6. Cotton balls
7. Popsicle stick
8. Lotion
9. ProsAid

Here are toe steps to create your gouge...

1. melt down the solid gelatine, about 20 seconds in the microwave. 
2. stir in about 4 drops of red food coloring and 2 of blue. 
3. CHECK to make sure that it is not to hot for your model's skin. 
4. Once it has cooled down take the popsicle stick and spead a layer onto your model's skin. T
5. Pulled apart a cotton ball and bloat the gelatine.
• This wall create a texture in the gelatine.
6. Once you are satisfied with your texture amount add another layer of gelatine.
• You can repeat steps 5 and 6 until you are satisfied with the results.
• On the last layer try and spread the edges out as thin as possible.
  

Once satisfied with your gelatine it is time to build up the wound.

1. Put the lotion on your hands and pull out the modeling putty
2. Start molding the putty around the gelatine
• Apply a layer of ProsAid to your model's skin  between each strip of putty
3. Once you have your border blend the outer edges down
4. Apply 2 thin layers of ProsAid to make the putty stronger

Now it's time to make it look real.

1. Add some pink and red to a sponge and blend it onto the putty
2. Add some skin tone to the edges of the putty and blend onto your model's skin.
3. Add some purple to the inner edge or the putty.
4. Take a good last look and use your best judgement to make it look realistic.

Your final result should look something like this.

 For more cool stuff to do with gelatine check out this cool video.
This is also a cool article about making scars and burns.

How to Make Reusable Vomit

 This is a dramatization.

In film sometimes you may want to show a puddle of vomit. Today I'm going to tell you how I make reusable vomit.

Here's the supplies you will need:

• 1 Pot
• 1 cookie sheet
• various food
• water
• food coloring
• gelatin

Now when I say gelatin I don't mean the yummy delicious snake known as Jello, I mean make up gelatin. It's easy to make and will be used the base for the vomit and is necessary for making the vomit reusable. This is where you can find the recipe to make gelatin.
Once you have the gelatin made it is time to melt it down a block of it in the pot. You will want to add some water to thin out the gelatin. Once the block has boiled down it's time add food coloring. You will want to add about a 1/4 drop of green and 1/2 a drop of yellow. 

Now you will want to add some crushed up food. You add more for chunky looking vomit and less for a less chunky look. Once you mix the food up you may need to add a smidgen more water to help it cool down.

Before the gelatin has completely cooled you will want to pour the mixture onto a cookie sheet and place it in the refrigerator for about 10 minutes. After that time check the edges of your vomit and see if you can peel it up. If you can you have successfully made your reusable vomit, if you can't put it back in the fridge for a bit.

When finished your vomit may look something like this.

If you are looking for an easier way to make vomit you may want to check out this link.

If you get bored this vomit can also be used to prank your friends.

How to Make Fake Blood for Under $5.

Now many people when they need fake blood will just go out and buy it. Of course that can get a bit pricey, plus stuff will most likely stain your clothes and skin. Now I cant promise what I am going to tell you how to make won’t stain your clothes, but there will be less of a chance. And the skin staining problem, if this does stain your skin I’ll give you the secret to get it off. And no it’s not soap and water that almost never works on stains.

      Warning this may be considered graphic!
It’s always a good ides to test your fake blood before you have the actor have to spit it up.

Items you will need, if you don’t already have them on hand. *This may raise your price by $1.50*

1. 1 empty water bottle
2. Food coloring
3. Karo/ corn syrup

*Karo syrup is just a tad thicker*

That’s it!

Now here’s what you have to do to make your fake blood.
Empty your bottle of water a little over half way
 Fill the rest of your bottle with syrup
 Now add :

                4 drops red
                2 drops yellow
                1 drop blue
 Shake the bottle
 Pour a little on your hand to test the color
 If needed add more blue
    *you may need to play with it to find your desired color*
    *The more food coloring you use the more it stains.*
If to watery or to think add more water or syrup’
Now you have your BLOOD!

Dead girl says, "YAY!!"

Now it’s time for the last step, the camera test! Your should always check to see how your blood looks in the light it will be filmed in. You never want to get on set and find your blood looks to red or to purple.

Now you have your very own edible fake blood. You can’t find that in stores, and all for under 5$. Now I promised to tell you the secret to unstain your skin, if it stains at all. The secret is... Lysol Bleach Wipes! That or Shaving Cream, the white ones not the gel.

I hope this post has helped you. Come back next week for more makeup know-how.

How to Make Fake Vomit

Many times in a movie you need an actor to vomit. Sometimes they are drunk, have just seen something disgusting, or maybe they are just really sick the actor must vomit convincingly. The trouble then comes in when the film maker must find a way to angle the camera to catch the "vomit" and make it appear that the actor is truly spewing vomit. The easiest way to do that is to make edible fake vomit. This can be done a variety of ways. One way is to mix pea soup and chilli or stew, another is to use bread and food coloring, and yet another way is apple sauce and gelatin. Those are just to name a few ways.

The recipe I like to use is a simple 4 step recipe. All you need is instant oatmeal, food coloring, a bowl, spoon, and maybe some corn puff cereal.

Step one-
You prepare to instant oatmeal by following the directions on the packet.You may want to add just a little bit more water then usual to make it more watery.

Step two-
Add green and yellow food coloring and maybe even some red. You can keep the color separated or blend them together to make it a murky brown color.

Step three-
Take a final look at your vomit. decide if you want it to be a bit chunkier or not. You can add some Corn Puffs if you feel it needs some chunks added.

Step four-
It is time to have the actor scoop your vomit into their mouth and project it out when the time comes. If the vomit does not come out the way you wish it to you can mix more water into it.

This recipe is completely edible and it is safe if the actor accidentally swallows some.

This is why it is always better to make edible vomit, so when you cant get the shot right you can always have your actor put it in their mouth.

If you want to know how to make even more gross body fluids you can check out this website.

Halloween and Prothetics

At work last week we offered make up applications for people who wanted to get dressed up for Halloween but didn't know how to do it them selves. So I thought it would be a cool idea to so a quick how to on prosthetic application.

A prosthetic, in make up, is a latex or foam latex wound or mask that is typically applied to the actor with pros-aid adhesive.

The first thing I did was some research on videos people may watch if trying to learn to apply a prosthetic on their own. I found one very informative YouTube video, Walking Dead Style Prosthetic Application. It walks you threw the full application process and is a great DIY for any beginner make up artist.

When applying a  prosthetic there are some must have supplies...
- sponges
- pros-aid/ cream pros-aid*

   *cream pros-aid is simply stronger then the normal liquid pros-aid and can be used if you are applying a heavy duty prosthetic.

- invisible powder

- RMG (grease paint)*

   *used to paint the prosthetic

- Q-tips

- latex*

   *used to hide the edges if needed and can't be done with the pros-aid

And finally to remove the prosthetic all you need is...

- Super-solve

- Q-tips

- Cotton balls

Fist to remove the prosthetic you work the q-tip around the edges until you have a nice lip. Then you GENTLY peal the prosthetic up while working the q-tip under the edge. This process can take several q-tips.  Finally when done your actor may still have some residual pros-aid on his face. To remove that simply saturate a cotton ball and in small circular motions rub away the excess pros-aid. 

If you wish to attempt your own prosthetic you can visit any local special FX store and purchase your own supplies.

If you are in the Orlando area you can visit AEO Studios.

If you are in the Tampa area you can visit FX Warerhouse.

Or you can always Google "Make up and SFX".