Fantasy and Horror Author
I promised this a very long time ago, but it is finally here. Â Back in October, boyfriend and I went to NYC Comic Con as Tony Stark and Pepper Potts. But I’m the craft one, so it was my job to make sure we didn’t look ridiculous.
Continue reading “I am Iron Man: a making of the glove”
It’s getting to be that time of year. Here is the quick zombie walk through I did last year. I thought this might be helpful for those starting to plan their costumes. Beth is my wonderful model, and this was filmed by the amazing April. Thanks ladies!
Looking for something to do Easter weekend?
I am make up designing and spot oping for Midnight Productions “Jesus Christ Super Star” at the Keswick theater in Glenside PA. Its going to be a lot of fun. If you have the time and the means, get your tickets through Keswick Theater
For make up design, my focus is largely on the Priests. I want them to look exotic, but this is also their war, and they are the bad guys. Below are my rough sketches, just to get my ideas down, but it’s a glimpse in to how I work. These were sketched at a Saturday rehearsal.
This is straight out of my sketch book. No touch ups. I did add the text saying who they were.
I’ll start with Pilate. I wanted to really show how regal Pilate is. He’s either in this position because he royally pissed someone off, or he’s just that good. Either way, his patience is being tried at every corner. Because of that, he has a short fuse. I wanted to really emphasize his jaw and cheek bones to give him a harsher look. I’ll do that with redish purples. The highlights on his face will be done with silver/gold to make him look that much more above the crowd. I’ll emphasize his brow and eyes with black.
Caiaphas. The ring leader. The actor playing Caiaphas has this wonderful deep voice, and I want his appearance to be just as menacing. Beads and string will be woven in to his hair and beard. Annas and the Priestess mimic the features of Caiaphas. Because they are often seen on either side of Caiaphas, I wanted them to kind of balance him. Â All three priests will have black upper lips and eyes ringed with black. The line with the circle pattern and the lines around the mouth are inspired by the Maori warriors and their facial tattoos. As I said before, this is their war, so they are in their war paint. I’m going to use lots of golds and purples and blues for their coloring. The face with the X over it is a take for Annas that I didn’t like. It didn’t fit with the other priests.
And finally, with have Herod. I see Herod’s court as kind of a drunken bacchanal, so I really wanted to portray that feeling in Herod himself. He’s going to have really rosey cheeks and some definite bed head. Other than that, I wanted to keep Herod pretty simple. He’s having too much fun to have a high maintenance appearance. I also wanted him to have a different feel than the priests or Pilate. He’s a little removed from their situation, and doesn’t quite fit in with them.
I hope this was enlightening. And I’ll say it again, if you have the time and the means, this will be a really great show.
Mara Jade is one of my favorite characters from the Star Wars universe. The moment I read Heir to the Empire, I was hooked. It’s only fitting that I do her justice with some awesome fan art. And I see no better piece to for a semi-walk through.
From pencils to inks to colors: 
This is just a super rough walk through to give you an idea of how I work. The Pencils are rough, as I figure out the pose and proportions. I also rough in highlights, to give myself and idea of the light source.
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I using the inking stage to take that even further, and add depth and shading.
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I color in photoshop. I first make the ink a new layer, in which I delete all the negative space. The magic eraser is your best friend here. I throw in some rough colors on a new layer under the inks. Then I refine. I also go back to the ink layer and change my lines to soften the image. It’s a lot of just playing around and seeing what looks best. The final step is adding the water mark.
Since Halloween is quickly approaching, I thought I could impart some quick and easy tips to get you up and running.
1) Less is more. This is always one of the first things I go over when teaching a make up work shop. You don’t need to use a ton of make up to get the desired effect. Start with a really thin application. It is always easier to add more than to try to take some off. You’ll also thank your self at the end of the night when you don’t have to wash as much off. That is one of the key things I’ve learned through my years of working at a haunted house.
2) White is a great tool–but it is not the end all be all of make up. A thin coat of white can give an awesomely ghastly pale complexion, but too much and you look like a clown. If that’s what you’re going for, great. But in most cases you only want a little bit of white. Try applying white to the highlight areas only.
3)The same can be said for black. Black is also wonderful and I use it all the time, but it’s an accent, not the base. Use it to darken shadows, not as the shadow itself.
4) A fun little trick for making eyes look really sickly is to apply a little bit of red right under the lower lash line, just like you would with eyeliner.
5) Also for that sickly pallor: A little bit of yellow on your highlight areas, and a smidge of purple on your shadows and you will rock the sick look.
6) Veins can be a really fun look. Take a thin brush, and trace really light thin lines on the face and neck, or even your hands. The eyes and mouth are a good place to focus, but if you need some ideas, google is your best friend. Reds, purples, and blues are great for veins.
Stay tuned for a part 2, but these should help you get out the door for some trick-or-treating.
