Saturday, October 30, 2004

Makeup magic turns everyday human into ghastly zombie

Brandy Slagle News-Bulletin Staff Writer; bslagle@news-bulletin.com

Some years, the real spine-tingling chill of Halloween is how it crept up on the calendar. Costume designs can be easily lost in the hectic scheduling and planning of daily life, and when invitations for ghoulish gatherings start to appear in the mail, a panic rises.

What to be on Halloween?

Chances are if you waited until now to pull together a costume, you'll either be stuck in last year's ensemble or spend hours sifting through countless bins of costume shop leftovers and fighting crowds of people in the same predicament.

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Before you find yourself arguing over the last pair of plastic fangs and neon green-and-orange-stripped witch hat, consider the magic of make-up.

Zombie films have increased in popularity over the past few years; nationally films like Shaun of the Dead or 28 Days Later have featured the hungry undead to millions of moviegoers. Locally, films like The Stink of Flesh and dozens more features and short films have gained in popularity at film festivals such as Tromadance.

Lead actor of Feeding the Masses, a zombie film shot in Rhode Island, and featured actor in the New Mexican-filmed Stink of Flesh, Billy Garberina agreed to model for a make-up how-to.

Beth Whitling stepped in as make-up artist. Whitling was a theater student at the University of New Mexico and has an extensive portfolio in special effects make-up for the stage.

Before the make-up:

Put your costume on first. Anything from tattered rags you can fray and rip to a fancy suit works. Your zombie can reflect any range of character or personality you like from historical figures to famous personalities.

Preparations:

First, wrap around your neck a towel that can get dirty. All face paints are washable, but some fibers are less washable than others, so old towels are preferable.

Second, secure all of your hair behind a headband before trying to apply any make-up.

Before you're ready to apply the make-up take time to set up the make-up on a plate or tray. Squeeze small portions from each tube and set up your cotton swabs and sponges.

The base:

If you are making a blue or green (or any other unnaturally colored) zombie, it's best to blend the blue paint with white paint until you get a softer shade before you apply it to your skin. Otherwise, you could look like a zombie Smurf. Always remember to test your skin for allergic reactions by applying some make-up to the skin of your wrist. Wait 30 minutes before applying it to your face. After 30 minutes, if you haven't experienced any redness or itching around the make-up area, it should be safe to paint your face.

Apply paint with a soft make-up sponge.

Experts tip: To add an extra deathly pallor, blend in a dash of the lighter or olive green.

Blot over entire face, ears and throat, anywhere that skin is showing. Work around the eyes last and use a lighter application so as not to hurt your eyes.

The sores:

Start by dabbing a different make-up sponge in olive green paint then blot on face in places you want to create sores. Green can be mixed until desired shade with yellow.

Take the stipple sponge and dab into the dark brown. Stipple sponges are coarse, usually black, very porous sponges. Always blot with a stipple sponge as you can scratch the skin if you rub.

Blend the brown into the green with a new make-up sponge. For added texture, you can once again blot the stipple sponge around the corners of the green patches.

For a variation of sores, you can take a cotton swab and apply some fake blood across the sore, like a gash, and then dab the stipple sponge around the blood and the sore.

Apply blood anywhere on the face you want with the cotton swab. The ears, mouth, nose or cheeks all can look great.

The eyes:

If you would rather use eyeliner around the eye first, do so. If not, apply green paint around the eyes, then dab a new stipple sponge in violet paint and blot along the bone of the eye socket. This will make the eyes appear more sunken-in.

Hair:

Don't forget to style your hair, either tease it up or comb to fit the style of your costume.

If you have the time:

Liquid latex, when it dries, can create an amazing flesh-like texture. You can form sores with the latex and apply them with spirit gum before doing your make-up for extra gore. This process can take a little longer, so be sure to start a good hour or two before heading out on Halloween.

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