By Anthony Q. Artis
pg. 1 of 2
T
raditionally, bullet holes
and other wound effects are created using molds (a long process) or putty (a cheesY, less-durable process) or by hiring a professional special effects make-up artist (an expen$ive process).
Make-Up Supplies:
1. Liquid Latex 2. Flesh Tone Theatrical Make-up 3. Various Theatrical Make-up (black, violet, red, yellow) 4. Translucent powder make-up 5. Small piece of toilet paper Where to get them: Costume shops, Theatrical make-up stores, or at a discount every Fall in Halloween shops, drugstores, and K-Marts everywhere.
Application Tools:
Powder brush 2. Lip brush (or Q-Tip) 3. Stipple sponge* 4. Hairdryer (optional) 1.
Where to get them: The cosmetics counter, any drugstore, or theatrical make-up supply companies. (*Stipple sponges can be found as part of cheapie Halloween special FX make-up kits.)
C. 2008 Down & Dirty DV, LLC
The method I’m sharing with you here is one that I started using years ago experimenting with liquid latex. It’s fast, cheap, easy, and very realistic when finished. Once you’ve got the 35 bucks or so in basic supplies, you can easily crank out 25 or more bullet holes from a single one ounce bottle of liquid latex now You'll never be stuck without a halloween costume or realistic spfx shot again!
1. test IT!
Test Make-Up and Pick a Spot apply a small patch of liquid latex to the back of their hand. If there are no signs of irritation after 10 mins., apply a quarter-sized patch of latex in the spot where you want your bullet hole.
Lay the Effect Foundation Before the latex can dry, tear off a small piece of single-ply tissue or toilet paper about 3” long and a 1/2” wide. Roll IT up into a small strand and form it into the circular shape of your desired bullet hole. CENTER it in the wet patch of liquid latex and add another quick coat of latex. 3. blow it!
2. layer it!
Build and Shape The Effect Use a hair-dryer at a comfortable distance to help it dry quickly. apply a few more layers of liquid latex, drying the effect between each layer. Keep doing this until you have the final thickness and shape of your desired bullet hole. Avoid touching the wet latex with your hands. (air drying is fine if you don’t have a hairdryer handy...just takes longer.) Cont'd...
BY ANTHONY Q. ARTIS
PAGE 2 OF 2 Once the LATEX IS completely dry, it’s time for make-up.
Use the stipple sponge to pat on make-up matching the actor’s skin tone over the whole bullet hole.
Be sure to get the edges of the latex so that it blends into the surrounding skin. Keep patting on skin tone make-up until the entire bullet hole blends in with your actor’s skin. Next, use the lip brush to apply black make up to the center to give depth to the hole. Lastly, use your finger to dab and blend red, purple, and/or yellow make-up around the bullet hole to mimic bruising.
(*The porous stipple sponge adds a more realistic skin texture than a regular makeup sponge.)
(For an added dash of crime lab realism, you might also want to stipple on a little bit of black make-up to create gunpowder burns.) Finally, give the whole thing a light dusting of translucent powder make-up matching your subject’s skin tone to reduce shine and help it blend in with your actor’s skin.
C. 2008 Down & dirty dv,LLC Finish Off with Blood You can’t cheap out here. Get the best theatrical-quality blood you can find. It’s important that the blood run in a direction consistent with the actor’s physical position. Put your actor in the desired end position for the shot and gently apply one drop of blood at a time until you get the perfect drip. POSITION THE ACTOR OR USE A Q-TIP to gently guide the oozing blood in just the right direction. Use a piece of tissue to absorb any excess blood.
BROUGHT TO YOU BY:
STRAIGHT UP. GUERRILLA. DOWNANDDIRTYDV.COM
