Postiche - Beards | clarehedgesmua

POSTICHE BEARD.

Important points about beard postiche

- Single knotting for body pieces
- Beards often have 2 or more colours

- Beard and moustache must always be separate pieces

- With false beards, you would not go lower than adams apple as it restricts movement

We attempted to whip first with a piece of Tutu material as it is cheaper to practice on. We also used black nylon thread as it is easier to see.

I found this really difficult to begin with. I was able to knot the first hole however I really struggled to understand how to create the continuous running knot.

I eventually got the hang of it however made I made the dart much too small.

WHIPPING -

This process creates 'darts' in the wig lace which help to fit the beard to the actor/models face.

We then repeated this but with wig lace and clear nylon thread rather than the back thread. I understood the technique by this point and managed to create this dart relatively quickly.

However this time I created the dart too big and instead of being a dart suitable for a beard postiche, it would have been more suited to a wig.

After a lot of frustration, I finally got the hang of whipping.

TEMPLATE

- Clingfilm under nose, over mouth and around head (with someone holding the clingfilm at the back)

- Cellotape clingfilm

- Use marker to and draw from hairline

- Draw down to where the adams apple would be

- Under lip check shape 'W' shape varies from person to person.

- Feather edge - do not want hard edge

- Take models
measurements

Top of side burn to pivot point on jaw (in inches or Cms)
Point of jaw to center of chin along jaw line
Under side of lip to adams apple (measured to fit face)

I accidentally forgot to mark the adams apple and then went too far downwards under the adams apple. I corrected it as soon as I realised.

- We then cellotaped along the bottom edge and padded from the top using tissue.

- Lace needs to be flat - horizontal line on chin

- Pin at nose top, left and right ear and both sides of pivot.

- Darts fall under jawline (excess material will need to be trimmed)

- Pin under chin

- Darts fold towards center.

These are my two finished darts which I feel were sucessful.

FACIAL POSTICHE - BEARDS

Beards:

Beards often have more than 2 colours in them
Beard and moustache postiche should always be separate, allowing for articulation of the jaw

With false beards, you would not go lower than the adams apple as it restricts movement

Beard Templates:

Cling film over mouth and around head, with someone holding the clingfilm taught at the back of the head
Cellotape clingfilm
Use marker pen and draw from hairline
Draw down to where adams apple would be
Check the shape under the lip. Often a 'W' shape but this varies from person to person
Feather edge on cheek line as do not want a hard edge
A lighter colour could perhaps be used on edge
Take models measurements - Top of side burn to pivot point of jaw - Inches/cms
Then remove excess clingfilm which has no cellotape on. Template should hold shape.

This is my practice at a beard template. I initially drew along the jaw line (in the second image) however I realised and drew down near the adams apple instead.

Preparing lace to make beard:

Pad block out with cotton wool/toilet roll/kitchen roll - do not dampen the padding as this will create mould.
Cellotape along bottom edge and stuff from the top
Lace needs to be flat - with lace horizontal on the chin
Hammer point into right and left ears. Point at both sides of pivot (hammer point upwards).
Darts fall under the jawline
Point under chin
Darts are folded toward the centre and pinned in place.
If the triangular area is too big then create 2 darts instead of 1

This was Sara's demonstration of a Dart.

This was my first attempt at a dart. We were using black nylon thread to begin with as it is easier to see however white thread would usually be used. My dark is a little too small. I struggled to get the hang of 'darting' however eventually managed it. 'Darts' are created by making a running knot along the edge of the dart to create a triangle shape.