Experimentation

BRANFLAKES AND LATEX

I experimented using broken pieces of Branflakes and using layers of latex to stick to my skin.

Fig 87.

I used greasepaints to paint the cornflakes. I feel the texture of the Branflakes is useful when creating scales. I feel the undertone of brown is also effective.
Fig 88.

I was concerned that this would be difficult to remove however I found it peeled off easily as one piece. This is important as I would not want to cause my model discomfort.

Fig 89.

Overall I feel this initial experiment was quite successful. I was only experimenting with if this would possibly work for what I wanted to achieve, I was not looking at reference when creating the shapes of the scales. I will refine this further by perhaps overlapping the scales, using reference and trying this on a larger scale perhaps on a face. I also like that the latex gives a shiny appearance which is effective when creating scales.

I also plan to try this experiment with cornflakes and halved almonds - I feel the almonds in particular will give a different kind of scale and another interesting texture.

FLAKED ALMONDS AND LATEX

The flaked almonds were quick to apply and I liked the effect as I felt they worked well as scales. The almonds are different shapes and sizes which is useful however they are quite large which may be a problem. I would need to experiment with them on the face to see if they would look too big.

Fig 90.

The light colour of the almonds makes them perfect for painting on. I was able to to use grease paints on them and would be able to make them any colour. I decided to try a mix of various browns, green and black. I quite like the colour of the scales however I found it quit difficult painting on the almonds. I would need to practice painting them to create a realistic looking scale however I feel that they could potentially work well.

Fig 91

Fig 92.

I like the shape of the pumpkin seeds - they have shaped tip which can be seen on actual reptile scales.

I also found that that they were smaller than the almond flakes which could be an advantage. The latex showed up on some of the scales.

Fig 93.

PUMPKIN SEEDS AND LATEX

I used grease paint to conceal the latex which I feel worked well. I really like the colour of the actual seeds as they are speckled with different colours and tones. Due to the colour of the seeds, it would be difficult to paint them a different colour using grease paints but I could experiment with using a different medium to paint them

Fig 94. Fig 95.

I really like the effect of the pumpkin seeds - I feel this are my favourite so far. I quite like the colours how they naturally are however I plan to experiment with other ways which I could paint them. They are also quite bulky, I could perhaps try splitting the seeds in half to see if they lay flatter.

This is the scale reference which I used when using the pumpkin seeds. It is snake scales. I like the way the scales sit and also the different colours.

Fig 96.

After experimenting with the seeds, I decided to try them on my own face using latex as although I liked the sample, I was unsure if they would work how I imagine on the actual face.

Fig 97.

Fig 98.

I started by laying the seed on one side of my face, beginning with one side of whole seeds. On the other side, I experimented with using the seeds split in half. I did not feel that it made a massive difference however the seeds did lay slightly flatter. At this point I felt unsure whether the seeds would work how I imagined.

Fig 99.

Fig 100.

I then wanted to try and see if I could create the more scute type scales - such as those found on alligator armour. Below are the references I was looking at when creating and painting them. I experimented with using paper and latex to build up the scute. This was good for building layers and also gave some texture.

Fig 101 and Fig 102.

Fig 103 Fig 104

I continued to use toilet paper and latex for the middle of the nose however I found this much harder. Initially the sides of the nose were smaller, however I found this too fiddly and made them bigger which I feel works. I overlapped each piece of latexed paper in an attempt to give a scaley appearance.

I also added dry brushed the pumpkin seeds closest to the eyebrow pieces as I wanted the colours to flow rather than be starkly different. I was happy with how this worked, although it is not so visible from these pictures. This make up test also helped me think about colours and what works and how they work.

Fig 106

Fig 105

I created the first nose with a pointed tip which I felt did not work and made it look a little beaky/bird like. I much prefered the rounded nose. I added some other tones to the nose so that it was more interesting than dull green. I took away areas of paint with a cotton bud to highlight the scales.

Fig 107 Fig 108
I wanted to continue the big, skute scales around the eyes but felt it would be too heavy looking to do in latex and paper. Instead I tried using layered branflakes covered with latex.

Fig. 109 Fig. 119

I then used halved pumpkin seeds and painted them with a colour gradient of light brown to dark green which linked in the colours on the brow. I then used broken pieces of almond in small bits around my eye. I do not feel this was massively effectively and I intend to experiemnt using a different material around the eye area if I use similar materials in another one of my exploration make ups. I then painted darkness around the eyes.

Fig. 111

I decided to continue the scales using a little greasepaint onto the skin, intially I did not do this and the transition from makeup (seeds) to skin was a little too obvious. I am glad I decided to use grease to soften this as I feel it works well.

I was really happy with the outcome of this experiment. It had initially only started as a test on the face however I got a little carried away. Throughout most of the application, I was unsure if it would be effective right until the end. It has surprised me how different and perhaps unconventional foods can be used to create effects. Looking back at the image, I should have worked into the painting on the branflakes. I am glad that I tried this look on myself, rather than a model as it was very time consuming and I did not consider the pain factor of removing all the latex!! This would therefore not be a practical make up to apply to someone else using the materials that I have used.

PAINTED SCALES

GREASE PAINT

Fig. 112. Fig 113.

I initially tried using grease paint to create my Iguana scales. I used a yellow base and then built up the colours however I found that this was not very effective. I found it was difficult to create the colours I wanted with the limited greases that I have. It did not create the effect that I wanted however it was a good starting point as I could see that the scales may work if I can create the right colours. The greases were also thick and I wanted to have some areas of translueceny so that the base colours would come through.

SKIN ILLUSTRATOR

Fig 113 Fig 114

I then tried again using skin illustrator however found immediately that this was too translucent and would be even harder to create the colours that I wanted.

AQUACOLOUR

Fig 115 Fig 116

I then tried aqua colour over the top of the skin illustrator. I did not immediately think to use aqua colours as I have not used them much in the past however I found that these were ideal for the effect I wanted to create. The aqua colours are vibrant which was helpful as Iguanas are also vibrant in colour. As aqua colours are water soluble, it meant that I could create a translucency myself by adding water to the paint on the skin and taking some away. I was able to lay colours over each other so that the base layer was still visible but equally, I could build the layers so that the paint was thicker.

Fig 117 & 118

I then tried using the skin illustrator and found that the green and blue in the FX palette were particularly useful. I used these colours to add depth to the scales. I also used black grease around the edges of the scales for the darkness as I found the aqua colour was not an intense enough black. The grease worked really well. So in the end, I used all the materials that I previously experimented with to create my painted scale look.

Fig 119.

Fig. 120

HAIR TECHNIQUES

CORN ROWS

I intially tried corn rowing my dolly head while watching tutorials online. I found this really difficult as I think the dolly heads are harder to work on than human hair. The result was not very good and does not look like a corn row - I am not actually sure what it was.

I definitely found it easier to work on a real head however with my first attempt I did not part the hair properly which made corn rowing the hair even harder. I also did not pull the hair tight enough to the head therefore the row is loose.

Fig 122.

I attempted the middle section again parting the hair a bit better however it still was not parted neatly enough and it made cornrowing difficult still as I was picking up hairs that I didn't mean to. The rows are once again too loose.

On the second row in, on the right, I was corn rowing immediately rather than leaving the first small section and then starting to corn row. You can see the difference between where each corn row starts, comparing the second one to the middle one.

My partings got much better the more that I worked on them. In the end I parted the hair fully using over lapping pins to make sure the hair stayed down. I intend to also try this using product as the models hair was very soft which made it difficult to work with. I also started to pull the hair tighter however this is something I will need to do again on a whole head.

Fig 121.

Fig 122.

Fig. 123

I then tried to create horns and a bumpy texture using my hair. I like the first horn that I did however I feel the rest of the hair did not work. I created this horn by plaiting the hair at the base, then twisting and wrapping the extra hair around it. I do not think this looks very effective however perhaps with lizard make up on, it would work better.

I then tried this again but with more twisting and sectioning the areas more as in the first attempt there is a big gap between the hair 'horns/bumps'. I am not very keen on this hair and do not think I would use it alongside my lizard make up.

Fig. 124 Fig. 125

FULLERS EARTH

I decided to experiment with using fullers earth as I thought its cracking nature would be useful when creating scales. I applied it to the hair as well as the face to see how it reacted differently on different surfaces. I found that it cracked much better on the face than it did on the hair and cracked in the shape of some reptile scales.The hair cracked in long shapes rather than inidividual shapes meaning I would need to paint the cracks in.

I found the hair much harder to work on, particularly as I worked on it after the face meaning it was really dry and was cracking off a lot. I have since read that you can apply prosaide before putting the fullers earth on the face to try and stop the material flaking off (obviously this is not possible with the hair).

I used grease paints to paint the fullers earth as I wanted a thick and opaque coverage. I used crocodile skin for colour reference.

Overall I was happy with the result and feel this would be useful perhaps for a photoshoot however the material flaking off could be a problem. It was also time consuming and must be painted in situ which is a bit of a long process particuarly for the model. For that reason I only painted the face and the start of the hairline.

Fig 127.

Fig 126.

Fig 128.

FISH SKIN

I tried to use fish skin to create scales however found it too thin to work with for this purpose. I then tried to build it up in layers stuck with a tiny bit of latex but found this took a lot of time. I tried to create snake scales with it but I did not find it very easy to work with and areas kept lifting. I only tried a small area as I realised it was not working how I wanted. I am glad that I tried this material though as it is not something I have used before.

Fig. 130

LATEX SCALES

Fig. 129

I then decided to try creating fish scales using latex. I shaped the latex with the end of my paintbrush into the sort of shape I wanted. However because it needed to be thick to have any shape, when I started to paint it, the latex started to ripple and was difficult to paint. It was not effective. I find snake scales difficult to follow when trying to paint from reference.

I could probably make good snake scales using tissue and latex however I have already used that technique for this project and wanted to try sometihng different.

Fig. 131 Fig. 132

PROSTHETIC PIECES

Fig 133

I wanted to experiment more with prosthetics as it is the area I would like to specialise in.. I wanted to create a make up I could potentially use in my portfolio, so I spent a lot of time making the sculpt as neat as I could. My sculpt was inspired by the horned lizard.

I fiberglassed the back of vacform to reinforce and strengthen it, I had not done this before so it was a bit of an experiment. I found that eventually, the fiberglass made my life more difficult as it made it harder to remove my fiberglass mould. I was told by Ben in the workshop that in future it would not be neccessary to fiberglass the vac form if it is not a big piece.

Fig 134

I had initially planned to use seeds alongside the nose and brow piece however I realised that the change in scales would look strange. Instead I sculpted some flat pieces that I would place alongside the brow piece. This would also allow for more movement for the model.

I forgot to take pictures when I was fibreglassing however I made a mistake during the process - I forgot to put release agent on the outside of the mould and had to wipe off all the resin from those areas and apply. This was the third time I had fibreglassed and I was still anxious about it however started to feel better once I was doing it.Once it had cured, I then used the vibersaw to take the edges off. When I first used the Vibersaw I struggled to do it and had to ask for help - this time I was more confident.

Fig. 135

My mould was much thicker in some areas than in others - this is something I will need to be aware of next time that I fibreglass

I was initially clearing out my mold with tools however I tried putting my mould in a bowl and poured boiling water over it 4 or 5 times and the clay fell off. I then when in with a brush to get any little bits.

Fig. 136

found the injection process daunting and with being nervous I made the mistake of removing the syringe when it should be left in the injection hole - this could have caused air bubbles.

I tried to demould this the next day and it was a disaster. I had used vaseline as a release agent and the piece would not come out of the mould. Coupled with this, I had also learnt that 100% deadener in the silicone was too much and caused the silicone to effectively be like flubba. It was too sticky to get out of the mould. I managed to get some of it out but decided it was best to just start again. This was a frustrating day however I felt that I learnt a lot of valuable lessons.

I didn't get any photos of the injection process this time however this time I used Polywax as a release. I applied 2 layers to the core and the mould, allowing them to dry and then buffing them with a towel until they were shiny. I applied two layers of cap plastic to the core and 3 into the mould.

This time my piece did come out however I did not inject enough silicone (150g injected) to fill all the grounding. Some of the encapsulant still got stuck in the mould - I may need to use three or four layers of release agent in future to ensure that it comes out.easily as it was still a bit of a struggle.

Fig 137.

I did some research into the various ways that you can paint silicone and decided to try using silicone sealant (caulk) which is diluted with low odour white spirit and added to the acrylic paint. I followed a tutorial when doing this (which is in my research)

Fid 138. Fig 139

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Fig 140 Fig 141 Fig 142

I first put a layer of sealant mixed with thinner - ratio of 1:10. Once it dried I then added it to some acrylic paint and used a chip brush to flick a base of yellow.

I then added some darker tones. At points, I had too much pigment on my brush which left strong flecks on the piece which usually would not be good however it was useful as it added more texture to my reptile scales. I

After I had flicked on a base colour I then started to go into the piece with a tiny brush for finer details using skin illustrator. I found it was easier to use and I had more colours options with the Skin illustrator. The base colour was a little dark however I had found it hard to tell as the lighting in my room is not great. It took a long time to build up the detail of the horns and scales.

Fig 142 Fig 143

The next morning, in the natural light I could see that I had gone a little heavy with the orangey yellow tone - the yellow on the face behind the piece makes it look particuarly yellow. I painted the flat pieces in the day light and I feel they are a better tone.

Fig 144 Fig 145

It was my first try at overlapping my appliances which I found harder than I realised I would. It was useful as it meant that I did not need to worry about several of the edges however it made placing the piece difficult.

I tried to use kohl to sketch a template of where the places went although I am not sure this was accurate as the pieces are not placed exactly where they should be on the face. The right eye is a little wonky although I am aware that I accidentally sculpted them a little uneven.

Fig 146 Fig 147

I then painted scales onto my models skin using skin illustrator. I tried to use highlight and shadow to make them look as similar to the scales on the forehead as possible.

I used grease paint to darken under the eyes. I then cornrowed the hair however I was short on time so they were not as good as I had wanted. I still think it looks better than the hair being loose

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Fig 148

When I initially put the pieces on, I was really unsure if the make up would turn out how I had planned particularly as I had spent a long time working on this make up in comparison to the others. Once I painted the scales onto the face under the eyes and on the cheeks I feel it really bought the make up together. I think overall it is not obvious that the bottom of the face is painted rather than a prosthetic. This could make it questionable whether I needed to use prosthetics. However I feel that as well as needing to use prosthetics for the horns, I also feel that it is not obvious the bottom is painted because it is placed near actual pieces which look more realistic. (sort of like how you place some false with something real to make it more realistic.) I still feel the colours are a little dark but I am still very happy with the result.

These are the references that I used throughout making these pieces - to sculpt and paint them.

Fig 149 & 150

I also wanted to try casting my piece using gelatin, particularly as I had such a difficult time getting my Silicone piece of the mold.

There was a bit of an accident with some acrylic paint on my core which I could not get off which is why some areas of the piece are dark.

I found this piece came out of the mould really easily. I should have used a little more gelatin than I did, as not all the flashing got filled.

If I had more time, I would experiment further with gelatin by pre colouring the gelatin. I would also have liked to have applied the piece and painted it to see how it compared to the silicone piece.

Fig. 150,1