Application

Welcome to the final application page of the blog!

Practising the application of the prosthetic piece

The following videos have been watched in reference on how to apply the prosthetic and also blending the edges.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=efTCvm44OKw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aKaWOqAZfd8

Prior to the assessment I wanted to practise the application of the prosthetic and bald cap with the application of makeup.
 This was done 48hours before the assessment, which also allowed this to be a patch test of all products being used on the day to identify if the model was allergic to anything being used and if anything needed changing on the day.

Using the first practise prosthetic and also two practise bald caps. I began by applying the thicker of the two bald caps to the models head, this was done by following research videos and step by steps found on the 'finer detail' page of the blog. The model firstly applied the contact lenses, this took 10 minutes and 5 minutes was taken to allow the models eyes to adapt and settle.

• Asking the model to hold the front to his forehead I gently pulled the rest over the back of the head and also over the ears.
• Using Mastix's glue the edges of the cap were pulled back and a small amount of glue was applied to the models skin.
• This was then left a few seconds to go tacky, then the edges of the cap were lay over and left to dry.
• This was continued all the way around the edges of the cap.
• The edges of this bald cap did not need to be  filled as the prosthetic would be applied over.
• The next stage of the process was airbrushing additional larger and darker veins to the face and first bald cap under the prosthetic  using Air Mist body paints. Much like the reverse side of the prosthetic, figure of 8 styled veins in red, black and blue were airbrushed onto the face to the back of the head.
• After this the prosthetic was applied to the face; starting at the nose, apply small (pea sized)amounts of specialised silicone adhesive to the skin. Leave for a couple of seconds to go tacky then attach the nose in place and hold to dry.
• Ask the model to hold the nose in place to avoid the prosthetic from moving or being uncomfortable on the skin.
• Moving onto the eyes; again apply pea sized amounts of adhesive around the edges of the eye where the prosthetic will touch, leave to go tacky then lay in place and hold to dry.
• This was then done on the other eye and continued up the forehead and around the edge of the face.
• Once secure, a second bald cap was applied to cover the edges of the prosthetic.
• Asking the model to hold the front to his forehead I gently pulled the rest over the back of the head and also over the ears.
• Using Mastix's glue the edges of the cap were pulled back and a small amount of glue was applied to the models skin.
• This was then left a few seconds to go tacky, then the edges of the cap were lay over and left to dry.
• This was continued all the way around the edges of the cap.
• The cap was then slightly blended using sculpt gel to fill in the edges, parts A and B were mixed and applied using a small SFX  tool. The product was applied against the edge to fill the line and then smoothed to avoid any ridges.
• The sculpt gel was also used to smooth the edges of the prosthetic around the eye using the same technique.
• The finer detail around the eye was then added using a small brush and grease paints, red was applied around the eyes and in the creases of the mouth.
• Smaller veins were also airbrushed into the surface of the prosthetic using the red and blue Air Mist body paints.

Below are the images of the practise for the final assessment:

 

Reflecting on the practise

'Reflection is an active process whereby the professional can gain an understanding of how historical, social, cultural and personal experiences have contributed to professional knowledge and practice' (Wilkinson, 1996). 

 

Although happy with the images which have been developed through the practise run, I feel a lot needs to be improved for the assessment:

1. The use of the airbrush on the surface of the prosthetic slightly separated and again left the piece looking coated, I feel with this less will be more in this instance. On the assessment I will only airbrush under the prosthetic before apply, this is the only way to stick to the translucent effect desired. The only area which will be  painted on the surface will be to shade around the edges of the mouth and sculpted veins.
2. As well as this the effect of using two bald caps did not work as intended, however due to the costume choice the edges of the prosthetic and bald cap will be covered with the hood of the robe.
3. Also the makeup needed to be continued down to the neck and chest, using the airbrush makeup.
4. Finally, as the edges of the holes for the nostril and eyes were to large and thick, when removing the off cuts for the final piece I will try to make them smaller as this will make the blending process much easier.

 



 The final assessment

 

Step by step

 

The model firstly applied the contact lenses, this took 10 minutes and 5 minutes was taken to allow the models eyes to adapt and settle.

• Asking the model to hold the front to his forehead I gently pulled the rest over the back of the head and also over the ears.
• Using Mastix's glue the edges of the cap were pulled back and a small amount of glue was applied to the models skin.
• This was then left a few seconds to go tacky, then the edges of the cap were lay over and left to dry.
• This was continued all the way around the edges of the cap.
• The edges of this bald cap did not need to be  filled as the prosthetic would be applied over.
• The next stage of the process was airbrushing additional larger and darker veins to the face and first bald cap under the prosthetic  using Air Mist body paints. Much like the reverse side of the prosthetic, figure of 8 styled veins in red, black and blue were airbrushed onto the face to the back of the head.
• Also very dark blue grease paint was applied to the head and cheeks in the similar figure of 8 style.
• The red grease paint was then applied around the eyes and also a red eye liner was applied to the water line.
• After this the prosthetic was applied to the face; starting at the nose, apply small (pea sized)amounts of specialised silicone adhesive to the skin. Leave for a couple of seconds to go tacky then attach the nose in place and hold to dry.
• Ask the model to hold the nose in place to avoid the prosthetic from moving or being uncomfortable on the skin.
• Moving onto the eyes; again apply pea sized amounts of adhesive around the edges of the eye where the prosthetic will touch, leave to go tacky then lay in place and hold to dry.
• This then done on the other eye and continued up the forehead and around the edge of the face.
• The edges of the prosthetic were then slightly blended using sculpt gel to fill in the edges, parts A and B were mixed and applied using a small SFX  tool. The product was applied against the edge to fill the line and then smoothed to avoid any ridges.
• After this using a very small brush and a small amount of red grease paint, the ridges of the mouth and three dimensional veins were shaded. Applying the red to the surrounding areas allowed the veins and mouth to pop, making the makeup come alive.
• As well as this, using the airbrush and a white paint the neck and chest had a very light wash of colour.
• Then by removing the end of the airbrush and setting the air pressure to 10, very fine veins were created on the chest and neck blending into the prosthetic piece.
• Finally using the airbrush and a red paint the eyes were sprayed covering the blended edge.

The costume was then added, this finalised the look and created the image I had been planning from the beginning of the semester.

Reflection on the final assessment

'Reflection is really a process that begins with looking back on a situation, pondering over it, learning from it and then using the new knowledge to help you in future similar situations. Reflection, which is learning through experience, is not a new concept. As humans, we naturally reflect on our surroundings and experiences. However, the conscious, deliberate and ordered process of using reflection as a learning tool in our professional practice is much more challenging. It is a complex activity that requires the individual to develop a set of skills required for problem solving' (Moon, 1999).

When reflecting upon the final assessment I will be using the reflective model ‘Kolb’ as reference.

Concrete experience

On the day of the assessment I arrived early in order to have enough time to set up and prepare for design being created. The brief stated that assessment was to take 2 hours, for this I devised a broken down time schedule for each section of the prosthetic application and applying the design. Also organising a face chart, risk assessment, mood board and step by step instructions for on the day. Throughout the process of creating the prosthetic piece I have been incredibly nervous, therefore on the day of the assessment my nerves were very noticeable as I wanted everything to go to plan. Having previously carried out a practise of the makeup design I felt prepared with the knowledge of what worked and what did not work last time.

Reflective observation

As previously stated I was incredibly nervous for the final assessment, however once I had started the application the design came together and my nerves started to ease, as I started to believe in myself. Throughout the semester I have struggled with the new techniques being developed, this then caused me to question if the personal standard of work required was possible. However through being extremely organised and prepared for the assessment I feel I have achieved a good standard of work and I am very pleased.

My main focus on the day of the assessment was keeping the raw, translucent look of the prosthetic. To achieve this I used highlight and shading techniques with very little product. Because of this I found it very difficult to evaluate if the design was finished, as the surface of the prosthetic had very little product on at all. However realising this was a problem I began taking images, this helped to see how the makeup would appear on camera.

Abstract conceptualisation

Concluding on the experience I am very happy with the final makeup design, I feel I have pushed myself to create something very much out of my comfort zone. As well as this I have collected techniques developed through the foundation degree to create a design which pushed my makeup skills to the extreme, causing me to question if it was actually possible.  Knowing if the design went wrong or was too much work for my capability. This could dramatically change my end result for the degree, however if the design went to plan I would be very proud of myself and  this would make me want stretch myself more even throughout my career.

Active experimentation

Although happy with the design I feel there are still aspects of the makeup which could be improved if ever recreated. Reflecting on the images I feel the area which could and should have been improved was the nose, the models skin under the prosthetic should have been airbrushed white, this would have blended the colour difference in comparison to the skin. Also prior to the assessment the edges of the prosthetic nostrils should have been reduced using small sharp scissors cutting at an angle, this then would have allowed the piece to lay closer to the skin looking more realistic.  

Also I would have liked to developed more poses for the model however due to the theme and design of the creature they were limited in order to stay in character.  

 

 

Final images

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you for watching my personal journey of  creating a prosthetic piece for the final assessment at university. I hope the process has been easy to follow and you have enjoyed each section as much I have. The images above are a few shot on the day of the assessment, I hope you like the final result.