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Prosthetic
Application Guide
Materials
Before starting everything you need to make sure you have all the
materials necessary.
You will need a proper form of adhesive.
Pros-Aid is the standard adhesive used widely by most makeup artists.
It's strong enough to hold muzzles and faces in place for extended
periods of time and remain budget friendly. Medical Adhesive and Telesis
Adhesive are incredibly strong, stringer than Pros-Aid and require removers,
however these adhesive are very espensive. Liquid Latex can also be used
as an adhesive, but it is weak compared to all other adhesive and
ammonia cna irritate the eyes. Spirit Gum
isn't recommended for larger pieces because it is too weak to hold on
large prosthetics for long
periods of time, it's best used for noses or crepe hair.
Make sure to have makeup too! Water based and oil based makeups will
both work well, though the choice is yours depending on which you prefer
to work with. Many good brands exist like Ben Nye, Mehron, Kryolan,
Snazaroo, Wolfe FX and many more. They each have their advantages and
disadvantages. Experimentation is the key to find what you're the most
comfortable with. Water based makeup cna be affected by sweat and water,
but it's easier to clean up. Oil based makeup is resiliant,
however it can smudge and smear and stain clothing. Alcohol based
makeup can cost more, but it's as easy to use as water based makeup and
won't be affected by water. Regular cosmetics found in depratment
stores can also work very well for flesh tones.
You'll need tools and other items such as scissors, brushes, cotton
swabs, sponges and paper towels. If you so desire, an airbrush can also
help with certain makeups and paints. Gloves can help avoid
staining your hands.
Lastly, remember to have your accessories
together like fur, crepe hair, whiskers, teeth, contact lenses, etc.
For removing the makeup, you'd either need soap
for the water based makeup or Cold Cream for grease based makeup. For
removing the adhesives, Bond-Off, Super Solv, Telesis Remover or
Pros-Aid Remover can be used to dissolve Pros-Aid. Medical
Adhesive and Telesis Adhesive have their own removers. Liquid latex generally doesn't need a
remover.
Application Process
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Step 1 : Preparation
Make sure your model's face is clean shaven and free of makeup,
oil, soap and anything else that may interfere with the
adhesive. Do not put moisturizer or cream on before application as it
will make your skin greasy. If you need to use a sweat
stopping agent, now would be the time to use it. Tie and
pin back any long hair to keep it from being in the way.
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Step 2 : Fitting
Hold your prosthetic up to your face and see if any parts need
to be trimmed. Using sharp scissors, trim away any excess
material around the eyes or mouth to make the piece sit right on
your face. For Hot Foam latex prosthetics, you can open up
nostrils for breathing by gently picking away little pieces of
hot foam latex from the inside of the prosthetic. Use
small scissors to make any holes clean. For Slush Cast Latex
prosthetics, you can snip open the nostrils of the nose.
Vinyl or rubber tubing can also help with openign up airways.
For all materials, larger muzzles can have the area between the
nose and upper lip cut open to make a small breathing passage.
When applying multi-part prosthetics, try to start with the
pieces will will cover the model's nose, such as the top parts
of muzzles.
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Step 3 : Tracing
Place the prosthetuc up to the face and trace out the prosthetic
using a your base color of makeup, in this case, beige. This
will help determine where to put adhesive onto the face and
where to place the prosthetic when gluing it on later.
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Step 4a : Gluing
For Pros-Aid, use a cotton swab or throw-away brush to spread
adhesive on both the prosthetic and on the face. You don't
always need to put adhesive all over, as there may be times
where only a 1/2" band of adhesive would be necessary. Start
with the prosthetic and then put adhesive on the model's face.
Next, wait for the Pros-Aid to dry completely. It will go
from white to transparent and remain tacky to the touch. A
hair dryer can help speed this process up. Once the
adhesive is dry on both the prosthetic and on the face, begin
carefully positioning and placing the two sides together.
When the prosthetic is pressed onto the face, the adhesive on
both sides will bond. It is important to place it properly on
the first try as peeling the piece away from the face may lead
to the adhesive not making a proper bond or tearing the
prosthetic.
To make this step easier, you can glue down a section of the
prosthetic at a time, beginign with the nose and working your
way outward. |
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Step 4b : Overlapping
Multi-piece prosthetics such as muzzles will need to have some
overlapping. Corners of the mouth should line up and may
need to be trimmed to line up properly. Simply repeat
steps 2, 3 and 4a for as many pieces as necessary such as lower
jaws and brows. |
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Step 5 : Edges
Once all pieces have been applied onto the model's face.
You may want to blend the edges. For theatre productions
or LARPers, this my not be necessary as fine detail isn't always
necessary. Liquid latex or cabo-patch (thickened pros-aid)
work best for this step. For any large gaps between
pieces, small pieces of tissue may be necessary. Begin
anywhere and work your way around patching the edges. For
Cabo-patch, use a brush to palce it and use a small amount of
water to help smooth it out. Don't forget to go over seamlines
between overlapping prosthetic pieces. |
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Step 6 : Foundation Color
Once all the gluing, blending and patching are completed, begin
applying the foundation colors of makeup. It's best to
begin with white or other lighter colors first, then proceed
with darker and darker colors, saving black for last. Use
a brush or sponge for this task to ensure an even coating all
over your face and on the prosthetic. |
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Step 7 : Shading
Shading water based makeup is simple. Us a brush to put a
small amount of the lighter and darker colors where you want
shading to be. In this case, dark brown and white.
Next, use a damp sponge and begin dabbing at the area to even
out the coloring. If necessary use more foundation/base
color to get an even gradient. |
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Step 8 : Details
Details can range from fine lines with a fan brush or small
brush, speckles from flicking a toothbrush or adding black lines
and detals. Also coloring teeth and eyebrows, adding
eyeliner or mascara. |
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Step 9 : Finishing
Once the makeup is applied, for water based makeup, use
hairspray or a finishing spray to set the makeup in place.
Oil based makeup will need translucent powder to help keep it
from smudging and smearing and then beign sprayed with finishing
spray or hairspray. |
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Step 10 : Accessories
This is where hairwork can be added as well as putting in
dentures, contact lenses and putting the rest of the costume on. |
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