I remember about a year or two ago I saw a video on youtube shorts or instagram reels showcasing what I misremembered as a Demogorgon suit from Stanger Things in a makeup booth, but it wasn’t that. It was similar in design tho, mostly black/gray colors, and it seemed to have some mechanical elements that would make the entire head shape change when the actor raised their head and opened their mouth. It was one of the craziest sfx prosthetics I’ve ever seen and I’ve been going crazy trying to find the video. Does that ring a bell to anyone?

EDIT: On second thought I don’t think the head changed its shape, mostly just the jaw and the neck muscles. It was a very humanoid looking monster, with sort of a Slenderman physic and no eyes or nose. I also distinctly remember seeing the actor’s real tongue dyed in black inside the mouth.

P.S I watched the video before I’ve gotten into vfx, so it might have been augmented with cgi elements composited onto the original footage without me noticing, but it was for sure presented as a BTS clip

So I've heard of Diatomaceous Earth or Mixing bone fragments with wood ash but I've concerned about a scene where the talent will have the ashes blow in the wind and she might inhale it.

Hey!

I have recently bought SFX teeth, and they're really great! However, the material is rather thick, and as a result they make me look kinda like I have a frog or something in my mouth all the time. I was wondering if the material could be sanded down a bit to be made thinner.

I assume that the material would not be very safe when sanded down and that there'd be a risk of small particles entering my mouth, so I'm guessing that there'd have to be an additional step to make the result safe.

However, as of now I am not sure if I should even attempt to make the material a bit thinner. I do not think it would break, as it is rather bulky and I will not be biting into anything with them (I mean afaik you're never supposed to do that but just confirming that I won't do that anyway) so they shouldn't face much pressure. But I am unsure if any tool is even able to "sand it down."

Obviously, if I were to attempt this, I would make sure to have a mask on and safety glasses too, and I wouldn't do it in an enclosed space.

Thoughts and opinions?

Ive been thinking more about wanting to follow my passion for sfx but Im not exactly sure how to start. Does anyone have any suggestions of good classes in nyc or labs near by i can reach out to and pick their brains?

I recently purchased both silicone and foam latex prosthetic pieces for an upcoming convention and was curious if I could use my everyday foundation (Maybelline) on said prosthetics for a base coverage. I know that I will have to seal my pieces before painting, but I wasn't sure if the foundation would eat away at the sealer and ruin my pieces or not.

If the foundation is a no-go, then what makeup is recommended to use on said pieces?

Me and my buddy are planning a short film that involves a fella self harming in one scene, we'd like some close ups of the cutting motion and the skin breaking and we figured it'll be too expensive to hire somene to do it so we'd like to learn for ourselves, now YouTube tutorials cover how to make an exposed wound but we really need help with the actual cutting the fake skin part, like what materials or what process can ensure that we get the shot of the actor cutting himself and some blood coming out or at least the skin opening in a realistic way? Obviously good editing helps keep up the illusion but we're not too experienced with this and would like some advice, please help us we'd really appreciate it!!

So my local halloween scare place is hiring makeup artists this year and I'm already pretty good at regular makeup but I want to get started in SFX so I have a full skill set, where should i start? like are there any kits you'd recommend? any tips, product recommendations, brand suggestions anything would be appreciated!

hi everyone! i tried to cast my face recently by using alginate and then wrapping with plaster bandages, but i've been running into two problems:

1. no matter how much vaseline i put over my eyes, the alginate still seems to irritate them

and

2. when the plaster is finally set and i try to take my face out of the cast, the plaster separates from the alginate and the alginate cracks/ doesn't hold its shape

i would love and tips or feedback anyone could give. and don't worry, even though im casting my own face i always have someone with me to help and make sure everything is safe. thank you guys!

I know that this probably sounds stupid but I’m trying to make a silicone mould but all the litre silicone bottles are so expensive ! So I was wondering what is the difference between general purpose clear sealant silicone and the ones used to make moulds for prosthetics ?

Any book, video, or tutorial advice would be greatly appreciated!

Links/images appreciated

Hello!! im making a ticci toby cosplay, and i was wondering what liquid laytex is, and what its for? if someone could explain for me

Hey everyone, does anyone have tips or tricks or product recommendations for grown beard coverage?

I was wondering about some form of prosthetics or wax? I also need it to be hair friendly as I don't want it to ruin my existing beard.

Thanks in advance for your creativity!

I am assisting a music video that has about 30 - 50 people but only 2 - 3 makeup artists on site with a very small time window.

We want it to look like blood was spilt from either cuts or gashes or have people with red marks from either punches or slaps (not bruises).

What would be the quickest way to create this effect yet still look decent on camera (not in HD/4k).

What supplies would you recommend? Any tips/tricks?

I am aware that this is a difficult ask, but thank you so much in advance for any assistance you can provide!

I recently bought myself an Iwata Eclipse HP-CS and I was going to use it to paint silicone using psycho paint thinned with solvent. After getting to know my airbrush more I've realized how important cleaning it is. I'm wondering if anyone here has tips about cleaning an airbrush after using silicone paints because I'm worried I might get solidified silicone stuck in there.

Is it fine to flush my airbrush with the solvent (NOVOCS) I plan on using in between colours or when I'm finished? Or can I use normal airbrush cleaning fluid to clean it out?

How early do I need to make sure my airbrush is completely clean and flushed out before the silicone paints I'm using reaches the end of the pot life?

Thanks!

I dont know if this is the right place to ask, but some of the colours in my kyrolan supracolor palettes are EXTREMELY dry. Others deposit onto my brush quite quickly with a few swirls as it warns up, but others will pick up absolutely nothing even if I try and use my finger which is warmer. Is there any way to fix this??

Does anybody know what type of paints that ARENT alcohol activated work on scar wax? Would eyeshadow work?

Hi, I'm new to this sfx prosthetics. I once successfully made 4 lifecasts, and have no problem with that part. I can sculpt with a non-drying oil-based clay. But what do I do after that to be able to mass produce latex prosthetics?

We are currently starting a new YouTube channel, and we want a realistic character to repeatedly appear as a guest. It's important to mass produce professional quality prosthetics.

Imagine the pop band Ghost. The singer Tobias Forge wears the same facial prosthetics for every concert. I'm sure some can be reused several times, but I know he doesn't have only one - and therefore they must be mass produced.

I'm sure I'm going to get many recommendations to use foam latex, but I'm trying to stay away from foam. Foam seems to be less natural looking, more porous and thicker. Regular latex has a more natural, thinner, and more easy to blend the edges.

I thought about making a hydrocast bucket mold of the lifecast of the face with the clay sculpture, pouring liquid latex, and then placing the lifecast of the face without the clay, to mold only the prosthetic areas and displace the non-prosthetic areas. Will this work? Will the liquid latex be able to dry with no exposure to air?

What about a 20A silicone mold?

Will liquid latex dry in any 2 part facial prosthetic mold without access to air?

Do I have to use foam latex?

Is there another way to mass produce latex facial prosthetics?

If extra info helps, it would be a brow/forehead, cheek bones, possibly a bridge of nose and chin.

If I have to mass produce each piece individually, I will. I just need to know how to mass produce latex prosthetics for the face, so they come out exactly the same every time.

If there's no way to do it with liquid latex, and I must use foam latex, I will, but like I said - I'd like to stay with the natural, less porous and easier to blend liquid latex.

Thanks in advance!