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3-D Makeup, Teeth, Wigs, and Beards
This section illustrates step-by-step how to create positive and negative molds, prosthetic pieces, false teeth, lace front wigs, and beards. Creating molds includes face and full head life castings, sculpting with modeling clay and making negative molds from the clay sculptures. Prosthetics comprise full masks and facial parts with diff erent materials such as: Hot Foam Latex, Cold Foam Latex, Liquid Latex, Gel-foam, and Silicone. Teeth include making teeth impressions, sculpting false teeth, creating vampire fangs, dog canines and crooked teeth with acrylic powder and liquid. Wigs include adding lace front to exiting wigs, ventilating a halfbald wig, constructing Japanese style women wigs and adding hair extensions. Beards include mustache, goatee, full beards and Chinese Opera beard.
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3-D Makeup—Prosthetic Pieces
I have experimented with different materials such as liquid latex, cold foam latex, hot foam latex, and gel-foam. And I have made various prosthetic pieces for numerous productions such as full and half masks, individual facial features, and animal faces. Liquid latex is used for creating scars or fine wrinkles on the face. Liquid latex prosthetic pieces are the simplest of all to make since no mold release is required and no heating is needed to cure it; the product is quite strong and stiffer than other materials. Using gel-foam is the second easiest and fastest way to produce prosthetic pieces. Gel-foam possesses an excellent natural skin texture; however, it is heavier in weight and therefore is most suitable for small prosthetic pieces.
Cold foam latex does not need to be baked, and prosthetic pieces are easy to make, but cold foam lacks flexibility compared to hot foam latex. Hot foam latex must be baked to cure the prosthetic piece. Both cold and hot foam prosthetic pieces are lightweight; however, hot foam prosthetic pieces are softer, more durable and flexible, and excellent in conforming to the actor’s facial movements. All the material kits include instructions. A precise working operation is the key to creating good, usable prosthetic pieces.
Full-Head Life Casting and Hot Foam Mask
Here I use the hot foam mask I made for Dracula to demonstrate the process of full-head life casting and making a hot foam mask.
The production Dracula was staged at the Theatre Arts Department at Central Washington University, Ellensburg, WA. It was one of the productions for which I designed the costumes and 3-D makeup. The director of Dracula requested that I create two distinct characters, old and young Dracula, both played by a 20-year-old theater performance student. Old Dracula had to transform into young Dracula within a few minutes. A prosthetic mask (3-D makeup) was required for the character to achieve the special look and to solve the quick makeup-change problem. Dracula’s mask provides an example of using life casting, positive and negative molds, and sculpture to make a 3-D prosthetic piece.
Summary of Procedure for Creating 3-D Makeup or Prosthetic Mask
- Make the actor’s full-head life casting.
- Make a positive mold from the life casting mold.
- Sculpture the old Dracula face with modeling clay.
- Make a negative mold from the clay sculpture mold.
- Make a hot foam prosthetic mask.
- Add hair to the mask.
- Paint the mask.
- Apply the mask to the actor’s face.
Making a Full-Head Life Casting
Life casting is the first step in making prosthetic products. It can be done on just the face or on the full head and is the foundation for 3-D makeup. It duplicates the actor’s face with detailed impressions and provides an accurate fit for the actor. Life casting is a long, two-part process that involves making positive and negative molds. A casting mold is a mold made from any object or human. In this case, it is made from a human head. To create different characters and to change the physical appearance of an actor using 3-D makeup, life casting is a necessary step.
In my experience, the best life casting material is alginate. I’ve also worked with plaster of paris and plaster bandages for life casting many years ago, but this has its limitations and dangers because when the plaster hardens it is difficult to remove from the face, especially from a face with big jaws. Alginate is flexible, captures impressions from any subject amazingly well, and is safely removed.
Procedure for Life Casting
Materials Required
- Alginate, 5- or 8-minute setting (2.5 lb)
- Plaster bandage (two or three rolls, 4″ × 6 yd rolls)
- Water
- Vaseline or petroleum jelly
- Bald cap
- Hair gel
- Comb
- Hair pins
- Spirit gum
- Dental chair (optional)
- Cotton balls
- Large drinking straw (for breathing through the nose)
- Nose putty
- Haircut mock-up
- Scissors
- Terry cloth (about eight pieces, precut 1″ × 2″ or 2″ × 2″)
- Container for measuring alginate and water
- Container for water
- Container for mixing plaster or alginate
- Rubber spatula
- Butter knife or screwdriver
- Eyeliner pencil
- Brush to apply Vaseline
- Knife for cutting and trimming
- Alginate. Dental alginate is used by dentists to cast teeth. Prosthetic alginate is used to cast the face, limbs, and body parts. Dental alginate usually comes in flavors that set in 50–60 seconds. Prosthetic alginates, with tinted color and no flavor, set in 2–10 minutes. I used 5-minute-setting alginate so I would have enough time to manage the life casting.
- Plaster Bandage. This is a gauze material sized with plaster used to cast broken arms and legs. It comes in 4″ × 6 yd rolls. It can be applied on the skin to make a life casting mold, but sometimes it’s hard to remove from the face because of its rigidness. Its other purpose is to provide a rigid shell ove...
