My first experience with hair and makeup was on a 4 Week FX Makeup and Prosthetics Course with Creative Media Skills at Pinewood Studios. Learning different skills and techniques from industry professionals, it was here that my passion for media makeup began!
During the week learning about bleeding and tubing prosthetics, I was tasked with sculpting and moulding a prosthetic wound with a fully functioning blood tubing attachment. I took inspiration from the television show Outlander and recreated a whipped back effect that required a complicated criss-crossing blood rig applied to the underside that was made of latex.
One of my favourite things about SFX is Creature Creation. After life-casting my model, I sculpted several prosthetic pieces to create this mystical woodland nymph. My initial interest was only in creating a third-eye prosthetic; however, due to my past experience with clay sculpture, I was able to go on and create additional pieces, such as the cheekbones, eyebrows and intricate neck vines.
This was my first experience with flat mould application. Here, I used two cheek moulds and a large neck piece to dramatically age my younger model. I used sculpt gel to create additional texture on the chin and forehead to give the appearance of wrinkles.
One of the most interesting and technical skills I learned was the art of laying on facial hair. After mixing and colour-matching the yak hair samples to the model’s as well as laying on the hair in a way to replicate natural hair growth, I enjoyed experimenting with different styles and looks as the process progressed.
Ruby Bircher 