Sunday 8 September 2013

How to: Terminator inspired special effects make-up

Hi all, I've recently been playing around with using tin foil to look like metal underneath the skin. I tried it on my sister's arm first just to see how it would look and I was very pleased with the outcome! I then tried it on my own face and was also pleased with how this looked! I took inspiration from the Terminator films, it such a classic character and this would be a great look for halloween!
This is how I achieved it...

You will need:
Tin foil
Spirit gum and spirit gum remover
cinewax
Supracolour in red and black and bruise colours
Metal spatula
Artificial blood
Any brush you don't mind getting messy!

For the arm:
I wanted to make it look like there were gashes revealing the metal underneath so first off:

  • I tore pieces of the tin foil into random strips making sure they didn't have any perfect edges.
  • Then apply spirit gum to the edges and stick down where desired. (spirit gum is very, very strong glue so try to use as little as possible)
  • I also applied thin strips of foil on a finger, and also on half of one and added little circles of foil on the back of the hand.
  • Then, roll pieces of wax into sausages and using the spatula apply to the edges of the foil. This is to create the look of skin.
  • I then used a small brush to outline the edges in red and blend it outwards onto the wax using my fingers. Then add some black around the edges to give the effect of burnt skin.
  • I then added quite a lot of dark artificial blood to the foil and basically everywhere on the arm, blood just gives it that gore factor which makes it look more effective and realistic.
Finished look:

















































For the face:
You'll need the same materials as above. I just covered one half of my face but you can cover whichever areas you prefer. However try to avoid using the spirit gum too close to the eye as the skin is more delicate and more susceptible to damage. 


  • I used larger pieces of foil this time, but not just one large piece as it wouldn't be flexible with the movement of the face and would be uncomfortable. 
  • I first used a skin colour supracolour as a base for a bit more protection against the spirit gum and just applied this with a foundation brush. Then I stuck the foil to my face where I wanted them. As I wanted it to cover my eyebrow I applied a layer of wax over my eyebrow to stop any spirit gum sticking to the hairs as this would hurt a lot to get out!
  • Once all the foil was stuck on and made sure the edges were all stuck down, I outlined the edges in red and black supracolour using a small brush and blended using my fingers.
  • I then used the black supracolour to fill in the eye area to give it more depth.
  • I then applied artificial blood around the edges and over the foil and smeared on the other half of my face to give it a more realistic look.
The finished look:

REMOVING
To remove the foil soak a cotton wool pad in mastix remover (not cotton wool balls as these have too many fibres) and gently rub the edges until they come away and continue to rub underneath so it peels away. Use a cotton bud when removing it from around the eye as the fumes are VERY strong. Then use a make-up wipe to remove the wax, supracolour and blood.

Well that is it! Hope you enjoyed reading this!
See you soon
Beth x

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