Thread: Latex prosthetics ~ help advice please

Hey all,
just here to pick some brains and get advice for Hallowe'en.
I'm going to the Alice Cooper concert on Hallowe'en and i've decided to go in makeup, as a half-burnt Severen from Near Dark :

i've got myself some liquid latex etc etc, and now i just want some advice/opinions.
basically, i've seen the tutes etc about painting the latex onto the skin and using tissue to build up the texture etc. i was going to go w/ this option, practicing a couple times before the 31st of course. having looked at a few sites, i'm wondering if it would be a better approach to paint the stuff on and make the prosthetic, and then remove it as carefully as possible and actually apply it again on the day. would there be any advantage to either approach? the application of spirit gum and removal adds another step of potential SNAFU i'm thinking, and have read a coupel of warning things on sites about spirit gum being a bit harsh on the skin (maybe not for pros who know how to aplly it, but for a noob like me, using it on my face...)
i'll be applying the stuff in the morning/noon and wearing it into the night (should make the drive to Glasgow interesting, lol). regarding the above pic, i'll not be going that extreme, i'm planning on burn effects on the forhead/cheek around the eye and blackened makeup/paint near the eye itself, and i'm not messing w/ my hair. i'm thinking of pouring a wad of latex over my biceps/shoulder and making an arm piece, that i AM planning to take off/paint and slip on on the night, since it won't really need to be affixed to the skin to get the effect (being half obscured by clothes etc).

anyhow, as i said, i'd appreciate any advice
cheers

That won't work with spirit gum.
Spirit gum is a cheap but terrible adhesive. The remover is also oil based so it will slowly eat the latex.
Try using medical style adhesives or getting some Pros-aide. Pros-aide can be removed and reactivated with isopropyl alcohol if you need to re-stick it and is very easy to apply. It holds quite very well, I used it for prosthetics last year and the only issue I ran into was that with my nose covered any hard breathing made the upper lip of the prosthetic come loose.

couldn't you adhere the pre-made prosthetic with more liquid latex? (o_0)

Originally Posted by wolfie138

Hey all,
just here to pick some brains and get advice for Hallowe'en.
I'm going to the Alice Cooper concert on Hallowe'en and i've decided to go in makeup, as a half-burnt Severen from Near Dark :

i've got myself some liquid latex etc etc, and now i just want some advice/opinions.
basically, i've seen the tutes etc about painting the latex onto the skin and using tissue to build up the texture etc. i was going to go w/ this option, practicing a couple times before the 31st of course. having looked at a few sites, i'm wondering if it would be a better approach to paint the stuff on and make the prosthetic, and then remove it as carefully as possible and actually apply it again on the day. would there be any advantage to either approach? the application of spirit gum and removal adds another step of potential SNAFU i'm thinking, and have read a coupel of warning things on sites about spirit gum being a bit harsh on the skin (maybe not for pros who know how to aplly it, but for a noob like me, using it on my face...)
i'll be applying the stuff in the morning/noon and wearing it into the night (should make the drive to Glasgow interesting, lol). regarding the above pic, i'll not be going that extreme, i'm planning on burn effects on the forhead/cheek around the eye and blackened makeup/paint near the eye itself, and i'm not messing w/ my hair. i'm thinking of pouring a wad of latex over my biceps/shoulder and making an arm piece, that i AM planning to take off/paint and slip on on the night, since it won't really need to be affixed to the skin to get the effect (being half obscured by clothes etc).

anyhow, as i said, i'd appreciate any advice
cheers

So, what you have is the makeup liquid latex? This kind of stuff?



IMO (and there are other methods), the best way to get burn effects with this stuff is to do the effects right on the spot. It's typically so thin you're not going to get it off very cleanly.

How I do it is paint the area with a base coat that you want your 'skin' to be. Apply the liquid latex beyond where you painted, and then with the palm of the hand stick and twist. It'll make holes and valley, and pull up the paint with it. Now the flesh is colored and the areas underneath are ready to be bloodied up.

this will yield this kind of look: (from a very quick demonstration I made for some local soccer moms so their kids could be zombies, just colors I had on hand in probably 10 minutes.)


Anywhere that's red is where the latex took the makeup with it.

The tissue method is good if you want a blister, or some skin hanging, or an area to move. Try to adhere a tissue to your cheek and watch as you talk for instance...it's quite the effect.

As the dogman says, STAY AWAY FROM SPIRIT GUM. Get some medical adhesive. (you might go ask in the hospital. Check the NICU, they glue the tubes to the babies so they dont rip em out...) It doesn't hurt to have some of that to help the latex stay on.

Latex is pretty adhesive on it's own, but your sweat, and oils in your skin will eventually cause it to come off.

NOW then, if you're interested in making your own prosthetics. The best way to do that is sculpt it in a oil based clay, make a plaster mold of it, and cast it with slip latex.

(some Hellboy horns I made my friend last year.)

The problem is that the edges on a latex/tissue buildup tend to shred when you remove it, and sometimes the whole thing shreds if you have dry spots between layers where the latex did not properly saturate. If you can incorporate those flaws into the makeup when you reapply then it's not a problem, otherwise you'd be best to do the buildup on the day of. You might have some peeling over the night, but just bring a little bottle of liquid latex to stick things back down again.

There are a few companies that sell pre-made burn prosthetics. We don't have one yet, but I believe FX Faces has a couple to choose from.

-Chris

The problem is that the edges on a latex/tissue buildup tend to shred when you remove it, and sometimes the whole thing shreds if you have dry spots between layers where the latex did not properly saturate. If you can incorporate those flaws into the makeup when you reapply then it's not a problem, otherwise you'd be best to do the buildup on the day of. You might have some peeling over the night, but just bring a little bottle of liquid latex to stick things back down again.

There are a few companies that sell pre-made burn prosthetics. We don't have one yet, but I believe FX Faces has a couple to choose from.

-Chris

hey all,
thanks for the replies.
Spookylicious, i've never used this before so i didn't know how good the liquid latex would work as an adhesive in its own right.
as for the other comments, sounds like it's a moot point as i'll probably be best off doing it on the night.
Unorthodox - cheers. yeah, the stuff i've got is like that, it's called liquidflesh from liquidflesh.com. i'm hoping sweat etc shouldn't be an issue, i'll not be jumping about like an idiot at the concert etc, so unless it's swelteringly hot in the hall hopefully the thing will stay intact.

as for painting the thing/my surrounding face, what's the consensus - liquid acrylics or actual makeup?