Thread: how to do Joker (1989 - jack Nicholson) smile makeup?

I want to do the joker, but 1989 BAtman style joker, starring Jack Nicholson. The makeup itself should not be too difficult nor should the costume. What I would like to do, but am not sure how , is to get that smile that jack had.

Does anyone know an effective way to do this??

All the pics I have looked at of Jack's Joker have the appearance of prothestics on his cheeks, to give that extended smile look.

They look a little larger and smoother than just a build up of latex rubber - but they do move with his face, so they're very likely rubber of some kind (silicone, perhaps, or molded latex glued in place).

You could try to make a quick mold for making your own - sculpt up some modeling clay to look like the cheeks, make a plaster mold of that clay, use the plaster mold to make the latex appliances...once dried, spirit gum in place, add makeup and hopefully you can have that million dollar smile, just like Jack...

Might not be the way you wanna go, but i'd at least give this a shot, should take about 2 minutes.

Never done it myself but i've seen someone do it.

Get a Q tip, cut it to size to fit inside your cheek, wrap a rubber band around it, stick it in your mouth, rubber band round the ear, and boom, exposed teeth. Do that for both sides and you have the teeth look. Then obviously make-up.

Actually i might be able to find an example..

[ame="http://youtube.com/watch?v=aDuQcR2i-_8"]YouTube - Dark Knight Batman Realistic Two Face Make up: BFX[/ame]

The 2 minute mark in that video. Shows exactly what i meant.


And obviously ignore the fact it's Two face in the new batman, i'm not stupid. But it's the same principle of exposed teeth.

I wouldnt even know where to start with making my own latex mold. Is there a tutorial for something like that?

I like the qtip idea a little better for its simplicity. The only thing is The rubber band will show since i wouldnt be wearing latex, or putty makeup. I guess a thin enough rubberband would conceal more easily. Thanks for the tips.

Anymore? Please keep em comin.

Well I can offer you how I made my Dark Knight Joker scars and that might provide a base for your mold making.

They were flat molded so I first measured the area I wanted them on my face.
Then I made a model in clay (oil or waxed based) I picked them up frequently and pressed them to my face to get a good idea of what needed changing. You might have a harder time with that so a full scale photo of your face can help.
After the clay model was done I cast them in plaster, giving a 1/4 inch of extra cause I tend to break things
It took 2 days for the plaster to cure but I think if you put a fan over it that might help cut the time.
Once the plaster was ready I pulled the clay out of it and brushed it over with baby oil (if you can find a good release agent do use it) and cast a mold in window silicone.
Now to save you trouble if you use window silicone, try your best to get a thin edge. Not scraping the plaster but almost. The thinner the edge the smoother the attachment.
After 24 hours curing carefully peel up the silicone mold working from the outer edges in.
After they are pulled out and trimmed you can apply them to the face with spirit gum and be sure to gum the appliance and your face.

Now with Jack’s Joker I don’t think you’ll want the appliance more than an inch thick at its thickest. After that it will get burdensome.
And a different material like foam latex may be in your best interest.
Another good idea would be to try contour molding by making a cast of your face/head and then developing the clay model. But I have not done that sort of thing yet so I can not say for sure how it works.

I hope that helps you

After surfing the web for 3 months straight, I found a company in Canada that has pre-fabricated latex appliances. One of them was an 'evil clown' prosthetic. It had the characteristic grin that Jack had (along with a brow that I discarded). Their company's calle Bac Stage Prosthetics (google them when you get a chance).

There are other appliances available through their company, but the one you'd be interested in is the "Evil Clown" (Item# BKS-501).

It also comes with instructions on how to apply it properly. Good luck and have a great Halloween weekend.