Neck Bruising Research (Claudia)

Claudia will have bruising around her neck from where she has recently been in a fight with a few of the walkers but yet she managed to get away. I wanted to research pictures and examples of bruising on the neck to ensure it looks realistic and as authentic as possible. 

http://fc02.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2012/259/e/4/neck_bruising_by_kaaotickatie-d5exzp7.jpg

I like this sort of bruise because you can actually see finger marks from where someone has had a tight grasp around the neck, however I want something slightly darker and more prominent. 

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibgR0dLecxHUCIxm5z6_Orm4aP88SzFkOZYCGZT_SMHlqqqMhNKqRXcnole_y-YTxZGBTaxnwR14H9dCx4ra12wse8eP2BAZ6D7FZ8rm7ANSpCXH2iM7-wJjTjcytO5PEIqyBv4j0ToCw/s1600/IMG00353-20121106-1126.jpg

http://www.ilovethelot.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/310.jpg

This bruise was created like so:

• Start with brown eye shadow. Apply the eye shadow to the general area you want bruised and blend outwards. Inconsistency is fine since bruises usually are darker closer to the source of impact.
• Apply purple eye shadow to where the bruise will be, copying the shape of the supposed weapon. Here you can see where the fingers held the throat.

•  Lightly apply red eye shadow over the purple, especially around the centre of the bruise. This will make the bruise look tender and fresh. Blend it into the brown eye shadow and your bruise is complete.
  
  I think that this bruise actually looks extremely effective and it is the sort of thing I am aiming to create, I will practice using the colours used above with the supracolor palette, and if I am still not satisfied, I may try using the eyeshadow like this person originally did.  Although, I want to ensure that the bruise blends seamlessly into the rest of the neck, and I do not want the finger marks to be clearly defined because Claudia would've been struggling to get away, which resulted in lighter bruising all over, rather than defined finger marks. 
  
  

Sweating Research (Claudia)

Claudia will be sweating quite regularly due to the hot weather she will be in, and also the fact that she is constantly on edge because of the zombies and she is always on the run and in fights with the walkers... 

Sweating is a bodily function that helps regulate your body temperature. Also called perspiration, sweating is the release of a salt-based fluid from your sweat glands. Changes in your body temperature, the outside temperature, or your emotional state can cause sweating. The most common areas of sweating on the body include:

• armpits
• face
• palms of the hands
• soles of the feet

Sweating in normal amounts is an essential bodily process. “Normal” sweating can be as much as a quart of fluid per day, according to the National Institutes of Health. Lack of sweat or excessive sweating can cause problems. The absence of sweat can be dangerous because your risk of overheating increases.

How Sweating Works: 

Your body is equipped with an average of three million sweat glands. Eccrine sweat glands are located all over your body and produce a lightweight, odorless sweat. 

Apocrine sweat glands are concentrated in the hair follicles of your scalp, armpits, and groin. These glands release a heavier, fat-laden sweat that carries a distinct odor. The smell, referred to as “body odor,” occurs when apocrine sweat breaks down and mixes with the bacteria on your skin.

Your autonomic nervous system controls your sweating function. This is the part of your nervous system that functions on its own, without your conscious control. When the weather is hot or your body temperature rises due to exercise or fever, sweat is released through ducts in your skin. It moistens the surface of your body and cools you down as it evaporates.

Sweat is made mostly of water, but about one percent of sweat is a combination of salt and fat - this is why I have chosen to splatter water all over the face to make it seem quite realistic and authentic. 

Causes of Sweating: 

Elevated temperatures are the primary cause of sweating, but you can perspire for other reasons, too. Anger, fear, embarrassment, anxiety, or emotional stress can make you break out in sweat.

After doing this research I have actually found out that the only specific place we all sweat from is the forehead because it has sweat glands there. Therefore there is no correct 'pattern' or placement of where the sweat needs to be - I can just use the highlighter to in specific areas, e.g. the forehead, and down the centre of the face, and then splatter water all over the face. 

Website reference: http://www.healthline.com/health/sweating#Overview1

Practicing Claudia's Make-up On Myself

Tools/equipment needed:

 First of all, I created a rough smokey eye consisting of gold, brown and black. 

 I then added black eyeliner to the waterline

I literally rubbed my eyes to smudge the make-up, so that it looked old and ruined the make-up

I then applied foundation, bronzer and blusher, ensuring that the skin looked quite sun kissed as Claudia would've often been exposed to the sun, making her quite tanned. I then added highlighter to create quite a dewy look for now

I then used the supracolor palette, fake blood, and cosmetic/stipple sponge to create a cut/graze on the forehead and a large bruise on the neck

I used the Kryolan highlighter quite heavily on the face to make it look like I was sweating. I concentrated down the middle of the face (forehead, upper lip and chin) and under the eyes. 

 I then splattered fake dirt all over the face, and smudged some of it in to show the lack of hygiene and the tough fights Claudia would have been involved in

Finally, I put water in this Nike bottle and squeezed in quite closely to my face so that it splattered water all over my face, smudging the make-up further and making it look like I was sweating more

I was quite satisfied with how this looked, and I really liked how well the Kryolan highlighter added to the look. However, I think the bruise on the neck is slightly too big and takes up too much of the neck - I want it to be less central and slightly smaller. Therefore, I am going to do some more research into bruising around the neck, just to ensure that everything is looking as realistic as possible. 

Claudia Face & Hair Chart

Mrs Laderman - Final Look & Evaluation

Products/equipment used (plus a hairdryer)

After stretch & stipple, cinewax wounds, liquid latex and oats 

After applying supracolor & bruise wheel colours 

After applying fake blood, wound filler and conditioner to the hair

 This was the make-up and hair complete, but me and my model persevered to get the contact lenses in because we knew that it would give that true zombie look... 

Eventually, we finally managed to do it! The model had to hold her eyes open, whilst I put the contacts in - this was definitely an experience I had never done before, but I was very happy with how it contributed to the final look. The only problem is that it made the models eyes water a lot, and so the make-up around the eyes ran and moved a lot, therefore I had to ensure I touched this up when the contacts were successfully in. 

Final Images

I was actually very satisfied with how the final look turned out - I felt she looked very zombie-like, and furthermore, she looked like a zombie specifically from The Walking Dead. 

If I were to do that look again, one thing I would change and improve would be the neck - where the face had quite a lot of product on and quite a few layers, the neck only had foundation and supracolor on, and therefore made them appear slightly differently on camera. I think I also should have added a bit of blood/darker bruises to the neck. Also, there is a small section just about the eyebrow where it is not as textured as the rest of the face, but I did not notice this until looking back at the pictures, so I would have touched this area up. 

However, I think I had just about the right amount of blood on the face, e.g. you could see that she had a lot of fresh wounds from where she had recently turned into a walker, and the look was not underdone, or even overdone, which was my main concern in this project. I feel that this has made me more confident and actually more interested in using Special FX make-up and I hope to expand my knowledge and technical ability within this area over time. I think my character fits very well into my chosen TV series because this is how zombies are portrayed throughout The Walking Dead (despite any previous/other perceptions of zombies being green,etc.) so I feel that I stuck to the brief and produced a good outcome that took the brief into consideration. 

The Final Touches... (Mrs Laderman)

One thing I noticed about the walkers in The Walking Dead is that they all wear contact lenses, and I think this is a key thing that makes them look so scary and so zombie-like. 

http://www.examiner.com/article/the-walking-dead-season-2-new-zombie-tastic-trailer-and-pictures

After doing some research I found out that The Walking Dead have contact lenses specially made for the series, and they have special technicians to put them in. Having said that, I went ahead and purchased some all white contact lenses, so that I have the option there if possible, because I feel it would definitely complete my look, however I/my model may not be able to put them in, so I will just have to wait and see how the model copes with them. 

http://images.esellerpro.com/3434/I/285/83/23655.jpg

Styling

The clothes the model will be wearing will appear quite innocent and typical clothing of Mrs Laderman before she became a zombie - it will almost be ironic that she will have such a 'cute' t-shirt, but yet is a flesh-eating zombie.  It will be a fairly neutral colour, e.g. brown/grey, because that it often the case in The Walking Dead. 

http://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0303/9845/products/cool_dog_women_tee_white_55cee7e8-2bad-42d3-800b-e1000346817a.jpeg?v=1396255913

Initially, when you think of zombies you automatically think ripped clothes covered in blood, but when you look at The Walking Dead this is not the case; in fact the clothes are merely just a bit dirty. Furthermore, at this point, Mrs Laderman has only just turned into a walker, and therefore will not yet have ventured that far or got into that many bloody, dirty situations. 

Further Practice Of Mrs Laderman's Hair & Make-up (on myself)

I did everything the same as shown in the previous post, up until it came to the wounds... 

I created the forehead wound the same way, I just toned it down slightly and made it smaller in size

 I created a much smaller wound on one side of the face, almost just like a cut

 I then created the bigger wound on the other side of the face 

I feel the I took the blood slightly too high up towards the eye, so I will not do that in the final look. I then covered the lips in wound filler and fake blood. 

HAIR

My models' hair is very short (much shorter than mine) and therefore will require little styling - I will backcomb it slightly and add conditioner to the hair to make it appear very dirty and greasy, just like they do in The Walking Dead. 

Final Look:

I was much happier with how this look came out - I felt it was much more realistic (or as real as a zombie can be!) and would fit well into the scenes of The Walking Dead. I now felt much more confident in what I was doing and what techniques/skills I needed to carry out, and I can only hope that it works just as effectively on my older model.