How-To Zombie Makeup
Zombies. One reason they are so frightening is because they are us. I love this costume because everyone has a different inner-zombie. Here are the basics of zombie makeup so that you can create your own signature zombie look. Let's get started.
For most of my zombie makeup, I use Snazzaroo makeup, liquid latex, homemade blood, and a color wheel of great bruise colors.
Live Zombie Makeup Help:Ask Rain on Facebook
Use Liquid Latex to Create Realistic Wounds
For real gore, liquid latex is a must-have in your zombie makeup box. It's easy to apply and can get you is disgustingly realistic results.
Select an effect below to see it and learn how to make it:
Live Zombie Makeup Help:Ask Rain on Facebook
Sticking with the basics? Let's go ahead and make the zombie bite...
Pale the Skin
Use your cream white to pale the skin. To keep things looking real and creepy, add a light swipe of green and red under the cheekbones to create a sunken-cheeked look.
Next, let's add bruises and sinking to the eyes.
Live Zombie Makeup Help:Ask Rain on Facebook
Add Veins to Face
Use a brush loaded with black and red to create these veins that are often characteristic of zombies that were created by an outbreak or disease.
Be sure to make these lines emerge from the edges of the face. Next, we will sink and bruise the eyes.
Live Zombie Makeup Help:Ask Rain on Facebook
Sink and Bruise the Eyes
For a sunken, diseased or bruised zombie eye, first use your finger to blot red along the bottom of the eye socket and around the top of the lid.
For a bruise, Apply a light layer of blue over the red, and add yellow around the edges of the bruise.
For a sunken eye socket, use your paintbrush to outline the bottom of the eye socket in black, just like in our Skull Face Paint Tutorial. Blend the black in toward the eye.
Blot the red area with a light layer of black and blue.
Now we will create some realistic latex wounds...
Live Zombie Makeup Help:Ask Rain on Facebook
Create the Bite
Every zombie remembers their first zombifying bite. To create yours, use liquid latex or a fake skin recipe.
For a round bite like this one, blot on the latex with a q-tip, as shown. Use a press-and-lift blotting motion rather than simply drawing on the circle.
Use a hair dryer to solidify the latex. This will take a minute or two for small areas of latex.
Cover the latex with black makeup, then brush a generous amount of red into the middle of the wound.
Lightly brush over the black area with red. We aren't done with the bite just yet.
Let's add bruising and blood to the bite.
Live Zombie Makeup Help:Ask Rain on Facebook
Add Bruising to the Bite
Now we need to blend the bite into the rest of your skin. This method also works to make wounds anywhere on the body.
Use your fingers to pat on dark blue around the rim of the black latex. Start out thick around the edge of the latex and gradually apply less as you move away from the wound. Apply red over the blue areas, blending into your skin color at the outside of the bruise.
Now add blots of yellow at choice spots, using your finger again to lightly apply the makeup.
The yellow blotches will give the bruise a more realistic look. Next, let's take a look at gross prosthetic pieces....
Live Zombie Makeup Help:Ask Rain on Facebook
Add a Prosthetic Latex Piece
I love the flexibility of liquid latex, but ready-made prosthetic latex pieces can add some extra oomph to a zombie costume. I'll show you how to take those store-bought latex pieces and turn them into serious wounds.
Live Zombie Makeup Help:Ask Rain on Facebook
Next, add fake blood to your wounds...
Add Fake Blood to the Wound
http://diyfashion.D106/od/facepainting/ss/zombie_makeup_10.htm
Coat the front of your sponge with fake blood and gently blot it over the wound. The idea is to create round droplets.
For dripping blood, just give the sponge a squeeze to make the fake blood run out over the skin. You can add a little bit of blood to the bite wound, or go crazy and cover the side of your face in a tell-tale blood spatter.
Next, we will blacken the teeth and add mouth blood.
Live Zombie Makeup Help:Ask Rain on Facebook
Tips for Zombie Makeup
If there is any one scary part of a zombie, it is their hungry, hungry mouths. People really are bothered by a toothless or rotten mouth.
Black out the teeth of your zombie for a truly disturbing touch. I suggest using Mehron Tooth F-X because it will last all day and tastes a little like mint. Alternately, use black lipstick or even some of that prank candy that will turn your entire mouth black.
Most zombies have a generous amount of blood around the mouth.
Use your fingers to apply fake blood around the mouth, then blot and drip with the sponge for a natural blood-flow.
Now you've got down the basic maneuvers for zombie makeup. Next lets look at some tips for success.
Live Zombie Makeup Help:Ask Rain on Facebook
Live Zombie Makeup Help:Ask Rain on Facebook
More Costumes to Make:
Costume Tutorials . Sexy Costumes for Women . Harry Potter Costumes . Face Painting Tutorials . Make a Mask . Index of Costume Tutorials
Zombies. One reason they are so frightening is because they are us. I love this costume because everyone has a different inner-zombie. Here are the basics of zombie makeup so that you can create your own signature zombie look. Let's get started.
For most of my zombie makeup, I use Snazzaroo makeup, liquid latex, homemade blood, and a color wheel of great bruise colors.
- Don't forget the fake blood - Make your own fake blood using everyday kitchen items. I have 8 different fake blood recipes so you can make bright red blood, dried blood, realistic blood and even scabs.
Live Zombie Makeup Help:Ask Rain on Facebook
Use Liquid Latex to Create Realistic Wounds
For real gore, liquid latex is a must-have in your zombie makeup box. It's easy to apply and can get you is disgustingly realistic results.
Select an effect below to see it and learn how to make it:
- Total Face Blowout
- Zipper Face
- Puncture Wound
- Slit Wrists
- Bubbling Burn Wound
- Burn Holes
- Charred Face
- Blood Spatter
- Zombie Eyes
- Rotten Teeth
- 8 Ways to Make Fake Blood
- Edible Prop Guts
Live Zombie Makeup Help:Ask Rain on Facebook
Sticking with the basics? Let's go ahead and make the zombie bite...
Pale the Skin
Use your cream white to pale the skin. To keep things looking real and creepy, add a light swipe of green and red under the cheekbones to create a sunken-cheeked look.
Next, let's add bruises and sinking to the eyes.
Live Zombie Makeup Help:Ask Rain on Facebook
Add Veins to Face
Use a brush loaded with black and red to create these veins that are often characteristic of zombies that were created by an outbreak or disease.
Be sure to make these lines emerge from the edges of the face. Next, we will sink and bruise the eyes.
Live Zombie Makeup Help:Ask Rain on Facebook
Sink and Bruise the Eyes
For a sunken, diseased or bruised zombie eye, first use your finger to blot red along the bottom of the eye socket and around the top of the lid.
For a bruise, Apply a light layer of blue over the red, and add yellow around the edges of the bruise.
For a sunken eye socket, use your paintbrush to outline the bottom of the eye socket in black, just like in our Skull Face Paint Tutorial. Blend the black in toward the eye.
Blot the red area with a light layer of black and blue.
Now we will create some realistic latex wounds...
Live Zombie Makeup Help:Ask Rain on Facebook
Create the Bite
Every zombie remembers their first zombifying bite. To create yours, use liquid latex or a fake skin recipe.
For a round bite like this one, blot on the latex with a q-tip, as shown. Use a press-and-lift blotting motion rather than simply drawing on the circle.
Use a hair dryer to solidify the latex. This will take a minute or two for small areas of latex.
Cover the latex with black makeup, then brush a generous amount of red into the middle of the wound.
Lightly brush over the black area with red. We aren't done with the bite just yet.
Let's add bruising and blood to the bite.
Live Zombie Makeup Help:Ask Rain on Facebook
Add Bruising to the Bite
Now we need to blend the bite into the rest of your skin. This method also works to make wounds anywhere on the body.
Use your fingers to pat on dark blue around the rim of the black latex. Start out thick around the edge of the latex and gradually apply less as you move away from the wound. Apply red over the blue areas, blending into your skin color at the outside of the bruise.
Now add blots of yellow at choice spots, using your finger again to lightly apply the makeup.
The yellow blotches will give the bruise a more realistic look. Next, let's take a look at gross prosthetic pieces....
Live Zombie Makeup Help:Ask Rain on Facebook
Add a Prosthetic Latex Piece
I love the flexibility of liquid latex, but ready-made prosthetic latex pieces can add some extra oomph to a zombie costume. I'll show you how to take those store-bought latex pieces and turn them into serious wounds.
Live Zombie Makeup Help:Ask Rain on Facebook
Next, add fake blood to your wounds...
Add Fake Blood to the Wound
http://diyfashion.D106/od/facepainting/ss/zombie_makeup_10.htm
- Spray-Bottle Blood - This water-based recipe is great for spraying clothes with blood.
- Dark, Thin Blood - This lightweight recipe is good for smearing on clothing or walls.
- Thick, Realistic Blood - A touch of cocoa gives this thick blood a dark tint.
- Gross Blood - With flakes of skin and scabs inside.
- Fake Flesh - Make chunks of flesh using items found in your kitchen.
- Dripping Blood - This reddish brown blood is the perfect consistency for dripping down the walls.
- Scabs - Make a clump of bumpy brownish scabs. Yum!
- Prop Guts - Use our fake flesh and gross blood recipes for disgusting decoration.
Coat the front of your sponge with fake blood and gently blot it over the wound. The idea is to create round droplets.
For dripping blood, just give the sponge a squeeze to make the fake blood run out over the skin. You can add a little bit of blood to the bite wound, or go crazy and cover the side of your face in a tell-tale blood spatter.
Next, we will blacken the teeth and add mouth blood.
Live Zombie Makeup Help:Ask Rain on Facebook
Tips for Zombie Makeup
If there is any one scary part of a zombie, it is their hungry, hungry mouths. People really are bothered by a toothless or rotten mouth.
Black out the teeth of your zombie for a truly disturbing touch. I suggest using Mehron Tooth F-X because it will last all day and tastes a little like mint. Alternately, use black lipstick or even some of that prank candy that will turn your entire mouth black.
Most zombies have a generous amount of blood around the mouth.
Use your fingers to apply fake blood around the mouth, then blot and drip with the sponge for a natural blood-flow.
Now you've got down the basic maneuvers for zombie makeup. Next lets look at some tips for success.
Live Zombie Makeup Help:Ask Rain on Facebook
- Don't imitate. Everyone becomes a zombie in a different way. Are you a fresh zombie or have you been dead for a week or two? Did you get bitten on the face or the arm? Have you been part of any blood-drenched zombie buffets?
- Easy on the blood. When it comes to using fake blood, less is often more. If you smear your entire body in fake blood, then the effect will not be as striking. Focus on choice areas to smear and blot your blood for realism.
- Don't be afraid of liquid latex and spirit gum. They are easy to use and can make some very convincing effects.
- Blending makes the difference. For bruises, sunken skin or wounds, don't forget that blending into your own skin tone is what will make the effects look real.
- For a simple makeup job using what is already in your cosmetics bag, try this zombie makeup video tutorial.
- Easy special effects makeup:
- Total Face Blowout
- Zipper Face
- Puncture Wound
- Slit Wrists
- Bubbling Burn Wound
- Burn Holes
- Charred Face
- Blood Spatter
- Zombie Eyes
- Rotten Teeth
- 8 Ways to Make Fake Blood
- Edible Prop Guts
Live Zombie Makeup Help:Ask Rain on Facebook
More Costumes to Make:
Costume Tutorials . Sexy Costumes for Women . Harry Potter Costumes . Face Painting Tutorials . Make a Mask . Index of Costume Tutorials