Sugar Skulls

The first thing I did to create this look was the eyes. I used a black cream base to cover my eyelid. I then used various shades of purple and black to blend around the eye socket. I made the eyes darker at the lid and lighter as I blended out - this created a gradient affect which added interest and depth. Using a black liquid liner I produced a cat-eye (winged liner, pointed at the inner and outer corner) and lined my tight-line and water-line using a black kohl liner. Using the black liquid liner I outlined the purple circle surrounding the eye to neaten up the edges.

I then used white face paint to cover the top portion of my face (keeping the bottom half clear so I needn't worry about smudging at this point). I set the paint with a matte white eyeshadow to ensure it stayed in place.

Next, I added the scalloped detail below the eyes using the black liquid eyeliner. I had to ensure both eyes were as symmetrical as possible. I then filled the hollows with blue eyeshadow and added additional detail with liner.

I then added the nose details and forehead art - to do this I, once again, used the black liquid eyeliner and blue, green and yellow eyeshadow. I used some of Kelly Durette's art work as inspiration. Finally I moved on to the bottom half of my face where I added the teeth and additional detail on the cheeks. I also painted my ears, neck and chest white to complete the look.

Another Sugar Skull design, inspired by Kelly Durette

Life and Death Skull

"Skulls and Butterflies - they are life and death in the most obvious form imaginable"

My inspiration for this piece was scarfs designed by Alexander McQueen. I was originally inspired by a scarf called 'the forgiveness scarf' which had a variety of vibrant insects .

I used a life size replica human skull to create this final piece - I found this added more interest then a simple drawing or painting of a skull. I used oil paints to paint the insects onto the skull in a variety of colours, sizes and species. 

I chose to keep the skull symmetrical, painting the insects on like a mirror image - this mimics the symmetry in a butterflies wings. 

Special FX Wound

I began by separating toilet tissue into single sheets so the layers were thin. I then laid liquid latex and the the toilet tissue onto a clean area of the skin. I continued to add layers until the patch was to the desired thickness.

Next, I cut out the central part of the patch to create a deep cut affect. I then used layers of foundation, powder and suitable flesh toned eyeshadows to make the latex and tissue look more like skin.

Then, using black, brown and maroon eyeshadows I filled in the open area to create depth and make the wound look more realistic.

The final touches were to add fake blood and to remove the excess latex around the wound in order for it to blend into the real skin better. The blood really gives it a much more realistic look.

Bird Transformation

To make the beak I experimented with paper creating different cut outs that would form a cone. Once I got the shape correct I made it out of cardboard. This alone was not stable enough to stay on my face so I covered it with plaster of Paris to add strength.

Once the paster dried, I covered with tape to make the surface smoother making painting easier. I also added two small holes in the top to mimic the nostrils. On the underside of the beak I cut out a large triangular hole. This was simply added so I could breath when it was worn over my nose and mouth.

I used acrylic paint to create a gradient affect on the beaks. I wanted to use viberant colours to mimic the beak of a tropical bird.

In the video below you can see the application process of the makeup and how I achieved the hairstyle to produce the final result.

In order to explore the construction of the human skull I decided to create this half skull mask on my own face. I used makeup, paint and some photoshop to produce the final image. To read a step by step method of how I did this and watch a video of the application please click here

This is a poster I created for a local sport club (Cobo Cricket Club) to advertise their quiz night in order to raise money for the sport.

After a visit to Durrell Wildlife Park I felt inspired to transform myself into a bird. I was inspired by the wide variety species Durrell had and followed a tropical theme. Click here to see how I achieved this transformation and how I made the beak.

I created this wound using Special FX makeup. I chose to do make the fake wound on Henry's left shoulder as he already has a large scar on his right shoulder (as you can see in the image). This image shows both the scar and the Special FX wound and almost been seen as a 'before and after' shot. To read a step-by-step description of how I did this, click here.

 "Skulls and butterflies - they are life and death in the most obvious form imaginable".
To see my inspiration for this piece and how I got this final result, please click here.

My inspiration for this piece of work was an artist called Kelly Durette. I used makeup and paint to produce this final look. I used a green background to contrast with the purple on the eyes and to accentuate the green makeup on the forehead and the green in my eyes. Click here to read a step-by-step method.

Half Skull Mask

The Process

You can see the final image of the half skull mask at the top of this post. I used a black background so the skull stands out. To produce the final image I edited the photograph to make it black and white and increased the contrast. I chose to only paint half of my face to show the juxtaposition and to show what is under the skin.

If you would like to see me apply this makeup to achieve the final result please watch the video below.