Theatrical Ageing/Creping of the skin

Theatrical Ageing/Creping of the skin

You will need:

Supracolor whith can be mixed with grease based foundation to make good colours that can be seen from far away which is needed in theatre. For aging use yellow, green and red to create a brown and darken it if you need to with dark blue or black.

Black and orange Stipple sponges are good for creating texture and are versatile so are good to always have in your kit.

Old make-up puffs can be used for special effects, don’t use new ones as they will get stained and ruined.

Stipple- latex based product so always patch test.

Latex- use art brushes to apply or old make-up brushes you don’t mind being damaged.

To protect the skin from stipple use Pro shield or another non-greasy barrier cream, don’t use moisturiser as it allows other products through it and doesn’t create a barrier.

To set a make-up you can use fixing spray or a very good quality hairspray but this isn’t as good.

Kryolan tooth enamel can be used to block out teeth completely or to make them look decayed. Black to block teeth out, brown to make them look decayed.

Make-up artists need to have good research skills so that the work they create is accurate and believable. They also need to be very observant as they need to notice small details and mistakes.

For theatre you need to think about the historical period, the character, the characters background, the storyline and the actor’s needs.

Method:

Theatrical aging:

If you are not using prosthetics then moisturise the skin.

Apply base make-up as you would do normally.

Use the red, yellow and green Supracolor palette to make a dark brown.

If you need to clean your palette use tissue and brush cleaner.

Ask your model to move their face for example smiling, frowning, raising their eye brows and screwing up their eyes so that you can see where the natural creases in their skin are and where the dark lines and wrinkles need to be.

Shade under the cheek bones, under the chin, on the temples, down the sides of the nose, under the lips, under the eyes and anywhere else that is needed to make the skin look hollow.

Blend in with your fingers if you need to.

Highlight using the white Supracolor with a bit of yellow or skin colour mixed in especially if it’s for TV and film as just white on its’ own can have a blue tinge to it on camera. Use it on the cheeks, down the nose and wherever else you think needs it.

Remember to carry on the wrinkles detailing down the neck and on any other skin that will be on show.

Use the same colour and apply to the eyebrows and eyelashes using a mascara wand. For the eyebrows go against the direction of hair growth and then in the direction of hair growth.

Often contact lenses are used for aging as older people usually have duller eyes however these will be fitted by the actor themselves or by a specialist.

Apply base make-up over the lips to make them look duller.

To create broken veins use red Supracolor and apply with a black stipple pad, blend in with a brush or your fingers if you need to.

Teeth

Dry teeth with a cotton bud as the enamel will not adhere to the teeth if they have moisture on them.

Apply tooth enamel with cotton buds and put the lid back on straight away after you have taken out some enamel.

Remove with a cotton bud and surgical spirit.

Creping of the skin

Use barrier foam on the area of skin that you are working on.

Shake the old age stipple and pour a small amount into a bowl.

Stretch the area of skin and apply the old age stipple with a make-up sponge.

Keep the skin stretched until it has fully dried.

Make sure you feather/blend at the edges.

You can use a hair dryer on a cool setting to help it dry, make sure you test the temperature on yourself first then use side to side movements over the skin.

Then apply another layer, and build up however many layers you want.

Then release the skin and mould the stipple slightly to create as much wrinkling as possible.

Don’t pour the stipple or any other latex based products down the sink, wipe the bowls with tissue and throw it in the bin.

To remove the stipple from the skin use warm water.