Joel Harlow

Joel Harlow is an academy award-winning artist who started out in animation before he moved on to makeup. Gradually building multi-faceted skills, confidence and workloads, he has evolved and expanded into the makeup effects heavyweight we know today with a hefty rollcall of credits. Check out his company, https://morphologyfx.com/. It is always fascinating to go through the IMDb of an artist and see their credits creeping up the hierarchy over time. Evidence of trust earned as supervisors see a way to pass the responsibility on, and nothing breeds more work than showing up on time and doing more than the client bargained for, happily smiling through it all and happy to be doing it. This was certainly the impression Joel gave us in the chat too, and we think you’ll love it! Drop us a line @ stuartandtodd@gmail.com or leave us a voice message on https://battleswithbitsofrubber.com/ --- Stuart &amp; Todd

Joel Harlow is an academy award-winning artist who started out in animation before he moved on to makeup. Gradually building multi-faceted skills, confidence and workloads, he has evolved and expanded into the makeup effects heavyweight we know today with a hefty rollcall of credits. Check out his company, <a href="https://morphologyfx.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://morphologyfx.com/</a>. It is always fascinating to go through the IMDb of an artist and see their credits creeping up the hierarchy over time. Evidence of trust earned as supervisors see a way to pass the responsibility on, and nothing breeds more work than showing up on time and doing more than the client bargained for, happily smiling through it all and happy to be doing it. This was certainly the impression Joel gave us in the chat too, and we think you’ll love it! Drop us a line @ <a href="mailto:stuartandtodd@gmail.com">stuartandtodd@gmail.com</a> or leave us a voice message on <a href="https://battleswithbitsofrubber.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://battleswithbitsofrubber.com/</a> --- Stuart &amp; Todd

#90 - Joel Harlow

Maddie is a talented concept artist and teacher known mostly for her ZBrush work. Coming from a practical background, her skills come from familiar ground - Fangoria, a love of monsters and sculpting for fun!  She has taught classes for Gnomon since 2006 - we recommend the ‘Introduction to ZBrush 2021’ video course. Todd and I both cite this as the breakthrough moment for both of us, making what previously had been indecipherable to us accessible and understandable. The way she comes across reminded us of Dick Smith, with a generous nature coupled with a thorough understanding of the subject.    Maddie graciously invited Stu and me into her museum-like flat in London, where we chatted for hours surrounded by an eclectic collection of curios and oddities; it is a little 'Ripley’s Believe It Or Not' and a little bit Smithsonian, with a dash of Natural History thrown carefully in. We talked about everything, concentrating on how digital sculpting has become a permanent part of the special makeup effects world.

Maddie is a talented concept artist and teacher known mostly for her ZBrush work. Coming from a practical background, her skills come from familiar ground - Fangoria, a love of monsters and sculpting for fun! She has taught classes for Gnomon since 2006 - we recommend the ‘<a href="https://youtu.be/tymCQWa9MhY" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Introduction to ZBrush 2021</a>’ video course. Todd and I both cite this as the breakthrough moment for both of us, making what previously had been indecipherable to us accessible and understandable. The way she comes across reminded us of Dick Smith, with a generous nature coupled with a thorough understanding of the subject.  Maddie graciously invited Stu and me into her museum-like flat in London, where we chatted for hours surrounded by an eclectic collection of curios and oddities; it is a little 'Ripley’s Believe It Or Not' and a little bit Smithsonian, with a dash of Natural History thrown carefully in. We talked about everything, concentrating on how digital sculpting has become a permanent part of the special makeup effects world.

#89 - Maddie Scott-Spencer

Adam Dougherty and his company https://www.kreaturekid.com/ are based in Colorado. An incredibly talented artist, he is an inspiring soul who makes things happen with determination and persistent hard work. Although he considers himself lazy, his output shows anything but. In particular, his style celebrates the warmth and unique character that Jim Henson created with puppets, and has himself produced some jaw-droppingly effective puppets for various projects such as the upcoming Onyx the Fortuitous and the Talisman of Souls, directed by Andrew Bowser. Adam has a flair and a style for big, expressive characters and, as you will hear in the podcast, celebrates and works hard to put practical effects front and centre. He is a sculptor working both digitally and practically, so he understands both sides of the coin. He also has a clear vision of a good story and isn't happy to mindlessly follow the herd. We left inspired and impressed! We think you will be too. Check out his homepage, Instagram and YouTube account. It will be time well spent. In particular, this video from ADI (Amalgamated Dynamics) is an excellent account of Adam's journey and is a joy to watch:  https://youtu.be/xKEA_JV7jF8  -----------------------------------------   Many thanks, as always, for your time checking the stuff out. You can email us directly at stuartandtodd@gmail.com or leave us a voice message on our site.   If you enjoy this podcast and got something out of it, would you do us a solid and tell just one more person about us? Send them a link and help us grow!   -Stuart &amp; Todd

Adam Dougherty and his company <a href="https://www.kreaturekid.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.kreaturekid.com/</a> are based in Colorado. An incredibly talented artist, he is an inspiring soul who makes things happen with determination and persistent hard work. Although he considers himself lazy, his output shows anything but. In particular, his style celebrates the warmth and unique character that Jim Henson created with puppets, and has himself produced some jaw-droppingly effective puppets for various projects such as the upcoming Onyx the Fortuitous and the Talisman of Souls, directed by Andrew Bowser. Adam has a flair and a style for big, expressive characters and, as you will hear in the podcast, celebrates and works hard to put practical effects front and centre. He is a sculptor working both digitally and practically, so he understands both sides of the coin. He also has a clear vision of a good story and isn't happy to mindlessly follow the herd. We left inspired and impressed! We think you will be too. Check out his homepage, Instagram and YouTube account. It will be time well spent. In particular, this video from ADI (Amalgamated Dynamics) is an excellent account of Adam's journey and is a joy to watch: <a href="https://youtu.be/xKEA_JV7jF8" rel="noreferrer nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/xKEA_JV7jF8</a> ----------------------------------------- Many thanks, as always, for your time checking the stuff out. You can email us directly at stuartandtodd@gmail.com or leave us a voice message on our site. If you enjoy this podcast and got something out of it, would you do us a solid and tell just one more person about us? Send them a link and help us grow! -Stuart &amp; Todd

#88 - Adam 'KreatureKid' Dougherty

Frank Ippolito

Frank Ippolito is something of a practical effects polymath. From starting out with makeup effects and putting in solid work in the lab, he has gradually expanded to running a company and crew with impressive credits and a high standard of work. Checking out Frank's IMDb, you’ll see a switch around 2016 as he started working on speciality costumes. This is a big overlap in the practical effects industry as creature and ‘hero’ suits become more sophisticated.   Frank started as a freelancer doing the thing; now, he runs a shop and has a well-trusted and reliable workforce at his shop, Thingergy INC. Because of his heavy lifting, now a team of folks get work and get paid, and our chat was an amazing dive into how a workshop is set up and run. This is a great episode to listen to if you are serious about getting work in the industry and want to understand how workshops work.    We particularly appreciate Frank discussing budgets with actual numbers. Not often will folks spell out the costs of making stuff so clearly, but this is SO important. Often, a suitable budget is put together and whittled down until there is no profit or financial gain from an endeavour. It is particularly the case for creative freelancers who are often people pleasers and feel uncomfortable discussing money and defending their costs. (Hint: Just because they say they can't afford it doesn't mean you have to work for nothing and do the job! Saying no to something that takes your time and gives nothing in return is often the wisest move.) ------------------------------------  Many thanks, as always, for your time checking the stuff out. You can email us at stuartandtodd@gmail.com or leave us a voice message on our site.   If you enjoy this podcast and got something out of it, would you do us a solid and tell just one more person about us? Send them a link and help us grow!   -Stuart &amp; Todd

Frank Ippolito is something of a practical effects polymath. From starting out with makeup effects and putting in solid work in the lab, he has gradually expanded to running a company and crew with impressive credits and a high standard of work. Checking out <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1237964/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Frank's IMDb</a>, you’ll see a switch around 2016 as he started working on speciality costumes. This is a big overlap in the practical effects industry as creature and ‘hero’ suits become more sophisticated.  Frank started as a freelancer doing the thing; now, he runs a shop and has a well-trusted and reliable workforce at his shop, <a href="https://www.thingergyinc.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Thingergy INC</a>. Because of his heavy lifting, now a team of folks get work and get paid, and our chat was an amazing dive into how a workshop is set up and run. This is a great episode to listen to if you are serious about getting work in the industry and want to understand how workshops work.  We particularly appreciate Frank discussing budgets with actual numbers. Not often will folks spell out the costs of making stuff so clearly, but this is SO important. Often, a suitable budget is put together and whittled down until there is no profit or financial gain from an endeavour. It is particularly the case for creative freelancers who are often people pleasers and feel uncomfortable discussing money and defending their costs. (Hint: Just because they say they can't afford it doesn't mean you have to work for nothing and do the job! Saying no to something that takes your time and gives nothing in return is often the wisest move.) ------------------------------------ Many thanks, as always, for your time checking the stuff out. You can email us at stuartandtodd@gmail.com or leave us a voice message on our site. If you enjoy this podcast and got something out of it, would you do us a solid and tell just one more person about us? Send them a link and help us grow! -Stuart &amp; Todd

#87 - Frank Ippolito

In this episode, we look at a makeup I did nearly 30 years ago at college. Adrian Rigby sent me a remaining original piece from the mould, along with some photos (prints, no less, which I scanned). We talk about remembering what you knew then (the past) and how you thought it should be done. You can also advise your old self on how it could be done better using the knowledge you know now (the present) and things you would attain in the future. By seeing your errors written plain, having an actual artefact from the past, you can connect with both then and now.   We also answer a few listener questions about how to work out softnesses for appliances and what to include in a successful portfolio.  --------------------------------------------  Many thanks, as always, for your time checking the stuff out. You can email us at stuartandtodd@gmail.com or leave us a voice message direct on our site.   If you enjoy this podcast and got something out of it, would you do us a solid and tell just one more person about us? Send them a link and help us grow!   -Stuart &amp; Todd

In this episode, we look at a makeup I did nearly 30 years ago at college. Adrian Rigby sent me a remaining original piece from the mould, along with some photos (prints, no less, which I scanned). We talk about remembering what you knew then (the past) and how you thought it should be done. You can also advise your old self on how it could be done better using the knowledge you know now (the present) and things you would attain in the future. By seeing your errors written plain, having an actual artefact from the past, you can connect with both then and now.  We also answer a few listener questions about how to work out softnesses for appliances and what to include in a successful portfolio. -------------------------------------------- Many thanks, as always, for your time checking the stuff out. You can email us at stuartandtodd@gmail.com or leave us a voice message direct on our site. If you enjoy this podcast and got something out of it, would you do us a solid and tell just one more person about us? Send them a link and help us grow! -Stuart &amp; Todd

#86 - More Noses, Fewer Horns

Bill Corso

"Bill, there's a scene where The Blob attacks a woman who's in a 'phone booth and it covers the 'phone booth, it crushes the 'phone booth and here and then it goes on the sidewalk and goes into a gutter and disappears into this sewer."   I'm just looking at him and I go…"Okay."   And he says "Figure out how to do that scene!"   I was, like "Well, what IS The Blob?"   He goes "I don't know…you come up with something. Come up with 5 things and I'll pick one."   That was it. That was my first day  Bill who? Pardon our manners. We're talking about Emmy and Academy Award winner, Bill Corso, makeup designer extraordinaire, whose credit list is mind-boggling. We talk about respect and the future of our industry, which is mainly what this episode is about. There are full-on makeups being done digitally now, but they're being done by people who are not makeup artists. Bill's push is that more makeup people do get involved. Rarely is the makeup department consulted when digital modifications are employed which affect makeup so Bill has taken the step of formulating the Digital Makeup Group to address the absence of the makeup artist in the digital process. This is a great episode for those looking to get into the industry! Many thanks as always for your time checking the stuff out. You can email us direct at stuartandtodd@gmail.com or leave us a voice message directly on our site. -Stuart &amp; Todd

"Bill, there's a scene where The Blob attacks a woman who's in a 'phone booth and it covers the 'phone booth, it crushes the 'phone booth and here and then it goes on the sidewalk and goes into a gutter and disappears into this sewer." I'm just looking at him and I go…"Okay." And he says "Figure out how to do that scene!" I was, like "Well, what IS The Blob?" He goes "I don't know…you come up with something. Come up with 5 things and I'll pick one." That was it. That was my first day Bill who? Pardon our manners. We're talking about Emmy and Academy Award winner, Bill Corso, makeup designer extraordinaire, whose credit list is mind-boggling. We talk about respect and the future of our industry, which is mainly what this episode is about. There are full-on makeups being done digitally now, but they're being done by people who are not makeup artists. Bill's push is that more makeup people do get involved. Rarely is the makeup department consulted when digital modifications are employed which affect makeup so Bill has taken the step of formulating the Digital Makeup Group to address the absence of the makeup artist in the digital process. This is a great episode for those looking to get into the industry! Many thanks as always for your time checking the stuff out. You can email us direct at <a href="mailto:stuartandtodd@gmail.com" rel="noreferrer noopener">stuartandtodd@gmail.com</a> or leave us a <a href="https://battleswithbitsofrubber.com/leave-us-a-message/" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank">voice message</a> directly on our site. -Stuart &amp; Todd

#85 - Bill Corso

Pete Tindall

In this episode, we talk with materials maestro Pete Tindall about all things making related, along with a dose of rantage. I moan a bit about ZBrush (although I love it) and the fact that despite the terrifying interface and the huge number of tools available in ZBrush, freedom comes from accepting that you likely need only a handful of them. Early on in ZBrush, you are can indeed happily ignore most of it with confidence. Pete is an adept materials man, knowing and using a broad range of materials. We first met on Batman Begins (2005) where Pete worked in the Bat-suit workshop and miniatures for the monorail sequence.  ------------------------------------------------ We also start the podcast as usual with a little FX chit-chat and this time we talk about creating the illusion of hard things in soft tissue such as horns protruding from foreheads, teeth showing from exposed gums and foreign bodies sticking out of the skin (knives or arrows for example). In the reality of filming, the scene may need to be repeated and used in intense action, so things that are really hard or sharp in real life could break off or cause real injury. As a result, often it is made up of either soft or semi-rigid material which looks solid but is safer. Sometimes the thing may be designed to break away, be replaceable if multiple takes are needed, be incredibly lightweight or even detachable so it can be removed when not needed.  ------------------------------------------------ Many thanks as always for your time checking the stuff out. You can email us direct at stuartandtodd@gmail.com or leave us a voice message directly on our site.  you enjoy this podcast and got something out of it, would you do us a solid and tell just one person about us? Send them a link and help us grow! Stuart &amp; Todd

In this episode, we talk with materials maestro Pete Tindall about all things making related, along with a dose of rantage. I moan a bit about ZBrush (although I love it) and the fact that despite the terrifying interface and the huge number of tools available in ZBrush, freedom comes from accepting that you likely need only a handful of them. Early on in ZBrush, you are can indeed happily ignore most of it with confidence. Pete is an adept materials man, knowing and using a broad range of materials. We first met on Batman Begins (2005) where Pete worked in the Bat-suit workshop and miniatures for the monorail sequence. ------------------------------------------------ We also start the podcast as usual with a little FX chit-chat and this time we talk about creating the illusion of hard things in soft tissue such as horns protruding from foreheads, teeth showing from exposed gums and foreign bodies sticking out of the skin (knives or arrows for example). In the reality of filming, the scene may need to be repeated and used in intense action, so things that are really hard or sharp in real life could break off or cause real injury. As a result, often it is made up of either soft or semi-rigid material which looks solid but is safer. Sometimes the thing may be designed to break away, be replaceable if multiple takes are needed, be incredibly lightweight or even detachable so it can be removed when not needed. ------------------------------------------------ Many thanks as always for your time checking the stuff out. You can email us direct at <a href="mailto:stuartandtodd@gmail.com" rel="noreferrer noopener">stuartandtodd@gmail.com</a> or leave us a <a href="https://battleswithbitsofrubber.com/leave-us-a-message/" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank">voice message</a> directly on our site.  you enjoy this podcast and got something out of it, would you do us a solid and tell just one person about us? Send them a link and help us grow! Stuart &amp; Todd

#84 - Pete Tindall

Ian Morse

Cliff Wallace

 Check the shownotes on the blog: https://battleswithbitsofrubber.com/  This second part of our chat with Ian and Cliff takes a look back at the company they had together, Creature Concepts - or as Ian puts it  ‘How  not to run a business'.  Ian and Cliff mentioned Blood On The Satan’s Claw  (1971) and I watched it on their recommendation.  It whetted my appetite, and I had to rewatch some of my favourites, The Creeping Flesh, Captain Kronos, Vampire Hunter and of course The Curse Of Frankenstein.  It also reminds me of the joys of direct-applied makeups. Things like burns, or wound interiors for example have many random details which can be created in different materials. Sculpting in plastiline is the usual method for creating the forms in appliances, but some things are better created - or at least started - using other techniques.   Many thanks as always for your time checking the stuff out. You can email us direct at stuartandtodd@gmail.com or leave us a voice message directly on our site.  If you enjoy this podcast and got something out of it, would you do us a solid and tell just one more person about us? Send them a link and help us grow!  -Stuart &amp; Todd

Check the shownotes on the blog: <a href="https://battleswithbitsofrubber.com/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">https://battleswithbitsofrubber.com/</a> This second part of our chat with Ian and Cliff takes a look back at the company they had together, Creature Concepts - or as Ian puts it ‘How not to run a business'. Ian and Cliff mentioned Blood On The Satan’s Claw (1971) and I watched it on their recommendation.  It whetted my appetite, and I had to rewatch some of my favourites, The Creeping Flesh, Captain Kronos, Vampire Hunter and of course The Curse Of Frankenstein. It also reminds me of the joys of direct-applied makeups. Things like burns, or wound interiors for example have many random details which can be created in different materials. Sculpting in plastiline is the usual method for creating the forms in appliances, but some things are better created - or at least started - using other techniques.  Many thanks as always for your time checking the stuff out. You can email us direct at <a href="mailto:stuartandtodd@gmail.com" rel="noreferrer noopener">stuartandtodd@gmail.com</a> or leave us a <a href="https://battleswithbitsofrubber.com/leave-us-a-message/" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank">voice message</a> directly on our site. If you enjoy this podcast and got something out of it, would you do us a solid and tell just one more person about us? Send them a link and help us grow! -Stuart &amp; Todd

#83 - Ian Morse & Cliff Wallace Part 2

This episode was recorded at Cliff's studio, with all four of us present and correct. Ian and Cliff have worked together and separately in the industry for a long time - Ian's credits include Little Shop Of Horrors, Alien 3, Saving Private Ryan, War Horse, Fury and Dr Who.  Cliff racks up an impressive listing on IMDb with Hellraiser (1987), Lair of the White Worm, Black Hawk Down, World War Z and 28 Days Later. It was a hefty chat that we split into two parts as it was so long, but also they divided into two clear conversations which lent themselves to being broken in two. We had a great time recording and producing this one and we hope you get a kick out of it too. It's not often Todd and I get to be in the same room when we record so getting to do this was a dream. --------------------------------------------- Check out the website for more info and full show notes: https://battleswithbitsofrubber.com/ Thanks as always for your time checking the stuff out. You can email us direct at stuartandtodd@gmail.com or leave us a voice message directly on our site. If you you enjoy this podcast and got something out of it, would you do us a solid and tell just one more person about us? Send them a link and help us grow! -Stuart &amp; Todd

This episode was recorded at Cliff's studio, with all four of us present and correct. Ian and Cliff have worked together and separately in the industry for a long time - Ian's credits include Little Shop Of Horrors, Alien 3, Saving Private Ryan, War Horse, Fury and Dr Who. Cliff racks up an impressive listing on IMDb with Hellraiser (1987), Lair of the White Worm, Black Hawk Down, World War Z and 28 Days Later. It was a hefty chat that we split into two parts as it was so long, but also they divided into two clear conversations which lent themselves to being broken in two. We had a great time recording and producing this one and we hope you get a kick out of it too. It's not often Todd and I get to be in the same room when we record so getting to do this was a dream. --------------------------------------------- Check out the website for more info and full show notes: <a href="https://battleswithbitsofrubber.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://battleswithbitsofrubber.com/</a> Thanks as always for your time checking the stuff out. You can email us direct at <a href="mailto:stuartandtodd@gmail.com" rel="noreferrer noopener">stuartandtodd@gmail.com</a> or leave us a <a href="https://battleswithbitsofrubber.com/leave-us-a-message/" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank">voice message</a> directly on our site. If you you enjoy this podcast and got something out of it, would you do us a solid and tell just one more person about us? Send them a link and help us grow! -Stuart &amp; Todd

#82 - Ian Morse & Cliff Wallace Part 1

Competence and comfort are the results of the repetition of activity over a significant period of time.    In an age of endless self-promotion, this podcast has always championed the work involved in quiet competence. Being competent at something is what people will pay money for, so it is worth considering as an ambition.     But how do we keep ourselves on the right track?     A great many working professionals have a very meagre following on social media precisely because their work is mostly protected and discrete because of NDAs  (non-disclosure  agreements), and they are not looking for mass appeal from as many people as possible.    Check out this episode written post on the podcast website - it's hefty - https://battleswithbitsofrubber.com/  ----------------------------------------  Many thanks as always for your time checking the stuff out. You can email us direct at stuartandtodd@gmail.com or leave us a voice message directly on our site.    If you enjoy this podcast and got something out of it, would you do us a solid and tell just one more person about us? Send them a link and help us grow!   -Stuart &amp; Todd

Competence and comfort are the results of the repetition of activity over a significant period of time.   In an age of endless self-promotion, this podcast has always championed the work involved in quiet competence. Being competent at something is what people will pay money for, so it is worth considering as an ambition.    But how do we keep ourselves on the right track?   A great many working professionals have a very meagre following on social media precisely because their work is mostly protected and discrete because of NDAs (non-disclosure agreements), and they are not looking for mass appeal from as many people as possible.   Check out this episode written post on the <a href="https://battleswithbitsofrubber.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">podcast website</a> - it's hefty - <a href="https://battleswithbitsofrubber.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://battleswithbitsofrubber.com/</a> ---------------------------------------- Many thanks as always for your time checking the stuff out. You can email us direct at <a href="mailto:stuartandtodd@gmail.com" rel="noreferrer noopener">stuartandtodd@gmail.com</a> or leave us a <a href="https://battleswithbitsofrubber.com/leave-us-a-message/" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank">voice message</a> directly on our site.   If you enjoy this podcast and got something out of it, would you do us a solid and tell just one more person about us? Send them a link and help us grow!   -Stuart &amp; Todd

#81 - Bolton Part 2

Stuart Bray and Todd Debreceni talk makeup effects and prosthetics. If you like rubber monsters, prosthetics and gore then you can listen, learn and suggest new episode subjects. Todd is author of 'Special Makeup Effects For Stage And Screen', what many consider to be the modern makeup FX bible.Stuart Bray is a working makeup FX artist with many years experienc. Credits include 'Saving Private Ryan', 'Shaun of the Dead', 'Dr Who' and more recently 'Game of Thrones' and 'Dr Strange'.Email us at stuartandtodd@gmail.com

The absolute BEST makeup and effects related podcast ever produced! Stuart and Todd are industry veterans with their thumbs on the pulse of the makeup/prosthetics world who, along with other industry professionals, talk about the realities and nuts-and-bolts of what it is to be a working professional makeup artist in the film and television business today. Regardless if you’re an aspiring artist or just a fan of special effects, you will find inspiring people and subjects to learn from, done in an entertaining and interesting way!

Real World Makeup F/X Talk

Where has this podcast been all my life? So good.

Educational!

Stuart Bray and Todd Debreceni talk makeup effects and prosthetics. If you like rubber monsters, prosthetics and gore then you can listen, learn and suggest new episode subjects. Todd is author of 'Special Makeup Effects For Stage And Screen', what many consider to be the modern makeup FX bible. Stuart Bray is a working makeup FX artist with many years experienc. Credits include 'Saving Private Ryan', 'Shaun of the Dead', 'Dr Who' and more recently 'Game of Thrones' and 'Dr Strange'. Email us at stuartandtodd@gmail.com

Battles With Bits of Rubber

Colour theory is a crucial part of makeup, especially if you are in the business of trying make a portion of the face out of rubber and make it look like it belongs there and is the same as the real skin which surrounds it.  This podcast accompanies the article we wrote for Neill Gortons 'Prosthetics' magazine, jam packed with tutorials and great behind the scenes goodies for all things prosthetic! This is especially true when mixing your skin tone into your appliance material in the case of silicone or gelatine appliances.   The materials are different, but the principles of colour theory and how to create skin tones remain the same. This colour is IN the pieces rather than ON them. We have gone on a fair bit in the past about the importance of colour and colour theory in posts about using photoshop to match skin tones, and  7 tips for painting skin tones. The reason...?  Because it really matters and it's actually rather simple. It's important to get the base tone of your appliances right, as you don't want to make things harder for yourself later by creating an appliance which fights you all the way because of poor base tinting. It's very frustrating to have to use the makeup to 'correct' a badly or inappropriately coloured appliance when you can get the base tone to do most of the work for you. Check out the blog post which has video and a podcast download for this episode right here.......and email your questions and feedback to us at stuartandtodd@gmail.com.

Colour theory is a crucial part of makeup, especially if you are in the business of trying make a portion of the face out of rubber and make it look like it belongs there and is the same as the real skin which surrounds it. This podcast accompanies the article we wrote for Neill Gortons 'Prosthetics' magazine, jam packed with tutorials and great behind the scenes goodies for all things prosthetic! This is especially true when mixing your skin tone into your appliance material in the case of silicone or gelatine appliances. The materials are different, but the principles of colour theory and how to create skin tones remain the same. This colour is IN the pieces rather than ON them. We have gone on a fair bit in the past about the importance of colour and colour theory in posts about <a href="http://www.learnmakeupeffects.com/mixing-skin-tone-makeup-with-photoshop/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">using photoshop</a> to match skin tones, and  <a href="http://www.learnmakeupeffects.com/7-tips-for-painting-skin-tones/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">7 tips for painting skin tones</a>. The reason...?  Because it really matters and it's actually rather simple. It's important to get the base tone of your appliances right, as you don't want to make things harder for yourself later by creating an appliance which fights you all the way because of poor base tinting. It's very frustrating to have to use the makeup to 'correct' a badly or inappropriately coloured appliance when you can get the base tone to do most of the work for you. Check out the blog post which has video and a podcast download for this episode <a href="http://www.learnmakeupeffects.com/colour-theory-in-practice/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">right here</a>.......and email your questions and feedback to us at <a href="mailto:stuartandtodd@gmail.com">stuartandtodd@gmail.com</a>.

#5 - Colour theory In Practice

Read the blog post to accompay this podcast: www.learnmakeupeffects.com/shooting-guns-at-meat This time we take an interesting approach to capturing the tissue damage caused by gunshots and being able to safely recreate the three dimensional effects by moulding the results. It's a novel way of testing out some theories. All we need is some sides of meat, a range of firearms, some privacy and an afternoon in the Colorado woodlands. All in the name of FX reference. Fun times! Got an idea for a podcast episode for us?  stuartandtodd@gmail.com

Read the blog post to accompay this podcast: <a href="https://exit.sc?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.learnmakeupeffects.com%2Fshooting-guns-at-meat" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.learnmakeupeffects.com/shooting-guns-at-meat</a> This time we take an interesting approach to capturing the tissue damage caused by gunshots and being able to safely recreate the three dimensional effects by moulding the results. It's a novel way of testing out some theories. All we need is some sides of meat, a range of firearms, some privacy and an afternoon in the Colorado woodlands. All in the name of FX reference. Fun times! Got an idea for a podcast episode for us?  stuartandtodd@gmail.com

#3 - Shooting at Meat. No, really. 

Todd and I have been chatting, as we both let the blogging slip because of work - so we are back with a plan to do more podcasts to give responses to email questions on a regular basis. So, we caught up in this podcast to get the ball rolling again - listen or download it from here. It was recorded on Friday 13th....so it isn't about the movie Friday the 13th, so sorry to the Michael Myers fans.....this time we're talking plaster heads and master moulds, plastiline and apps to help design. Check out the blogpost on it here: http://www.learnmakeupeffects.com/appsolute-idiot/ We sure do love a good question too so please ask your techy FX questions to us at our email stuartandtodd@gmail.com

Todd and I have been chatting, as we both let the blogging slip because of work - so we are back with a plan to do more podcasts to give responses to email questions on a regular basis. So, we caught up in this podcast to get the ball rolling again - listen or download it from here. It was recorded on Friday 13th....so it isn't about the movie Friday the 13th, so sorry to the Michael Myers fans.....this time we're talking plaster heads and master moulds, plastiline and apps to help design. Check out the blogpost on it here: <a href="http://www.learnmakeupeffects.com/appsolute-idiot/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.learnmakeupeffects.com/appsolute-idiot/</a> We sure do love a good question too so please ask your techy FX questions to us at our email stuartandtodd@gmail.com

#4 - Appsolute fools

Podcast #10 - Foam Latex: It's Smelly But Good! Foam Latex was the main material appliances and pretty much anything skin-like was made of for long time. It is only relatively recently that silicone has taken it's place, and with good reason. There are a lot of benefits to silicone as an appliance material, and because of these reasons it may be that if you're new to makeup effects, you may not have yet laid hands on foam pieces. It may be that you'll never want or need to run foam latex yourself, but will apply a premade piece and we will look at that in another podcast, as this area deserves some thorough discussion. However, if you are keen to know more about foam latex then this podcast is for you. Check out some astoundingly good ready made pieces from Roland Blancaflor's RBFX studio. Anyhow, check out and download our latest podcast on this from soundcloud or iTunes: My first ever job was as a foam runner, and I spent three months mixing and running foam latex in the 'Animated Extras' foam room in Shepperton Studios in the summer of 1994. It was a smelly and messy job, but it taught me a lot about materials, moulds and how it all fits into the pipeline. I cut my teeth on making and applying the opaque material, and when we started using silicone instead for the majority of pieces, it was a revelation to start with a translucent material. Painting foam latex requires a different approach, as the piece needs to be the correct colour but the real challenge is to create the appearance of translucency. Thomas Surprenant knows a thing or two about painting foam latex too - he has an excellent range of PAX paints for painting latex and foam latex pieces. Check them out here. We'll delve more into this later! To help you along with this, check out these free resources you can download: Download Todds notes. Download Stuarts notes.  In product news, it's well worth checking out the new cap plastic beads from Neills Materials. Check them out here.  Essentially, cap plastic was always sold as a liquid and this made it a 'hazardous' item as far as air freight was concerned should the container leak. It was never an issue for us in the UK where we had things sent by road, but air freight made it a different issue. However, by selling the raw plastic bead with no solvents, you can now more easily get the beads shipped to you are then melt them in acetone you obtain more locally to make up your own cap plastic. Also check out the new adhesives, PRO-KEY acrylic adhesive and SIL-KEY silicone adhesive with thinners. I've used these myself and tried them out on a few makeups and can vouch for their quality!  If you enjoy this and want to help support us, please consider these three easy (and free) gestures which would help us a lot: 1. Subscribe to us on iTunes or your favorite podcast app (for example Sound Cloud). 2. Leave a review on iTunes - it doesn't need to be a lengthy paragraph....just a few words to say if you enjoy it is fine! It just lets iTunes know the audience are engaged, and tells would be subscribers what real people actually think of us. This kind soul did:  3. Tell someone else about the podcast! Sharing is caring. The blog post on this is here:  http://www.learnmakeupeffects.com/foam-latex-its-smelly-but-good/ Thanks for listening! Stuart &amp; Todd stuartandtodd@gmail.com

Podcast #10 - Foam Latex: It's Smelly But Good! Foam Latex was the main material appliances and pretty much anything skin-like was made of for long time. It is only relatively recently that silicone has taken it's place, and with good reason. There are a lot of benefits to silicone as an appliance material, and because of these reasons it may be that if you're new to makeup effects, you may not have yet laid hands on foam pieces. It may be that you'll never want or need to run foam latex yourself, but will apply a premade piece and we will look at that in another podcast, as this area deserves some thorough discussion. However, if you are keen to know more about foam latex then this podcast is for you. Check out some astoundingly good ready made pieces from <a href="http://rbfxstudio.com/catalog-gallery/catalog/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Roland Blancaflor's RBFX</a> studio. Anyhow, check out and download our latest podcast on this from <a href="https://soundcloud.com/stuartbray" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">soundcloud</a> or <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/battles-with-bits-of-rubber/id1093111528?mt=2" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">iTunes</a>: My first ever job was as a foam runner, and I spent three months mixing and running foam latex in the 'Animated Extras' foam room in Shepperton Studios in the summer of 1994. It was a smelly and messy job, but it taught me a lot about materials, moulds and how it all fits into the pipeline. I cut my teeth on making and applying the opaque material, and when we started using silicone instead for the majority of pieces, it was a revelation to start with a translucent material. Painting foam latex requires a different approach, as the piece needs to be the correct colour but the real challenge is to create the appearance of translucency. Thomas Surprenant knows a thing or two about painting foam latex too - he has an excellent range of PAX paints for painting latex and foam latex pieces. <a href="http://www.naimies.com/manufacturer/thomas-surprenant-creations" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Check them out here.</a> We'll delve more into this later! To help you along with this, check out these free resources you can download: <a href="http://www.learnmakeupeffects.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Todds-Foam-Latex-Info.pdf" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Download Todds notes.</a> <a href="http://www.learnmakeupeffects.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Stuarts-painting_latex_and_foam_latex.pdf" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Download Stuarts notes.</a> In product news, it's well worth checking out the new cap plastic beads from Neills Materials. Check them out <a href="http://www.neillsmaterials.co.uk/product/key-cap-beads/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a>. Essentially, cap plastic was always sold as a liquid and this made it a 'hazardous' item as far as air freight was concerned should the container leak. It was never an issue for us in the UK where we had things sent by road, but air freight made it a different issue. However, by selling the raw plastic bead with no solvents, you can now more easily get the beads shipped to you are then melt them in acetone you obtain more locally to make up your own cap plastic. Also <a href="http://www.neillsmaterials.co.uk/product-category/prosthetics-makeup-effects/adhesives/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">check out the new adhesives</a>, PRO-KEY acrylic adhesive and SIL-KEY silicone adhesive with thinners. I've used these myself and tried them out on a few makeups and can vouch for their quality! If you enjoy this and want to help support us, please consider these three easy (and free) gestures which would help us a lot: 1. Subscribe to us on <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/battles-with-bits-of-rubber/id1093111528?mt=2" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">iTunes</a> or your favorite podcast app (for example <a href="https://soundcloud.com/stuartbray" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Sound Cloud</a>). 2. Leave a review on iTunes - it doesn't need to be a lengthy paragraph....just a few words to say if you enjoy it is fine! It just lets iTunes know the audience are engaged, and tells would be subscribers what real people actually think of us. This kind soul did: 3. Tell someone else about the podcast! Sharing is caring. The blog post on this is here: <a href="http://www.learnmakeupeffects.com/foam-latex-its-smelly-but-good/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> http://www.learnmakeupeffects.com/foam-latex-its-smelly-but-good/</a> Thanks for listening! Stuart &amp; Todd <a href="mailto:stuartandtodd@gmail.com">stuartandtodd@gmail.com</a>

#10 - Foam Latex: It's Smelly But Good!

Rob Freitas is one of the best-known mould makers in the industry and has a phenomenal reputation. Not only is he incredibly skilled at making moulds but he has a passion for the provenance of the techniques which he uses and cares deeply to help interested parties understand so they can be better too. He also will redirect much of the attention he gets to his predecessors and those peers whom he feels deserve more attention. It's a very generous attitude which I believe is born out of an unabashed passion for the subject and a desire to fan those flames in others. It comes from a very pure place and it's not often you meet someone with that much knowledge, skill and wisdom and who also is phenomenally approachable and easy to talk to. He'll no doubt blush to read these words. We hooked up at a pub near the Millennium FX in Aylesbury where he was teaching a class that week, and a few of us slunk off to the lobby of Rob's hotel to talk bronze age axe heads, seamlines and technology. Full blog post here: http://www.learnmakeupeffects.com/all-aboard-the-freit-train-part-1/ ‎   Rob, me, Ivan Bellew and Nat Reynolds. Good times! The audio is clear, but there is some background noise owing to the nature of a public space. It was around 10pm when we started and we kept at it until around 0130…that's how interesting it was. Just a magical few hours and I'm really pleased we could synch schedules to be able to sit down and talk. In this first of two parts, we talk about  Learning lessons through failure. The importance of looking at the past and knowing on whose shoulders we stand. Shortened timescales and managing expectations of people who seek to learn and gain skill (it is my belief the relatively short duration of courses as compared with time-served apprenticeships) can rob people of valuable lessons acquired through error and repetition). Caring about the right things in order to be better.  Axe Heads and Allies The reason I brought that axe head was to show Rob the seams in it - evidence of moulds which have been used to make essential life sustaining tools and weapons. Moulds have been aroud for so long, and it gave me a bit of thrill to be able to have a modern day master mould maker touch a casting from an ancient mould and admire their handiwork 2500 years on. (Incidentally, this estimation is based on a bit of research I did into bronze age artefacts. This particular head is a palstave, check out http://www.antiques-info.co.uk/new/pdf/July02/1.pdf).  The Videos We mention a couple of videos that are on YouTube which show skills at work - hand making globes from 1955 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RWcWSN4HhI) and a Disney video explaining the different types of rivet (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDbTUt3OG9s). This was something Disney did to help the war effort, when training many civilians to make military equipment like aircraft required detailed explanations of manufacturing processes such as these. How better to explain these intricate and involved processes than with an animation, condensing time and showing materials in cross section. Look out for part 2 coming very soon, and subscribe to use on iTunes, Stitcher, iHeart Radio and Google Play Music to name but a few! Thanks, Stuart

Rob Freitas is one of the best-known mould makers in the industry and has a phenomenal reputation. Not only is he incredibly skilled at making moulds but he has a passion for the provenance of the techniques which he uses and cares deeply to help interested parties understand so they can be better too. He also will redirect much of the attention he gets to his predecessors and those peers whom he feels deserve more attention. It's a very generous attitude which I believe is born out of an unabashed passion for the subject and a desire to fan those flames in others. It comes from a very pure place and it's not often you meet someone with that much knowledge, skill and wisdom and who also is phenomenally approachable and easy to talk to. He'll no doubt blush to read these words. We hooked up at a pub near the Millennium FX in Aylesbury where he was teaching a class that week, and a few of us slunk off to the lobby of Rob's hotel to talk bronze age axe heads, seamlines and technology. Full blog post here: <a href="http://www.learnmakeupeffects.com/?p=3714&amp;preview=true" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.learnmakeupeffects.com/all-aboard-the-freit-train-part-1/</a> ‎ Rob, me, Ivan Bellew and Nat Reynolds. Good times! The audio is clear, but there is some background noise owing to the nature of a public space. It was around 10pm when we started and we kept at it until around 0130…that's how interesting it was. Just a magical few hours and I'm really pleased we could synch schedules to be able to sit down and talk. In this first of two parts, we talk about <ul> <li>Learning lessons through failure.</li> <li>The importance of looking at the past and knowing on whose shoulders we stand.</li> <li>Shortened timescales and managing expectations of people who seek to learn and gain skill (it is my belief the relatively short duration of courses as compared with time-served apprenticeships) can rob people of valuable lessons acquired through error and repetition).</li> <li>Caring about the right things in order to be better.</li> </ul> Axe Heads and Allies The reason I brought that axe head was to show Rob the seams in it - evidence of moulds which have been used to make essential life sustaining tools and weapons. Moulds have been aroud for so long, and it gave me a bit of thrill to be able to have a modern day master mould maker touch a casting from an ancient mould and admire their handiwork 2500 years on. (Incidentally, this estimation is based on a bit of research I did into bronze age artefacts. This particular head is a palstave, check out <a href="http://www.antiques-info.co.uk/new/pdf/July02/1.pdf" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.antiques-info.co.uk/new/pdf/July02/1.pdf</a>). The Videos We mention a couple of videos that are on YouTube which show skills at work - hand making globes from 1955 (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RWcWSN4HhI" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RWcWSN4HhI</a>) and a Disney video explaining the different types of rivet (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDbTUt3OG9s" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDbTUt3OG9s</a>). This was something Disney did to help the war effort, when training many civilians to make military equipment like aircraft required detailed explanations of manufacturing processes such as these. How better to explain these intricate and involved processes than with an animation, condensing time and showing materials in cross section. Look out for part 2 coming very soon, and subscribe to use on iTunes, Stitcher, iHeart Radio and Google Play Music to name but a few! Thanks, Stuart

#17 - All Aboard The Freit Train part 1

#9 - Symmetry, Schools &amp; Fools   Symmetry in sculpting appliances Whilst teaching a class recently, a student was hung up on getting the nose perfectly symmetrical. I explained as I often do that the human face isn't symmetrical, so going for complete mirror image reflection necessary. That said, asymmetry owing to sloppy work isn't good either - the fact that there is little perfect symmetry in nature doesn't let you off the hook! I remember at college sculpting a full size head and a full size figure from life and using a plumb line - basically a piece of string with a lead weight on the end to keep a straight line. That helps you keep on target with the centre line, and you can use callipers to measure and plot common points to sketch out boundaries like where the eye corners start and finish, where the mouth is in relation to the nose etc. This sounds like a video to be honest - again comment, write and let us know what you think.  stuartandtodd@gmail.com …also check out our facebook page!   Folio Whilst at UMAE last week, I got to speaking with a lot of people starting out who wanted me to take a look at their folios. I like to talk people through what I see, and I know that when I was starting out that I really appreciated good advice from people that took the time to look through my stuff. Shows like this are good but they can be intense, with groups of people all descending at once when they notice a folio show. There were some good pieces and I will be straight with people regarding the work, and although there are many approaches to folio layout, there are a few solid consistent aspects to a folio that I think remain regardless.  Good clear and large images  With digital cameras, there's little excuse for blurry or badly exposed images. If images are taken on set where there is low level light, it's fair enough that on occasion the pics would be less than perfect, but if you are responsible for building something, there is plenty of opportunity to take good clear images. Opt for professional prints - online print developers like Snapfish and Photobox for example will send you great 10x8's (A4 ish) sized photos. You may have a great printer but often this works out more expensive than buying prints, and they rarely weather well over time.  Not too many and not too long  Viewer fatigue is not the intended result of an extensive folio, but I think it's fair to say that after a while, your brain can't take in new things with equal enthusiasm. If you have extensively documented the manufacture process of something, you need to edit that down to a few choice images unless there is a specific reason to dwell on that aspect. It may be worth keeping your main 'general' folio streamlined with a few selected images from each project, and then keep to hand additional more in-depth folios which drill deeper into things should that be necessary.  Easy to handle  If a folio keeps dropping leaves or sheets slide around or can't fold over easy then it becomes a bit of a chore to handle. Make sure you handle a folio and turn the pages yourself before committing to buy. If it annoys you to handle, then chances are it will annoy others too. It's a tragedy for your good work to not be noticed as the viewer is tasked with wrangling the sleeves or relocating misaligned punched holes.   UMAE 2016 The UMAe stand for United Makeup Artists expo. It is a smaller UK trade show, but perfectly formed. I had a great time but it was exhausting. There were loads of demos going on all day, and this year I had my own stand, spoke to a lot of people, did a demo makeup and a presentation on the stage for blood rig effects. I wanted to do a thing on blood rigs as I have done quite a few for shows over the years, and plenty on gags for Game of Thrones, and NDA's stop me from showing anyone how I actually do them, so I decided to do a demo of my own so I could show the process from start to finish without showing anything from the show.  I had a couple of cool people helping me out too - Alice Pinney and Jess Heath who applied loads of pieces I made, so thanks for the help guys. You worked hard! Also thanks to Leanne Hicks who helped me out loads as well as patiently modelling for my makeup demo, a creepy kind of stern looking businesswoman was the idea, but it kind of ended up looking like an evil politician. I called her Angular Merkel, but we settled on The Wicked Which of the Westminster. I'll do this as a blog post if anyone is interested - please get in touch and leave comments under this blog post or podcast Show was nice feel to it - you can actually go up to the people and speak to them. There isn't a stadium sized crowd to navigate so it's not a huge task to speak to the people you want to talk to.  Nor are there tanning booths, teeth whitening or champagne and strawberry bars. Said hey to Richard Redlefsen, and I gave him a few sculpting tools I had made which was a nice touch - I made a bunch of tools for a makeup school called The Iver based at Pinewood for which I did a class at the week before.  I knew he would be at the show so I made a few extra, and I got a kick out of giving them to him - nice guy and very talented makeup artist. He did a Phantom of the Opera makeup, and it was pretty cool. Also Dan Gilbert was demoing for PPI, and I needed some PAX. He dashed up to his room to grab me some which he had, which I thought was rather dashing of him so thank you for that Dan. True gent!   Makeup School Observations There are some things I noticed about work I saw from makeup schools, and I think it needs bringing up. Essentially, I saw work from someone who had travelled to LA from the UK to attend a makeup school for some months. There were pictures of work in there which seemed both extensive in size but poor in quality. Now I know students are by definition learning, and there is going to be mixed ability but there seems to be an irresponsible approach when allowing large scale sculpting to take place when there are some fundamental areas which need addressing. Makeup schools are a business so it's only right they charge for their service, but I have heard and seen many examples of people who travelled far and spent a lot and when you see what they have taken away from it then you wonder if it is a fair exchange. As with any business, there are some sharp practitioners and some outstanding examples. I think it would be a good idea to run this checklist over when considering a makeup school.  Check who the tutors are Look at previous students work Speak to previous students Is there a screening process or do they take anyone who can pay?    Faceoff I've met a few of the contestants from the show, and to be honest they seem pretty cool - they need to have ability and character to get selected for sure. Hoever, the show is largely concerned with ratings (it's a TV show after all) and less concerned with processes which is what I care about.  We riff a little about the effects of the show, and how annoying it is that people whose only exposure to the industry is watching a few episodes feel qualified to comment on what we may be doing wrong.  "It didn't look that hard on Faceoff..."!   Face casting disasters We’ve all heard of the anecdotal face casts that went hideously wrong – the result of phenomenally terrible practice on the part of people doing it. Things like using bare plaster all over the face, bears and eyebrows becoming stuck or undercuts locking heads – it’s common sense mostly but that is not as common as you’d imagine. Anyhow, check out these howlers, and if you know of any outrageous lfecasting videos which are not here, please do get in touch and send us a link so we can share it!  Let’s show everyone how NOT to do it!  https://vimeo.com/21710023   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVUHlDou6cQ&amp;feature=youtu.be&amp;app=desktop  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09rUbu33Z1E  http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=077_1462827743   http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/law-and-order/6311398/Schoolgirl-16-lost-eight-fingers-in-plaster-of-Paris-accident-during-art-lesson.html    Incidentally, this video collaboration I did with Klaire de Lys shows a way to lifecast safely without taking insane risks: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2NyF5bKlkT0 Stay creative! Stuart &amp; Todd

#9 - Symmetry, Schools &amp; Fools   Symmetry in sculpting appliances Whilst teaching a class recently, a student was hung up on getting the nose perfectly symmetrical. I explained as I often do that the human face isn't symmetrical, so going for complete mirror image reflection necessary. That said, asymmetry owing to sloppy work isn't good either - the fact that there is little perfect symmetry in nature doesn't let you off the hook! I remember at college sculpting a full size head and a full size figure from life and using a plumb line - basically a piece of string with a lead weight on the end to keep a straight line. That helps you keep on target with the centre line, and you can use callipers to measure and plot common points to sketch out boundaries like where the eye corners start and finish, where the mouth is in relation to the nose etc. This sounds like a video to be honest - again comment, write and let us know what you think.  <a href="mailto:stuartandtodd@gmail.com">stuartandtodd@gmail.com</a> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/stuartandtodd/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">…also check out our facebook page!</a> Folio Whilst at UMAE last week, I got to speaking with a lot of people starting out who wanted me to take a look at their folios. I like to talk people through what I see, and I know that when I was starting out that I really appreciated good advice from people that took the time to look through my stuff. Shows like this are good but they can be intense, with groups of people all descending at once when they notice a folio show. There were some good pieces and I will be straight with people regarding the work, and although there are many approaches to folio layout, there are a few solid consistent aspects to a folio that I think remain regardless. <ol> <li>Good clear and large images</li> </ol> With digital cameras, there's little excuse for blurry or badly exposed images. If images are taken on set where there is low level light, it's fair enough that on occasion the pics would be less than perfect, but if you are responsible for building something, there is plenty of opportunity to take good clear images. Opt for professional prints - online print developers like Snapfish and Photobox for example will send you great 10x8's (A4 ish) sized photos. You may have a great printer but often this works out more expensive than buying prints, and they rarely weather well over time. <ol> <li>Not too many and not too long</li> </ol> Viewer fatigue is not the intended result of an extensive folio, but I think it's fair to say that after a while, your brain can't take in new things with equal enthusiasm. If you have extensively documented the manufacture process of something, you need to edit that down to a few choice images unless there is a specific reason to dwell on that aspect. It may be worth keeping your main 'general' folio streamlined with a few selected images from each project, and then keep to hand additional more in-depth folios which drill deeper into things should that be necessary. <ol> <li>Easy to handle</li> </ol> If a folio keeps dropping leaves or sheets slide around or can't fold over easy then it becomes a bit of a chore to handle. Make sure you handle a folio and turn the pages yourself before committing to buy. If it annoys you to handle, then chances are it will annoy others too. It's a tragedy for your good work to not be noticed as the viewer is tasked with wrangling the sleeves or relocating misaligned punched holes. UMAE 2016 The UMAe stand for United Makeup Artists expo. It is a smaller UK trade show, but perfectly formed. I had a great time but it was exhausting. There were loads of demos going on all day, and this year I had my own stand, spoke to a lot of people, did a demo makeup and a presentation on the stage for blood rig effects. I wanted to do a thing on blood rigs as I have done quite a few for shows over the years, and plenty on gags for Game of Thrones, and NDA's stop me from showing anyone how I actually do them, so I decided to do a demo of my own so I could show the process from start to finish without showing anything from the show.  I had a couple of cool people helping me out too - Alice Pinney and Jess Heath who applied loads of pieces I made, so thanks for the help guys. You worked hard! Also thanks to Leanne Hicks who helped me out loads as well as patiently modelling for my makeup demo, a creepy kind of stern looking businesswoman was the idea, but it kind of ended up looking like an evil politician. I called her Angular Merkel, but we settled on The Wicked Which of the Westminster. I'll do this as a blog post if anyone is interested - please get in touch and leave comments under this blog post or podcast Show was nice feel to it - you can actually go up to the people and speak to them. There isn't a stadium sized crowd to navigate so it's not a huge task to speak to the people you want to talk to.  Nor are there tanning booths, teeth whitening or champagne and strawberry bars. Said hey to Richard Redlefsen, and I gave him a few sculpting tools I had made which was a nice touch - I made a bunch of tools for a makeup school called The Iver based at Pinewood for which I did a class at the week before.  I knew he would be at the show so I made a few extra, and I got a kick out of giving them to him - nice guy and very talented makeup artist. He did a Phantom of the Opera makeup, and it was pretty cool. Also Dan Gilbert was demoing for PPI, and I needed some PAX. He dashed up to his room to grab me some which he had, which I thought was rather dashing of him so thank you for that Dan. True gent! Makeup School Observations There are some things I noticed about work I saw from makeup schools, and I think it needs bringing up. Essentially, I saw work from someone who had travelled to LA from the UK to attend a makeup school for some months. There were pictures of work in there which seemed both extensive in size but poor in quality. Now I know students are by definition learning, and there is going to be mixed ability but there seems to be an irresponsible approach when allowing large scale sculpting to take place when there are some fundamental areas which need addressing. Makeup schools are a business so it's only right they charge for their service, but I have heard and seen many examples of people who travelled far and spent a lot and when you see what they have taken away from it then you wonder if it is a fair exchange. As with any business, there are some sharp practitioners and some outstanding examples. I think it would be a good idea to run this checklist over when considering a makeup school. <ol> <li>Check who the tutors are</li> <li>Look at previous students work</li> <li>Speak to previous students</li> <li>Is there a screening process or do they take anyone who can pay?</li> </ol> Faceoff I've met a few of the contestants from the show, and to be honest they seem pretty cool - they need to have ability and character to get selected for sure. Hoever, the show is largely concerned with ratings (it's a TV show after all) and less concerned with processes which is what I care about.  We riff a little about the effects of the show, and how annoying it is that people whose only exposure to the industry is watching a few episodes feel qualified to comment on what we may be doing wrong.  "It didn't look that hard on Faceoff..."! Face casting disasters We’ve all heard of the anecdotal face casts that went hideously wrong – the result of phenomenally terrible practice on the part of people doing it. Things like using bare plaster all over the face, bears and eyebrows becoming stuck or undercuts locking heads – it’s common sense mostly but that is not as common as you’d imagine. Anyhow, check out these howlers, and if you know of any outrageous lfecasting videos which are not here, please do get in touch and send us a link so we can share it!  Let’s show everyone how NOT to do it! <a href="https://vimeo.com/21710023" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://vimeo.com/21710023</a> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVUHlDou6cQ&amp;feature=youtu.be&amp;app=desktop" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVUHlDou6cQ&amp;feature=youtu.be&amp;app=desktop</a> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09rUbu33Z1E" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09rUbu33Z1E</a> <a href="http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=077_1462827743" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=077_1462827743</a> <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/law-and-order/6311398/Schoolgirl-16-lost-eight-fingers-in-plaster-of-Paris-accident-during-art-lesson.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/law-and-order/6311398/Schoolgirl-16-lost-eight-fingers-in-plaster-of-Paris-accident-during-art-lesson.html</a> Incidentally, this video collaboration I did with Klaire de Lys shows a way to lifecast safely without taking insane risks: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2NyF5bKlkT0" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2NyF5bKlkT0</a> Stay creative! Stuart &amp; Todd

#9 - Symmetry, Schools & Fools

Don Lanning

If you have any sculpting ambition or love for any monster movies made in the last twenty years, then you should know the name Don Lanning. Not only is he a gifted craftsman who has worked hard for his place, but he is also a gifted teacher who can help make others better, and he is damn fine fella the whole time he is doing it. Don has been working away on productions for years as a hired gun on well know movies such as Hollow Man, Ghosts of Mars, Vanilla Sky, Hellboy, AVP, Silent Hill, The Avengers, and Aquman as well as TV shows such as The X Files, Nip/Tuck, Star Trek, The Strain, and Bright. Possibly though, the pivotal moment which brought his method into the limelight was the  Stan Winston School For Character Arts videos such as  Sculpture Techniques and  Character Design. We weren't just treated to a 'how?' class, but also a 'why?' class and looking at the feelings on experiences whilst sculpting.  I often think sculpting classes are among the hardest to instruct largely becasue it is a slow, deliberate act which allows the brain to open up and weep out all the negative things everyone has ever said about you or that you imagined of yourself. It's all bullshit of course, and it takes someone to help you snap out of it and keep focus  Don Lanning's love of the Wizard of Oz is made real with these series of outstanding character studies. Check out the Facebook page to see more. Simply put, you CAN do it if you want to. Maybe you feel like you're not great yet, but if you enjoy doing it then you WILL improve. If that matters to you, then to hell with all the naysaying. After all, people often say things about themselves that they would never say to another person - and looking at what you can actually do to overcome and improve your shortcomings is what Don does best, especially when you are face to face with the man.  "I was born with no talent whatsoever - I had to fight hard to get everything I got."  Todd and I took a trip down to his studio to talk with the man himself, and we got into so much dense material, we decided we had to split this one into two parts. In part 1 we talked to Don about:  How to actually start sculpting Dealing with a blank canvas Channeling nervous energy Looking for what makes good art Getting better Making the changes for clients Looking for what feels 'right' Pivotal moments Looking out for scam internships  You'll also see a love of magic and magic stores crops up again! Thanks again for listening, and if you would like to support us, as ever there is one thing you can do that helps more than anything - tell someone else about the podcast! Share this on social media and tell us how we are doing! We appreciate your attention! - Stuart &amp; Todd      

If you have any sculpting ambition or love for any monster movies made in the last twenty years, then you should know the name Don Lanning. Not only is he a gifted craftsman who has worked hard for his place, but he is also a gifted teacher who can help make others better, and he is damn fine fella the whole time he is doing it. Don has been working away on productions for years as a hired gun on well know movies such as Hollow Man, Ghosts of Mars, Vanilla Sky, Hellboy, AVP, Silent Hill, The Avengers, and Aquman as well as TV shows such as The X Files, Nip/Tuck, Star Trek, The Strain, and Bright. Possibly though, the pivotal moment which brought his method into the limelight was the <a href="https://www.stanwinstonschool.com/artists/special-effects-character-creator-don-lanning" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Stan Winston School For Character Arts</a> videos such as <a href="https://www.stanwinstonschool.com/tutorials/sculpture-techniques-how-to-sculpt-textures-and-forms" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Sculpture Techniques</a> and <a href="https://www.stanwinstonschool.com/tutorials/character-design-maquette-sculpture-techniques" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Character Design</a>. We weren't just treated to a 'how?' class, but also a 'why?' class and looking at the feelings on experiences whilst sculpting. I often think sculpting classes are among the hardest to instruct largely becasue it is a slow, deliberate act which allows the brain to open up and weep out all the negative things everyone has ever said about you or that you imagined of yourself. It's all bullshit of course, and it takes someone to help you snap out of it and keep focus Don Lanning's love of the Wizard of Oz is made real with these series of outstanding character studies. Check out the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Don-Lannings-OZ-201493423212368/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Facebook page</a> to see more. Simply put, you CAN do it if you want to. Maybe you feel like you're not great yet, but if you enjoy doing it then you WILL improve. If that matters to you, then to hell with all the naysaying. After all, people often say things about themselves that they would never say to another person - and looking at what you can actually do to overcome and improve your shortcomings is what Don does best, especially when you are face to face with the man. "I was born with no talent whatsoever - I had to fight hard to get everything I got." Todd and I took a trip down to his studio to talk with the man himself, and we got into so much dense material, we decided we had to split this one into two parts. In part 1 we talked to Don about: <ul> <li>How to actually start sculpting</li> <li>Dealing with a blank canvas</li> <li>Channeling nervous energy</li> <li>Looking for what makes good art</li> <li>Getting better</li> <li>Making the changes for clients</li> <li>Looking for what feels 'right'</li> <li>Pivotal moments</li> <li>Looking out for scam internships</li> </ul> You'll also see a love of magic and magic stores crops up again! Thanks again for listening, and if you would like to support us, as ever there is one thing you can do that helps more than anything - tell someone else about the podcast! Share this on social media and tell us how we are doing! We appreciate your attention! - Stuart &amp; Todd

#37 - The Mighty Don Lanning part 1

Steve Wang

One of the great things about Monsterpalooza, and other makeup FX heavy trade shows is you get to meet the people who make a life around doing the work, and who care enough to help others do it too. For my money, this chat with sculpting and creature legend Steve Wang was the most potent use of 20 minutes anyone could have. Steve was in high demand, but Todd managed to get him for a short timeslot on the mic and we jumped straight in with the sculpting talk.  I wanted to get a grasp on why ZBrush was still a mystery to me (and many others) and there is some golden wisdom in here which is worth hearing if you have been left blinking at the apparant dearted ship of digital creativity. If you feel like you are on the dockside, waving sadly at a ship of endless creativity disappearing into the distance and cursing yourself for missing the boarding window, then you need to it down, listen up and dry those tears! Putting this together and listening to it put me right back there and fired me up, so get stuck in and listen. Steve has such economy of explanation, he doesn't waste time or fluff around - he gets straight to the point and lands that info sqare in the part of your brain that is ready to go! Check out Steve's instagram @stevewangcreaturecreator and alliance studio and elitecreature.com. Thanks for listening. You can email the show at stuartandtodd@gmail.com, visit the facebook page and join us there. -Stuart &amp; Todd

One of the great things about Monsterpalooza, and other makeup FX heavy trade shows is you get to meet the people who make a life around doing the work, and who care enough to help others do it too. For my money, this chat with sculpting and creature legend Steve Wang was the most potent use of 20 minutes anyone could have. Steve was in high demand, but Todd managed to get him for a short timeslot on the mic and we jumped straight in with the sculpting talk. I wanted to get a grasp on why ZBrush was still a mystery to me (and many others) and there is some golden wisdom in here which is worth hearing if you have been left blinking at the apparant dearted ship of digital creativity. If you feel like you are on the dockside, waving sadly at a ship of endless creativity disappearing into the distance and cursing yourself for missing the boarding window, then you need to it down, listen up and dry those tears! Putting this together and listening to it put me right back there and fired me up, so get stuck in and listen. Steve has such economy of explanation, he doesn't waste time or fluff around - he gets straight to the point and lands that info sqare in the part of your brain that is ready to go! Check out Steve's instagram <a href="https://www.instagram.com/stevewangcreaturecreator/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">@stevewangcreaturecreator</a> and <a href="http://www.alliancestudio.net/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">alliance studio</a> and <a href="http://www.elitecreature.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">elitecreature.com</a>. Thanks for listening. You can email the show at <a href="mailto:stuartandtodd@gmail.com">stuartandtodd@gmail.com</a>, visit the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/stuartandtodd/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">facebook page</a> and join us there. -Stuart &amp; Todd

#31 - Steve Wang

Rob Smith

Blood ! Podcast #15! It's something gets thrown around a lot in film, TV and theatre. There's bad blood, good blood, mudbloods, blood thicker than water and blood brothers.  This episode we're talking about blood, and our guest this time is Rob Smith, blood master as well as an all-around effects bod. He also runs a lot of foam, and makes exquisite soft foam appliances which you really need to feel to appreciate. He makes his own pieces but runs a lot of foam for other people, and you'll certainly have seen his work if you've been to the cinema in the last few years! Blood needs to be a number of things:  The right colour The right opacity The right viscosity  It also needs to be:  Safe to use (skin, mouth and costume) Easy to clean up  As a product, there are lots of different kinds of things which can be classified as blood. For example, blood as a real biological product does things - like clot, dry, separate, form scabs and flake once dry.    One of these blood drops is real!   An artificial blood won't do that, so to create all these different possibilities, there are blood effects products like the standard liquid, flowable blood that comes directly out from an opening in the skin to 'clotted' blood, scab, wound fillers and pastes. Often these are made from the same sugar or corn syrup base, thinned with water or thickened and then coloured with food grade pigments to an appropriate shade. However, as convenient and mouth safe as that may be, it attracts flies especially when shooting in warm climates.  Sugarless bloods, drying bloods which are alcohol based and even specialist bloods for use in eyes and mouth are available for use where appropriate. All this means, of course, a large amount of product range, which we touch on a bit with Rob, who makes a lot of blood, but focusses mainly on the flowable blood which gets used in rigs to pump and splash around on set.   Blood Gags I've done a fair few blood gags (a lot of necks, weirdly), that is makeup effects which use blood that gets pumped on cue, and thinning blood so it flows right under pressure means a fair bit of effort and testing to ensure it looks right. The thing about a blood gag is figuring out what kind of tubing to use and where to put it - we could do a whole podcast just on the ins and outs of blood gags - but there's all that stuff under the piece which needs to be right, and then the appliance over the top is just to hide that plumbing job underneath. If blood is too thin and translucent then it doesn't look right, and if it is too thick then it won't move and spray correctly.  The fact it needs to travel under pressure, through various different tubes and connectors etc.  All that changes the way the blood flows, so knowing this and doing lots of tests to make sure you have a good idea about how that particular gag is going to work is important.   Interview with Rob Smith  Anyhow, listen to some bloody wisdom from Rob Smith, which we recorded in his home. It's worth pointing out the guitar you're going to hear is Rob, plucking away just for fun as he showed me his guitar collection hanging from the walls in the lounge. Pretty cool stuff. We chatted for a long while so I've split this up into two hour-long chats, and we shall release part 2 within the week.    Rob makes a great blood for use on silicone appliances which flows and smears realistically and which doesn't 'bead' up on oily surfaces which can happen with many water and syrup based blood. You can see which is which in this comparison!      Teaching &amp; Learning Makeup FX Being in Belfast this week teaching at Titanic Creative Management made me reflect on the various kinds of learning environments I see so I talk a bit about some of the issues I see in colleges, namely that the institutes often fail the tutors. They squeeze the goodwill and best efforts of many tutors and some don't even appreciate the requirements of a course leaving tutors woefully unsupported.  I think many of the tutors do a good job despite their faculty rather than because of  it. I have said before that makeup is often underestimated,  people may attend a makeup course because they themselves wear makeup so...how hard can it be,  right? The majority of people I've met at colleges really do care about being there,  and some are outstanding. However, I've been to other places which fell like it was a crèche for big 20-year-old kids and you know that shit wouldn't  truck if they were an apprentice. I care about the craft side of things and I don't want to see people wasting their time.  When college attendance is ruled by 'do you have the money' rather than 'look, this is hard work...do you really want to do this?' College makeup school tutors, I salute you. There are people who just won't turn up on time and who skip entire weeks, suddenly to return at the last minute as assessments rear their head. Then that poor tutor has to give up endless extra hours to mend that as best they can because the college took on someone that frankly doesn't want to be there. If that was a freelance apprenticeship, I can just fire you for being shit. If you've paid to be there, it shifts the power so the relationship between the learner and the teacher is transactional rather than one of mutual reliance. Read that original blog post here:   http://www.learnmakeupeffects.com/what-is-the-best-way-to-learn-makeup-effects/ There is of course nothing wrong to pay to learn, I myself pay to learn things and am glad I can do so. However, the people taking the money at colleges and universities are not directly responsible for dealing with the learners on a day to day basis. Private makeup schools, however, usually have a closer relationship with their attendees, and as such, I have seen a marked difference in attitude - they are there for a short time and really want to be there. I suppose also college is the first logical step after school, so many are attending fresh from a school education and are younger. I know I did! This is what goes through my head when I get asked three times a week which college is best etc. or whether they should go private. It seems a college will provide an academic qualification, and that is the appeal to do that over a private course. However, If a large portion of the course is endless theory which is not required on a set, you can become 'qualified' whilst being utterly useless. If you pump out thousands of students like that, that serves nobody except the facility which charged you a small fortune for the privilege.   Will Digital Kill The Practical? Lots of people ask this question, and the changes are new relatively speaking so a thorough understanding of the future effect of it is not something any one person has a full explanation for.  The truth is it isn't going away, it isn't taking over everything and it isn't something that you can't take part in. Lots of people are getting in touch and asking for survey responses, so it's clearly a hot topic. It even made it to the editorial of the latest Prosthetics Magazine (well worth it by the way, I'd recommend it. Get yours here in print and digital: https://www.prostheticsmagazine.co.uk/ )  Transferable skills needed in both digital and practical work remain good basic abilities: good design, ability to render and understand anatomy, and using reference to constantly upgrade what you know. The computer doesn't do it all for you - there is a skilled person behind the keyboard. You could be one of them. There are a lot of areas which come under the digital umbrella, and the trick is to find a way in if you are interested. If you like sculpting then check out the digital sculpting programs and photo retouching is usually done in Photoshop. This is a paid for programme but you can still get CS2, an old version for free here: https://www.adobe.com/support/downloads/detail.jsp?ftpID=3466 Also check out the free image editing software from GIMP: https://www.gimp.org/   Digital Sculpting Digital sculpting is changing a lot of things slowly, and programmes like Zbrush and Mudbox make it possible to apply the same editing qualities of a Word document to a sculpture. Clay is great and I recommend using it - you don't need to choose just digital or just clay, I think using both is important. However, for no money at all, you can introduce yourself to the digital sculpting To check out and download Sculptris:  http://www.learnmakeupeffects.com/what-is-the-best-way-to-learn-makeup-effects/ The stripped down version of ZBrush is called Zbrush Core, so check that out here: http://store.pixologic.com/ZBrushCore/. Keep on trucking! Remember you can get in touch through email on stuartandtodd@gmail.com, through our Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/stuartandtodd/ or comment on the blog post, http://www.learnmakeupeffects.com/rob_smith_pt1/  Stuart &amp; Todd 

Blood ! Podcast #15! It's something gets thrown around a lot in film, TV and theatre. There's bad blood, good blood, mudbloods, blood thicker than water and blood brothers.  This episode we're talking about blood, and our guest this time is Rob Smith, blood master as well as an all-around effects bod. He also runs a lot of foam, and makes exquisite soft foam appliances which you really need to feel to appreciate. He makes his own pieces but runs a lot of foam for other people, and you'll certainly have seen his work if you've been to the cinema in the last few years! Blood needs to be a number of things: <ul> <li>The right colour</li> <li>The right opacity</li> <li>The right viscosity</li> </ul> It also needs to be: <ul> <li>Safe to use (skin, mouth and costume)</li> <li>Easy to clean up</li> </ul> As a product, there are lots of different kinds of things which can be classified as blood. For example, blood as a real biological product does things - like clot, dry, separate, form scabs and flake once dry. One of these blood drops is real! An artificial blood won't do that, so to create all these different possibilities, there are blood effects products like the standard liquid, flowable blood that comes directly out from an opening in the skin to 'clotted' blood, scab, wound fillers and pastes. Often these are made from the same sugar or corn syrup base, thinned with water or thickened and then coloured with food grade pigments to an appropriate shade. However, as convenient and mouth safe as that may be, it attracts flies especially when shooting in warm climates.  Sugarless bloods, drying bloods which are alcohol based and even specialist bloods for use in eyes and mouth are available for use where appropriate. All this means, of course, a large amount of product range, which we touch on a bit with Rob, who makes a lot of blood, but focusses mainly on the flowable blood which gets used in rigs to pump and splash around on set. Blood Gags I've done a fair few blood gags (a lot of necks, weirdly), that is makeup effects which use blood that gets pumped on cue, and thinning blood so it flows right under pressure means a fair bit of effort and testing to ensure it looks right. The thing about a blood gag is figuring out what kind of tubing to use and where to put it - we could do a whole podcast just on the ins and outs of blood gags - but there's all that stuff under the piece which needs to be right, and then the appliance over the top is just to hide that plumbing job underneath. If blood is too thin and translucent then it doesn't look right, and if it is too thick then it won't move and spray correctly.  The fact it needs to travel under pressure, through various different tubes and connectors etc.  All that changes the way the blood flows, so knowing this and doing lots of tests to make sure you have a good idea about how that particular gag is going to work is important. Interview with Rob Smith Anyhow, listen to some bloody wisdom from Rob Smith, which we recorded in his home. It's worth pointing out the guitar you're going to hear is Rob, plucking away just for fun as he showed me his guitar collection hanging from the walls in the lounge. Pretty cool stuff. We chatted for a long while so I've split this up into two hour-long chats, and we shall release part 2 within the week. Rob makes a great blood for use on silicone appliances which flows and smears realistically and which doesn't 'bead' up on oily surfaces which can happen with many water and syrup based blood. You can see which is which in this comparison! Teaching &amp; Learning Makeup FX Being in Belfast this week teaching at Titanic Creative Management made me reflect on the various kinds of learning environments I see so I talk a bit about some of the issues I see in colleges, namely that the institutes often fail the tutors. They squeeze the goodwill and best efforts of many tutors and some don't even appreciate the requirements of a course leaving tutors woefully unsupported.  I think many of the tutors do a good job despite their faculty rather than because of  it. I have said before that makeup is often underestimated,  people may attend a makeup course because they themselves wear makeup so...how hard can it be,  right? The majority of people I've met at colleges really do care about being there,  and some are outstanding. However, I've been to other places which fell like it was a crèche for big 20-year-old kids and you know that shit wouldn't  truck if they were an apprentice. I care about the craft side of things and I don't want to see people wasting their time.  When college attendance is ruled by 'do you have the money' rather than 'look, this is hard work...do you really want to do this?' College makeup school tutors, I salute you. There are people who just won't turn up on time and who skip entire weeks, suddenly to return at the last minute as assessments rear their head. Then that poor tutor has to give up endless extra hours to mend that as best they can because the college took on someone that frankly doesn't want to be there. If that was a freelance apprenticeship, I can just fire you for being shit. If you've paid to be there, it shifts the power so the relationship between the learner and the teacher is transactional rather than one of mutual reliance. Read that original blog post here:  <a href="http://www.learnmakeupeffects.com/what-is-the-best-way-to-learn-makeup-effects/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> http://www.learnmakeupeffects.com/what-is-the-best-way-to-learn-makeup-effects/</a> There is of course nothing wrong to pay to learn, I myself pay to learn things and am glad I can do so. However, the people taking the money at colleges and universities are not directly responsible for dealing with the learners on a day to day basis. Private makeup schools, however, usually have a closer relationship with their attendees, and as such, I have seen a marked difference in attitude - they are there for a short time and really want to be there. I suppose also college is the first logical step after school, so many are attending fresh from a school education and are younger. I know I did! This is what goes through my head when I get asked three times a week which college is best etc. or whether they should go private. It seems a college will provide an academic qualification, and that is the appeal to do that over a private course. However, If a large portion of the course is endless theory which is not required on a set, you can become 'qualified' whilst being utterly useless. If you pump out thousands of students like that, that serves nobody except the facility which charged you a small fortune for the privilege. Will Digital Kill The Practical? Lots of people ask this question, and the changes are new relatively speaking so a thorough understanding of the future effect of it is not something any one person has a full explanation for.  The truth is it isn't going away, it isn't taking over everything and it isn't something that you can't take part in. Lots of people are getting in touch and asking for survey responses, so it's clearly a hot topic. It even made it to the editorial of the latest <a href="https://www.prostheticsmagazine.co.uk/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Prosthetics Magazine</a> (well worth it by the way, I'd recommend it. Get yours here in print and digital: <a href="https://www.prostheticsmagazine.co.uk/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.prostheticsmagazine.co.uk/</a> ) Transferable skills needed in both digital and practical work remain good basic abilities: good design, ability to render and understand anatomy, and using reference to constantly upgrade what you know. The computer doesn't do it all for you - there is a skilled person behind the keyboard. You could be one of them. There are a lot of areas which come under the digital umbrella, and the trick is to find a way in if you are interested. If you like sculpting then check out the digital sculpting programs and photo retouching is usually done in Photoshop. This is a paid for programme but you can still get CS2, an old version for free here: <a href="https://www.adobe.com/support/downloads/detail.jsp?ftpID=3466" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.adobe.com/support/downloads/detail.jsp?ftpID=3466</a> Also check out the free image editing software from GIMP: <a href="https://www.gimp.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.gimp.org/</a> Digital Sculpting Digital sculpting is changing a lot of things slowly, and programmes like Zbrush and Mudbox make it possible to apply the same editing qualities of a Word document to a sculpture. Clay is great and I recommend using it - you don't need to choose just digital or just clay, I think using both is important. However, for no money at all, you can introduce yourself to the digital sculpting To check out and download Sculptris: <a href="http://www.learnmakeupeffects.com/what-is-the-best-way-to-learn-makeup-effects/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> http://www.learnmakeupeffects.com/what-is-the-best-way-to-learn-makeup-effects/</a> The stripped down version of ZBrush is called Zbrush Core, so check that out here: <a href="http://store.pixologic.com/ZBrushCore/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://store.pixologic.com/ZBrushCore/</a>. Keep on trucking! Remember you can get in touch through email on stuartandtodd@gmail.com, through our Facebook Page: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/stuartandtodd/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/stuartandtodd/</a> or comment on the blog post, <a href="http://www.learnmakeupeffects.com/rob_smith_pt1/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.learnmakeupeffects.com/rob_smith_pt1/</a> <ul> <li>Stuart &amp; Todd</li> </ul>

#15 - Rob Smith, Master Of Blood: Part 1

Cap plastic is big....and it's not just for bald caps.  Cap plastic is so called as it was originally pretty much used only for making bald caps, so those with hair could temporarily be without it.  Over the last ten years or so, it's used much more widely as an encapsulant or barrier in a mould so that when silicone gel appliances are cast into it, they come out of the mould with that cap plastic as a surface. This allows glue and makeup to remain attached to it - after all, silicone is at its best a mould material because almost nothing sticks to it! Chek out the blog post that supports this episode of the podcast. OOOh, and if you enjoyed this then tell a friend, give us a shout out on social media or just say hi on our Facebook page! We love talking to you!  -Stuart &amp; Todd.

Cap plastic is big....and it's not just for bald caps. Cap plastic is so called as it was originally pretty much used only for making bald caps, so those with hair could temporarily be without it. Over the last ten years or so, it's used much more widely as an encapsulant or barrier in a mould so that when silicone gel appliances are cast into it, they come out of the mould with that cap plastic as a surface. This allows glue and makeup to remain attached to it - after all, silicone is at its best a mould material because almost nothing sticks to it! Chek out the <a href="http://www.learnmakeupeffects.com/cap-plastic/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">blog post</a> that supports this episode of the podcast. OOOh, and if you enjoyed this then tell a friend, give us a shout out on social media or just say hi on our Facebook page! We love talking to you! -Stuart &amp; Todd.

#20 - All About Cap Plastic

A little look at the influence of digital technology on the practical effects workflow. Bear in mind the problems we try to overcome - namely to create an illusion which appears real such as a decapitation, an injury taking place or some kind of transformation - these issues are the reason that we strive for new and better methods. That desire to create is the wind in the sails, and we have always used the best available to get that. Digital has affected everything, every industry and we have changed along with it. Despite that, it's a tool and one that many of the practical FX side view either with suspicion or glee. We wanted to chat about that and start a conversation about what it means and how we can work with it rather than against it. After all, I think that's the ultimate fear, and I think it doesn't need to be that way at all! I talk with Steve Johnson briefly about his upcoming volume  Rubberhead, Todd reveals his pixelated past and John and Tristan Schoonraad of Lifecast at Elstree studios chat about their 3D scanning work! Email us stuartandtodd@gmail.com or drop us a comment on our Facebook page! Look us up under Battles With Bits Of Rubber!

A little look at the influence of digital technology on the practical effects workflow. Bear in mind the problems we try to overcome - namely to create an illusion which appears real such as a decapitation, an injury taking place or some kind of transformation - these issues are the reason that we strive for new and better methods. That desire to create is the wind in the sails, and we have always used the best available to get that. Digital has affected everything, every industry and we have changed along with it. Despite that, it's a tool and one that many of the practical FX side view either with suspicion or glee. We wanted to chat about that and start a conversation about what it means and how we can work with it rather than against it. After all, I think that's the ultimate fear, and I think it doesn't need to be that way at all! I talk with Steve Johnson briefly about his upcoming volume <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/292967578/rubberhead-sex-drugs-and-special-fx" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Rubberhead</a>, Todd reveals his pixelated past and John and Tristan Schoonraad of <a href="http://lifecast.co.uk/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Lifecast</a> at Elstree studios chat about their 3D scanning work! Email us <a href="mailto:stuartandtodd@gmail.com">stuartandtodd@gmail.com</a> or drop us a comment on our <a href="https://www.facebook.com/stuartandtodd/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Facebook page</a>! Look us up under Battles With Bits Of Rubber!

#14 - Scanners & Schoonraads 

Allen Hopps

Allen Hopps is the director of Dark Hour, a huge haunt attraction in Plano, Texas.  I wanted to take a tour and chat with Allen about what it takes to keep people scared and the business of running a haunt all year round. When people think about creating makeup effects, masks and prosthetics, its usually associated with film and TV shows. In the US, Halloween is pretty big and getting bigger every year. I went for a tour of the huge show floor, and got to see behind the scenes where all the in-house stuff gets made - from sets, costumes, masks, prosthetics and props. The level of the thought and detail that goes into setting up a new show (there are several original new shows a year) is incredible. The team work year round updating and thinking up new ways to keep the screams coming.  There are a few absolute wisdom bombs in this podcast episode which many makers would do well to listen to.  If you've ever been guilty of having great ideas which seem to expand ever bigger, only to burst and fade away then this episode of the podcast is for you! If you've been trapped in a cycle of indecision, dithering and not wanting to grasp the nettle of your creative masterpieces then this episode is for you. If you think that movies are the ultimate end-game for creating creatures and masks and that if you can't make that coveted position then what's the point...? Then this episode is for you!   ===================================  Check out http://darkhourhauntedhouse.com/ to see what's on offer and I highly recommend Allen's YouTube channel, StiltbeastStudios. On Insta, check him on @allen_hopps. Dark Hour are on YouTube too: https://www.youtube.com/user/DarkHourPlano  

Allen Hopps is the director of <a href="http://darkhourhauntedhouse.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Dark Hour</a>, a huge haunt attraction in Plano, Texas. I wanted to take a tour and chat with Allen about what it takes to keep people scared and the business of running a haunt all year round. When people think about creating makeup effects, masks and prosthetics, its usually associated with film and TV shows. In the US, Halloween is pretty big and getting bigger every year. I went for a tour of the huge show floor, and got to see behind the scenes where all the in-house stuff gets made - from sets, costumes, masks, prosthetics and props. The level of the thought and detail that goes into setting up a new show (there are several original new shows a year) is incredible. The team work year round updating and thinking up new ways to keep the screams coming. There are a few absolute wisdom bombs in this podcast episode which many makers would do well to listen to. <ul> <li>If you've ever been guilty of having great ideas which seem to expand ever bigger, only to burst and fade away then this episode of the podcast is for you!</li> <li>If you've been trapped in a cycle of indecision, dithering and not wanting to grasp the nettle of your creative masterpieces then this episode is for you.</li> <li>If you think that movies are the ultimate end-game for creating creatures and masks and that if you can't make that coveted position then what's the point...? Then this episode is for you!</li> </ul> =================================== <ul> <li>Check out <a href="http://darkhourhauntedhouse.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://darkhourhauntedhouse.com/</a> to see what's on offer and I highly recommend <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/StiltbeastStudios" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Allen's YouTube channel, StiltbeastStudios</a>.</li> <li>On Insta, check him on @allen_hopps.</li> <li>Dark Hour are on YouTube too: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/DarkHourPlano" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/user/DarkHourPlano </a></li> </ul>

#21 - Allen Hopps: Scaremaster

5 THINGS YOU'D LIKE TO KNOW (OR WOULD HAVE LIKED TO HAVE KNOWN) WHEN LEARNING PROSTHETIC MAKEUP    I'm still learning every day. I still make mistakes and I am still worried that every job I am about to start will go wrong. That feeling has never gone away and I suspect it never will. The trick is to get used to the sensation, understand that it isn't abnormal and to get on with the job anyway. There are many things which often get taught again and again at makeup school, but along the way there are also things I noticed which are vital and yet which never seem to get the same level of spotlight. In this podcast, Todd and I discuss 5 of the big ones which deserve looking at in some depth. We gave this subject as a talk at IMATS LA 2017, but this is a recording done recently (Nov 2017) so we're up to date and happy to hear your thoughts. Our email is stuartandtodd@gmail.com.  1. It's hard to be subtle. 2. There Are Other Important Qualities To Recreating Skin Other Than Shape and Colour. 3. Believe in primary colours Check out our posts on use of colour Colour Theory In Practice and  7 Tips For Painting Skin Tones. 4. 90% of what you do won't get noticed (Hopefully) 5. Failure: when things don't go to plan, it's easy to beat yourself up thinking you're no good.  Feel free to get in touch on our facebook page or email us at stuartandtodd@gmail.com --- Til next time Stuart &amp; Todd

5 THINGS YOU'D LIKE TO KNOW (OR WOULD HAVE LIKED TO HAVE KNOWN) WHEN LEARNING PROSTHETIC MAKEUP I'm still learning every day. I still make mistakes and I am still worried that every job I am about to start will go wrong. That feeling has never gone away and I suspect it never will. The trick is to get used to the sensation, understand that it isn't abnormal and to get on with the job anyway. There are many things which often get taught again and again at makeup school, but along the way there are also things I noticed which are vital and yet which never seem to get the same level of spotlight. In this podcast, Todd and I discuss 5 of the big ones which deserve looking at in some depth. We gave this subject as a talk at <a href="http://www.learnmakeupeffects.com/imats-la-2017/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">IMATS LA</a> 2017, but this is a recording done recently (Nov 2017) so we're up to date and happy to hear your thoughts. Our email is <a href="mailto:stuartandtodd@gmail.com">stuartandtodd@gmail.com</a>. 1. It's hard to be subtle. 2. There Are Other Important Qualities To Recreating Skin Other Than Shape and Colour. 3. Believe in primary colours Check out our posts on use of colour <a href="http://www.learnmakeupeffects.com/colour-theory-in-practice/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Colour Theory In Practice</a> and <a href="http://www.learnmakeupeffects.com/7-tips-for-painting-skin-tones/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> 7 Tips For Painting Skin Tones</a>. 4. 90% of what you do won't get noticed (Hopefully) 5. Failure: when things don't go to plan, it's easy to beat yourself up thinking you're no good. Feel free to get in touch on our <a href="https://www.facebook.com/stuartandtodd/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">facebook page</a> or email us at <a href="mailto:stuartandtodd@gmail.com">stuartandtodd@gmail.com</a> --- Til next time Stuart &amp; Todd

#23 - 5 THINGS YOU’D LIKE TO KNOW (OR WOULD HAVE LIKED TO HAVE KNOWN) WHEN LEARNING PROSTHETIC MAKEUP

In part 2 of our discussion, Rob Freitas talks about the value of knowing about the unknowns. He sheds some light on the importance of knowing to look at what was before and honours great artists like Gil Liberto (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0508847/) who does incredible work for the likes of at Joel Harlow (Star Trek, anyone?).  Check out this Vanity Fair article about the makeup work on Star Trek:  http://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2017/02/star-trek-beyond-makeup.  The blog post for this one is here: http://www.learnmakeupeffects.com/all-aboard-the-freit-train-part-2/ ‎ When going to trade shows and being asked to speak, Rob likes to share what he has known but he is there to be fed knowledge as well as to feed others. He doesn’t want to be the subject - rather he cares about the craft and wants you to care too. Thinking about provenance and what went before is a humbling way of uncovering the history of your subject matter, and is utterly fascinating. When you think about the makeups from the original Wizard Of Oz from 1939, the list of makeup crew reads like a who's who of the makeup industry - Jack Dawn, Max Factor, Cecil Holland, Robert Schiffer, William Tuttle, Charles Schram...  Two more names that pop up are the perhaps little know Josef Norin (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0635364/?ref_=ttfc_fc_cr33) and his son Gustaf ('Gus') Norin (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0635362/?ref_=ttfc_fc_cr32) who were Swiss artists who brought their talents over from a background in sculpting and moulding small moulds for jewellery. Gustaf was father of John and Robert Norin, both makeup artists with an impressive line-up of screen credits. Another aspect we touch on is how many of us working can count on the lack of distractions we had from the internet. Whilst it is fair to say that the internet brings untold knowledge to our fingertips, it also means we need to learn how to focus and channel what is important, rather than allow meaningless information to steal our time away. Social media makes people aware of what others may think of them or their beliefs…this wasn't something we grew up with in the pre-internet age. It is certainly shaping how people learn, and it's important to identify what really matters so one can harness that information and power into a tangible benefit rather than an endless distraction.  Rob mentions a number of artists work, and links are provided below:  Jason Barnetts' awesome documentary of Charlie Gemora: Genius Monkeyman. You can rent/buy to watch it here: https://vimeo.com/ondemand/charliegemorauncredited/153530263 Gunnar Ferdinandsen (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0272256/) Some of his credits include: • Ghostbusters • Total Recall • The Thing • Legend Wizard of Oz makeup artists: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0032138/combined Gino Acevedo http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0009707/ https://vimeo.com/92782082 Sergei Koudriautsev http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1165713/  Thanks again for checking this out! If you enjoyed this podcast, please support us if you can by:  Sharing the podcast on Social Media Subscribing to the podcast on iTunes or Stitcher Review us to let others know it's worth their time! 

In part 2 of our discussion, Rob Freitas talks about the value of knowing about the unknowns. He sheds some light on the importance of knowing to look at what was before and honours great artists like Gil Liberto (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0508847/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0508847/</a>) who does incredible work for the likes of at Joel Harlow (Star Trek, anyone?). Check out this Vanity Fair article about the makeup work on Star Trek: <a href="http://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2017/02/star-trek-beyond-makeup" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> http://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2017/02/star-trek-beyond-makeup</a>. The blog post for this one is here: <a href="http://www.learnmakeupeffects.com/?p=3727&amp;preview=true" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.learnmakeupeffects.com/all-aboard-the-freit-train-part-2/</a> ‎ When going to trade shows and being asked to speak, Rob likes to share what he has known but he is there to be fed knowledge as well as to feed others. He doesn’t want to be the subject - rather he cares about the craft and wants you to care too. Thinking about provenance and what went before is a humbling way of uncovering the history of your subject matter, and is utterly fascinating. When you think about the makeups from the original Wizard Of Oz from 1939, the list of makeup crew reads like a who's who of the makeup industry - Jack Dawn, Max Factor, Cecil Holland, Robert Schiffer, William Tuttle, Charles Schram...  Two more names that pop up are the perhaps little know Josef Norin (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0635364/?ref_=ttfc_fc_cr33" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0635364/?ref_=ttfc_fc_cr33</a>) and his son Gustaf ('Gus') Norin (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0635362/?ref_=ttfc_fc_cr32" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0635362/?ref_=ttfc_fc_cr32</a>) who were Swiss artists who brought their talents over from a background in sculpting and moulding small moulds for jewellery. Gustaf was father of John and Robert Norin, both makeup artists with an impressive line-up of screen credits. Another aspect we touch on is how many of us working can count on the lack of distractions we had from the internet. Whilst it is fair to say that the internet brings untold knowledge to our fingertips, it also means we need to learn how to focus and channel what is important, rather than allow meaningless information to steal our time away. Social media makes people aware of what others may think of them or their beliefs…this wasn't something we grew up with in the pre-internet age. It is certainly shaping how people learn, and it's important to identify what really matters so one can harness that information and power into a tangible benefit rather than an endless distraction. Rob mentions a number of artists work, and links are provided below: <ul> <li>Jason Barnetts' awesome documentary of Charlie Gemora: Genius Monkeyman. You can rent/buy to watch it here: <a href="https://vimeo.com/ondemand/charliegemorauncredited/153530263" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://vimeo.com/ondemand/charliegemorauncredited/153530263</a></li> <li>Gunnar Ferdinandsen (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0272256/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0272256/</a>) Some of his credits include: • Ghostbusters • Total Recall • The Thing • Legend</li> <li>Wizard of Oz makeup artists: <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0032138/combined" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0032138/combined</a></li> <li>Gino Acevedo <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0009707/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0009707/</a> <a href="https://vimeo.com/92782082" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://vimeo.com/92782082</a></li> <li>Sergei Koudriautsev <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1165713/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1165713/</a></li> </ul> Thanks again for checking this out! If you enjoyed this podcast, please support us if you can by: <ol> <li>Sharing the podcast on Social Media</li> <li>Subscribing to the podcast on iTunes or Stitcher</li> <li>Review us to let others know it's worth their time!</li> </ol>

 #18 - All Aboard The Freit Train part 2

Rob Smith continues his chat with me about foam latex, blood and other FX related goodies. Also, Todd and I talk about our favorite podcasts, and whether or not the word 'mustard' is actually an expression. Todd and I will be at IMATS 2017, 13th-15th Jan 2017. How about that. Email us at the usual address, stuartandtodd@gmail.com

Rob Smith continues his chat with me about foam latex, blood and other FX related goodies. Also, Todd and I talk about our favorite podcasts, and whether or not the word 'mustard' is actually an expression. Todd and I will be at <a href="http://imats.net/2017-los-angeles/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">IMATS 2017, 13th-15th Jan 2017</a>. How about that. Email us at the usual address, <a href="mailto:stuartandtodd@gmail.com">stuartandtodd@gmail.com</a>

#16 - Rob Smith Master Of Blood: Part 2

Chris Dombos

3D printing is having an effect on the way things are made. This episode talks about what those things are, how it benefits us all and how you can get involved.  Chris Dombos knows a thing or two about 3D printing, and he is also a massive FX nerd so we got on rather well. Having met him first at LA IMATS in Jan 2017 (I discovered he had some of the original Lost Boys moulds), it made sense to catch up when he came over to London recently. Of course, I figured bring the mic and make a podcast out of it. We recorded in a cemetery in London, so there are background noises. The whole gamut of life - cars, sirens, passing people, kids, birds in the sky, aircraft, wind – it’s all there in a place of the dead. It's all background, our audio is clear and we chatted about a number of great topics which matter to anyone who makes things. This includes:  There have been a number of auctions as big FX shops started scaling down! This means that the larger shops have all but disappeared but more smaller operations opening up. Props Store London https://propstore.com/ Importance of design and the danger of generic, the process informing the look. Occulus Medium: https://www.oculus.com/medium/ Cost of CAD programs - the free and the fortunes. Digital sculpting revealing an artists lack of anatomical understanding, and how an understanding of form is essential to good sculpture regardless of the medium – clay or pixels. Costs or materials v digital process. It exists as a process, will only get better. The increased incident of joined up thinking, and how digital FX uses a team to create what would have been the job of one person, teams fitting together. For practical FX this wider collaboration is a new thing.  We also mention some great artists. These include:  Norman Cabreara https://www.instagram.com/norman_cabrera_monsters/ Steve Wang https://www.instagram.com/stevewangcreaturecreator/ Gio Nakpil http://gionakpil.com/ Bill Corso  https://www.stanwinstonschool.com/artists/special-effects-makeup-artist-bill-corso Digital Makeup Group - http://www.digitalmakeupgroup.com/ Adam beane and 'CS Wax' http://www.adambeaneindustries.com/cx5/ Landon Meier http://www.hyperflesh.com/ Jose Fernandez and http://ironheadstudio.com/  Software and websites to help include:  Modo https://www.foundry.com/products/modo Places to learn 3D Sculpting https://www.renderosity.com/ http://www.wings3d.com/ Sculptris http://pixologic.com/sculptris/ ZBrush Central http://www.zbrushcentral.com/ ZBrush http://pixologic.com/zclassroom/ ZBrush Core https://store.pixologic.com/zbrushcore/ who listened to sculptors to make the software work for sculpture. Mudbox (https://www.autodesk.com/products/mudbox/overview ), DigiPen https://www.digipen.edu/ Gnomon https://www.gnomon.edu/ Pluralsight (Formerly Digital Tutors) https://www.pluralsight.com/ https://www.gentlegiantstudios.com/ https://3dprinting.com/what-is-3d-printing/ Reality Capture – photogrammetry software https://www.capturingreality.com/   Hope you enjoy this episode - It's exciting and scary at the same time for me. Check us out on Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/stuartandtodd/ or email us direct at stuartandtodd@gmail.com! - Stuart &amp; Todd

3D printing is having an effect on the way things are made. This episode talks about what those things are, how it benefits us all and how you can get involved. Chris Dombos knows a thing or two about 3D printing, and he is also a massive FX nerd so we got on rather well. Having met him first at LA IMATS in Jan 2017 (I discovered he had some of the original Lost Boys moulds), it made sense to catch up when he came over to London recently. Of course, I figured bring the mic and make a podcast out of it. We recorded in a cemetery in London, so there are background noises. The whole gamut of life - cars, sirens, passing people, kids, birds in the sky, aircraft, wind – it’s all there in a place of the dead. It's all background, our audio is clear and we chatted about a number of great topics which matter to anyone who makes things. This includes: <ul> <li>There have been a number of auctions as big FX shops started scaling down! This means that the larger shops have all but disappeared but more smaller operations opening up.</li> <li>Props Store London <a href="https://propstore.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://propstore.com/</a></li> <li>Importance of design and the danger of generic, the process informing the look.</li> <li>Occulus Medium: <a href="https://www.oculus.com/medium/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.oculus.com/medium/</a></li> <li>Cost of CAD programs - the free and the fortunes.</li> <li>Digital sculpting revealing an artists lack of anatomical understanding, and how an understanding of form is essential to good sculpture regardless of the medium – clay or pixels.</li> <li>Costs or materials v digital process. It exists as a process, will only get better.</li> <li>The increased incident of joined up thinking, and how digital FX uses a team to create what would have been the job of one person, teams fitting together. For practical FX this wider collaboration is a new thing.</li> </ul> We also mention some great artists. These include: <ul> <li>Norman Cabreara <a href="https://www.instagram.com/norman_cabrera_monsters/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.instagram.com/norman_cabrera_monsters/</a></li> <li>Steve Wang <a href="https://www.instagram.com/stevewangcreaturecreator/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.instagram.com/stevewangcreaturecreator/</a></li> <li>Gio Nakpil <a href="http://gionakpil.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://gionakpil.com/</a></li> <li>Bill Corso <a href="https://www.stanwinstonschool.com/artists/special-effects-makeup-artist-bill-corso" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> https://www.stanwinstonschool.com/artists/special-effects-makeup-artist-bill-corso</a></li> <li>Digital Makeup Group - <a href="http://www.digitalmakeupgroup.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.digitalmakeupgroup.com/</a></li> <li>Adam beane and 'CS Wax' <a href="http://www.adambeaneindustries.com/cx5/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.adambeaneindustries.com/cx5/</a></li> <li>Landon Meier <a href="http://www.hyperflesh.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.hyperflesh.com/</a></li> <li>Jose Fernandez and <a href="http://ironheadstudio.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://ironheadstudio.com/</a></li> </ul> Software and websites to help include: <ul> <li>Modo <a href="https://www.foundry.com/products/modo" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.foundry.com/products/modo</a></li> <li>Places to learn 3D Sculpting <a href="https://www.renderosity.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.renderosity.com/</a> <a href="http://www.wings3d.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.wings3d.com/</a></li> <li>Sculptris <a href="http://pixologic.com/sculptris/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://pixologic.com/sculptris/</a></li> <li>ZBrush Central <a href="http://www.zbrushcentral.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.zbrushcentral.com/</a></li> <li>ZBrush <a href="http://pixologic.com/zclassroom/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://pixologic.com/zclassroom/</a></li> <li>ZBrush Core <a href="https://store.pixologic.com/zbrushcore/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://store.pixologic.com/zbrushcore/</a> who listened to sculptors to make the software work for sculpture.</li> <li>Mudbox (<a href="https://www.autodesk.com/products/mudbox/overview" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.autodesk.com/products/mudbox/overview</a> ), DigiPen <a href="https://www.digipen.edu/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.digipen.edu/</a></li> <li>Gnomon <a href="https://www.gnomon.edu/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.gnomon.edu/</a></li> <li>Pluralsight (Formerly Digital Tutors) <a href="https://www.pluralsight.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.pluralsight.com/</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.gentlegiantstudios.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.gentlegiantstudios.com/</a></li> <li><a href="https://3dprinting.com/what-is-3d-printing/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://3dprinting.com/what-is-3d-printing/</a></li> <li>Reality Capture – photogrammetry software <a href="https://www.capturingreality.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.capturingreality.com/</a></li> </ul> Hope you enjoy this episode - It's exciting and scary at the same time for me. Check us out on Facebook, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/stuartandtodd/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/stuartandtodd/</a> or email us direct at <a href="mailto:stuartandtodd@gmail.com">stuartandtodd@gmail.com</a>! - Stuart &amp; Todd

#25 - Chris Dombos: 3D Prince

This podcast was a lot of fun to do. I met up with the Mekashes (Eryn and Mike) at their hotel as they were over for The Prosthetics Event here in the UK. I was lucky enough to squeeze in a face to face interview and had a frankly wonderful time chatting with a couple of lovely people who also are amazing artists and FX nerds. Listen here, or on Apple Podcasts/iTunes. Soundcloud or whatever podcatcher you like to use. Her credits include TV shows Glee, Nip/Tuck &amp; Movies such as Flags of our Fathers, Letters from Iwo Jima, My Sisters Keeper. As per her IMDb bio: Eryn Krueger Mekash has 30 years of television and film industry experience as a makeup artist and is diversified in beauty, makeup effects and design. Her credits cover a wide range of productions. Eryn started her career in the special makeup effects field in Los Angeles. Eryn has won 6 Emmys and 6 Artisan awards and well as 29 Emmy Nominations for outstanding makeup, prosthetic and non-prosthetic. She is the department head for FX's anthology, American Horror Story (2011), and can still make a nice mold in a pinch. Listen here, or on Apple Podcasts/iTunes. Soundcloud or whatever podcatcher you like to use. It's a hefty one, almost 2 hours so get stuck in! We are also now on Spotify, so check us out there too! We talk about the great book Leading Ladies of Makeup Effects in which Eryn features, being a department head for FX heavy shows like American Horror Story, how much fun Halloween is at Rick Bakers place and recreating The Lost Boys thirty years on using pieces from the original moulds. Todd was printing a head of himself to make 'Chocolate Todds' so that's the sound you can hear in the background. Todd discusses the finishing up of his third edition to the well-known FX bible Special Makeup Effects for Stage And Screen! Hear all about the goodies in store there in the podcast.  Incidentally, the antler in question which frankly I think looks like something which needs batteries is this: I think this looks suspect. Is it just me...?  WINNER! The winner of the Steve Wang Sculpting Tool Set is Darren Pastor - well done fella. These will be on their way to you soon! As ever, get in touch on our Facebook page, comment here or email us stuartandtodd@gmail.com. My sincerest thanks for the Mekashes for giving up their time so generously and for all the beer and pudding! Until next time! --- Stuart &amp; Todd

This podcast was a lot of fun to do. I met up with the Mekashes (Eryn and Mike) at their hotel as they were over for The Prosthetics Event here in the UK. I was lucky enough to squeeze in a face to face interview and had a frankly wonderful time chatting with a couple of lovely people who also are amazing artists and FX nerds. Listen here, or on Apple Podcasts/iTunes. Soundcloud or whatever podcatcher you like to use. Her credits include TV shows Glee, Nip/Tuck &amp; Movies such as Flags of our Fathers, Letters from Iwo Jima, My Sisters Keeper. As per her <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0472477/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">IMDb</a> bio: Eryn Krueger Mekash has 30 years of television and film industry experience as a makeup artist and is diversified in beauty, makeup effects and design. Her credits cover a wide range of productions. Eryn started her career in the special makeup effects field in Los Angeles. Eryn has won 6 Emmys and 6 Artisan awards and well as 29 Emmy Nominations for outstanding makeup, prosthetic and non-prosthetic. She is the department head for FX's anthology, American Horror Story (2011), and can still make a nice mold in a pinch. Listen here, or on Apple Podcasts/iTunes. Soundcloud or whatever podcatcher you like to use. It's a hefty one, almost 2 hours so get stuck in! We are also now on <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/0E5e7vnF15DcIGQD7wrvzD" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Spotify</a>, so check us out there too! We talk about the great book <a href="https://www.leadingladiesofmakeupeffects.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Leading Ladies of Makeup Effects</a> in which Eryn features, being a department head for FX heavy shows like American Horror Story, how much fun Halloween is at Rick Bakers place and recreating The Lost Boys thirty years on using pieces from the original moulds. Todd was printing a head of himself to make 'Chocolate Todds' so that's the sound you can hear in the background. Todd discusses the finishing up of his third edition to the well-known FX bible Special Makeup Effects for Stage And Screen! Hear all about the goodies in store there in the podcast. Incidentally, the antler in question which frankly I think looks like something which needs batteries is this: I think this looks suspect. Is it just me...? WINNER! The winner of the Steve Wang Sculpting Tool Set is Darren Pastor - well done fella. These will be on their way to you soon! As ever, get in touch on our <a href="https://www.facebook.com/stuartandtodd/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Facebook page</a>, comment here or email us <a href="mailto:stuartandtodd@gmail.com">stuartandtodd@gmail.com</a>. My sincerest thanks for the Mekashes for giving up their time so generously and for all the beer and pudding! Until next time! --- Stuart &amp; Todd

#24 - Eryn Krueger Mekash.mp3

Allan Apone

Todd and I had a great morning chatting with Allan A. Apone and Brad Look at MEL headquarters (Makeup Effects Lab) based up in North Hollywood. MEL now occupies a huge area of workshops and produces effects for shows as well as products used by artists in the industry, including PAX paints, baldcaps and appliances. Starting out as a small lab in 1978, it now boasts some 18000 square feet of facility. Their website is MEL Products USA and is worth checking out!  Our tour took us from machine shop to foam room, silicone lab and woodshop, all surrounded by a million artefacts from jobs in the past.  We sat and talked about the recent Monsterpalooza weekend, as well as the business of makeup and what really counts. As seasoned makeup artists with many years experience on set, Allan and Brad made this episode of the podcast a gold-loaded listen for makeup artists. Like Brad says, "If you don't know highlight and shadow, it doesn't matter what you are putting on - it won't look right!". Despite the noise of competing companies vying for our attention and wallets, this really is the key message. Know your subject, know yourself and above all, respect the craft!  Incidentally, MEL have a podcast called 'This Week In Makeup' which is worth checking out!  You can subscribe to our podcast, Battles With Bits Of Rubber on  iTunes, Spotify, Soundcloud and pretty much all podcatcher apps or platforms. Thanks for listening! You can contact us at our Facebook page or email direct stuartandtodd@gmail.com with suggestions, feedback, or just to say hi.  The blogpost for this episode can be found at http://www.learnmakeupeffects.com/32respectthecraft/ . Til next time -Stuart &amp; Todd

Todd and I had a great morning chatting with Allan A. Apone and Brad Look at MEL headquarters (<a href="http://melproductsusa.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Makeup Effects Lab</a>) based up in North Hollywood. MEL now occupies a huge area of workshops and produces effects for shows as well as products used by artists in the industry, including PAX paints, baldcaps and appliances. Starting out as a small lab in 1978, it now boasts some 18000 square feet of facility. Their website is <a href="http://melproductsusa.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">MEL Products USA</a> and is worth checking out! Our tour took us from machine shop to foam room, silicone lab and woodshop, all surrounded by a million artefacts from jobs in the past. We sat and talked about the recent Monsterpalooza weekend, as well as the business of makeup and what really counts. As seasoned makeup artists with many years experience on set, Allan and Brad made this episode of the podcast a gold-loaded listen for makeup artists. Like Brad says, "If you don't know highlight and shadow, it doesn't matter what you are putting on - it won't look right!". Despite the noise of competing companies vying for our attention and wallets, this really is the key message. Know your subject, know yourself and above all, respect the craft! <ul> <li>Incidentally, MEL have a podcast called '<a href="http://www.thisweekinmakeup.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">This Week In Makeup</a>' which is worth checking out!</li> </ul> You can subscribe to our podcast, <a href="http://lmgtfy.com/?q=battles+with+bits+of+rubber" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Battles With Bits Of Rubber</a> on <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/battles-with-bits-of-rubber/id1093111528?mt=2" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> iTunes</a>, <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/0E5e7vnF15DcIGQD7wrvzD" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Spotify</a>, <a href="https://soundcloud.com/stuartbray" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Soundcloud</a> and pretty much all podcatcher apps or platforms. Thanks for listening! You can contact us at our Facebook page or email direct <a href="mailto:stuartandtodd@gmail.com">stuartandtodd@gmail.com</a> with suggestions, feedback, or just to say hi.  The blogpost for this episode can be found at <a href="http://www.learnmakeupeffects.com/?p=4087&amp;preview=true" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.learnmakeupeffects.com/32respectthecraft/</a> . Til next time -Stuart &amp; Todd

Ep #32 - Allan Apone & Brad Look Respect The Craft!

Rob Burns

Rob Burns makes great sculpting tools because he sculpts and knows what works. Blog post for this episode with video: http://www.learnmakeupeffects.com/rob-burns/  -------------------------------- It helps to know your tools, and in the podcast, he chats about how he started the company and how he paid his dues. We also chat with Mitch of Brick In The Yard again, and we talk about the proliferation of information in the hi-tech age and how having so much information on hand doesn't necessarily mean that it makes it into the brain. Incidentally, this is what the tribble-like recorder looked like which we mention in the podcast:  Sculpting Tools Tools are something I have an unreasonable desire for, and I have far too many already but I'll be damned if that will stop me buying more. I have done a few posts  on tools, manufacture tutorials and loop tool repair. This doesn't mean I don't buy tools as well - just because I know how to make a sandwich doesn't mean I don't go to Subway on occasion!  When I met with Rob at BITY, I had a play with the Steve Wang set, a signature set of tools designed in association with the master creature designer himself! I liked them so much I bought a set there and then for myself, and also got another set for a giveaway on the podcast. See the competition details below to enter! Our email is stuartandtodd@gmail.com  Makeup Education Todd is busy with the newest edition of his book, and I have had a few cool jobs and loads of teaching spots which led me to reflect on the differences between the job and the education side of things. There are a few recurring issues I see partly because I think people think 'makeup' sounds like an easy option and partly because academic frameworks don't necessarily make for a good approach to what is a vocational skill. This being the case, we want to hear from anyone who is/was either a student or tutor in a makeup college/school/course and has a strong feeling either good or bad. What was your experience? What went well and what was pitiful? Did you find yourself surrounded with like-minded artistic souls or was it a difficult mixed group? I've seen a lot of good thing and great tutors working hard to do right by their students, but sometimes any good they do is despite the system they find themselves in rather than because of it. Am I way off? Let me know by emailing stuartandtodd@gmail.com It'll all be handled in confidence - I'm not interested in naming individual schools or people but I am interested in discussing the problem areas and what we can do to address them. Check out Rob Burns and Cutting Edge Sculpture on Facebook, Instagram and the website. Check out Prosthetics Magazine too, available as print or online subscription. This edition features a ton of amazing stuff, and we have part 2 of our latex tutorial - applying latex appliances.  Until next time! Stuart &amp; Todd

Rob Burns makes great sculpting tools because he sculpts and knows what works. Blog post for this episode with video: <a href="http://www.learnmakeupeffects.com/rob-burns/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.learnmakeupeffects.com/rob-burns/</a> -------------------------------- It helps to know your tools, and in the podcast, he chats about how he started the company and how he paid his dues. We also chat with Mitch of <a href="https://www.brickintheyard.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Brick In The Yard</a> again, and we talk about the proliferation of information in the hi-tech age and how having so much information on hand doesn't necessarily mean that it makes it into the brain. Incidentally, this is what the tribble-like recorder looked like which we mention in the podcast: Sculpting Tools Tools are something I have an unreasonable desire for, and I have far too many already but I'll be damned if that will stop me buying more. I have done a few posts <a href="http://www.learnmakeupeffects.com/sculpting_tool_for_prosthetics/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> on tools</a>, <a href="http://www.learnmakeupeffects.com/making-tools/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">manufacture tutorials</a> and <a href="http://www.learnmakeupeffects.com/loop-repair/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">loop tool repair</a>. This doesn't mean I don't buy tools as well - just because I know how to make a sandwich doesn't mean I don't go to Subway on occasion! When I met with Rob at BITY, I had a play with the Steve Wang set, a signature set of tools designed in association with the master creature designer himself! I liked them so much I bought a set there and then for myself, and also got another set for a giveaway on the podcast. See the competition details below to enter! <a href="mailto:stuartandtodd@gmail.com">Our email is stuartandtodd@gmail.com</a> Makeup Education Todd is busy with the newest edition of his book, and I have had a few cool jobs and loads of teaching spots which led me to reflect on the differences between the job and the education side of things. There are a few recurring issues I see partly because I think people think 'makeup' sounds like an easy option and partly because academic frameworks don't necessarily make for a good approach to what is a vocational skill. This being the case, we want to hear from anyone who is/was either a student or tutor in a makeup college/school/course and has a strong feeling either good or bad. What was your experience? What went well and what was pitiful? Did you find yourself surrounded with like-minded artistic souls or was it a difficult mixed group? I've seen a lot of good thing and great tutors working hard to do right by their students, but sometimes any good they do is despite the system they find themselves in rather than because of it. Am I way off? Let me know by emailing <a href="mailto:stuartandtodd@gmail.com">stuartandtodd@gmail.com</a> It'll all be handled in confidence - I'm not interested in naming individual schools or people but I am interested in discussing the problem areas and what we can do to address them. Check out Rob Burns and Cutting Edge Sculpture on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/CESculpture/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Facebook</a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/cuttingedgesculpture/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Instagram</a> and the <a href="https://cuttingedgesculpture.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">website</a>. Check out <a href="https://www.prostheticsmagazine.co.uk/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Prosthetics Magazine</a> too, available as print or online subscription. This edition features a ton of amazing stuff, and we have part 2 of our latex tutorial - applying latex appliances. <a href="https://www.prostheticsmagazine.co.uk/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a> Until next time! Stuart &amp; Todd

#22 - Rob Burns: Cutting Edge

Cristina Patterson

Bob Smithson

Contact lenses are pretty easy to find nowadays. It wasn't always so, and the increased use of lenses has meant an increase in opportunities to have problems with eyes caused by them. We chatted to Cristina Patterson of Eye Ink FX about eye care and lenses, especially in the light of many people around us who had created characters for Monsterpalooza using lenses. Many conventions will have extensive makeup characters with lenses bought online or in costume stores for not a lot of money. These lenses may be available in stores, but is it wise to buy and use them? We also chatted to Bob Smithson, a lens tech with many years experience fitting lenses on set and dealing with the front line of lenses on a production. http://www.learnmakeupeffects.com/33lenses/

Contact lenses are pretty easy to find nowadays. It wasn't always so, and the increased use of lenses has meant an increase in opportunities to have problems with eyes caused by them. We chatted to Cristina Patterson of <a href="https://eyeinkfx.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Eye Ink FX</a> about eye care and lenses, especially in the light of many people around us who had created characters for Monsterpalooza using lenses. Many conventions will have extensive makeup characters with lenses bought online or in costume stores for not a lot of money. These lenses may be available in stores, but is it wise to buy and use them? We also chatted to Bob Smithson, a lens tech with many years experience fitting lenses on set and dealing with the front line of lenses on a production. <a href="http://www.learnmakeupeffects.com/33lenses/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.learnmakeupeffects.com/33lenses/</a>

#33 - Contact Lenses With Cristina Patterson & Bob Smithson

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