Ash Tree Nymph (Meliae) - Development

Makeup Ideas:

I have come across a video of Conor Mccullagh, SFX artist, who worked on the Hunger Games. He was the one who created the camouflage tree/bark makeup on Peter.

I started by creating my own bark out of kitchen roll and PVA glue. I added in ridges to create a bumpy bark effect and painted it brown using acrylic paint. I used a light brown as a highlighter and black as a shader to add depth to the bark to make it look more realistic. I can now cut this into particular shapes to suit the makeup/styling look that I would like to achieve.

Here is the base to the creation

I added more depth to create a more realistic effect

I am happy with the outcome, but I would like the bark to be more realistic. I would like to try another way of doing this.

After researching different techniques to create a camouflaged tree effect, I came across the following:

Using gelatine, create lines onto the skin, creating a branch effect. Cover with skin colour foundation to create a realistic skin effect

Using real leaves and twigs, paint with aqua colours and apply to the skin. Also some fullers earth is used

Using fullers earth, apply to the whole body except for the face. Paint face with a matching colour and add makeup on top

Cover body in fullers earth and paint the face using a matching colour. Add natural makeup to the face

I really like the idea of using fullers earth all over the body and face to create a bark effect, followed by contrasting colours on the eyes and lips.

Makeup design that will go on top of the fullers earth.

Makeup design that will go on top of the fullers earth.

Final Design

Makeup design that will go on top of fullers earth.

Styling Ideas:

I would like to incorporate real leaves or twigs into the styling to add to the bark effect of the fullers earth. I have found some amazing styling ideas..

Alongside the fullers earth, I feel that the above styling would look too much and take away from the makeup design. I would like to try and create something like this:

 

Although the above is made from fake leaves, I would like to keep my design realistic by painting real leaves gold and using a hot glue gun to stick them to a bra. I will need to do this on the day to ensure the leaves stay in shape and do not die.

I collected real leaves from a tree

I painted them gold using aqua colour and sprayed them with a very strong hairspray

This is how they appeared. I allowed them to dry for a few hours

Using a hot glue gun, I stuck the leaves to a bra and allowed to dry for an hour

I also made a hair piece with the spare leaves

This is the final outcome

 Hair:

In order to help stick with the camouflage, I will paint the fullers earth into the hair. This should blend the face and hair to give a more realistic feel to the image.

Photography Style:

To ensure the book flows nicely, I would like to stick to the same photography style as the previous shoots that have been shot. I would like to get some close up photos for this shoot, as well as head and shoulder shots and half body shots.